WORD OF THE DAY
mulct \ MULKT \ verb
Definition
1 : to punish by a fine
2a : to defraud especially of money
2b: swindle
2c : to obtain by fraud, duress, or theft
Examples
Francis was finally barred from the securities industry when it was discovered he'd been mulcting investors for years.
"Attacking these firms is a crowd-pleasing sport for lawmakers, in part because every constituent has a story about being mulcted by a card issuer."
— Michael Hiltzik, The Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2009
Did You Know?
A fine assessed as a penalty for an infraction is generally considered justifiable. Fraud, on the other hand, is wrong—it's just the sort of thing that deserves a fine. So in mulct we have a unique word, one that means both "to fine" and "to defraud." The "fine" sense came first.
Mulct was borrowed from the Latin word for a fine, which is multa or mulcta. The "fine" sense is still in use, mostly in legal contexts ("the court mulcted the defendant for punitive damages"), but these days mulct is more often used for an illegal act.
It has been speculated that the use may have come about by association with the verb milk, in its sense "to exploit, to coerce profit from" (as in "she was milked by the lawyers for everything she had"), but that speculation has never been proven.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Invincible
WORD OF THE DAY
invincible \ in-VIN-suh-bul \ adjective
Definition
invincible \ in-VIN-suh-bul \ adjective
Definition
: incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued
Examples
"He calls the mixture Bulletproof coffee. Drink it, the name implies, and you'll feel invincible."
— Gordy Megroz, Bloomberg Businessweek, 4 May 2015
"Eventually he stops terrorizing poor Holly Hunter and retires to Superman's spaceship … where he uses the Krypton Siri to create the invincible supervillain whom Batman and Superman will have to fight after they're done throwing each other through various walls…."
— Rob Havilla, Deadspin, 23 Mar. 2016
Examples
"He calls the mixture Bulletproof coffee. Drink it, the name implies, and you'll feel invincible."
— Gordy Megroz, Bloomberg Businessweek, 4 May 2015
"Eventually he stops terrorizing poor Holly Hunter and retires to Superman's spaceship … where he uses the Krypton Siri to create the invincible supervillain whom Batman and Superman will have to fight after they're done throwing each other through various walls…."
— Rob Havilla, Deadspin, 23 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
The origins of invincible are easily subdued. The word derives, via Middle French, from Late Latin invincibilis—a combination of the negative prefix in- with vincibilis, an adjective meaning "conquerable," from the Latin verb vincere, "to conquer." Other descendants of vincere in English include convince, evince, vanquish, and even victor.
Vincere also gave English vincible, meaning (unsurprisingly) "capable of being overcome or subdued," though it is significantly less common than invincible.
Vincere also gave English vincible, meaning (unsurprisingly) "capable of being overcome or subdued," though it is significantly less common than invincible.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Belvedere
WORD OF THE DAY
belvedere \ BEL-vuh-deer \ noun
Definition
: a structure (such as a cupola or summerhouse) designed to command a view
Examples
The couple wandered down to the belvedere at the edge of the bluff to take in the vivid colors of the sunset.
"… he chiefly talked of the view from the little belvedere on the roof of the casino, and how it looked like the prospect from a castle turret in a fairy tale."
— Henry James, Roderick Hudson, 1875
Did You Know?
It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder—and someone with a belvedere will likely have a great deal of beauty to behold. Given the origins of the word, belvedere is the ideal term for a building (or part of a building) with a view; it derives from two Italian words, bel, which means "beautiful," and vedere, which means "view." The term has been used in English since the 1570s.
belvedere \ BEL-vuh-deer \ noun
Definition
: a structure (such as a cupola or summerhouse) designed to command a view
Examples
The couple wandered down to the belvedere at the edge of the bluff to take in the vivid colors of the sunset.
"… he chiefly talked of the view from the little belvedere on the roof of the casino, and how it looked like the prospect from a castle turret in a fairy tale."
— Henry James, Roderick Hudson, 1875
Did You Know?
It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder—and someone with a belvedere will likely have a great deal of beauty to behold. Given the origins of the word, belvedere is the ideal term for a building (or part of a building) with a view; it derives from two Italian words, bel, which means "beautiful," and vedere, which means "view." The term has been used in English since the 1570s.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Inveterate
WORD OF THE DAY
inveterate \ in-VET-uh-rut \ adjective
Definition
1 : firmly established by long persistence
2 : confirmed in a habit : habitual
Examples
Since Ernie is an inveterate liar, we naturally didn't believe him when he told us he'd met the movie star.
"As an inveterate letter writer, I started sending email as soon as I could sign on with dial-up, and became impatient to connect via DSL."
— Deborah Lee Luskin, The Rutland (Vermont) Herald, 25 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
Like veteran, inveterate ultimately comes from Latin vetus, which means "old," and which led to the Latin verb inveterare ("to age"). That verb in turn gave rise eventually to the adjective inveteratus, the direct source of our adjective inveterate (in use since the 14th century).
In the past, inveterate has meant "long-standing" or simply "old." For example, one 16th-century writer warned of "Those great Flyes which in the springe time of the yeare creepe out of inveterate walls." Today, inveterate most often applies to a habit, attitude, or feeling of such long existence that it is practically ineradicable or unalterable.
inveterate \ in-VET-uh-rut \ adjective
Definition
1 : firmly established by long persistence
2 : confirmed in a habit : habitual
Examples
Since Ernie is an inveterate liar, we naturally didn't believe him when he told us he'd met the movie star.
"As an inveterate letter writer, I started sending email as soon as I could sign on with dial-up, and became impatient to connect via DSL."
— Deborah Lee Luskin, The Rutland (Vermont) Herald, 25 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
Like veteran, inveterate ultimately comes from Latin vetus, which means "old," and which led to the Latin verb inveterare ("to age"). That verb in turn gave rise eventually to the adjective inveteratus, the direct source of our adjective inveterate (in use since the 14th century).
In the past, inveterate has meant "long-standing" or simply "old." For example, one 16th-century writer warned of "Those great Flyes which in the springe time of the yeare creepe out of inveterate walls." Today, inveterate most often applies to a habit, attitude, or feeling of such long existence that it is practically ineradicable or unalterable.
Monday, April 25, 2016
Juxtapose
WORD OF THE DAY
juxtapose \ JUK-stuh-pohz \ verb
Definition
: to place side by side (as to compare or contrast)
Examples
Darlene has a keen eye for fashion, and she likes to juxtapose vintage pieces with contemporary styles to create new looks.
"ESPN posted an image of poverty outside Havana's sports stadium last week, to juxtapose the well-kept stadium with the shabby neighborhood around it."
— Carolina Miranda, The Los Angeles Times (latimes.com), 28 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
A back-formation is a word that has come about through the removal of a prefix or a suffix from a longer word. Etymologists think juxtapose is a back-formation that was created when people trimmed down the noun juxtaposition. Historical evidence supports the idea: juxtaposition was showing up in English documents as early as 1654, but juxtapose didn't appear until 1851. Juxtaposition is itself thought to be a combination of Latin juxta, meaning "near," and English position.
juxtapose \ JUK-stuh-pohz \ verb
Definition
: to place side by side (as to compare or contrast)
Examples
Darlene has a keen eye for fashion, and she likes to juxtapose vintage pieces with contemporary styles to create new looks.
"ESPN posted an image of poverty outside Havana's sports stadium last week, to juxtapose the well-kept stadium with the shabby neighborhood around it."
— Carolina Miranda, The Los Angeles Times (latimes.com), 28 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
A back-formation is a word that has come about through the removal of a prefix or a suffix from a longer word. Etymologists think juxtapose is a back-formation that was created when people trimmed down the noun juxtaposition. Historical evidence supports the idea: juxtaposition was showing up in English documents as early as 1654, but juxtapose didn't appear until 1851. Juxtaposition is itself thought to be a combination of Latin juxta, meaning "near," and English position.
Friday, April 22, 2016
Noetic
WORD OF THE DAY
noetic \ noh-ET-ik \ adjective
Definition
: of, relating to, or based on the intellect
Examples
In addition to her chemistry courses, Elena took electives in philosophy and the classics to satisfy her thirst for noetic stimulation.
"But the new emphasis on curiosity as a noetic virtue adds a note of transcendence to the portrait of the ideal thinker."
— John J. Conley, America: The National Catholic Review, 1 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
Noetic derives from the Greek adjective noētikos, meaning "intellectual," from the verb noein ("to think") and ultimately from the noun nous, meaning "mind." (Nous also gave English the word paranoia by joining with a prefix meaning "faulty" or "abnormal.")
Noetic is related to noesis, a rare noun that turns up in the field of philosophy and refers to the action of perceiving or thinking. The most notable use of noetic might be in the name of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, a research organization based in California that is devoted to studies of consciousness and the mind.
noetic \ noh-ET-ik \ adjective
Definition
: of, relating to, or based on the intellect
Examples
In addition to her chemistry courses, Elena took electives in philosophy and the classics to satisfy her thirst for noetic stimulation.
"But the new emphasis on curiosity as a noetic virtue adds a note of transcendence to the portrait of the ideal thinker."
— John J. Conley, America: The National Catholic Review, 1 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
Noetic derives from the Greek adjective noētikos, meaning "intellectual," from the verb noein ("to think") and ultimately from the noun nous, meaning "mind." (Nous also gave English the word paranoia by joining with a prefix meaning "faulty" or "abnormal.")
Noetic is related to noesis, a rare noun that turns up in the field of philosophy and refers to the action of perceiving or thinking. The most notable use of noetic might be in the name of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, a research organization based in California that is devoted to studies of consciousness and the mind.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Litany
WORD OF THE DAY
litany \ LIT-uh-nee \ noun
Definition
1 : a prayer consisting of a series of invocations and supplications by the leader with alternate responses by the congregation
2a : a resonant or repetitive chant
2b : a usually lengthy recitation or enumeration
2c : a sizable series or set
Examples
"In a silent inner litany, I say 'thank you' for the magnificent gifts of a healthy body: lungs that breathe the cool, foggy air; a nose that smells eucalyptus leaves and banana muffins; eyes that see hummingbirds swooping outside my window; a tongue that has just savored a golden, juicy peach."
— Anne Cushman, The Yoga Journal, January/February 2004
"A litany of NFL stars have retired early in recent years, with most of them citing the dangers of football as the primary reason they decided to hang it up."
— Alex Reimer, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Litany came to English through Anglo-French and Late Latin, ultimately from the Greek word litaneia, meaning "entreaty." Litany refers literally to a type of prayer in which a series of lines are spoken alternately by a leader and a congregation. This use dates to the 13th century.
Between that century and the 20th, three figurative senses developed. The chant-like quality of a literal litany led first to a "repetitive chant" sense. Next, the repetitious—and sometimes interminable—nature of the original litany led to a "lengthy recitation" sense. Finally, the "lengthy recitation" sense was extended to refer to any sizable series or set.
litany \ LIT-uh-nee \ noun
Definition
1 : a prayer consisting of a series of invocations and supplications by the leader with alternate responses by the congregation
2a : a resonant or repetitive chant
2b : a usually lengthy recitation or enumeration
2c : a sizable series or set
Examples
"In a silent inner litany, I say 'thank you' for the magnificent gifts of a healthy body: lungs that breathe the cool, foggy air; a nose that smells eucalyptus leaves and banana muffins; eyes that see hummingbirds swooping outside my window; a tongue that has just savored a golden, juicy peach."
— Anne Cushman, The Yoga Journal, January/February 2004
"A litany of NFL stars have retired early in recent years, with most of them citing the dangers of football as the primary reason they decided to hang it up."
— Alex Reimer, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Litany came to English through Anglo-French and Late Latin, ultimately from the Greek word litaneia, meaning "entreaty." Litany refers literally to a type of prayer in which a series of lines are spoken alternately by a leader and a congregation. This use dates to the 13th century.
Between that century and the 20th, three figurative senses developed. The chant-like quality of a literal litany led first to a "repetitive chant" sense. Next, the repetitious—and sometimes interminable—nature of the original litany led to a "lengthy recitation" sense. Finally, the "lengthy recitation" sense was extended to refer to any sizable series or set.
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Piebald
WORD OF THE DAY
piebald \ PYE-bawld \ adjective
Definition
1 : composed of incongruous parts
2 : of different colors; especially : spotted or blotched with black and white
Examples
The horse she most enjoys riding is a sleek, leggy piebald mare.
"What they did find, though, were some surprise photos of a piebald deer, something few people ever get to see in the woods."
— Brenda Charpentier, The New Hampshire Sunday News, 3 Jan. 2016
Did You Know?
To many people, the noisy black and white birds that go by the scientific name Pica pica—better known as magpies—are nothing but pests. But the Latin root that was adopted for their name isn't a linguistic nuisance; it played an important role in the development of piebald. The pie of piebald (pie is another name for a magpie) derives from pica, which is Latin for "magpie." The other part of piebald comes from the word bald, which can mean "marked with white"; it can also be found in skewbald, an adjective used to describe animals marked with patches of white and any other color but black.
piebald \ PYE-bawld \ adjective
Definition
1 : composed of incongruous parts
2 : of different colors; especially : spotted or blotched with black and white
Examples
The horse she most enjoys riding is a sleek, leggy piebald mare.
"What they did find, though, were some surprise photos of a piebald deer, something few people ever get to see in the woods."
— Brenda Charpentier, The New Hampshire Sunday News, 3 Jan. 2016
Did You Know?
To many people, the noisy black and white birds that go by the scientific name Pica pica—better known as magpies—are nothing but pests. But the Latin root that was adopted for their name isn't a linguistic nuisance; it played an important role in the development of piebald. The pie of piebald (pie is another name for a magpie) derives from pica, which is Latin for "magpie." The other part of piebald comes from the word bald, which can mean "marked with white"; it can also be found in skewbald, an adjective used to describe animals marked with patches of white and any other color but black.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Koine
WORD OF THE DAY
koine \ koy-NAY \ noun
Definition
1 : the Greek language commonly spoken and written in eastern Mediterranean countries in the Hellenistic and Roman periods
2 : a dialect or language of a region that has become the common or standard language of a larger area
Examples
"Examples of koines … include the Hindi/Bhojpuri varieties spoken in Fiji and South Africa, and the speech of 'new towns' such as Høyanger in Norway and Milton Keynes in England."
— Paul Kerswill, in The Handbook of Language Variation and Change, 2013
"Hedrick has taken 30 hours of ancient languages—rendering him proficient in koine Greek, Aramaic and ancient Hebrew—and he tutored students in those subjects while in Greece."
— Angela Spencer, ArkansasOnline.com, 28 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
Koine, which means "common" or "shared" in Greek, was the language spoken in the eastern Mediterranean countries from the 4th century B.C.E. until the time of the Byzantine emperor Justinian (mid-6th century C.E.). In linguistics, the word koine is applied to a language developed from contact between dialects of the same language over a large region.
Basically, a koine adopts those grammatical and lexical elements from the dialects of the region that are easily recognized by most area speakers and dispenses with those that are not.
koine \ koy-NAY \ noun
Definition
1 : the Greek language commonly spoken and written in eastern Mediterranean countries in the Hellenistic and Roman periods
2 : a dialect or language of a region that has become the common or standard language of a larger area
Examples
"Examples of koines … include the Hindi/Bhojpuri varieties spoken in Fiji and South Africa, and the speech of 'new towns' such as Høyanger in Norway and Milton Keynes in England."
— Paul Kerswill, in The Handbook of Language Variation and Change, 2013
"Hedrick has taken 30 hours of ancient languages—rendering him proficient in koine Greek, Aramaic and ancient Hebrew—and he tutored students in those subjects while in Greece."
— Angela Spencer, ArkansasOnline.com, 28 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
Koine, which means "common" or "shared" in Greek, was the language spoken in the eastern Mediterranean countries from the 4th century B.C.E. until the time of the Byzantine emperor Justinian (mid-6th century C.E.). In linguistics, the word koine is applied to a language developed from contact between dialects of the same language over a large region.
Basically, a koine adopts those grammatical and lexical elements from the dialects of the region that are easily recognized by most area speakers and dispenses with those that are not.
Monday, April 18, 2016
Unctuous
WORD OF THE DAY
unctuous \ UNK-chuh-wus \ adjective
Definition
1 a : fatty, oily
1b : smooth and greasy in texture or appearance
1b : smooth and greasy in texture or appearance
2 : plastic
3 : insincerely smooth in speech and manner
Examples
Anna was thankful that the unctuous man who first greeted her at the modeling agency would not be the person she would be working with.
"To make the most of its amazing qualities, marinate the lamb for a few hours and then slow-cook the meat. Over time, the layers of fat reduce to sticky, unctuous, lip-smacking perfection and help keep the meat moist…."
— Ben Tish, The Guardian, 5 Mar. 2016
— Ben Tish, The Guardian, 5 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Nowadays, unctuous usually has a negative connotation, but it originated as a term describing a positive act, that of healing. The word comes from the Latin verb unguere ("to anoint"), a root that also gave rise to the words unguent ("a soothing or healing salve") and ointment.
The oily nature of ointments may have led to the application of unctuous to describe things marked by an artificial gloss of sentimentality. An unctuous individual may mean well, but his or her insincere earnestness can leave an unwelcome residue with others, much like some ointments.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Galvanize
WORD OF THE DAY
galvanize \ GAL-vuh-nyze \ verb
Definition
1 : to subject to the action of an electric current especially for the purpose of stimulating physiologically
2a : to stimulate or excite as if by an electric shock
2b : to react as if stimulated by an electric shock
3a : to coat (iron or steel) with zinc; especially
3b: to immerse in molten zinc to produce a coating of zinc-iron alloy
Examples
The singer was amazed by how her single tweet galvanized so much support from the Twitter community.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new push for accessibility has galvanized a disability rights movement in a country with a notably poor record on inclusive infrastructure."
— Rama Lakshmi, The Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Luigi Galvani was an Italian physician and physicist who, in the 1770s, studied the electrical nature of nerve impulses by applying electrical stimulation to frogs' leg muscles, causing them to contract. Although Galvani's theory that animal tissue contained an innate electrical impulse was disproven, the Italian word galvanismo came to describe a current of electricity especially when produced by chemical action.
English speakers borrowed the word as galvanism around 1797; the verb galvanize appeared a few years later, in the early 19th century. Charlotte Brontë used the verb figuratively in her 1853 novel Villette: "Her approach always galvanized him to new and spasmodic life." These days, galvanize also means to cover metal with zinc or a zinc alloy to protect it from rust (as in galvanized carpentry nails).
galvanize \ GAL-vuh-nyze \ verb
Definition
1 : to subject to the action of an electric current especially for the purpose of stimulating physiologically
2a : to stimulate or excite as if by an electric shock
2b : to react as if stimulated by an electric shock
3a : to coat (iron or steel) with zinc; especially
3b: to immerse in molten zinc to produce a coating of zinc-iron alloy
Examples
The singer was amazed by how her single tweet galvanized so much support from the Twitter community.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new push for accessibility has galvanized a disability rights movement in a country with a notably poor record on inclusive infrastructure."
— Rama Lakshmi, The Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Luigi Galvani was an Italian physician and physicist who, in the 1770s, studied the electrical nature of nerve impulses by applying electrical stimulation to frogs' leg muscles, causing them to contract. Although Galvani's theory that animal tissue contained an innate electrical impulse was disproven, the Italian word galvanismo came to describe a current of electricity especially when produced by chemical action.
English speakers borrowed the word as galvanism around 1797; the verb galvanize appeared a few years later, in the early 19th century. Charlotte Brontë used the verb figuratively in her 1853 novel Villette: "Her approach always galvanized him to new and spasmodic life." These days, galvanize also means to cover metal with zinc or a zinc alloy to protect it from rust (as in galvanized carpentry nails).
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Canaille
WORD OF THE DAY
canaille \ kuh-NYE \ noun
Definition
1 : rabble, riffraff
2 : proletarian
Examples
"I am not going to write for [The New York Weekly]—like all other papers that pay one splendidly, it circulates among stupid people & the canaille."
— Mark Twain, letter, 1 June 1867
"Where the beau monde leads, the canaille will follow."
— Richard Brookhiser, The New York Observer,12 May 2003
Did You Know?
For a creature said to be man's best friend, the dog doesn't get a whole lot of respect in the English language. Something that has "gone to the dogs," for example, has gone to ruin, and the Britishism dog's breakfast means a confused mess of something.
The word canaille, which debuted in English in the 17th century, shows that we have no qualms about associating dogs with the lower levels of human society; it derives via French from Italian canaglia, and ultimately from canis, the Latin word for "dog." Canis, of course, is also the source of canine, which as a noun refers to a dog (as well as a conical pointed tooth), and as an adjective means "of or relating to dogs or to the family to which they belong."
canaille \ kuh-NYE \ noun
Definition
1 : rabble, riffraff
2 : proletarian
Examples
"I am not going to write for [The New York Weekly]—like all other papers that pay one splendidly, it circulates among stupid people & the canaille."
— Mark Twain, letter, 1 June 1867
"Where the beau monde leads, the canaille will follow."
— Richard Brookhiser, The New York Observer,12 May 2003
Did You Know?
For a creature said to be man's best friend, the dog doesn't get a whole lot of respect in the English language. Something that has "gone to the dogs," for example, has gone to ruin, and the Britishism dog's breakfast means a confused mess of something.
The word canaille, which debuted in English in the 17th century, shows that we have no qualms about associating dogs with the lower levels of human society; it derives via French from Italian canaglia, and ultimately from canis, the Latin word for "dog." Canis, of course, is also the source of canine, which as a noun refers to a dog (as well as a conical pointed tooth), and as an adjective means "of or relating to dogs or to the family to which they belong."
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Sedentary
WORD OF THE DAY
sedentary \ SED-un-tair-ee \ adjective
Definition
1a: not migratory
1b: settled
2 a : doing or requiring much sitting
2b : not physically active
3 : permanently attached
Examples
Anita much preferred working outside in the fresh air to the sedentary office job she held last summer.
"It's well known that leading a sedentary life is detrimental to long-term health and puts a person at higher risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. But research shows that spending more time on the couch and less time being active is also a fast-track to cognitive decline."
— Jessica Firger, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
English speakers borrowed sedentary in the late 16th century from Middle French sedentaire, which in turn derives from Latin sedentarius. Sedentarius, which means "of one that sits," is from the present participle of the verb sedēre, meaning "to sit."
Other descendants of sedēre in English include dissident, insidious, preside, reside, and subsidy. Sedēre is also the base of the rare word sedens, a noun meaning "a person who remains a resident of the place or region of his birth."
sedentary \ SED-un-tair-ee \ adjective
Definition
1a: not migratory
1b: settled
2 a : doing or requiring much sitting
2b : not physically active
3 : permanently attached
Examples
Anita much preferred working outside in the fresh air to the sedentary office job she held last summer.
"It's well known that leading a sedentary life is detrimental to long-term health and puts a person at higher risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. But research shows that spending more time on the couch and less time being active is also a fast-track to cognitive decline."
— Jessica Firger, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
English speakers borrowed sedentary in the late 16th century from Middle French sedentaire, which in turn derives from Latin sedentarius. Sedentarius, which means "of one that sits," is from the present participle of the verb sedēre, meaning "to sit."
Other descendants of sedēre in English include dissident, insidious, preside, reside, and subsidy. Sedēre is also the base of the rare word sedens, a noun meaning "a person who remains a resident of the place or region of his birth."
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Hobnob
WORD OF THE DAY
hobnob \ HAHB-nahb \ verb
Definition
: to associate familiarly
Examples
"We were so far from A-listers they couldn't see us with a telescope, yet there we were, hobnobbing with athletes and celebrities, all the while making good use of the free drinks and appetizers, especially the sushi rolls."
— Eric Plummer, The Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) Press, 14 Feb. 2016
"The Oscars ceremony might be one of the most prestigious events in the celebrity world, but the Vanity Fair celebration is the most exclusive after-party … in which all of the movie stars in all of the land are brought to one large building to hobnob and glad-hand and get away from the mortals."
— Monica Hesse, The Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Hob and nob first came together in print in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, when Sir Toby Belch warns Viola (who is disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wants to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," says Sir Toby, using hob and nob to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's words are probably from the term habnab (also styled as a phrase: hab or nab), which meant "in one way or another" or "however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, hob and nob became established in the phrase to drink hobnob (also styled as to drink hob or nob), which meant "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, hobnob came to refer to congenial social interaction.
hobnob \ HAHB-nahb \ verb
Definition
: to associate familiarly
Examples
"We were so far from A-listers they couldn't see us with a telescope, yet there we were, hobnobbing with athletes and celebrities, all the while making good use of the free drinks and appetizers, especially the sushi rolls."
— Eric Plummer, The Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) Press, 14 Feb. 2016
"The Oscars ceremony might be one of the most prestigious events in the celebrity world, but the Vanity Fair celebration is the most exclusive after-party … in which all of the movie stars in all of the land are brought to one large building to hobnob and glad-hand and get away from the mortals."
— Monica Hesse, The Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Hob and nob first came together in print in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, when Sir Toby Belch warns Viola (who is disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wants to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," says Sir Toby, using hob and nob to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's words are probably from the term habnab (also styled as a phrase: hab or nab), which meant "in one way or another" or "however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, hob and nob became established in the phrase to drink hobnob (also styled as to drink hob or nob), which meant "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, hobnob came to refer to congenial social interaction.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Twee
WORD OF THE DAY
twee \ TWEE \ adjective
Definition
: (chiefly British) affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint
Examples
The cutesy knickknacks sold in that shop are a bit twee for my taste.
"Some of the footage from decades gone by showcases amusingly twee TV staging and set design…."
— Jack Seale, The Guardian, 11 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Most adults wouldn't be caught dead saying, "Oh, look at the twee little birdie!" but they probably wouldn't be averse to saying: "He went fishing with his dad," "She works as a nanny," or "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" Anyone who uses dad, nanny, or buddy owes a debt to "baby talk," a term used for both the childish speech adults adopt when addressing youngsters and for the speech of small children who are just learning to talk.
Twee also originated in baby talk as an alteration of sweet. In the early 1900s, it was a term of affection, but nowadays British speakers and writers—and, increasingly, Americans as well—use twee for things that have passed beyond agreeable and into the realm of cloying.
twee \ TWEE \ adjective
Definition
: (chiefly British) affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint
Examples
The cutesy knickknacks sold in that shop are a bit twee for my taste.
"Some of the footage from decades gone by showcases amusingly twee TV staging and set design…."
— Jack Seale, The Guardian, 11 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Most adults wouldn't be caught dead saying, "Oh, look at the twee little birdie!" but they probably wouldn't be averse to saying: "He went fishing with his dad," "She works as a nanny," or "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" Anyone who uses dad, nanny, or buddy owes a debt to "baby talk," a term used for both the childish speech adults adopt when addressing youngsters and for the speech of small children who are just learning to talk.
Twee also originated in baby talk as an alteration of sweet. In the early 1900s, it was a term of affection, but nowadays British speakers and writers—and, increasingly, Americans as well—use twee for things that have passed beyond agreeable and into the realm of cloying.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Batten
WORD OF THE DAY
batten \ BAT-un \ verb
Definition
1 a : to grow or make fat
1b : to feed gluttonously
2 : to grow prosperous especially at the expense of another — usually used with on
Examples
There have always been unscrupulous individuals who batten on the misfortunes of others.
"At the same time, others who had battened on the business of originating mortgages—thousands of small-time mortgage brokers—went out of business."
— Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm, Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance, 2010
Did You Know?
The origin of today's word is believed to be the Old Norse verb batna, meaning "to improve." Batna is akin to Old Norse betr and Old English betera, from which we get the modern English word better. Batten entered the English language in the 1500s, with the meaning "to improve," and was especially used in the sense of improving or thriving by feeding.
It is not related to the verb batten found in expressions such as "batten down the hatches." This latter batten comes from the noun batten, which denotes, among other things, an iron bar used to secure the covering of a hatchway on a ship. This batten has Latinate rather than Germanic origins and can be traced back through Anglo-French batre to the Latin verb battuere ("to beat").
batten \ BAT-un \ verb
Definition
1 a : to grow or make fat
1b : to feed gluttonously
2 : to grow prosperous especially at the expense of another — usually used with on
Examples
There have always been unscrupulous individuals who batten on the misfortunes of others.
"At the same time, others who had battened on the business of originating mortgages—thousands of small-time mortgage brokers—went out of business."
— Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm, Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance, 2010
Did You Know?
The origin of today's word is believed to be the Old Norse verb batna, meaning "to improve." Batna is akin to Old Norse betr and Old English betera, from which we get the modern English word better. Batten entered the English language in the 1500s, with the meaning "to improve," and was especially used in the sense of improving or thriving by feeding.
It is not related to the verb batten found in expressions such as "batten down the hatches." This latter batten comes from the noun batten, which denotes, among other things, an iron bar used to secure the covering of a hatchway on a ship. This batten has Latinate rather than Germanic origins and can be traced back through Anglo-French batre to the Latin verb battuere ("to beat").
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Ruthless
WORD OF THE DAY
ruthless \ ROOTH-lus \ adjective
Definition
: having no pity
: merciless, cruel
Examples
The country was ruled by a ruthless dictator who could inflict punishment at will on any person who defied his orders.
"While Wyatt's business tactics were said to be ruthless, they sure were smart."
— James Reginato, Vanity Fair, February 2016
Did You Know?
Ruthless can be defined as "without ruth" or "having no ruth." So what, then, is ruth? The noun ruth, which is now considerably less common than ruthless, means "compassion for the misery of another," "sorrow for one's own faults," or "remorse." And, just as it is possible for one to be without ruth, it is also possible to be full of ruth.
The antonym of ruthless is ruthful, meaning "full of ruth" or "tender." Ruthful can also mean "full of sorrow" or "causing sorrow." Ruth can be traced back to the Middle English noun ruthe, itself from ruen, meaning "to rue" or "to feel regret, remorse, or sorrow."
ruthless \ ROOTH-lus \ adjective
Definition
: having no pity
: merciless, cruel
Examples
The country was ruled by a ruthless dictator who could inflict punishment at will on any person who defied his orders.
"While Wyatt's business tactics were said to be ruthless, they sure were smart."
— James Reginato, Vanity Fair, February 2016
Did You Know?
Ruthless can be defined as "without ruth" or "having no ruth." So what, then, is ruth? The noun ruth, which is now considerably less common than ruthless, means "compassion for the misery of another," "sorrow for one's own faults," or "remorse." And, just as it is possible for one to be without ruth, it is also possible to be full of ruth.
The antonym of ruthless is ruthful, meaning "full of ruth" or "tender." Ruthful can also mean "full of sorrow" or "causing sorrow." Ruth can be traced back to the Middle English noun ruthe, itself from ruen, meaning "to rue" or "to feel regret, remorse, or sorrow."
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Mithridate
WORD OF THE DAY
mithridate \ MITH-ruh-dayt \ noun
Definition
: an antidote against poison
: a confection held to be effective
against poison
Examples
"What he wanted, in effect, was a universal antidote, which medical science has for years referred to as a mithridate."
— Harold L. Klawans, Newton's Madness, 1990
"Is enough known about the mechanisms of poisoning to construct effective antidotes, or even a universal antidote (a true mithridate), a panacea to all toxic ills?"
— Rosemary H. Waring et al., Molecules of Death, 2007
Did You Know?
Mithridates the Great was the tyrannical king of Pontus (an ancient kingdom in Northeast Asia Minor) from 120 to 63 B.C.E. He was killed by a Gallic mercenary whose services he himself engaged after failing to poison himself following an insurrection by his troops.
Supposedly, his suicide was unsuccessful because he had made himself immune to poison by taking small doses of it since childhood in an attempt to avoid the fate of assassination by poison. The story of Mithridates' tolerance is behind the English word mithridate, which dates to the early 16th century, as well as the word mithridatism, defined as "tolerance to a poison acquired by taking gradually increased doses of it."
mithridate \ MITH-ruh-dayt \ noun
Definition
: an antidote against poison
: a confection held to be effective
against poison
Examples
"What he wanted, in effect, was a universal antidote, which medical science has for years referred to as a mithridate."
— Harold L. Klawans, Newton's Madness, 1990
"Is enough known about the mechanisms of poisoning to construct effective antidotes, or even a universal antidote (a true mithridate), a panacea to all toxic ills?"
— Rosemary H. Waring et al., Molecules of Death, 2007
Did You Know?
Mithridates the Great was the tyrannical king of Pontus (an ancient kingdom in Northeast Asia Minor) from 120 to 63 B.C.E. He was killed by a Gallic mercenary whose services he himself engaged after failing to poison himself following an insurrection by his troops.
Supposedly, his suicide was unsuccessful because he had made himself immune to poison by taking small doses of it since childhood in an attempt to avoid the fate of assassination by poison. The story of Mithridates' tolerance is behind the English word mithridate, which dates to the early 16th century, as well as the word mithridatism, defined as "tolerance to a poison acquired by taking gradually increased doses of it."
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Declension
WORD OF THE DAY
declension \ dih-KLEN-shun \ noun
Definition
1 : the inflectional forms of a noun, pronoun, or adjective
2 : a falling off or away : deterioration
3 : descent, slope
Examples
The most common declension in modern English is the set of plural nouns marked as plural with a simple "-s."
"You jump in and begin seeing and hearing simple words in the foreign language and start translating, learning nouns, verbs, and other parts of speech without memorizing declensions and without tears."
— Reid Kanaley, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 2 May 2015
Did You Know?
Declension came into English (via Middle French) in the first half of the 15th century, originating in the Latin verb declinare, meaning "to inflect" or "to turn aside." The word seems to have whiled away its time in the narrow field of grammar until Shakespeare put a new sense of the word in his play Richard III in 1593:
"A beauty-waning and distressed widow / … Seduc'd the pitch and height of his degree / To base declension and loath'd bigamy."
This "deterioration" sense led within a few decades to the newest sense of the word still in common use, "descent" or "slope." The 19th century saw still another new sense of the word—meaning "a courteous refusal"—but that sense has remained quite rare.
declension \ dih-KLEN-shun \ noun
Definition
1 : the inflectional forms of a noun, pronoun, or adjective
2 : a falling off or away : deterioration
3 : descent, slope
Examples
The most common declension in modern English is the set of plural nouns marked as plural with a simple "-s."
"You jump in and begin seeing and hearing simple words in the foreign language and start translating, learning nouns, verbs, and other parts of speech without memorizing declensions and without tears."
— Reid Kanaley, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 2 May 2015
Did You Know?
Declension came into English (via Middle French) in the first half of the 15th century, originating in the Latin verb declinare, meaning "to inflect" or "to turn aside." The word seems to have whiled away its time in the narrow field of grammar until Shakespeare put a new sense of the word in his play Richard III in 1593:
"A beauty-waning and distressed widow / … Seduc'd the pitch and height of his degree / To base declension and loath'd bigamy."
This "deterioration" sense led within a few decades to the newest sense of the word still in common use, "descent" or "slope." The 19th century saw still another new sense of the word—meaning "a courteous refusal"—but that sense has remained quite rare.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Mash
WORD OF THE DAY
mash \ MASH \ noun
Definition
: an intense and usually passing infatuation
: the object of infatuation
Examples
You'd think Henry had a mash on Sylvia from the way he lights up whenever she walks into the room.
"We would use the expression, 'The lady has a mash on you,' and then we would poke our chests 'way out as if we were pretty important."
— Louis Armstrong, Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans, 1954
Did You Know?
Those shot by Cupid's arrow know that love can spur a desire to hold one's beloved tightly and never let go. Perhaps that embracing feeling of love is why mash, originally a word for an act of squeezing and crushing, became a term for an intense infatuation, or the object of it, in 1870.
The more popular crush showed its loving side in 1884, and main squeeze had begun crossing the lips of sweethearts by 1926. Mash itself is not widely used today, but the compound mash note, referring to a love letter, has enjoyed many happy years since its union in 1890.
mash \ MASH \ noun
Definition
: an intense and usually passing infatuation
: the object of infatuation
Examples
You'd think Henry had a mash on Sylvia from the way he lights up whenever she walks into the room.
"We would use the expression, 'The lady has a mash on you,' and then we would poke our chests 'way out as if we were pretty important."
— Louis Armstrong, Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans, 1954
Did You Know?
Those shot by Cupid's arrow know that love can spur a desire to hold one's beloved tightly and never let go. Perhaps that embracing feeling of love is why mash, originally a word for an act of squeezing and crushing, became a term for an intense infatuation, or the object of it, in 1870.
The more popular crush showed its loving side in 1884, and main squeeze had begun crossing the lips of sweethearts by 1926. Mash itself is not widely used today, but the compound mash note, referring to a love letter, has enjoyed many happy years since its union in 1890.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Vagary
WORD OF THE DAY
vagary \ VAY-guh-ree \ noun
Definition
: an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion
Examples
The vagaries of fashion make it difficult to predict what styles will be popular a year or two from now.
"Being an attentive parent of a small family invariably means that you know, in minute detail, every quirk and vagary of your child's life."
— Michael Grose, The Huffington Post, Australia, 15 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
In the 16th century, if you "made a vagary" you took a wandering journey, or you figuratively wandered from a correct path by committing some minor offense. If you spoke or wrote vagaries, you wandered from a main subject. These senses hadn't strayed far from their origin, as vagary is probably based on Latin vagari, meaning "to wander."
Indeed, in the 16th and 17th centuries there was even an English verb vagary that meant "to wander." Nowadays, the noun vagary is mostly used in its plural form, and vagaries have more to do with unpredictability than with wandering.
vagary \ VAY-guh-ree \ noun
Definition
: an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion
Examples
The vagaries of fashion make it difficult to predict what styles will be popular a year or two from now.
"Being an attentive parent of a small family invariably means that you know, in minute detail, every quirk and vagary of your child's life."
— Michael Grose, The Huffington Post, Australia, 15 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
In the 16th century, if you "made a vagary" you took a wandering journey, or you figuratively wandered from a correct path by committing some minor offense. If you spoke or wrote vagaries, you wandered from a main subject. These senses hadn't strayed far from their origin, as vagary is probably based on Latin vagari, meaning "to wander."
Indeed, in the 16th and 17th centuries there was even an English verb vagary that meant "to wander." Nowadays, the noun vagary is mostly used in its plural form, and vagaries have more to do with unpredictability than with wandering.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)