According to Dictionary.com, the concept of entelechy dates back to Artistotle. Philosophically speaking, entelechy describes the condition of having one's essence fully realized. Entelechy is realization or actuality as opposed to potentiality. It is also a vital force or agent that directs growth and life, pushing organisms towards the natural fulfillment of their potential.
Exogamy is marriage outside of one's immediate social group, normally determined, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, by kinship, rather than class, religion or ethnicity. Social sanctions against this practice vary, and include disapproval, ostracism or in some cases even death.
Effrontery is impertinence, impudence or insolence. Using a more formal manner, this word conveys the sentiment expressed by the common exclamations What a nerve, Of all the nerve, or simply The nerve!
For those who prefer less formal synonyms, we have brass, cheek, and gall. All three may be combined in a traditional Newfoundland expression of outrage: The nerve, the cheek and the gall of him! These forms are originally derived from British and Irish usage.
According to Merriam-Webster, the word comes from Medieval Latin, by way of French, and can be translated as shamelessness.
What I love about the juxtaposition of these words is how three nouns with wildly divergent meanings are united by an identical pattern of syllable and stress. Thus can the rhythm of language be enjoyed quite apart from its meaning.
As I pointed out with another lovely trio of words over a year ago.
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