WORD OF THE DAY
GLEAN \ GLEEN \ verb
Definition
1 : to gather grain or other produce left by reapers
2a : to gather (as information) bit by bit
2b : to pick over in search of relevant material
3 : to find out
Examples
Investigators have been able to glean some useful information from the seized documents.
"He won four gold medals in London on his talent and the experience he gleaned from three previous Olympics."
— Suzanne Halliburton, The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, 15 Jan. 2016
Did You Know?
Glean comes from Middle English glenen, which traces to Anglo-French glener, meaning "to glean." The French borrowed their word from Late Latin glennare, which also means "to glean" and is itself of Celtic origin. Both the grain-gathering sense and the collecting-bit-by-bit senses of our glean date back at least to the 14th century. Over the years, and especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, glean has also come to be used frequently with the meaning "to find out, learn, ascertain." This sense has been criticized by folks who think glean should always imply the drudgery involved in the literal grain-gathering sense, but it is well established and perfectly valid.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Friday, February 26, 2016
Keelhaul
WORD OF THE DAY
KEELHAUL \ KEEL-hawl \ verb
Definition
1 : to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture
2 : to rebuke severely
Examples
Several key employees were keelhauled for an error that cost the company millions of dollars.
"Managers have been vilified, criticized and all but keelhauled for stocking teams with their own players in the past—or leaving a qualified pick off the team."
— Tom Gage, The Detroit News, 2 July 2007
Did You Know?
In the mid-1600s, British monarchs were intent on using their powerful navy to expand their empire. Insubordination was not tolerated, and mutinous sailors were disciplined severely to discourage others from similar rebellion. Keelhauling was one of the worst penalties that could befall a renegade mariner. Although they definitely practiced the gruesome punishment, the British did not invent it—the Dutch did. Keelhaul is a translation of the Dutch word kielhalen, which means "to haul under the keel of a ship." Even after the practice was banned on European naval vessels in the mid-1800s, the word keelhaul remained in English as a term for a severe scolding.
KEELHAUL \ KEEL-hawl \ verb
Definition
1 : to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture
2 : to rebuke severely
Examples
Several key employees were keelhauled for an error that cost the company millions of dollars.
"Managers have been vilified, criticized and all but keelhauled for stocking teams with their own players in the past—or leaving a qualified pick off the team."
— Tom Gage, The Detroit News, 2 July 2007
Did You Know?
In the mid-1600s, British monarchs were intent on using their powerful navy to expand their empire. Insubordination was not tolerated, and mutinous sailors were disciplined severely to discourage others from similar rebellion. Keelhauling was one of the worst penalties that could befall a renegade mariner. Although they definitely practiced the gruesome punishment, the British did not invent it—the Dutch did. Keelhaul is a translation of the Dutch word kielhalen, which means "to haul under the keel of a ship." Even after the practice was banned on European naval vessels in the mid-1800s, the word keelhaul remained in English as a term for a severe scolding.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Quantal
WORD OF THE DAY
QUANTAL \ KWAHN-tul \ adjective
Definition
1 : of, relating to, or having only two experimental alternatives (such as dead or alive, all or none)
2 : of or relating to a quantum or to quanta (as of energy or a neurotransmitter)
Examples
"Many bioassays are based on quantal responses: Challenge assays record whether the subjects are dead or alive (or moribund or not moribund) at the end of the assay; seed-germination assays record whether seeds germinate by the end of the assay."
— Ann Yellowlees et al., BioScience, June 2013
"Suppose you shake a crib with a sleeping baby. If you shake it hard, the baby always wakes up. However, if you shake it gently, the baby might wake up. The waking up itself is a quantal event—the baby is either awake or asleep—but the probability of this happening depends on how hard you rock."
— Sönke Johnsen, The Optics of Life: A Biologist's Guide to Light in Nature, 2012
Did You Know?
In Latin, quantum is the neuter form of quantus, meaning "how much?" Both of these forms played a role in the development of quantal. The first sense of quantal, used in scientific experimentation to refer to cases in which only one of two possible results occurs, derived from quanti, the plural of quantus. (Quantus is also an ancestor of our noun quantity.) The second sense of quantal is more directly related to Latin quantum and the English noun quantum, which refers to the smallest possible unit of a form of energy (such as light).
QUANTAL \ KWAHN-tul \ adjective
Definition
1 : of, relating to, or having only two experimental alternatives (such as dead or alive, all or none)
2 : of or relating to a quantum or to quanta (as of energy or a neurotransmitter)
Examples
"Many bioassays are based on quantal responses: Challenge assays record whether the subjects are dead or alive (or moribund or not moribund) at the end of the assay; seed-germination assays record whether seeds germinate by the end of the assay."
— Ann Yellowlees et al., BioScience, June 2013
"Suppose you shake a crib with a sleeping baby. If you shake it hard, the baby always wakes up. However, if you shake it gently, the baby might wake up. The waking up itself is a quantal event—the baby is either awake or asleep—but the probability of this happening depends on how hard you rock."
— Sönke Johnsen, The Optics of Life: A Biologist's Guide to Light in Nature, 2012
Did You Know?
In Latin, quantum is the neuter form of quantus, meaning "how much?" Both of these forms played a role in the development of quantal. The first sense of quantal, used in scientific experimentation to refer to cases in which only one of two possible results occurs, derived from quanti, the plural of quantus. (Quantus is also an ancestor of our noun quantity.) The second sense of quantal is more directly related to Latin quantum and the English noun quantum, which refers to the smallest possible unit of a form of energy (such as light).
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Zwieback
WORD OF THE DAY
ZWIEBACK \ SWEE-back \ noun
Definition
: a usually sweetened bread enriched with eggs that is baked and then sliced and toasted until dry and crisp
Examples
The crust of the pie is made of crumbled zwieback.
"Don't look for zwieback in the cracker and cookie aisle. Instead, head to the baby food section."
— Pam Anderson, Cook Smart: Perfect Recipes for Every Day, 2002
Did You Know?
In ages past, keeping food fresh for any length of time required a lot of ingenuity, especially when one needed to carry comestibles on a long journey. One of the solutions people came up with for keeping bread edible for traveling was to bake it twice, thereby drying it and slowing the spoiling process.
The etymology of zwieback reflects this baker's trick; it was borrowed from a German word that literally means "twice baked." Nowadays, zwieback is not just used as a foodstuff—the texture of the dried bread makes zwieback a suitable teething device for infants. Incidentally, other twice-baked goods whose origins reflect that fact include biscuit and biscotti, both of which come from phrases meaning "twice-cooked bread."
ZWIEBACK \ SWEE-back \ noun
Definition
: a usually sweetened bread enriched with eggs that is baked and then sliced and toasted until dry and crisp
Examples
The crust of the pie is made of crumbled zwieback.
"Don't look for zwieback in the cracker and cookie aisle. Instead, head to the baby food section."
— Pam Anderson, Cook Smart: Perfect Recipes for Every Day, 2002
Did You Know?
In ages past, keeping food fresh for any length of time required a lot of ingenuity, especially when one needed to carry comestibles on a long journey. One of the solutions people came up with for keeping bread edible for traveling was to bake it twice, thereby drying it and slowing the spoiling process.
The etymology of zwieback reflects this baker's trick; it was borrowed from a German word that literally means "twice baked." Nowadays, zwieback is not just used as a foodstuff—the texture of the dried bread makes zwieback a suitable teething device for infants. Incidentally, other twice-baked goods whose origins reflect that fact include biscuit and biscotti, both of which come from phrases meaning "twice-cooked bread."
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Hale
WORD OF THE DAY
HALE \ HAIL \ adjective
Definition
: free from defect, disease, or infirmity
: sound
: retaining exceptional health and vigor
Examples
"He was a rich and powerful noble, then in his sixty-second year, but hale and sturdy, a great horseman and hunter and a pious man."
— Edith Wharton, "Kerfol," 1916
"These twins were New Year's babies in 1926. Today the two men are hale and healthy and love to banter with each other about old times and their lives."
— Marilyn Salzl Brinkman, The St. Cloud (Minnesota) Times, 18 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
When you need a word to describe someone or something in good health, you might pick hale or a synonym such as healthy, sound, or robust. Of those terms, healthy is the most general, implying full strength and vigor or simply freedom from signs of disease. Sound generally emphasizes the complete absence of defects of mind or body.
Robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly and usually suggests muscular strength as well as the ability to work or play long and hard. Hale applies especially to robustness in later life. The phrase "hale and hearty" is often used to describe an older person who retains the physical qualities of youth.
HALE \ HAIL \ adjective
Definition
: free from defect, disease, or infirmity
: sound
: retaining exceptional health and vigor
Examples
"He was a rich and powerful noble, then in his sixty-second year, but hale and sturdy, a great horseman and hunter and a pious man."
— Edith Wharton, "Kerfol," 1916
"These twins were New Year's babies in 1926. Today the two men are hale and healthy and love to banter with each other about old times and their lives."
— Marilyn Salzl Brinkman, The St. Cloud (Minnesota) Times, 18 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
When you need a word to describe someone or something in good health, you might pick hale or a synonym such as healthy, sound, or robust. Of those terms, healthy is the most general, implying full strength and vigor or simply freedom from signs of disease. Sound generally emphasizes the complete absence of defects of mind or body.
Robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly and usually suggests muscular strength as well as the ability to work or play long and hard. Hale applies especially to robustness in later life. The phrase "hale and hearty" is often used to describe an older person who retains the physical qualities of youth.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Bumptious
WORD OF THE DAY
BUMPTIOUS \ BUMP-shus \ adjective
Definition
: presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive
: obtrusive
Examples
The talk show often features interesting guests, but the bumptious host's tendency to turn the interview back to himself can get annoying.
"He had a sense of himself that was strong; that’s why he was successful as an actor. But he was never bumptious or presumptive, he was gentle."
— Brian Cox, quoted in The Guardian, 15 Jan. 2016
Did You Know?
Etymologists believe that bumptious was probably coined, perhaps playfully, from the noun bump plus -tious. (Think of the obtrusive way an overly assertive person might "bump" through a crowd.) When bumptious was first used around 1800, it meant "conceited." Charles Dickens used it that way in David Copperfield: "His hair was very smooth and wavy; but I was informed … that it was a wig … and that he needn't be so 'bounceable'—somebody else said 'bumptious'—about it, because his own red hair was very plainly to be seen behind."
BUMPTIOUS \ BUMP-shus \ adjective
Definition
: presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive
: obtrusive
Examples
The talk show often features interesting guests, but the bumptious host's tendency to turn the interview back to himself can get annoying.
"He had a sense of himself that was strong; that’s why he was successful as an actor. But he was never bumptious or presumptive, he was gentle."
— Brian Cox, quoted in The Guardian, 15 Jan. 2016
Did You Know?
Etymologists believe that bumptious was probably coined, perhaps playfully, from the noun bump plus -tious. (Think of the obtrusive way an overly assertive person might "bump" through a crowd.) When bumptious was first used around 1800, it meant "conceited." Charles Dickens used it that way in David Copperfield: "His hair was very smooth and wavy; but I was informed … that it was a wig … and that he needn't be so 'bounceable'—somebody else said 'bumptious'—about it, because his own red hair was very plainly to be seen behind."
Friday, February 19, 2016
Astrolabe
WORD OF THE DAY
astrolabe \ A-struh-layb \ noun
Definition
: a compact instrument used to observe and calculate the position of celestial bodies before the invention of the sextant
Examples
"His astrolabe of silver was the gift of the Emperor of Germany…."
— Sir Walter Scott, Quentin Durward, 1823
"The astrolabe, whose invention is often attributed to the Greek astronomer Hipparchus, places the Earth at the center of the universe, with all celestial bodies orbiting around it."
— Grégory Gardinetti, CNN.com, 6 Jan. 2016
Did You Know?
"Thyn Astrolabie hath a ring to putten on the thombe of thi right hond in taking the height of thinges." Thus begins a description of the astrolabe in A Treatise on the Astrolabe, a medieval user's guide penned by an amateur astronomer by the name of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Chaucer is best known for his Middle English poetic masterpiece The Canterbury Tales, but when his nose wasn't buried in his writing, Chaucer was stargazing, and some of his passion for the heavens rubbed off on his son Lewis, who had displayed a special "abilite to lerne sciences touching nombres and proporciouns." Chaucer dedicated his treatise to the 10-year-old boy, setting his instructions not in the usual Latin, but in "naked wordes in Englissh" so that little Lewis could understand. When he got older, Lewis may have learned that the word astrolabe traces to the Greek name for the instrument.
astrolabe \ A-struh-layb \ noun
Definition
: a compact instrument used to observe and calculate the position of celestial bodies before the invention of the sextant
Examples
"His astrolabe of silver was the gift of the Emperor of Germany…."
— Sir Walter Scott, Quentin Durward, 1823
"The astrolabe, whose invention is often attributed to the Greek astronomer Hipparchus, places the Earth at the center of the universe, with all celestial bodies orbiting around it."
— Grégory Gardinetti, CNN.com, 6 Jan. 2016
Did You Know?
"Thyn Astrolabie hath a ring to putten on the thombe of thi right hond in taking the height of thinges." Thus begins a description of the astrolabe in A Treatise on the Astrolabe, a medieval user's guide penned by an amateur astronomer by the name of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Chaucer is best known for his Middle English poetic masterpiece The Canterbury Tales, but when his nose wasn't buried in his writing, Chaucer was stargazing, and some of his passion for the heavens rubbed off on his son Lewis, who had displayed a special "abilite to lerne sciences touching nombres and proporciouns." Chaucer dedicated his treatise to the 10-year-old boy, setting his instructions not in the usual Latin, but in "naked wordes in Englissh" so that little Lewis could understand. When he got older, Lewis may have learned that the word astrolabe traces to the Greek name for the instrument.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Deasil
WORD OF THE DAY
deasil \ DEE-zil \ adv
Definition
: clockwise
Examples
The worshippers dance around the fire deasil, or sunwise.
"Three times we walked deasil around our central candle. By the third cycle I felt power flowing from Sky's fingers to mine, from my fingers to Alyce's."
— Cate Tiernan, Spellbound, 2001
Did You Know?
According to an old custom, you can bring someone good fortune by walking around the person clockwise three times while carrying a torch or candle.
In Scottish Gaelic, the word deiseil is used for the direction one walks in such a luck-bringing ritual. English speakers modified the spelling to deasil, and have used the word to describe clockwise motion in a variety of rituals
deasil \ DEE-zil \ adv
Definition
: clockwise
Examples
The worshippers dance around the fire deasil, or sunwise.
"Three times we walked deasil around our central candle. By the third cycle I felt power flowing from Sky's fingers to mine, from my fingers to Alyce's."
— Cate Tiernan, Spellbound, 2001
Did You Know?
According to an old custom, you can bring someone good fortune by walking around the person clockwise three times while carrying a torch or candle.
In Scottish Gaelic, the word deiseil is used for the direction one walks in such a luck-bringing ritual. English speakers modified the spelling to deasil, and have used the word to describe clockwise motion in a variety of rituals
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Nimrod
WORD OF THE DAY
nimrod \ NIM-rahd \ noun
Definition
1 : hunter
2 : idiot, jerk
Examples
"The hunting season is now in full blast. Several nimrods, both veteran and amateur, are shouldering the gun and marching to the woods and marshes."
— Gary Pullano, The Holland (Michigan) Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2015
"The stereotypical cast for the film-within-the-film cleverly overacts and paints their obnoxious characters as helpless nimrods."
— Alex Pelham, The Daily Texan (University of Texas), 14 Mar. 2015
Did You Know?
The word nimrod gets its start in the Bible: Nimrod was king of a country known as Shinar, and he's described in Genesis as "the first on earth to be a mighty man" and "a mighty hunter before the Lord."
English speakers of the 16th century didn't think Nimrod was particularly benevolent; they used his name as a synonym of "tyrant"—a meaning that is now obsolete.
In the 17th century, English speakers began using nimrod as a generic term for any hunter. That meaning is not especially common today but it's still encountered occasionally, especially in hunting and fishing journalism.
The legendary Nimrod is also sometimes associated with the attempt to build the Tower of Babel. Because the tower resulted in the wrath of the Lord and proved a disastrous idea, nimrod is currently used with yet another meaning: "a stupid person."
nimrod \ NIM-rahd \ noun
Definition
1 : hunter
2 : idiot, jerk
Examples
"The hunting season is now in full blast. Several nimrods, both veteran and amateur, are shouldering the gun and marching to the woods and marshes."
— Gary Pullano, The Holland (Michigan) Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2015
"The stereotypical cast for the film-within-the-film cleverly overacts and paints their obnoxious characters as helpless nimrods."
— Alex Pelham, The Daily Texan (University of Texas), 14 Mar. 2015
Did You Know?
The word nimrod gets its start in the Bible: Nimrod was king of a country known as Shinar, and he's described in Genesis as "the first on earth to be a mighty man" and "a mighty hunter before the Lord."
English speakers of the 16th century didn't think Nimrod was particularly benevolent; they used his name as a synonym of "tyrant"—a meaning that is now obsolete.
In the 17th century, English speakers began using nimrod as a generic term for any hunter. That meaning is not especially common today but it's still encountered occasionally, especially in hunting and fishing journalism.
The legendary Nimrod is also sometimes associated with the attempt to build the Tower of Babel. Because the tower resulted in the wrath of the Lord and proved a disastrous idea, nimrod is currently used with yet another meaning: "a stupid person."
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Sub rosa
WORD OF THE DAY
Sub Rosa \ sub-ROH-zuh \ adverb
Definition
: in confidence : secretly
Examples
"For 30 years he kept notes, almost sub rosa, finally publishing his work with his own funds just before his death."
— Jeannette Ferrary, The New York Times Book Review, 31 May 1987
"Now, when you say you think they will test it, do you think they will test it openly, essentially, or that they will try to do something sub rosa and wait to be caught?"
— Margaret Warner, on PBS.org, 9 Sept. 2015
Did You Know?
Sub rosa literally means "under the rose" in New Latin. Since ancient times, the rose has often been associated with secrecy. In ancient mythology, Cupid gave a rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to keep him from telling about the indiscretions of Venus.
Ceilings of dining rooms have been decorated with carvings of roses, reportedly to remind guests that what was said at the table should be kept confidential. Roses have also been placed over confessionals as a symbol of the confidentiality of confession.
Sub rosa entered the English language in the 17th century, and even before then, people were using the English version, "under the rose." Earlier still, unter der Rose was apparently used in Germany, where the phrase is thought to have originated.
Sub Rosa \ sub-ROH-zuh \ adverb
Definition
: in confidence : secretly
Examples
"For 30 years he kept notes, almost sub rosa, finally publishing his work with his own funds just before his death."
— Jeannette Ferrary, The New York Times Book Review, 31 May 1987
"Now, when you say you think they will test it, do you think they will test it openly, essentially, or that they will try to do something sub rosa and wait to be caught?"
— Margaret Warner, on PBS.org, 9 Sept. 2015
Did You Know?
Sub rosa literally means "under the rose" in New Latin. Since ancient times, the rose has often been associated with secrecy. In ancient mythology, Cupid gave a rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to keep him from telling about the indiscretions of Venus.
Ceilings of dining rooms have been decorated with carvings of roses, reportedly to remind guests that what was said at the table should be kept confidential. Roses have also been placed over confessionals as a symbol of the confidentiality of confession.
Sub rosa entered the English language in the 17th century, and even before then, people were using the English version, "under the rose." Earlier still, unter der Rose was apparently used in Germany, where the phrase is thought to have originated.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Pulchritude
WORD OF THE DAY
pulchritude \PUHL-kruh-tood \ noun
Definition
: physical comeliness
Examples
The snowboarder's talent won her many medals, and her pulchritude gained her much attention from sponsors looking for a spokeswoman.
"Though the actress playing the queen has the requisite pulchritude, she lacks the gravitas to convince us that she's a 41-year-old, with a lifetime's experience and heartache."
— Lee Randall, The Edinburgh Evening News, 11 Aug. 2015
Did You Know?
If English poet John Keats was right when he wrote that "a thing of beauty is a joy forever," then pulchritude should bring bliss for many years to come. That word has already served English handsomely for centuries; it has been used since the 1400s.
It's a descendant of the Latin adjective pulcher, which means "beautiful." Pulcher hasn't exactly been a wellspring of English terms, but it did give us both pulchritude and pulchritudinous, an adjective meaning "attractive" or "beautiful."
The verb pulchrify (a synonym of beautify), the noun pulchritudeness (same meaning as pulchritude), and the adjective pulchrous (meaning "fair or beautiful") are other pulcher offspring, but those terms have proved that, in at least some linguistic cases, beauty is fleeting.
pulchritude \PUHL-kruh-tood \ noun
Definition
: physical comeliness
Examples
The snowboarder's talent won her many medals, and her pulchritude gained her much attention from sponsors looking for a spokeswoman.
"Though the actress playing the queen has the requisite pulchritude, she lacks the gravitas to convince us that she's a 41-year-old, with a lifetime's experience and heartache."
— Lee Randall, The Edinburgh Evening News, 11 Aug. 2015
Did You Know?
If English poet John Keats was right when he wrote that "a thing of beauty is a joy forever," then pulchritude should bring bliss for many years to come. That word has already served English handsomely for centuries; it has been used since the 1400s.
It's a descendant of the Latin adjective pulcher, which means "beautiful." Pulcher hasn't exactly been a wellspring of English terms, but it did give us both pulchritude and pulchritudinous, an adjective meaning "attractive" or "beautiful."
The verb pulchrify (a synonym of beautify), the noun pulchritudeness (same meaning as pulchritude), and the adjective pulchrous (meaning "fair or beautiful") are other pulcher offspring, but those terms have proved that, in at least some linguistic cases, beauty is fleeting.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Marmoreal
WORD OF THE DAY
MARMOREAL \ mahr-MOR-ee-ul \ adjective
Definition
: of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue especially in coldness or aloofness
Examples
"'Thank you for your submission,' the note begins with marmoreal courtesy. It ends with a wish for success in placing your manuscript with another house."
— William Germano, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 20 Feb. 2011
"Marble … has always been synonymous with artistry and luxury. Had it not been glowing marble would Michelangelo's David and the Pieta have looked the same? Not to speak of our Taj Mahal, whose marmoreal splendour has moved many poets to wax eloquent about its beauty."
— Soumitra Das, The Telegraph (India), 1 June 2014
Did You Know?
Most marble-related words in English were chiseled from the Latin noun marmor, meaning "marble." Marmor gave our language the word marble itself in the 12th century.
It is also the parent of marmoreal, which has been used in English since the mid-1600s. Marbleize, another marmor descendant, came later, making its print debut around 1854.
The obscure adjective marmorate, meaning "veined like marble," dates to the 16th century and hasn't seen much use since.
MARMOREAL \ mahr-MOR-ee-ul \ adjective
Definition
: of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue especially in coldness or aloofness
Examples
"'Thank you for your submission,' the note begins with marmoreal courtesy. It ends with a wish for success in placing your manuscript with another house."
— William Germano, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 20 Feb. 2011
"Marble … has always been synonymous with artistry and luxury. Had it not been glowing marble would Michelangelo's David and the Pieta have looked the same? Not to speak of our Taj Mahal, whose marmoreal splendour has moved many poets to wax eloquent about its beauty."
— Soumitra Das, The Telegraph (India), 1 June 2014
Did You Know?
Most marble-related words in English were chiseled from the Latin noun marmor, meaning "marble." Marmor gave our language the word marble itself in the 12th century.
It is also the parent of marmoreal, which has been used in English since the mid-1600s. Marbleize, another marmor descendant, came later, making its print debut around 1854.
The obscure adjective marmorate, meaning "veined like marble," dates to the 16th century and hasn't seen much use since.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Incumbent
WORD OF THE DAY
INCUMBENT \ in-KUM-bunt \ noun
Definition
1 : the holder of an office or ecclesiastical benefice
2 : one that occupies a particular position or place
Examples
The two-term incumbent has already raised almost a million dollars for the upcoming congressional race.
"In recent weeks, the candidates hoping to succeed Obama have backed into an honest debate about what American power can and can't do. On Tuesday, the incumbent himself joined in, explicitly defending his own restrained approach."
— Dante Ramos, The Boston Globe, 14 Jan. 2016
Did You Know?
When incumbent was first used in English in the 15th century, it referred to someone who occupied a benefice—a paid position in a church. This was often a lifetime appointment; the person could only be forced to leave the office in the case of certain specific legal conflicts.
In the mid-17th century, incumbent came to refer to anyone holding any office, including elected positions. These days, in the American political system, incumbent generally refers to someone who is the current holder of a position during an election to fill that position.
Incumbent came to English through Anglo-French and derives from the Latin incumbere, meaning "to lie down on."
INCUMBENT \ in-KUM-bunt \ noun
Definition
1 : the holder of an office or ecclesiastical benefice
2 : one that occupies a particular position or place
Examples
The two-term incumbent has already raised almost a million dollars for the upcoming congressional race.
"In recent weeks, the candidates hoping to succeed Obama have backed into an honest debate about what American power can and can't do. On Tuesday, the incumbent himself joined in, explicitly defending his own restrained approach."
— Dante Ramos, The Boston Globe, 14 Jan. 2016
Did You Know?
When incumbent was first used in English in the 15th century, it referred to someone who occupied a benefice—a paid position in a church. This was often a lifetime appointment; the person could only be forced to leave the office in the case of certain specific legal conflicts.
In the mid-17th century, incumbent came to refer to anyone holding any office, including elected positions. These days, in the American political system, incumbent generally refers to someone who is the current holder of a position during an election to fill that position.
Incumbent came to English through Anglo-French and derives from the Latin incumbere, meaning "to lie down on."
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Gruntle
WORD OF THE DAY
GRUNTLE \ GRUN-tul \ verb
Definition
: to put in a good humor
Examples
The hour-long wait at the restaurant irked us, but once we were seated, we were soon gruntled by an amiable waiter.
"I returned to my interrupted slumber in a mood far from gruntled. It was an injury to my amour propre to realize that in the Whitcomb affair I had been a small cog on a large wheel."
— Lawrence Sanders, McNally's Trial, 1995
Did You Know?
The verb disgruntle, which has been around since 1682, means "to make ill-humored or discontented." The prefix dis- often means "to do the opposite of," so people might naturally assume that if there is a disgruntle, there must have first been a gruntle with exactly the opposite meaning.
But dis- doesn't always work that way; in some rare cases it functions instead as an intensifier. Disgruntle developed from this intensifying sense of dis- plus gruntle, an old word (now used only in British dialect) meaning "to grumble." In the 1920s, a writer humorously used gruntle to mean "to make happy"—in other words, as an antonym of disgruntle. The use caught on. At first gruntle was used only in humorous ways, but people eventually began to use it seriously as well.
GRUNTLE \ GRUN-tul \ verb
Definition
: to put in a good humor
Examples
The hour-long wait at the restaurant irked us, but once we were seated, we were soon gruntled by an amiable waiter.
"I returned to my interrupted slumber in a mood far from gruntled. It was an injury to my amour propre to realize that in the Whitcomb affair I had been a small cog on a large wheel."
— Lawrence Sanders, McNally's Trial, 1995
Did You Know?
The verb disgruntle, which has been around since 1682, means "to make ill-humored or discontented." The prefix dis- often means "to do the opposite of," so people might naturally assume that if there is a disgruntle, there must have first been a gruntle with exactly the opposite meaning.
But dis- doesn't always work that way; in some rare cases it functions instead as an intensifier. Disgruntle developed from this intensifying sense of dis- plus gruntle, an old word (now used only in British dialect) meaning "to grumble." In the 1920s, a writer humorously used gruntle to mean "to make happy"—in other words, as an antonym of disgruntle. The use caught on. At first gruntle was used only in humorous ways, but people eventually began to use it seriously as well.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Jocund
WORD OF THE DAY
JOCUND \ JAH-kund \ adjective
Definition
: marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively mirthfulness
Examples
Clayton gave a jocund shout when he entered the room and saw the many friends who had come for his surprise 50th birthday celebration.
"The jocund nature of Beethoven's Second Symphony is in utter contradiction with Beethoven's pathetic letter expressing the despair of inevitable deafness, both written at approximately the same time."
— D. S. Crafts, The Albuquerque (New Mexico) Journal, 13 Jan. 2012
Did You Know?
Don't let the etymology of jocund play tricks on you. The word comes from jucundus, a Latin word meaning "agreeable" or "delightful," and ultimately from the Latin verb juvare, meaning "to help."
But jucundus looks and sounds a bit like jocus, the Latin word for "joke." These two roots took a lively romp through many centuries together and along the way the lighthearted jocus influenced the spelling and meaning of jucundus, an interaction that eventually produced our Modern English word jocund in the 14th century.
JOCUND \ JAH-kund \ adjective
Definition
: marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively mirthfulness
Examples
Clayton gave a jocund shout when he entered the room and saw the many friends who had come for his surprise 50th birthday celebration.
"The jocund nature of Beethoven's Second Symphony is in utter contradiction with Beethoven's pathetic letter expressing the despair of inevitable deafness, both written at approximately the same time."
— D. S. Crafts, The Albuquerque (New Mexico) Journal, 13 Jan. 2012
Did You Know?
Don't let the etymology of jocund play tricks on you. The word comes from jucundus, a Latin word meaning "agreeable" or "delightful," and ultimately from the Latin verb juvare, meaning "to help."
But jucundus looks and sounds a bit like jocus, the Latin word for "joke." These two roots took a lively romp through many centuries together and along the way the lighthearted jocus influenced the spelling and meaning of jucundus, an interaction that eventually produced our Modern English word jocund in the 14th century.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Exonerate
WORD OF THE DAY
EXONERATE \ ig-ZAH-nuh-rayt \ verb
Definition
1 : to relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or hardship
2 : to clear from accusation or blame
Examples
Dana was exonerated for the crime of taking the money after it was found that her fingerprints did not match those on the cashbox.
"… a 2015 measure approved by the Legislature will provide more opportunities for convicted people to request DNA testing of evidence that might exonerate them."
— The Daily Herald (Everett, Washington), 23 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
We won't blame you if you don't know the origins of today's word. Exonerate derives via Middle English from the past participle of the Latin verb exonerare, meaning "to unburden," formed by combining the prefix ex- with onus, meaning "load" or "burden" (onus itself lives on with that meaning in English).
In its earliest uses, dating from the 16th century, exonerate was used in the context of physical burdens—a ship, for example, could be exonerated of its cargo when it was unloaded. Later it was used in reference to any kind of burden, until a more specific sense developed, meaning "to relieve (someone) of blame."
EXONERATE \ ig-ZAH-nuh-rayt \ verb
Definition
1 : to relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or hardship
2 : to clear from accusation or blame
Examples
Dana was exonerated for the crime of taking the money after it was found that her fingerprints did not match those on the cashbox.
"… a 2015 measure approved by the Legislature will provide more opportunities for convicted people to request DNA testing of evidence that might exonerate them."
— The Daily Herald (Everett, Washington), 23 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
We won't blame you if you don't know the origins of today's word. Exonerate derives via Middle English from the past participle of the Latin verb exonerare, meaning "to unburden," formed by combining the prefix ex- with onus, meaning "load" or "burden" (onus itself lives on with that meaning in English).
In its earliest uses, dating from the 16th century, exonerate was used in the context of physical burdens—a ship, for example, could be exonerated of its cargo when it was unloaded. Later it was used in reference to any kind of burden, until a more specific sense developed, meaning "to relieve (someone) of blame."
Friday, February 5, 2016
Challah
WORD OF THE DAY
CHALLAH \ KHAH-luh \ noun
Definition
: egg-rich yeast-leavened bread that is usually braided or twisted before baking and is traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and holidays
Examples
My father made a blessing over the challah before it was broken and passed around the Shabbat table.
"The table was graced with the latkes and doughnuts that mark the Jewish holiday, but also featured brisket, challah and tzimmes…."
— Deanna Fox, The Times-Union (Albany, New York), 31 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
When English speakers first borrowed challah from Yiddish, they couldn't quite settle on a single spelling, so the word showed up in several forms; challah, challa, hallah, and the plural forms challoth, challot, halloth, and hallot were all common enough to merit inclusion in Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged when it was released in 1961.
Today, challah and the anglicized plural challahs are the variants that are usually encountered by English speakers. The initial ch of challah is frequently pronounced as a velar fricative, like the ch in the German Buch or the Scottish English loch.
CHALLAH \ KHAH-luh \ noun
Definition
: egg-rich yeast-leavened bread that is usually braided or twisted before baking and is traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and holidays
Examples
My father made a blessing over the challah before it was broken and passed around the Shabbat table.
"The table was graced with the latkes and doughnuts that mark the Jewish holiday, but also featured brisket, challah and tzimmes…."
— Deanna Fox, The Times-Union (Albany, New York), 31 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
When English speakers first borrowed challah from Yiddish, they couldn't quite settle on a single spelling, so the word showed up in several forms; challah, challa, hallah, and the plural forms challoth, challot, halloth, and hallot were all common enough to merit inclusion in Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged when it was released in 1961.
Today, challah and the anglicized plural challahs are the variants that are usually encountered by English speakers. The initial ch of challah is frequently pronounced as a velar fricative, like the ch in the German Buch or the Scottish English loch.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Whilom
WORD OF THE DAY
WHILOM \ WYE-lum \ adjective
Definition
: former
Examples
I was pleased to find an interview with the whilom president of my alma mater in the local paper.
"On the eastern side settlement and agriculture have all but obliterated the whilom tallgrass prairie, so that it is hardly visible to anyone who would not seek it out on hands and knees...."
— William Least Heat-Moon, The Atlantic, September 1991
Did You Know?
Whilom shares an ancestor with the word while. Both trace back to the Old English word hwil, meaning "time" or "while." In Old English hwilum was an adverb meaning "at times." This use passed into Middle English (with a variety of spellings, one of which was whilom), and in the 12th century the word acquired the meaning "formerly."
The adverb's usage dwindled toward the end of the 19th century, and it has since been labeled archaic. The adjective first appeared on the scene in the 15th century, with the now-obsolete meaning "deceased," and by the 19th century it was being used with the meaning "former." It's a relatively uncommon word, but it does see occasional use.
WHILOM \ WYE-lum \ adjective
Definition
: former
Examples
I was pleased to find an interview with the whilom president of my alma mater in the local paper.
"On the eastern side settlement and agriculture have all but obliterated the whilom tallgrass prairie, so that it is hardly visible to anyone who would not seek it out on hands and knees...."
— William Least Heat-Moon, The Atlantic, September 1991
Did You Know?
Whilom shares an ancestor with the word while. Both trace back to the Old English word hwil, meaning "time" or "while." In Old English hwilum was an adverb meaning "at times." This use passed into Middle English (with a variety of spellings, one of which was whilom), and in the 12th century the word acquired the meaning "formerly."
The adverb's usage dwindled toward the end of the 19th century, and it has since been labeled archaic. The adjective first appeared on the scene in the 15th century, with the now-obsolete meaning "deceased," and by the 19th century it was being used with the meaning "former." It's a relatively uncommon word, but it does see occasional use.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Reminisce
WORD OF THE DAY
REMINISCE \ rem-uh-NISS \ verb
Definition
: to indulge in the process or practice of thinking or telling about past
experiences
Examples
Justin met up with some of his college buddies to reminisce about old times.
"Most of us have a comfort food we eat when we are reminiscing, sad or depressed."
— Marion Goldberg, The Poughkeepsie (New York) Journal, 16 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
Reminisce and its relative reminiscence come from the mind—that is to say, they come from the Latin word for "mind," which is mens (think MENSa.)
A root related to mens teamed up with the prefix re- to create the Latin verb reminisci ("to remember"), an ancestor of both words. Reminisce is one of several English verbs starting with re- that mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind."
Others in this group include remember, recall, remind, and recollect. Reminisce distinguishes itself from the others by implying a casual recalling of experiences long past, often with a sense of nostalgia.
REMINISCE \ rem-uh-NISS \ verb
Definition
: to indulge in the process or practice of thinking or telling about past
experiences
Examples
Justin met up with some of his college buddies to reminisce about old times.
"Most of us have a comfort food we eat when we are reminiscing, sad or depressed."
— Marion Goldberg, The Poughkeepsie (New York) Journal, 16 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
Reminisce and its relative reminiscence come from the mind—that is to say, they come from the Latin word for "mind," which is mens (think MENSa.)
A root related to mens teamed up with the prefix re- to create the Latin verb reminisci ("to remember"), an ancestor of both words. Reminisce is one of several English verbs starting with re- that mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind."
Others in this group include remember, recall, remind, and recollect. Reminisce distinguishes itself from the others by implying a casual recalling of experiences long past, often with a sense of nostalgia.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Foliage
WORD OF THE DAY
FOLIAGE \ FOH-lee-ij \ noun
Definition
1 : a representation of leaves, flowers, and branches for architectural ornamentation
2 : the aggregate of leaves of one or more plants
3 : a cluster of leaves, flowers, and branches
Examples
A trip to the local conservatory was just the thing to beat my winter blues—the bright flowers against the backdrop of verdant foliage was rejuvenating.
"The builders are charging up to $100 million for apartments that offer helicopter views of lush foliage, jagged skylines, soothing rivers and angelic clouds."
— Max Frankel, The New York Times, 31 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
The English language has its share of common but disputed usages. One such example is the pronunciation of foliage as FOH-lij or, even more irksome to some, FOY-lij.
The first of these two pronunciations, though frequently disparaged, is consistent with the pronunciation of the -iage ending in marriage and carriage, as well the less common but widely accepted pronunciation of verbiage as VER-bij.
The second of these is often more fiercely denounced, in part because of its association with the nonstandard spelling foilage. Oddly enough, foliage traces back to Middle French foille ("leaf"), which is also the source of the English word foil (as in "aluminum foil"). When adopted by Middle English speakers, foil originally meant "leaf."
FOLIAGE \ FOH-lee-ij \ noun
Definition
1 : a representation of leaves, flowers, and branches for architectural ornamentation
2 : the aggregate of leaves of one or more plants
3 : a cluster of leaves, flowers, and branches
Examples
A trip to the local conservatory was just the thing to beat my winter blues—the bright flowers against the backdrop of verdant foliage was rejuvenating.
"The builders are charging up to $100 million for apartments that offer helicopter views of lush foliage, jagged skylines, soothing rivers and angelic clouds."
— Max Frankel, The New York Times, 31 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
The English language has its share of common but disputed usages. One such example is the pronunciation of foliage as FOH-lij or, even more irksome to some, FOY-lij.
The first of these two pronunciations, though frequently disparaged, is consistent with the pronunciation of the -iage ending in marriage and carriage, as well the less common but widely accepted pronunciation of verbiage as VER-bij.
The second of these is often more fiercely denounced, in part because of its association with the nonstandard spelling foilage. Oddly enough, foliage traces back to Middle French foille ("leaf"), which is also the source of the English word foil (as in "aluminum foil"). When adopted by Middle English speakers, foil originally meant "leaf."
Monday, February 1, 2016
Abject
WORD OF THE DAY
ABJECT \ AB-jekt \ adjective
Definition
1 : sunk to or existing in a low state or condition
2 a : cast down in spirit : servile, spiritless
2b : showing hopelessness or resignation
3 : expressing or offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit
Examples
The organization is dedicated to alleviating the suffering of those living in abject poverty.
"Harvey, the comedian and TV-radio host, offered abject apologies after first saying Miss Colombia had won, then later Miss Philippines—to the world’s shock and amazement."
— Ken Stone, MyNewsLA.com, 21 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
Abject comes from abjectus, the past participle of the Latin verb abicere, meaning "to cast off." Its original meaning in English was "cast off" or "rejected," but it is now used to refer more broadly to things in a low state or condition. Abject shares with mean, ignoble, and sordid the sense of being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity. Abject may imply degradation, debasement, or servility ("abject poverty").
Mean suggests having such repellent characteristics as small-mindedness or ill temper ("mean and petty satire"). Ignoble suggests a loss or lack of some essential high quality of mind or spirit ("an ignoble scramble after material possessions"). Sordid is stronger than all of these in stressing physical or spiritual degradation and lowness ("a sordid story of murder and revenge").
ABJECT \ AB-jekt \ adjective
Definition
1 : sunk to or existing in a low state or condition
2 a : cast down in spirit : servile, spiritless
2b : showing hopelessness or resignation
3 : expressing or offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit
Examples
The organization is dedicated to alleviating the suffering of those living in abject poverty.
"Harvey, the comedian and TV-radio host, offered abject apologies after first saying Miss Colombia had won, then later Miss Philippines—to the world’s shock and amazement."
— Ken Stone, MyNewsLA.com, 21 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
Abject comes from abjectus, the past participle of the Latin verb abicere, meaning "to cast off." Its original meaning in English was "cast off" or "rejected," but it is now used to refer more broadly to things in a low state or condition. Abject shares with mean, ignoble, and sordid the sense of being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity. Abject may imply degradation, debasement, or servility ("abject poverty").
Mean suggests having such repellent characteristics as small-mindedness or ill temper ("mean and petty satire"). Ignoble suggests a loss or lack of some essential high quality of mind or spirit ("an ignoble scramble after material possessions"). Sordid is stronger than all of these in stressing physical or spiritual degradation and lowness ("a sordid story of murder and revenge").
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