puh-SIF-ik
(adjective) Peaceful in nature or intent; avoiding conflict.
Her pacific nature helped resolve the argument before it escalated.
Fun Fact
The Pacific Ocean was named by explorer Ferdinand Magellan for its calm waters—mar pacífico, or “peaceful sea.” But beyond geography, pacific describes people, policies, or actions focused on keeping the peace, not just staying quiet. It shows up in everything from foreign policy to personality types.
RANG-ker
(noun) Deep, persistent bitterness or resentment.
Years after their falling-out, a quiet rancor still lingered between them.
From Latin rancere, meaning “to stink” or “be rotten,” echoing the idea of bitterness that festers over time.
Fun Fact
Unlike anger, which burns hot and fast, rancor is slow, cold, and enduring. Authors often use it to describe feuds that span generations—think of the Hatfields and McCoys—or tensions that simmer beneath polite conversation. In psychology, rancor is linked to rumination: resentment that grows stronger the more it is revisited, like a wound that never fully closes.