WORD OF THE DAY
homily \ HAH-muh-lee \ noun
Definition
1 : a usually short sermon
2 : a lecture or discourse on a moral theme
3a : an inspirational catchphrase
3b: platitude
Examples
The calendar features serene photographs captioned by inspirational proverbs and homilies.
"Deacons are ordained ministers in the Catholic Church but do not have the rank of priest. They can give homilies and preside at weddings, funerals and baptisms, but they cannot celebrate Mass."
— Tom Kington, The Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2016
Did You Know?
Gather around for the history of homily. The story starts with ancient Greek homilos, meaning "crowd" or "assembly." Greeks used homilos to create the verb homilein ("to consort with" or "to address"), as well as the noun homilia ("conversation"). Latin speakers borrowed homilia, then passed it on to Anglo-French.
By the time it crossed into Middle English, the spelling had shifted to omelie, but by the mid-16th century the term had regained its "h" and the "y" of the modern spelling was added.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Littoral
WORD OF THE DAY
littoral \ LIT-uh-rul \ adjective
Definition
: of, relating to, or situated or growing on or near a shore especially of the sea
Examples
The report shows dramatic improvement in the condition of the state's littoral waters since the cleanup effort began.
"But this project will permanently add new sand to the beach and dune system of Dauphin Island's East End, and the new sand will stay in the littoral system for centuries."
— Scott Douglass, The Mobile (Alabama) Register, 6 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
You're most likely to encounter littoral in contexts relating to the military and marine sciences. A littoral combat ship is a fast and easily maneuverable combat ship built for use in coastal waters. And in marine ecology, the littoral zone is a coastal zone characterized by abundant dissolved oxygen, sunlight, nutrients, and generally high wave energies and water motion.
Littoral can also be found as a noun referring to a coastal region or, more technically, to the shore zone between the high tide and low tide points. The adjective is the older of the two, dating from the mid-17th century; the noun dates from the early 19th century. The word comes to English from Latin litoralis, itself from litor- or litus, meaning "seashore."
littoral \ LIT-uh-rul \ adjective
Definition
: of, relating to, or situated or growing on or near a shore especially of the sea
Examples
The report shows dramatic improvement in the condition of the state's littoral waters since the cleanup effort began.
"But this project will permanently add new sand to the beach and dune system of Dauphin Island's East End, and the new sand will stay in the littoral system for centuries."
— Scott Douglass, The Mobile (Alabama) Register, 6 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
You're most likely to encounter littoral in contexts relating to the military and marine sciences. A littoral combat ship is a fast and easily maneuverable combat ship built for use in coastal waters. And in marine ecology, the littoral zone is a coastal zone characterized by abundant dissolved oxygen, sunlight, nutrients, and generally high wave energies and water motion.
Littoral can also be found as a noun referring to a coastal region or, more technically, to the shore zone between the high tide and low tide points. The adjective is the older of the two, dating from the mid-17th century; the noun dates from the early 19th century. The word comes to English from Latin litoralis, itself from litor- or litus, meaning "seashore."
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Flounder
WORD OF THE DAY
flounder \ FLOUN-der \ verb
Definition
1a : to struggle to move or obtain footing
1b: thrash about wildly
2 : to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
Examples
"The four Royal Air Force pilots ditched their broken bomber and dropped into the North Sea, near Britain. It was February 23, 1942…. Floundering in the frigid water, the pilots released their last hope: a tiny, bedraggled carrier pigeon named Winkie."
— Sarah Kaplan, The Washington Post, 9 June 2016
"But She-Ra's sales floundered from the start. Roger Sweet, a Mattel toy creator and the author of Mastering the Universe, estimated her total sales at $60 million, an anemic number compared with He-Man ($2 billion) or Barbie ($350 million)."
— Maria Teresa Hart, The Atlantic, 16 June 2016
Did You Know?
Despite the fact that flounder is a relatively common English verb, its origins in the language remain obscure. It is thought that it may be an alteration of an older verb, founder. To founder is to become disabled, to give way or collapse, or to come to grief or to fail.
In the case of a waterborne vessel, to founder is to sink. The oldest of these senses of founder, "to become disabled," was also used, particularly in reference to a horse and its rider, for the act of stumbling violently or collapsing. It may have been this sense of founder that later appeared in altered form as flounder in the sense of "to stumble."
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Numinous
WORD OF THE DAY
numinous \ NOO-muh-nus \ adjective
Definition
1 : supernatural, mysterious
2a : filled with a sense of the presence of divinity
2b: holy
3a : appealing to the higher emotions or to the aesthetic sense
3b: spiritual
Examples
Pilgrims to the shrine spoke to the congregation about their numinous experiences.
"… the stories, different as they were from one another, shared a sense of horror as something numinous and elusive, too tricky to be approached head-on."
— Terrence Rafferty, The New York Times, 5 June 2016
Did You Know?
Numinous is from the Latin word numen, meaning "divine will" or "nod" (it suggests a figurative nodding, of assent or of command, of the divine head). English speakers have been using numen for centuries with the meaning "a spiritual force or influence." We began using numinous in the mid-1600s, subsequently endowing it with several senses: "supernatural" or "mysterious" (as in "possessed of a numinous energy force"), "holy" (as in "the numinous atmosphere of the catacombs"), and "appealing to the aesthetic sense" (as in "the numinous nuances of her art"). We also created the nouns numinousness and numinosity, although these are rare.
numinous \ NOO-muh-nus \ adjective
Definition
1 : supernatural, mysterious
2a : filled with a sense of the presence of divinity
2b: holy
3a : appealing to the higher emotions or to the aesthetic sense
3b: spiritual
Examples
Pilgrims to the shrine spoke to the congregation about their numinous experiences.
"… the stories, different as they were from one another, shared a sense of horror as something numinous and elusive, too tricky to be approached head-on."
— Terrence Rafferty, The New York Times, 5 June 2016
Did You Know?
Numinous is from the Latin word numen, meaning "divine will" or "nod" (it suggests a figurative nodding, of assent or of command, of the divine head). English speakers have been using numen for centuries with the meaning "a spiritual force or influence." We began using numinous in the mid-1600s, subsequently endowing it with several senses: "supernatural" or "mysterious" (as in "possessed of a numinous energy force"), "holy" (as in "the numinous atmosphere of the catacombs"), and "appealing to the aesthetic sense" (as in "the numinous nuances of her art"). We also created the nouns numinousness and numinosity, although these are rare.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Doff
WORD OF THE DAY
doff \ DAHF \ verb
Definition
1 a : to remove (an article of wear) from the body
1b : to take off (the hat) in greeting or as a sign of respect
2a : to rid oneself of
2b: put aside
Examples
We'd only planned to stop briefly at the pond, but the children couldn't resist doffing their shoes and were quickly waist-deep in the cool water.
"He received a standing ovation when he batted in the second inning. He stepped out of the batter's box and doffed his helmet to the 36,491 fans."
— Michael Kelly, The Boston Herald, 28 June 2016
Did You Know?
Time was, people talked about doffing and donning articles of wear with about the same frequency. But in the mid-19th century the verb don became significantly more popular and left doff to flounder a bit in linguistic semi-obscurity. Doff and don have been a pair from the start: both date to the 14th century, with doff coming from a phrase meaning "to do off" and don from one meaning "to do on."
Shakespeare was first, as far as we know, to use the word as it's defined at sense 2. He put it in Juliet's mouth: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet. / … Romeo, doff thy name; / And for that name, which is no part of thee, / Take all myself."
doff \ DAHF \ verb
Definition
1 a : to remove (an article of wear) from the body
1b : to take off (the hat) in greeting or as a sign of respect
2a : to rid oneself of
2b: put aside
Examples
We'd only planned to stop briefly at the pond, but the children couldn't resist doffing their shoes and were quickly waist-deep in the cool water.
"He received a standing ovation when he batted in the second inning. He stepped out of the batter's box and doffed his helmet to the 36,491 fans."
— Michael Kelly, The Boston Herald, 28 June 2016
Did You Know?
Time was, people talked about doffing and donning articles of wear with about the same frequency. But in the mid-19th century the verb don became significantly more popular and left doff to flounder a bit in linguistic semi-obscurity. Doff and don have been a pair from the start: both date to the 14th century, with doff coming from a phrase meaning "to do off" and don from one meaning "to do on."
Shakespeare was first, as far as we know, to use the word as it's defined at sense 2. He put it in Juliet's mouth: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet. / … Romeo, doff thy name; / And for that name, which is no part of thee, / Take all myself."
Friday, July 22, 2016
Usufruct
WORD OF THE DAY
usufruct \ YOO-zuh-frukt \ noun
Definition
1 : the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to another
2 : the right to use or enjoy something
Examples
He has willed all of his property to the conservation society, though his children will retain the house as a 50-year usufruct.
"When there's no will, the state of Louisiana gives the surviving spouse a usufruct on the property."
— Mary Anna Evans, Plunder, 2012
Origin:
Did You Know?
Thomas Jefferson said, "The earth belongs in usufruct to the living." He apparently understood that when you hold something in usufruct, you gain something of significant value, but only temporarily. The gains granted by usufruct can be clearly seen in the Latin phrase from which the word developed, usus et fructus, which means "use and enjoyment."
Latin speakers condensed that phrase to ususfructus, the term English speakers used as the model for our modern word. Usufruct has been used as a noun for the legal right to use something since the mid-1600s. Any right granted by usufruct ends at a specific point, usually the death of the individual who holds it.
usufruct \ YOO-zuh-frukt \ noun
Definition
1 : the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to another
2 : the right to use or enjoy something
Examples
He has willed all of his property to the conservation society, though his children will retain the house as a 50-year usufruct.
"When there's no will, the state of Louisiana gives the surviving spouse a usufruct on the property."
— Mary Anna Evans, Plunder, 2012
Origin:
Early 17th cent.: from medieval Latin usufructus, from Latin usus (et) fructus ‘use (and) enjoyment,’ from usus ‘a use’ + fructus ‘fruit'
Did You Know?
Thomas Jefferson said, "The earth belongs in usufruct to the living." He apparently understood that when you hold something in usufruct, you gain something of significant value, but only temporarily. The gains granted by usufruct can be clearly seen in the Latin phrase from which the word developed, usus et fructus, which means "use and enjoyment."
Latin speakers condensed that phrase to ususfructus, the term English speakers used as the model for our modern word. Usufruct has been used as a noun for the legal right to use something since the mid-1600s. Any right granted by usufruct ends at a specific point, usually the death of the individual who holds it.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Tactile
WORD OF THE DAY
tactile \ TAK-tul \ adjective
Definition
1a : perceptible by touch
1b: tangible
2: of, relating to, or being the sense of touch
Examples
"The keyboard has good tactile feedback, and the touch pad is responsive without being too twitchy."
— Bruce Brown, PC Magazine, 20 Feb. 2001
"Sensitive 'robot skin' was developed by researchers at Georgia Tech in 2014. The skin makes use of flexible touch sensors that communicate with a memory device that can store tactile interactions, mimicking human sensory memory."
— Karen Turner, The San Diego Union Tribune, 29 May 2016
Did You Know?
Tangible is related to tactile, and so are intact, tact, contingent, tangent, and even entire. There's also the uncommon noun taction, meaning "the act of touching." Like tactile, all of these words can be traced back to the Latin verb tangere, meaning "to touch."
Tactile was adopted by English speakers in the early 17th century (possibly by way of the French tactile) from the Latin adjective tactilis ("tangible"). Tactilis comes from tactus, a past participle of tangere.
tactile \ TAK-tul \ adjective
Definition
1a : perceptible by touch
1b: tangible
2: of, relating to, or being the sense of touch
Examples
"The keyboard has good tactile feedback, and the touch pad is responsive without being too twitchy."
— Bruce Brown, PC Magazine, 20 Feb. 2001
"Sensitive 'robot skin' was developed by researchers at Georgia Tech in 2014. The skin makes use of flexible touch sensors that communicate with a memory device that can store tactile interactions, mimicking human sensory memory."
— Karen Turner, The San Diego Union Tribune, 29 May 2016
Did You Know?
Tangible is related to tactile, and so are intact, tact, contingent, tangent, and even entire. There's also the uncommon noun taction, meaning "the act of touching." Like tactile, all of these words can be traced back to the Latin verb tangere, meaning "to touch."
Tactile was adopted by English speakers in the early 17th century (possibly by way of the French tactile) from the Latin adjective tactilis ("tangible"). Tactilis comes from tactus, a past participle of tangere.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Winkle
WORD OF THE DAY
winkle \ WINK-ul \ verb
Definition
1 : (chiefly British) to displace, remove, or evict from a position
2 : (chiefly British) to obtain or draw out by effort
Examples
"In 1483 a new English king, Richard III, tried again to winkle Henry out of Brittany, but he found that the young man was now a significant pawn on the European chessboard." — Nigel Calder, The English Channel, 1986
"The reclusive actress, 48, had been winkled out of her New Mexico ranch and flown halfway around the world only to stand there and be ignored as Amal battled with her chiffon frills and the cameras rattled like gunfire."
— Jan Moir, The Daily Mail (UK), 20 May 2016
Did You Know?
If you have ever extracted a winkle from its shell, then you understand how the verb winkle came to be. The word winkle is short for periwinkle, the name of a marine or freshwater snail. Periwinkle is ultimately derived from Latin pina, the name of a mussel, and Old English wincle, a snail shell. Evidently the personnel of World War I's Allied Powers found their duty of finding and removing the enemy from the trenches analogous to extracting a well-entrenched snail and began using winkle to describe their efforts. The action of "winkling the enemy out" was later extended to other situations, such as "winkling information out of someone."
winkle \ WINK-ul \ verb
Definition
1 : (chiefly British) to displace, remove, or evict from a position
2 : (chiefly British) to obtain or draw out by effort
Examples
"In 1483 a new English king, Richard III, tried again to winkle Henry out of Brittany, but he found that the young man was now a significant pawn on the European chessboard." — Nigel Calder, The English Channel, 1986
"The reclusive actress, 48, had been winkled out of her New Mexico ranch and flown halfway around the world only to stand there and be ignored as Amal battled with her chiffon frills and the cameras rattled like gunfire."
— Jan Moir, The Daily Mail (UK), 20 May 2016
Did You Know?
If you have ever extracted a winkle from its shell, then you understand how the verb winkle came to be. The word winkle is short for periwinkle, the name of a marine or freshwater snail. Periwinkle is ultimately derived from Latin pina, the name of a mussel, and Old English wincle, a snail shell. Evidently the personnel of World War I's Allied Powers found their duty of finding and removing the enemy from the trenches analogous to extracting a well-entrenched snail and began using winkle to describe their efforts. The action of "winkling the enemy out" was later extended to other situations, such as "winkling information out of someone."
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Raconteur
WORD OF THE DAY
raconteur \ ra-kahn-TER \ noun
Definition
: a person who excels in telling anecdotes
Examples
A bona fide raconteur, Taylor can turn even mundane experiences into hilariously entertaining stories.
"Her fans, any of whom would welcome the chance to share … a bowl of pimento cheese with her, know [Julia] Reed as a tremendous wit, a sharp observer of the complexities of Southern culture, a great storyteller and fabulous raconteur."
— Greg Morago, The Houston Chronicle, 1 June 2016
Did You Know?
The story of raconteur is a tale of telling and counting. English speakers borrowed the word from French, where it traces back to the Old French verb raconteur, meaning "to tell." Raconteur in turn was formed from another Old French verb, aconteur or acompteur, meaning "to tell" or "to count," which is ultimately from Latin computare, meaning "to count." Computare is also the source of our words count and account. Raconteur has been part of the English vocabulary since at least 1828.
raconteur \ ra-kahn-TER \ noun
Definition
: a person who excels in telling anecdotes
Examples
A bona fide raconteur, Taylor can turn even mundane experiences into hilariously entertaining stories.
"Her fans, any of whom would welcome the chance to share … a bowl of pimento cheese with her, know [Julia] Reed as a tremendous wit, a sharp observer of the complexities of Southern culture, a great storyteller and fabulous raconteur."
— Greg Morago, The Houston Chronicle, 1 June 2016
Did You Know?
The story of raconteur is a tale of telling and counting. English speakers borrowed the word from French, where it traces back to the Old French verb raconteur, meaning "to tell." Raconteur in turn was formed from another Old French verb, aconteur or acompteur, meaning "to tell" or "to count," which is ultimately from Latin computare, meaning "to count." Computare is also the source of our words count and account. Raconteur has been part of the English vocabulary since at least 1828.
Monday, July 18, 2016
Astute
WORD OF THE DAY
astute \ uh-STOOT \ adjective
Definition
1 : having or showing shrewdness and perspicacity
2 : crafty, wily
Examples
The candidate made a number of astute observations about both foreign and domestic policy during the debate.
"Sure, he was funny, but George Carlin was also an astute observer of the way humans think and behave."
— Keith Magill, The Shawnee (Oklahoma) News-Star, 12 June 2016
Did You Know?
Astute is similar in meaning to shrewd and sagacious, but there are subtle differences in connotation among them. All three suggest sharp thinking and sound judgment, but shrewd stresses practical, hardheaded cleverness and judgment ("a shrewd judge of character"), whereas sagacious implies wisdom and foresight combined with good judgment ("sagacious investors"). Astute, which derives from the Latin noun astus, meaning "craft," suggests cleverness, mental sharpness, and diplomatic skill ("an astute player of party politics").
astute \ uh-STOOT \ adjective
Definition
1 : having or showing shrewdness and perspicacity
2 : crafty, wily
Examples
The candidate made a number of astute observations about both foreign and domestic policy during the debate.
"Sure, he was funny, but George Carlin was also an astute observer of the way humans think and behave."
— Keith Magill, The Shawnee (Oklahoma) News-Star, 12 June 2016
Did You Know?
Astute is similar in meaning to shrewd and sagacious, but there are subtle differences in connotation among them. All three suggest sharp thinking and sound judgment, but shrewd stresses practical, hardheaded cleverness and judgment ("a shrewd judge of character"), whereas sagacious implies wisdom and foresight combined with good judgment ("sagacious investors"). Astute, which derives from the Latin noun astus, meaning "craft," suggests cleverness, mental sharpness, and diplomatic skill ("an astute player of party politics").
Friday, July 15, 2016
Ostracize
WORD OF THE DAY
ostracize \ AH-struh-syze \ verb
Definition
1 : to exile by ostracism
2 : to exclude from a group by common consent
Examples
Athletes who cheat risk being ostracized by their peers and colleagues—in addition to suffering professional ruin.
"Hateful speech is employed to offend, marginalize and ostracize. It's replaced reasonable persuasion by those too lazy or ignorant to be thoughtful."
— Tom Fulks, The San Luis Obispo (California) Tribune, 26 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
In ancient Greece, prominent citizens whose power or influence threatened the stability of the state could be exiled by a practice called ostracism. Voters would elect to banish another citizen by writing that citizen's name down on a potsherd. Those receiving enough votes would then be subject to temporary exile from the state (usually for ten years).
The English verb ostracize can mean "to exile by the ancient method of ostracism," but these days it usually refers to the general exclusion of one person from a group at the agreement of its members. Ostracism and ostracize derive from the Greek ostrakizein ("to banish by voting with potsherds"). Its ancestor, the Greek ostrakon ("shell" or "potsherd"), also helped to give English the word oyster.
ostracize \ AH-struh-syze \ verb
Definition
1 : to exile by ostracism
2 : to exclude from a group by common consent
Examples
Athletes who cheat risk being ostracized by their peers and colleagues—in addition to suffering professional ruin.
"Hateful speech is employed to offend, marginalize and ostracize. It's replaced reasonable persuasion by those too lazy or ignorant to be thoughtful."
— Tom Fulks, The San Luis Obispo (California) Tribune, 26 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
In ancient Greece, prominent citizens whose power or influence threatened the stability of the state could be exiled by a practice called ostracism. Voters would elect to banish another citizen by writing that citizen's name down on a potsherd. Those receiving enough votes would then be subject to temporary exile from the state (usually for ten years).
The English verb ostracize can mean "to exile by the ancient method of ostracism," but these days it usually refers to the general exclusion of one person from a group at the agreement of its members. Ostracism and ostracize derive from the Greek ostrakizein ("to banish by voting with potsherds"). Its ancestor, the Greek ostrakon ("shell" or "potsherd"), also helped to give English the word oyster.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
éclat
WORD OF THE DAY
éclat \ ay-KLAH \ noun
Definition
1a : ostentatious display
1b: publicity
2a : dazzling effect
2b: brilliance
3a : brilliant or conspicuous success
3b : praise, applause
Examples
"The … protagonist is a familiar archetype, that washed-up star who can't quite reclaim the éclat of decades past."
— Kevin Zawacki, Paste, 25 Aug. 2014
"A woman, a hostess, could play an important subterfuge.… She could serve dinner with éclat, put people at ease, and spice the conversation with the wit that obscured the politics in political discussions."
— Louisa Thomas, New York Magazine, 14 Apr. 2016
Did You Know?
Éclat burst onto the scene in English in the 17th century. The word derives from French, where it can mean "splinter" (the French idiom voler en éclats means "to fly into pieces") as well as "burst" (un éclat de rire means "a burst of laughter"), among other things. The "burst" sense is reflected in the earliest English sense of the word, meaning "ostentatious display or publicity."
This sense found its own idiomatic usage in the phrase "to make an éclat," which at one time meant "to create a sensation." By the 1740s, éclat took on the additional meaning of "applause or acclamation," as in "The performer was received with great éclat."
éclat \ ay-KLAH \ noun
Definition
1a : ostentatious display
1b: publicity
2a : dazzling effect
2b: brilliance
3a : brilliant or conspicuous success
3b : praise, applause
Examples
"The … protagonist is a familiar archetype, that washed-up star who can't quite reclaim the éclat of decades past."
— Kevin Zawacki, Paste, 25 Aug. 2014
"A woman, a hostess, could play an important subterfuge.… She could serve dinner with éclat, put people at ease, and spice the conversation with the wit that obscured the politics in political discussions."
— Louisa Thomas, New York Magazine, 14 Apr. 2016
Did You Know?
Éclat burst onto the scene in English in the 17th century. The word derives from French, where it can mean "splinter" (the French idiom voler en éclats means "to fly into pieces") as well as "burst" (un éclat de rire means "a burst of laughter"), among other things. The "burst" sense is reflected in the earliest English sense of the word, meaning "ostentatious display or publicity."
This sense found its own idiomatic usage in the phrase "to make an éclat," which at one time meant "to create a sensation." By the 1740s, éclat took on the additional meaning of "applause or acclamation," as in "The performer was received with great éclat."
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Natant
WORD OF THE DAY
natant \ NAY-tunt \ adjective
Definition
: swimming or floating in water
Examples
The pond was quiet, though occasionally a fish would rise to make a little splash among the natant lily pads.
"The life cycle of spiny lobsters consists of two major phases: a lengthy planktonic larval phase that develops in oceanic water, and a benthic phase that begins when the natant post-larvae … settle onto some benthic habitat."
— Patricia Briones-Fourzán and Enrique Lozano-Álvarez, in Lobsters: Biology, Management, Aquaculture and Fisheries, 2013
Did You Know?
Natant and the smattering of other words birthed in the waters of Latin natare, meaning "to swim," can sound overly formal in many contexts. Rather than use the word natatorium, for example, we're more likely to refer simply to an indoor swimming pool.
Similarly, instead of complimenting a friend's skills in natation, you're probably more apt to tell her she's a good swimmer. The common German-derived word swimming suits most of us just fine. Science, though, often prefers Latin, which is why you're most likely to encounter natare words in scientific contexts.
natant \ NAY-tunt \ adjective
Definition
: swimming or floating in water
Examples
The pond was quiet, though occasionally a fish would rise to make a little splash among the natant lily pads.
"The life cycle of spiny lobsters consists of two major phases: a lengthy planktonic larval phase that develops in oceanic water, and a benthic phase that begins when the natant post-larvae … settle onto some benthic habitat."
— Patricia Briones-Fourzán and Enrique Lozano-Álvarez, in Lobsters: Biology, Management, Aquaculture and Fisheries, 2013
Did You Know?
Natant and the smattering of other words birthed in the waters of Latin natare, meaning "to swim," can sound overly formal in many contexts. Rather than use the word natatorium, for example, we're more likely to refer simply to an indoor swimming pool.
Similarly, instead of complimenting a friend's skills in natation, you're probably more apt to tell her she's a good swimmer. The common German-derived word swimming suits most of us just fine. Science, though, often prefers Latin, which is why you're most likely to encounter natare words in scientific contexts.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Gust
WORD OF THE DAY
gust \ GUST \ noun
Definition
: keen delight
Examples
"He was pleased to find his own importance, and he tasted the sweets of companionship with more gust than he had yet done."
— Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Godolphin, 1833
"… the more pampered burgess and guild-brother was eating his morsel with gust, or curiously criticising the quantity of the malt and the skill of the brewer."
— Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, 1820
Did You Know?
You're no doubt familiar with the simple gust that means "a brief burst of wind." At least a century and a half before that word first appeared in print in the late 16th century, however, a differently derived homograph came on the scene.
The windy gust is probably derived from an Old Norse word gustr, whereas our older featured word (which is now considerably rarer than its look-alike) comes to us through Middle English from gustus, the Latin word for "taste."
Gustus gave English another word as well. Gusto (which now usually means "zest" but can also mean "an individual or specific taste") comes to us from gustus by way of Italian.
gust \ GUST \ noun
Definition
: keen delight
Examples
"He was pleased to find his own importance, and he tasted the sweets of companionship with more gust than he had yet done."
— Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Godolphin, 1833
"… the more pampered burgess and guild-brother was eating his morsel with gust, or curiously criticising the quantity of the malt and the skill of the brewer."
— Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, 1820
Did You Know?
You're no doubt familiar with the simple gust that means "a brief burst of wind." At least a century and a half before that word first appeared in print in the late 16th century, however, a differently derived homograph came on the scene.
The windy gust is probably derived from an Old Norse word gustr, whereas our older featured word (which is now considerably rarer than its look-alike) comes to us through Middle English from gustus, the Latin word for "taste."
Gustus gave English another word as well. Gusto (which now usually means "zest" but can also mean "an individual or specific taste") comes to us from gustus by way of Italian.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Liminal
WORD OF THE DAY
liminal \ LIM-uh-nul \ adjective
Definition
1 : of or relating to a sensory threshold
2 : barely perceptible
3a : of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition
3b: in-between, transitional
Examples
"Kipling is drawn to images of his characters sitting in perilous places, because he aims to communicate a liminal anxiety about identity and imperial history."
— Tom Paulin, The Times Literary Supplement, 8 Mar. 2002
"Solnit suggests that separating the feeling of becoming lost from a feeling of fear leads to a certain kind of spiritual growth. In that liminal space, between what we know and what we can't imagine, we are remade."
— Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 24 May 2016
Did You Know?
The noun limen refers to the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced, and liminal is the adjective used to describe things associated with that point, or threshold, as it is also called. Likewise, the closely related word subliminal means "below a threshold"; it can describe something inadequate to produce a sensation or something operating below a threshold of consciousness. Because the sensory threshold is a transitional point where sensations are just beginning to be perceptible, liminal acquired two extended meanings. It can mean "barely perceptible" and is now often used to mean "transitional" or "intermediate," as in "the liminal zone between sleep and wakefulness."
liminal \ LIM-uh-nul \ adjective
Definition
1 : of or relating to a sensory threshold
2 : barely perceptible
3a : of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition
3b: in-between, transitional
Examples
"Kipling is drawn to images of his characters sitting in perilous places, because he aims to communicate a liminal anxiety about identity and imperial history."
— Tom Paulin, The Times Literary Supplement, 8 Mar. 2002
"Solnit suggests that separating the feeling of becoming lost from a feeling of fear leads to a certain kind of spiritual growth. In that liminal space, between what we know and what we can't imagine, we are remade."
— Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 24 May 2016
Did You Know?
The noun limen refers to the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced, and liminal is the adjective used to describe things associated with that point, or threshold, as it is also called. Likewise, the closely related word subliminal means "below a threshold"; it can describe something inadequate to produce a sensation or something operating below a threshold of consciousness. Because the sensory threshold is a transitional point where sensations are just beginning to be perceptible, liminal acquired two extended meanings. It can mean "barely perceptible" and is now often used to mean "transitional" or "intermediate," as in "the liminal zone between sleep and wakefulness."
Friday, July 8, 2016
Lout
WORD OF THE DAY
lout \ LOUT \ noun
Definition
: an awkward brutish person
Examples
To get away from the obnoxious louts making noise in the restaurant, Jared and Fiona asked the waiter if they could be moved to another table.
"Leaf blowers kick a lot of dust up. Often, after I've just washed my car I will drive past some lout who is blowing crud directly at my passenger door."
— Paul Mulshine, The Newark Star Ledger, 2 June 2016
Did You Know?
Lout belongs to the large group of words we use to indicate an undesirable person, a boor, a bumpkin, a dolt, a clod. We've used lout in this way since the mid-1500s. As early as the 800s, however, lout functioned as a verb with the meaning "to bow in respect." No one is quite sure how the verb sense developed into a noun meaning "a brutish person." Perhaps the awkward posture of one bowing down led over time to the idea that the person was personally low and awkward as well.
lout \ LOUT \ noun
Definition
: an awkward brutish person
Examples
To get away from the obnoxious louts making noise in the restaurant, Jared and Fiona asked the waiter if they could be moved to another table.
"Leaf blowers kick a lot of dust up. Often, after I've just washed my car I will drive past some lout who is blowing crud directly at my passenger door."
— Paul Mulshine, The Newark Star Ledger, 2 June 2016
Did You Know?
Lout belongs to the large group of words we use to indicate an undesirable person, a boor, a bumpkin, a dolt, a clod. We've used lout in this way since the mid-1500s. As early as the 800s, however, lout functioned as a verb with the meaning "to bow in respect." No one is quite sure how the verb sense developed into a noun meaning "a brutish person." Perhaps the awkward posture of one bowing down led over time to the idea that the person was personally low and awkward as well.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Hoity-Toity
WORD OF THE DAY
hoity-toity \ hoy-tee-TOY-tee \ adjective
Definition
1a: thoughtlessly silly or frivolous
1b: : flighty
2a: marked by an air of assumed importance
2b: highfalutin
Examples
"… she was by no means hoity-toity, but a thinking, reasoning being of the profoundest intellectual, or, rather, the highest artistic tendencies."
— Theodore Dreiser, The Titan, 1914
"Usually Tanglewood's summer lineup is too hoity-toity for the great unwashed to care, but Beach Boys' legend and cofounder Brian Wilson performing the entire album 'Pet Sounds' is enough to give any summer concertgoer a good vibration."
— Craig S. Semon, The Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), 3 June 2016
Did You Know?
Today we most often use hoity-toity as an adjective, but before it was an adjective it was a noun meaning "thoughtless giddy behavior." The noun, which first appeared in print in 1668, was probably created as a singsongy rhyme based on the dialectal English word hoit, meaning "to play the fool." The adjective hoity-toity can stay close to its roots and mean "foolish" ("… as though it were very hoity-toity of me not to know that royal personage." — W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor’s Edge), but in current use it more often means "pretentious."
hoity-toity \ hoy-tee-TOY-tee \ adjective
Definition
1a: thoughtlessly silly or frivolous
1b: : flighty
2a: marked by an air of assumed importance
2b: highfalutin
Examples
"… she was by no means hoity-toity, but a thinking, reasoning being of the profoundest intellectual, or, rather, the highest artistic tendencies."
— Theodore Dreiser, The Titan, 1914
"Usually Tanglewood's summer lineup is too hoity-toity for the great unwashed to care, but Beach Boys' legend and cofounder Brian Wilson performing the entire album 'Pet Sounds' is enough to give any summer concertgoer a good vibration."
— Craig S. Semon, The Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), 3 June 2016
Did You Know?
Today we most often use hoity-toity as an adjective, but before it was an adjective it was a noun meaning "thoughtless giddy behavior." The noun, which first appeared in print in 1668, was probably created as a singsongy rhyme based on the dialectal English word hoit, meaning "to play the fool." The adjective hoity-toity can stay close to its roots and mean "foolish" ("… as though it were very hoity-toity of me not to know that royal personage." — W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor’s Edge), but in current use it more often means "pretentious."
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Negotiate
WORD OF THE DAY
negotiate \ nih-GOH-shee-ayt \ verb
Definition
1a: to confer with another so as to arrive at the settlement of some matter
1b: to arrange for or bring about by such conferences
2 : to transfer to another by delivery or endorsement in return for equivalent value
3 : to get through, around, or over successfully
Examples
Our driver had lived on the island all her life, and was adept at negotiating the narrow, winding roads along the island's coast.
"In recent years, however, using the courts to negotiate 'fair value' has become a full-time industry for investment funds and lawyers looking for a quick score."
— Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times, 7 June 2016
Did You Know?
For the first 250 years of its life, negotiate had meanings that hewed pretty closely to its Latin root, negotiari, meaning "to carry on business." Around the middle of the 19th century, though, it developed the meaning "to successfully travel along or over."
Although this sense was criticized in the New York Sun in 1906 as a "barbarism creeping into the language," and Henry Fowler's 1926 A Dictionary of Modern English Usage declared that any writer who used it was "literally a barbarian," it has thrived and is now fully established.
negotiate \ nih-GOH-shee-ayt \ verb
Definition
1a: to confer with another so as to arrive at the settlement of some matter
1b: to arrange for or bring about by such conferences
2 : to transfer to another by delivery or endorsement in return for equivalent value
3 : to get through, around, or over successfully
Examples
Our driver had lived on the island all her life, and was adept at negotiating the narrow, winding roads along the island's coast.
"In recent years, however, using the courts to negotiate 'fair value' has become a full-time industry for investment funds and lawyers looking for a quick score."
— Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times, 7 June 2016
Did You Know?
For the first 250 years of its life, negotiate had meanings that hewed pretty closely to its Latin root, negotiari, meaning "to carry on business." Around the middle of the 19th century, though, it developed the meaning "to successfully travel along or over."
Although this sense was criticized in the New York Sun in 1906 as a "barbarism creeping into the language," and Henry Fowler's 1926 A Dictionary of Modern English Usage declared that any writer who used it was "literally a barbarian," it has thrived and is now fully established.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Felicitous
WORD OF THE DAY
felicitous \ fih-LISS-uh-tus \ adjective
Definition
1a : very well suited or expressed
1b: apt
2 : pleasant, delightful
Examples
The warm air and clear, dark skies made for felicitous conditions for the fireworks show.
"Experience has been instructive to Moulder, who has learned that churches have been particularly felicitous spaces. Granted, the general public may associate the music with nightclubs and sensuality, but jazz has deep roots in the church that flowered in the form of works such as John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme'…."
— Howard Reich, The Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
The adjective felicitous has been a part of our language since the late 18th century, but felicity, the noun meaning "great happiness," and later, "aptness," was around even in Middle English (as felicite, a borrowing from Anglo-French). Both words ultimately derive from the Latin adjective felix, meaning "fruitful" or "happy."
The connection between happy and felicitous continues today in that both words can mean "notably fitting, effective, or well adapted." Happy typically suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate (as in "a happy choice of words"), and felicitous often implies an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful (as in "a felicitous phrase").
felicitous \ fih-LISS-uh-tus \ adjective
Definition
1a : very well suited or expressed
1b: apt
2 : pleasant, delightful
Examples
The warm air and clear, dark skies made for felicitous conditions for the fireworks show.
"Experience has been instructive to Moulder, who has learned that churches have been particularly felicitous spaces. Granted, the general public may associate the music with nightclubs and sensuality, but jazz has deep roots in the church that flowered in the form of works such as John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme'…."
— Howard Reich, The Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
The adjective felicitous has been a part of our language since the late 18th century, but felicity, the noun meaning "great happiness," and later, "aptness," was around even in Middle English (as felicite, a borrowing from Anglo-French). Both words ultimately derive from the Latin adjective felix, meaning "fruitful" or "happy."
The connection between happy and felicitous continues today in that both words can mean "notably fitting, effective, or well adapted." Happy typically suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate (as in "a happy choice of words"), and felicitous often implies an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful (as in "a felicitous phrase").
Friday, July 1, 2016
Qua
WORD OF THE DAY
qua \ KWAH \ preposition
Definition
: in the capacity or character of
: as
Examples
"Coben's novels have made him rich, but that's not what's important to him. It's sales qua sales—his statistical record—that motivates Coben, rather than the money his sales bring in."
— Eric Konigsberg, The Atlantic, July/August 2007
"Sure, there have been other big pop music phenomena over the years … but the Beatles qua phenomenon was due to a confluence of forces that defined a historical moment."
— Candy Leonard, The Huffington Post, 18 Dec. 2014
Did You Know?
Which way? Who? No, we're not paraphrasing lines from the old Abbott and Costello routine "Who's on First?" We're referring to the etymology of qua, a term that comes to us from Latin.
It can be translated as "which way" or "as," and it is a derivative of the Latin qui, meaning "who." Qua has been serving English in the capacity of a preposition since the 17th century.
It's a learned but handy little word that led one 20th-century usage writer to comment: "Qua is sometimes thought affected or pretentious, but it does convey meaning economically."
qua \ KWAH \ preposition
Definition
: in the capacity or character of
: as
Examples
"Coben's novels have made him rich, but that's not what's important to him. It's sales qua sales—his statistical record—that motivates Coben, rather than the money his sales bring in."
— Eric Konigsberg, The Atlantic, July/August 2007
"Sure, there have been other big pop music phenomena over the years … but the Beatles qua phenomenon was due to a confluence of forces that defined a historical moment."
— Candy Leonard, The Huffington Post, 18 Dec. 2014
Did You Know?
Which way? Who? No, we're not paraphrasing lines from the old Abbott and Costello routine "Who's on First?" We're referring to the etymology of qua, a term that comes to us from Latin.
It can be translated as "which way" or "as," and it is a derivative of the Latin qui, meaning "who." Qua has been serving English in the capacity of a preposition since the 17th century.
It's a learned but handy little word that led one 20th-century usage writer to comment: "Qua is sometimes thought affected or pretentious, but it does convey meaning economically."
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