CAROL BURNSIDE / ANNIE RAYBURN

>Evanescent \ev-un-NESS-unt\ (adjective)

MSWORD’s definition: disappearing after only a short time and soon forgotten: fleeting
M-W’s Word Central: tending to vanish like a vapor: not lasting

In the presence of so many frat boys, the evanescent beer supply had to be replenished several times.

Her so-called love was evanescent and broke many hearts.

The evanescent nature of the specter made it difficult for Sally to capture it’s likeness in her painting.

I like the the sound of this word and the effortless way it flows, almost as if it’s unstoppable once you begin the first syllable. How about you?

>Pique \PEEK\ (verb)

Yes, it sounds just like “peak” and “peek” but has a very different meaning.

MSWORD’s definition: aimlessly passing from one thing to another, random
M-W’s Word Central gives two definitions of pique:
1 : to arouse anger or resentment in : irritate; especially : to offend by treating with disrespect
2 : excite, arouse

I don’t know that I’ve ever used the word pique in conversation as pertains to definition #1. I see it written and understand it’s meaning, but never really stopped to think about the different usages. Here’s examples using definition #1:

A fit of pique came over her when the name calling began.
John’s jibes finally piqued Tom to the point that he struck the first blow.

The more common usage, IMO, is #2. We’ve probably all used this meaning thus:

Now you’ve piqued my curiosity!

And with that, my piqued interest is satisfied. 🙂