Here are the meanings of the 10 hardest words that have also been used in Times articles.
1. trigram — a group of three letters:
The four scents in Elorea’s foundational collection “The Elements,” are inspired by the four trigrams adorning the Korean flag, representing earth, sky, fire and water. — You’ve Heard of K-Beauty. Now Try K-Perfume (Sept. 1, 2023)
2. tangram — a puzzle with seven shapes that form a square:
By the time Hanukkah begins tomorrow, many large, beautiful Christmas trees will already be up and decorated, so the more modestly scaled menorah needs to get it together and really show everyone what it’s capable of. This ingenious tangram contraption, handmade in Israel by Studio Armadillo, does just that. — A Modern, Modular Menorah (Dec. 15, 2014)
3. trimaran — a boat with three hulls:
Small and agile with crews of about 80 sailors, Independence-class littoral warships like the Montgomery have a futuristic-looking, all-aluminum trimaran design. — Navy Fires Warship’s Top Two Officers, Citing ‘Loss of Confidence’ (Dec. 30, 2021)
4. coulee — a ravine:
In the long rural stretches, hills and coulees between the hipster hangouts and union halls of La Crosse and Eau Claire, Van Orden and Johnson campaign signs jostle with faded Trump-Pence placards. — Fears Over Fate of Democracy Leave Many Voters Frustrated and Resigned (Oct. 23, 2022)
5. toccata — a piece of music that shows off a musician’s technique, typically in the form of a keyboard or plucked string instrument:
His even apter finale to the concert was the “Grand Pièce Symphonique,” which lasts nearly half an hour and influenced a generation of large-scale solo organ works. Here it was clear in its hovering veils of sound, its quietly lyrical serenity and its toccata flurries, before a steady, triumphal ending. — Review: For Franck’s 200th, an Organist Pays Grand Tribute (June 8, 2022)
6. clade — a group of animals with common ancestry:
“It really adds to the compelling body of evidence indicating that medusozoans, which are a really important clade in the oceans today, were already established by the time of the Cambrian period,” Dr. Lieberman said. — 505-Million-Year-Old Jellyfish Fossils May Be the Oldest Ever Found (Aug. 1, 2023)
7. tamarin — a small monkey from South America:
The golden lion tamarin, one of the world’s most charismatic primates, has a dark face that can look inquisitive, challenging, almost human, framed in an extravagant russet mane. — A Bridge for Tamarins (Feb. 10, 2023)
8. callaloo — a leafy green, or a West Indian soup or stew featuring it:
He might have had a father in prison for manslaughter and a mother who, he says, did tie-dye to support the family, and he might have grown up occasionally eating callaloo picked from the backyard, but on paper he was a posh boy with a surname and family legacy that made it impossible for him to be taken seriously while singing about wealth inequality. — Sean Paul Is Still Busy (Aug. 16, 2023)
9. mirin — a Japanese rice wine:
This wonderful minimalism can then be expanded by adding mirin, for example, grated ginger, sliced or grated radish and freshly cut chopped herbs, such as cilantro, shiso, mint or basil. — How Yotam Ottolenghi Was Seduced by Soba Noodles (Sept. 13, 2023)
10. grammarian — an expert in grammar, the structure of a language:
Michael Markman reminded me of something I did know, once, a long time ago: “The grammarian term for a base word that functions as either a noun or a verb is a gerund,” he wrote. — Lionel Messi Ventures Into Charted Territory (July 22, 2023)
The list of the week’s easiest words:
Eve Washington, Josh Katz and Tom Giratikanon
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