Proximity

WORD OF THE DAY

proximity / prahk-SIM-uh-tee /noun

Definition

1: the quality or state of being proximate 

2: closeness

Examples

"[T]he company's main advantages as an exporter include proximity to the U.S. market, quality of production and its ability to alter production to suit the needs and design tastes of U.S. consumers." 

— Thomas Russell, Furniture Today, 4 Oct. 2017

"Common interests, shared experiences and momentum are the things that bind superficial relationships…, but remove the natural closeness that proximity creates and you find that having once shared a few high school classes is not enough to sustain a lifelong relationship." 

— Jonathan Look, Forbes, 24 Sept. 2017

Did You Know?

The history of proximity hinges on the idea of closeness, both physical and metaphorical. English speakers borrowed the word from Middle French, which in turn acquired it from Latin proximitat-, proximitas, forms of the adjective proximus, meaning "nearest" or "next." 

A number of other languages, including Catalan, Portuguese, and Italian, derived similar words from Latin proximus. Other descendants of proximus in English include proximal, proximate, and the somewhat more rare approximal (meaning "contiguous").

Stellar

WORD OF THE DAY
stellar / STEL-er / adjective
 
Definition
1a : of or relating to the stars
1b: astral
1c: composed of stars
2: of or relating to a theatrical or film star
3a: principal, leading
3b: outstanding


Examples
Kelly's stellar academic record should help her gain acceptance to almost any college she wants to attend.


"The carbon-rich asteroid is like a time capsule from more than 4.5 billion years ago when the solar system formed. Scientists hope that the samples that Osiris-Rex collects and brings to Earth in 2023 will contain clues from the earliest history of our stellar neighborhood."
— Nicholas St. Fleur, The New York Times, 28 Sept. 2017


Did You Know?
Stella, the Latin word for "star," shines brightly in the word constellation, but stella words have been favored by scientists to describe earthly things as much as heavenly bodies. Stellar was once used to mean "star-shaped."
That use is no longer current, but today biologists and geologists might use one of these synonyms: stellular, stellate, and stelliform.
Poets, too, have looked to stella. John Milton used stellar in its infancy when he wrote in Paradise Lost "these soft fires … shed down their stellar virtue." Stellar shot into its leading role as a synonym of star (as when we say "stellar pupil") in the late 1800s.

Roué

WORD OF THE DAY

roué / roo-AY / noun

Definition

1: a man devoted to a life of sensual pleasure 

2: rake

Examples

"Hugh Grant, as a roué who seems to realize that his charm is a regrettably cheap commodity, enjoyed something of a comeback in Florence Foster Jenkins." 

— Tom Gliatto, People, 17 Jan. 2017             

"[Roger Moore's] Bond was a roué, a bounder, a debonair playboy not remotely like a real spy and arguably all the better for it." 

— Alex Bilmes, Esquire, 25 May 2017

Did You Know?

Roué originated as a French word and gained momentum when it began to be used in reference to the libertine companions of Philippe II, France's regent from 1715-1723. Roué means "broken on the wheel" in French and ultimately derives from Latin rota, meaning "wheel." 

Since the wheel being referred to was an instrument of punishment, the French were implying that such dissolute beings deserved this punishment. By the end of the 18th century, English-speakers added roué to its list of synonyms for a rake, libertine, debaucher, lecher, etc.