Word to the Wise: Congeries

"Congeries" (kon-JEER-eez) - from the Latin for "to heap up" - is a collection or assemblage of items or parts.

Example (as used by Jonathan Miles in a New York Times review of Fall of Frost by Brian Hall): "The life of Robert Frost has been autopsied and re-autopsied so many times that, 45 years since his death, the congeries of appraisals can already be measured in layers, like geologic strata."

[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Similar Articles:

• It’s Good to Know: The Holographic DVD - A new type of digital storage - based on holographic technology - will make it possible to store up …
• It’s Good to Know: Oil by the Barrel - Oil, or petroleum, hasn’t been stored in barrels for more than a hundred years. So why is it still m…
• It’s Fun to Know: The 8 New Natural Wonders of the World - The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added eight new e…
• Bolivia’s “Road of Death” - Your seatbelt isn’t going to do much for you if you get into an accident on Bolivia’s Nor Yungas Roa…
• Word to the Wise: Volte-Face - Volte-face" (vawl-tuh-FAHS) - from the Italian for "turn" + "face" - is a r…
• Word to the Wise: Inveigle - To "inveigle" (in-VAY-gul) - from the Latin for "without eyes" - is to persuade …
• Word to the Wise: Euphemism - A "euphemism" (YOO-fuh-miz-um) is a nice way of saying something that is not nice. The wor…