WORD OF THE DAY
sepulchre \ SEP-ul-ker \ noun
Definition
1a : a place of burial
1b: tomb
2 : a receptacle for religious relics especially in an altar
Examples
"The secrets of business—complicated and often dismal mysteries—were buried in his breast, and never came out of their sepulchre save now…."
— Charlotte Brontë, Shirley, 1849
"He had begun making plans for his sepulchre soon after his election to the papacy in 1503, ultimately conceiving of a memorial that was to be the largest since the mausoleums built for Roman emperors such as Hadrian and Augustus."
— Ross King, Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, 2002
Did You Know?
Sepulchre (also spelled sepulcher) first appeared in Middle English around the beginning of the 13th century. It was originally spelled sepulcre, a spelling taken from Anglo-French. Like many words borrowed into English from French, sepulchre has roots buried in Latin.
The word arose from Latin sepulcrum, a noun derived from the verb sepelire, meaning "to bury." Sepultus, the past participle of sepelire, gave us—also by way of Anglo-French—the related noun sepulture, which is a synonym of burial and sepulchre.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Friday, October 28, 2016
Variegated
WORD OF THE DAY
variegated \ VAIR-ee-uh-gay-tud \ adjective
Definition
1 : having discrete markings of different colors
2 : various, diverse, varied
Examples
The flower has bright variegated petals.
"Everyone of significance in the region has multiple agendas and variegated geopolitical interests."
— Robert Robb, The Arizona Republic, 21 Aug. 2016
Did You Know?
Variegated has been adding color to our language since the 17th century. It is used in botany to describe the presence of two or more colors in the leaves, petals, or other parts of plants, and it also appears in the names of some animals (such as the variegated cutworm).
It can be used by the general speaker to refer to anything marked with different colors ("a variegated silk robe," for instance) or to things that are simply various and diverse ("a variegated collection"). Variegated has a variety of relatives in English—it is ultimately derived from the Latin root varius, meaning "varied," which also gave us vary, various, and variety.
variegated \ VAIR-ee-uh-gay-tud \ adjective
Definition
1 : having discrete markings of different colors
2 : various, diverse, varied
Examples
The flower has bright variegated petals.
"Everyone of significance in the region has multiple agendas and variegated geopolitical interests."
— Robert Robb, The Arizona Republic, 21 Aug. 2016
Did You Know?
Variegated has been adding color to our language since the 17th century. It is used in botany to describe the presence of two or more colors in the leaves, petals, or other parts of plants, and it also appears in the names of some animals (such as the variegated cutworm).
It can be used by the general speaker to refer to anything marked with different colors ("a variegated silk robe," for instance) or to things that are simply various and diverse ("a variegated collection"). Variegated has a variety of relatives in English—it is ultimately derived from the Latin root varius, meaning "varied," which also gave us vary, various, and variety.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Myriad
WORD OF THE DAY
myriad \ MEER-ee-ud \ noun
Definition
1 : ten thousand
2 : a great number
Examples
"After sold-out shows in New York and Los Angeles, Rise will make its debut in Boston with a myriad of hand-carved jack o' lanterns that will light up a trail that people can walk on as music plays in the background."
— Matt Juul, Boston Magazine, 21 Sept. 2016
"The robust and metallic nest-like venue, which is the first ever arena to be run entirely on solar power, features additional popular local restaurants, grab-and-go fresh fruits and vegetables, a touch of Sacramento history with their refurbished neon signs, and a myriad of local microbreweries."
— Michael Morris, The Vallejo (California) Times-Herald, 28 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
In English, the "ten thousand" sense of myriad mostly appears in references to Ancient Greece, such as the following from English historian Connop Thirwall's History of Greece: "4000 men from Peloponnesus had fought at Thermopylae with 300 myriads." More often, English speakers use myriad in the broad sense—both as a singular noun ("a myriad of tiny particles") and a plural noun ("myriads of tiny particles").
Myriad can also serve as an adjective meaning "innumerable" ("myriad particles"). While some usage commentators criticize the noun use, it's been firmly established in English since the 16th century, and in fact is about 200 years older than the adjective. Myriad comes from Greek myrias, which in turn comes from myrioi, meaning "countless" or "ten thousand."
myriad \ MEER-ee-ud \ noun
Definition
1 : ten thousand
2 : a great number
Examples
"After sold-out shows in New York and Los Angeles, Rise will make its debut in Boston with a myriad of hand-carved jack o' lanterns that will light up a trail that people can walk on as music plays in the background."
— Matt Juul, Boston Magazine, 21 Sept. 2016
"The robust and metallic nest-like venue, which is the first ever arena to be run entirely on solar power, features additional popular local restaurants, grab-and-go fresh fruits and vegetables, a touch of Sacramento history with their refurbished neon signs, and a myriad of local microbreweries."
— Michael Morris, The Vallejo (California) Times-Herald, 28 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
In English, the "ten thousand" sense of myriad mostly appears in references to Ancient Greece, such as the following from English historian Connop Thirwall's History of Greece: "4000 men from Peloponnesus had fought at Thermopylae with 300 myriads." More often, English speakers use myriad in the broad sense—both as a singular noun ("a myriad of tiny particles") and a plural noun ("myriads of tiny particles").
Myriad can also serve as an adjective meaning "innumerable" ("myriad particles"). While some usage commentators criticize the noun use, it's been firmly established in English since the 16th century, and in fact is about 200 years older than the adjective. Myriad comes from Greek myrias, which in turn comes from myrioi, meaning "countless" or "ten thousand."
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Beatific
WORD OF THE DAY
beatific \ bee-uh-TIFF-ik \ adjective
Definition
1 : of, possessing, or imparting a state of utmost bliss
2 : having a blissful appearance
Examples
"She was Italian, funny, a beatific tomboy, with just the hint of a lazy eye, and wore a pair of glasses that made me think of the wonders of the library."
— Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run, 2016
"Maybe it was the unexpected warmth of the gesture…. Maybe it was his response, the beatific expression on his face, eyes almost closed, head tilted toward her shoulder.… But when Michelle Obama hugged former President George W. Bush … at a ceremony to open the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the image quickly took flight online."
— Mark Landler, The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
Beatific—which derives from Latin beatificus, meaning "making happy"—has graced the English language as a word describing things that impart consummate bliss since the 17th century.
In theology, the phrase "beatific vision" gained meaning as an allusion to the direct sight of God enjoyed by the blessed in heaven. Today, the word more frequently describes a blissful look or appearance.
A closely related word is beatitude, which can refer to a state of utmost bliss or to any of the declarations made by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
beatific \ bee-uh-TIFF-ik \ adjective
Definition
1 : of, possessing, or imparting a state of utmost bliss
2 : having a blissful appearance
Examples
"She was Italian, funny, a beatific tomboy, with just the hint of a lazy eye, and wore a pair of glasses that made me think of the wonders of the library."
— Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run, 2016
"Maybe it was the unexpected warmth of the gesture…. Maybe it was his response, the beatific expression on his face, eyes almost closed, head tilted toward her shoulder.… But when Michelle Obama hugged former President George W. Bush … at a ceremony to open the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the image quickly took flight online."
— Mark Landler, The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
Beatific—which derives from Latin beatificus, meaning "making happy"—has graced the English language as a word describing things that impart consummate bliss since the 17th century.
In theology, the phrase "beatific vision" gained meaning as an allusion to the direct sight of God enjoyed by the blessed in heaven. Today, the word more frequently describes a blissful look or appearance.
A closely related word is beatitude, which can refer to a state of utmost bliss or to any of the declarations made by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Imbue
WORD OF THE DAY
imbue \ im-BYOO \ verb
Definition
1 : to permeate or influence as if by dyeing
2 : to tinge or dye deeply
3a : to provide with something freely or naturally
3b: endow
Examples
The children were imbued with a passion for nature by their parents, both
biologists.
"For a 23-year-old newly imbued with national fame, Jacoby Brissett is a man of few vices. One of them is chocolate chip cookies, which in college he baked for his offensive linemen."
— Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post, 22 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
Like its synonym infuse, imbue implies the introduction of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. A nation can be imbued with pride, for example, or a photograph might be imbued with a sense of melancholy.
In the past imbue has also been used synonymously with imbrue, an obscure word meaning "to drench or stain," but etymologists do not think the two words are related. Imbue derives from the Latin verb imbuere, meaning "to dye, wet, or moisten." Imbrue has been traced back through Anglo-French and Old French to the Latin verb bibere, meaning "to drink."
imbue \ im-BYOO \ verb
Definition
1 : to permeate or influence as if by dyeing
2 : to tinge or dye deeply
3a : to provide with something freely or naturally
3b: endow
Examples
The children were imbued with a passion for nature by their parents, both
biologists.
"For a 23-year-old newly imbued with national fame, Jacoby Brissett is a man of few vices. One of them is chocolate chip cookies, which in college he baked for his offensive linemen."
— Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post, 22 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
Like its synonym infuse, imbue implies the introduction of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. A nation can be imbued with pride, for example, or a photograph might be imbued with a sense of melancholy.
In the past imbue has also been used synonymously with imbrue, an obscure word meaning "to drench or stain," but etymologists do not think the two words are related. Imbue derives from the Latin verb imbuere, meaning "to dye, wet, or moisten." Imbrue has been traced back through Anglo-French and Old French to the Latin verb bibere, meaning "to drink."
Monday, October 24, 2016
Evanescent
WORD OF THE DAY
evanescent \ ev-uh-NESS-unt \ adjective
Definition
: tending to vanish like vapor
Examples
"As stunning as his dishes could be, in the end, the maestro understood its evanescent nature. Furstenberg remembers Richard telling him, 'It's supposed to be food.'"
— Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2016
"I think because we are young, issues we encounter with mental health are often excused as evanescent, and therefore not something to be taken seriously."
— Morgan Hughes, The Marquette Tribune (Marquette University), 6 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
The fragile, airy quality of things evanescent reflects the etymology of the word evanescent itself. It derives from a form of the Latin verb evanescere, which means "to evaporate" or "to vanish."
Given the similarity in spelling between the two words, you might expect evaporate to come from the same Latin root, but it actually grew out of another steamy Latin root, evaporare. Evanescere did give us vanish, however, by way of Anglo-French and Vulgar Latin.
evanescent \ ev-uh-NESS-unt \ adjective
Definition
: tending to vanish like vapor
Examples
"As stunning as his dishes could be, in the end, the maestro understood its evanescent nature. Furstenberg remembers Richard telling him, 'It's supposed to be food.'"
— Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2016
"I think because we are young, issues we encounter with mental health are often excused as evanescent, and therefore not something to be taken seriously."
— Morgan Hughes, The Marquette Tribune (Marquette University), 6 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
The fragile, airy quality of things evanescent reflects the etymology of the word evanescent itself. It derives from a form of the Latin verb evanescere, which means "to evaporate" or "to vanish."
Given the similarity in spelling between the two words, you might expect evaporate to come from the same Latin root, but it actually grew out of another steamy Latin root, evaporare. Evanescere did give us vanish, however, by way of Anglo-French and Vulgar Latin.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Domicile
WORD OF THE DAY
domicile \ DAH-muh-syle \ noun
Definition
1a : a dwelling place
1b: place of residence
1c: home
2a : a person's fixed, permanent, and principal home for legal purposes
2b : the place where a corporation is actually or officially established
Examples
"I got married, when I was 66, to David Bale.... I thought the women's movement has struggled for 25 years to allow marriage to be an equal partnership, so I no longer had to give up my name, my domicile, my credit rating, so why not?
— Gloria Steinem, quoted in The Scottish Daily Mail, 29 Feb. 2016
"Meese estimates he moved 20 times during his 32-year military career. While he could have chosen a number of states for his residence, he elected to keep Texas—where he bought his first house—as his domicile."
— Maryalene LaPonsie, U.S. News & World Report, 11 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Domicile traces to Latin domus, meaning "home," and English speakers have been using it as a word for "home" since at least the 15th century.
In the eyes of the law, a domicile can also be a legal residence, the address from which one registers to vote, licenses a car, and pays income tax.
Wealthy people may have several homes in which they live at different times of the year, but only one of their homes can be their official domicile for all legal purposes.
domicile \ DAH-muh-syle \ noun
Definition
1a : a dwelling place
1b: place of residence
1c: home
2a : a person's fixed, permanent, and principal home for legal purposes
2b : the place where a corporation is actually or officially established
Examples
"I got married, when I was 66, to David Bale.... I thought the women's movement has struggled for 25 years to allow marriage to be an equal partnership, so I no longer had to give up my name, my domicile, my credit rating, so why not?
— Gloria Steinem, quoted in The Scottish Daily Mail, 29 Feb. 2016
"Meese estimates he moved 20 times during his 32-year military career. While he could have chosen a number of states for his residence, he elected to keep Texas—where he bought his first house—as his domicile."
— Maryalene LaPonsie, U.S. News & World Report, 11 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Domicile traces to Latin domus, meaning "home," and English speakers have been using it as a word for "home" since at least the 15th century.
In the eyes of the law, a domicile can also be a legal residence, the address from which one registers to vote, licenses a car, and pays income tax.
Wealthy people may have several homes in which they live at different times of the year, but only one of their homes can be their official domicile for all legal purposes.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Colubrine
WORD OF THE DAY
colubrine \ KAHL-yuh-bryne \ adjective
Definition
1 : of, relating to, or resembling a snake
2 : of or relating to a large cosmopolitan family (Colubridae) of chiefly nonvenomous snakes
Examples
The trellis's latticework was covered with colubrine ivy.
"Most of the colubrine snakes are entirely harmless, and are the common snakes that we meet everywhere."
— Theodore Roosevelt, Through the Brazilian Wilderness, 1914
Did You Know?
Colubrine may be less common than other animal words—such as canine, feline, and bovine—but it has been around for a good long while. Ultimately derived from the Latin colubra ("snake"), it slithered into the English language in the 16th century. (Cobra, by the way, comes from the same Latin word, but it entered English through Portuguese.) Some other words for "snakelike" are serpentine (a more common alternative) and ophidian (from the Greek word for snake: ophis).
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Hoick
WORD OF THE DAY
hoick \ HOIK \ verb
Definition
: to move or pull abruptly : yank
Examples
"Occasionally he hoicks up the waistband of his trousers when he thinks no one is looking."
— Elizabeth Day, The Observer, 24 Feb. 2015
"The flutist … looks forward, unfolding a retinue of futuristic techniques—sounds that purr like a cat, pop like a cork or hoick like a spitball—on the way to a final improvisation…."
— David Allen, The New York Times, 29 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Etymologists suspect that hoick is an alteration of the verb hike, which is itself akin to hitch. According to the evidence, hike entered the language during the first decade of the 19th century, whereas hoick appeared near that century's close. The word hoick can be used for any type of abrupt pulling movement but is commonly used for the sudden pulling back on the joystick of an airplane; a rough, jerky movement when rowing; and a jerky, elevated shot in cricket. In fox hunting, the word hoicks is used to call attention to a hound that has picked up the scent and to bring the pack together.
hoick \ HOIK \ verb
Definition
: to move or pull abruptly : yank
Examples
"Occasionally he hoicks up the waistband of his trousers when he thinks no one is looking."
— Elizabeth Day, The Observer, 24 Feb. 2015
"The flutist … looks forward, unfolding a retinue of futuristic techniques—sounds that purr like a cat, pop like a cork or hoick like a spitball—on the way to a final improvisation…."
— David Allen, The New York Times, 29 Mar. 2016
Did You Know?
Etymologists suspect that hoick is an alteration of the verb hike, which is itself akin to hitch. According to the evidence, hike entered the language during the first decade of the 19th century, whereas hoick appeared near that century's close. The word hoick can be used for any type of abrupt pulling movement but is commonly used for the sudden pulling back on the joystick of an airplane; a rough, jerky movement when rowing; and a jerky, elevated shot in cricket. In fox hunting, the word hoicks is used to call attention to a hound that has picked up the scent and to bring the pack together.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Jacquerie
WORD OF THE DAY
jacquerie \ zhah-kuh-REE \ noun
Definition
: (often capitalized Jacquerie) a peasants' revolt
Examples
"There were no bloodthirsty sansculottes preparing to erect guillotines; nor were farmers, however angry about government excise taxes and other matters—as Shays's Rebellion suggested—ready to burn down the manorial estates of their feudal overlords in some version of an American jacquerie."
— Steve Fraser, Wall Street: America's Dream Palace, 2008
"The thicker the masonry, the more likely the fortress would withstand the anticipated Jacquerie."
— Michael Knox Beran, National Review, 7 Sept. 2009
Did You Know?
The first jacquerie was an insurrection of peasants against the nobility in northeastern France in 1358, so-named from the nobles' habit of referring contemptuously to any peasant as "Jacques," or "Jacques Bonhomme" (in French bonhomme means "fellow"). It took some time—150 years—for the name of the first jacquerie to become a generalized term for other revolts. The term is also occasionally used to refer to the peasant class, as when Madame Defarge in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities tells her husband to "consider the faces of all the world that we know, consider the rage and discontent to which the Jacquerie addresses itself with more and more of certainty every hour."
jacquerie \ zhah-kuh-REE \ noun
Definition
: (often capitalized Jacquerie) a peasants' revolt
Examples
"There were no bloodthirsty sansculottes preparing to erect guillotines; nor were farmers, however angry about government excise taxes and other matters—as Shays's Rebellion suggested—ready to burn down the manorial estates of their feudal overlords in some version of an American jacquerie."
— Steve Fraser, Wall Street: America's Dream Palace, 2008
"The thicker the masonry, the more likely the fortress would withstand the anticipated Jacquerie."
— Michael Knox Beran, National Review, 7 Sept. 2009
Did You Know?
The first jacquerie was an insurrection of peasants against the nobility in northeastern France in 1358, so-named from the nobles' habit of referring contemptuously to any peasant as "Jacques," or "Jacques Bonhomme" (in French bonhomme means "fellow"). It took some time—150 years—for the name of the first jacquerie to become a generalized term for other revolts. The term is also occasionally used to refer to the peasant class, as when Madame Defarge in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities tells her husband to "consider the faces of all the world that we know, consider the rage and discontent to which the Jacquerie addresses itself with more and more of certainty every hour."
Monday, October 17, 2016
Lavation
WORD OF THE DAY
lavation \ lay-VAY-shun \ noun
Definition
: the act or an instance of washing or cleansing
Examples
"… we cannot keep the skin healthy without frequent lavations of the whole body in pure water. It is impossible to calculate the benefits of this simple practice."
— Walt Whitman, "Bathing, Cleanliness, Personal Beauty," June 1846
"In Maycomb County, it was easy to tell when someone bathed regularly, as opposed to yearly lavations…."
— Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
Did You Know?
It sounds logical that you would perform a lavation in a lavatory, doesn't it? And it is logical: both words come from Latin lavare, meaning, appropriately, "to wash." English picked up a few other words from this root as well. In medicine, the therapeutic washing out of an organ is lavage.
There is also lavabo (in Latin, literally, "I shall wash"), which in English can refer to a ceremony at Mass in which the celebrant washes his hands, to the basin used in this religious ceremony, or to other kinds of basins. Even the word lavish, via a Middle French word for a downpour of rain, comes to us from lavare.
lavation \ lay-VAY-shun \ noun
Definition
: the act or an instance of washing or cleansing
Examples
"… we cannot keep the skin healthy without frequent lavations of the whole body in pure water. It is impossible to calculate the benefits of this simple practice."
— Walt Whitman, "Bathing, Cleanliness, Personal Beauty," June 1846
"In Maycomb County, it was easy to tell when someone bathed regularly, as opposed to yearly lavations…."
— Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
Did You Know?
It sounds logical that you would perform a lavation in a lavatory, doesn't it? And it is logical: both words come from Latin lavare, meaning, appropriately, "to wash." English picked up a few other words from this root as well. In medicine, the therapeutic washing out of an organ is lavage.
There is also lavabo (in Latin, literally, "I shall wash"), which in English can refer to a ceremony at Mass in which the celebrant washes his hands, to the basin used in this religious ceremony, or to other kinds of basins. Even the word lavish, via a Middle French word for a downpour of rain, comes to us from lavare.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Quatopygia
WORD OF THE DAY
quatopygia \ KWAY/KHAH-tuh-PIJ-ee-uh \ noun
Definition:
1. the shaking of the buttocks in walking, a word especially applied to an erotic feminine walk
Examples:
When Thelma's walk resembled the quatopygia of a stripper, her boss chided her.
Next time you see Miley Cyrus or Beyoncé twerking like crazy, allow your friends a good laugh by saying, " I am sure she can practice quatopygia all day and all night."
Did You Know?
The word is from the urban dictionary and, when broken down, comes from the Latin quatio meaning "to shake" and the Greek pyge to mean "buttocks"
Of course, there are many Greek roots for the glutes region of the body: pyg, pygo, pyga and pygia.
quatopygia \ KWAY/KHAH-tuh-PIJ-ee-uh \ noun
Definition:
1. the shaking of the buttocks in walking, a word especially applied to an erotic feminine walk
Examples:
When Thelma's walk resembled the quatopygia of a stripper, her boss chided her.
Next time you see Miley Cyrus or Beyoncé twerking like crazy, allow your friends a good laugh by saying, " I am sure she can practice quatopygia all day and all night."
Did You Know?
The word is from the urban dictionary and, when broken down, comes from the Latin quatio meaning "to shake" and the Greek pyge to mean "buttocks"
Of course, there are many Greek roots for the glutes region of the body: pyg, pygo, pyga and pygia.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Univocal
WORD OF THE DAY
univocal \ yoo-NIV-uh-kul \ adjective
Definition
1 : having one meaning only
2 : unambiguous
Examples
The president declared that it was important to send a univocal message of support to the beleaguered country.
"Often cited as America's greatest indigenous art form, jazz wriggles away from any univocal definition, resisting the confines of a single track like water flowing on broken ground."
— Charles Donelan, The Santa Barbara (California) Independent, 23 Sept. 2010
Did You Know?
Earliest known print evidence of univocal, in the sense of "having one meaning only," dates the word to the mid-1500s, somewhat earlier than its more familiar antonym equivocal (meaning "often misleadingly subject to two or more interpretations"). Both words trace back to the Latin noun vox, which means "voice."
The prefix uni- ("one") was combined with vox to create the Late Latin word univocus, from which English speakers borrowed univocal. Univocal was indeed once used in the sense of "speaking in one voice" (or "unanimous") as its etymology would imply, but that use is now obsolete.
univocal \ yoo-NIV-uh-kul \ adjective
Definition
1 : having one meaning only
2 : unambiguous
Examples
The president declared that it was important to send a univocal message of support to the beleaguered country.
"Often cited as America's greatest indigenous art form, jazz wriggles away from any univocal definition, resisting the confines of a single track like water flowing on broken ground."
— Charles Donelan, The Santa Barbara (California) Independent, 23 Sept. 2010
Did You Know?
Earliest known print evidence of univocal, in the sense of "having one meaning only," dates the word to the mid-1500s, somewhat earlier than its more familiar antonym equivocal (meaning "often misleadingly subject to two or more interpretations"). Both words trace back to the Latin noun vox, which means "voice."
The prefix uni- ("one") was combined with vox to create the Late Latin word univocus, from which English speakers borrowed univocal. Univocal was indeed once used in the sense of "speaking in one voice" (or "unanimous") as its etymology would imply, but that use is now obsolete.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Phlegmatic
WORD OF THE DAY
phlegmatic \ fleg-MAT-ik \ adjective
Definition
1 : resembling, consisting of, or producing the humor phlegm
2 : having or showing a slow and stolid temperament
Examples
"She said 'Good morning, Miss,' in her usual phlegmatic and brief manner; and taking up another ring and more tape, went on with her sewing."
— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847
"You are aware of the finality of fate, and tend to have a phlegmatic and sometimes unhappy compromise with your life, even when you long for a definitive resolution."
— Molly Shea, The New York Post, 31 Aug. 2016
Did You Know?
According to the ancient Greeks, human personalities were controlled by four bodily fluids or semifluids called humors: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. Each humor was associated with one of the four basic elements: air, earth, fire, and water.
Phlegm was paired with water—the cold, moist element—and it was believed to impart the cool, calm, unemotional personality we now call the "phlegmatic type." That's a bit odd, given that the term derives from the Greek phlegma, which literally means "flame," perhaps a reflection of the inflammation that colds and flus often bring.
phlegmatic \ fleg-MAT-ik \ adjective
Definition
1 : resembling, consisting of, or producing the humor phlegm
2 : having or showing a slow and stolid temperament
Examples
"She said 'Good morning, Miss,' in her usual phlegmatic and brief manner; and taking up another ring and more tape, went on with her sewing."
— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847
"You are aware of the finality of fate, and tend to have a phlegmatic and sometimes unhappy compromise with your life, even when you long for a definitive resolution."
— Molly Shea, The New York Post, 31 Aug. 2016
Did You Know?
According to the ancient Greeks, human personalities were controlled by four bodily fluids or semifluids called humors: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. Each humor was associated with one of the four basic elements: air, earth, fire, and water.
Phlegm was paired with water—the cold, moist element—and it was believed to impart the cool, calm, unemotional personality we now call the "phlegmatic type." That's a bit odd, given that the term derives from the Greek phlegma, which literally means "flame," perhaps a reflection of the inflammation that colds and flus often bring.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Odious
WORD OF THE DAY
odious \ OH-dee-us \ adjective
Definition
1a: arousing or deserving hatred or repugnance
1b: hateful
Examples
Volunteers gathered on Saturday morning to scrub away the odious graffiti spray-painted on the school.
"I can't help being reminded of the progress we've made as a nation, as well as the odious past of slavery, the many men and women who have lost their lives in wars…."
— Candi Castleberry Singleton, quoted in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
Odious has been with us since the days of Middle English. We borrowed it from Anglo-French, which in turn had taken it from Latin odiosus. The Latin adjective came from the noun odium, meaning "hatred." Odium is also an ancestor of the English verb annoy (another word that came to Middle English via Anglo-French). And, at the beginning of the 17th century, odium entered English in its unaltered form, giving us a noun meaning "hatred" or "disgrace" (as in "ideas that have incurred much odium").
odious \ OH-dee-us \ adjective
Definition
1a: arousing or deserving hatred or repugnance
1b: hateful
Examples
Volunteers gathered on Saturday morning to scrub away the odious graffiti spray-painted on the school.
"I can't help being reminded of the progress we've made as a nation, as well as the odious past of slavery, the many men and women who have lost their lives in wars…."
— Candi Castleberry Singleton, quoted in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5 Sept. 2016
Did You Know?
Odious has been with us since the days of Middle English. We borrowed it from Anglo-French, which in turn had taken it from Latin odiosus. The Latin adjective came from the noun odium, meaning "hatred." Odium is also an ancestor of the English verb annoy (another word that came to Middle English via Anglo-French). And, at the beginning of the 17th century, odium entered English in its unaltered form, giving us a noun meaning "hatred" or "disgrace" (as in "ideas that have incurred much odium").
Monday, October 10, 2016
Scion
WORD OF THE DAY
scion \ SYE-un \ NOUN
Definition
1 : a detached living portion of a plant (as a bud or shoot) joined to a stock in grafting and usually supplying solely aerial parts to a graft
2 : descendant, child; especially : a descendant of a wealthy, aristocratic, or influential family
3 : heir
Examples
"The duke was the billionaire owner of swaths of central London, a friend of Britain's royal family and the scion of an aristocratic family stretching back to the Norman Conquest."
— The Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2016
"The vibe of the place is a mixture of old-school cool and Brit eccentric. There are poems etched onto the wall by the artist Hugo Guinness, … a scion of the famous Anglo-Irish brewing family."
— Christa D'Souza, W, September 2016
Did You Know?
Scion derives from the Middle English sioun and Old French cion and is related to the Old English cīth and the Old High German kīdi (meaning "sprout" or "shoot"). When it first sprouted in English in the 14th century, scion meant "a shoot or twig."
That sense withered in horticultural contexts, but the word branched out, adding the grafting-related meaning we know today. A figurative sense also blossomed referring to one's descendants, with particular reference to those who are descendants of notable families.
scion \ SYE-un \ NOUN
Definition
1 : a detached living portion of a plant (as a bud or shoot) joined to a stock in grafting and usually supplying solely aerial parts to a graft
2 : descendant, child; especially : a descendant of a wealthy, aristocratic, or influential family
3 : heir
Examples
"The duke was the billionaire owner of swaths of central London, a friend of Britain's royal family and the scion of an aristocratic family stretching back to the Norman Conquest."
— The Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2016
"The vibe of the place is a mixture of old-school cool and Brit eccentric. There are poems etched onto the wall by the artist Hugo Guinness, … a scion of the famous Anglo-Irish brewing family."
— Christa D'Souza, W, September 2016
Did You Know?
Scion derives from the Middle English sioun and Old French cion and is related to the Old English cīth and the Old High German kīdi (meaning "sprout" or "shoot"). When it first sprouted in English in the 14th century, scion meant "a shoot or twig."
That sense withered in horticultural contexts, but the word branched out, adding the grafting-related meaning we know today. A figurative sense also blossomed referring to one's descendants, with particular reference to those who are descendants of notable families.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Macadam
WORD OF THE DAY
macadam \ muh-KAD-um \ noun
Definition
: a roadway or pavement of small closely packed broken stone
Examples
The sloping, curved street saw light traffic and had a smooth macadam surface that made it popular with skateboarders.
"Littered on the beach are nearly a dozen big slabs of macadam and even larger chunks of concrete that have slid down the cliff."
— Chris Burrell, The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Massachusetts), 20 Aug. 2016
Did You Know?
In 1783, inventor John Loudon McAdam returned to his native Scotland after amassing a fortune in New York City. He became the road trustee for his district and quickly set his inventiveness to remedying the terrible condition of local roads.
After numerous experiments, he created a new road surfacing material made of bits of stone that became compressed into a solid mass as traffic passed over them. His invention revolutionized road construction and transportation, and engineers and the public alike honored him by using his name (respelled macadam) as a generic term for the material or pavement made from it. He is further immortalized in the verb macadamize, which names the process of installing macadam on a road.
macadam \ muh-KAD-um \ noun
Definition
: a roadway or pavement of small closely packed broken stone
Examples
The sloping, curved street saw light traffic and had a smooth macadam surface that made it popular with skateboarders.
"Littered on the beach are nearly a dozen big slabs of macadam and even larger chunks of concrete that have slid down the cliff."
— Chris Burrell, The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Massachusetts), 20 Aug. 2016
Did You Know?
In 1783, inventor John Loudon McAdam returned to his native Scotland after amassing a fortune in New York City. He became the road trustee for his district and quickly set his inventiveness to remedying the terrible condition of local roads.
After numerous experiments, he created a new road surfacing material made of bits of stone that became compressed into a solid mass as traffic passed over them. His invention revolutionized road construction and transportation, and engineers and the public alike honored him by using his name (respelled macadam) as a generic term for the material or pavement made from it. He is further immortalized in the verb macadamize, which names the process of installing macadam on a road.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Vulnerary
WORD OF THE DAY
vulnerary \ VUL-nuh-rair-ee \ adjective
Definition
: used for or useful in healing wounds
Examples
"Rebecca examined the wound, and having applied to it such vulnerary remedies as her art prescribed, informed her father that if fever could be averted … there was nothing to fear for his guest's life, and that he might with safety travel to York with them on the ensuing day."
— Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, 1820
"St. John’s wort can also help those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) due to lower sunlight exposure in the winter months. Its anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, astringent, and antimicrobial actions make it a powerful healer for wounds, bruises, burns, sprains, and muscle pain."
— Jane Metzger, Mother Earth News, 13 July 2015
Did You Know?
In Latin, vulnus means "wound." You might think, then, that the English adjective vulnerary would mean "wounding" or "causing a wound"—and, indeed, vulnerary has been used that way, along with two obsolete adjectives, vulnerative and vulnific.
But for the lasting and current use of vulnerary, we took our cue from the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder. In his Natural History, he used the Latin adjective vulnerarius to describe a plaster, or dressing, for healing wounds. And that's fine—the suffix -ary merely indicates that there is a connection, which, in this case, is to wounds. (As you may have already suspected, vulnerable is related; it comes from the Latin verb vulnerare, which means "to wound.")
vulnerary \ VUL-nuh-rair-ee \ adjective
Definition
: used for or useful in healing wounds
Examples
"Rebecca examined the wound, and having applied to it such vulnerary remedies as her art prescribed, informed her father that if fever could be averted … there was nothing to fear for his guest's life, and that he might with safety travel to York with them on the ensuing day."
— Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, 1820
"St. John’s wort can also help those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) due to lower sunlight exposure in the winter months. Its anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, astringent, and antimicrobial actions make it a powerful healer for wounds, bruises, burns, sprains, and muscle pain."
— Jane Metzger, Mother Earth News, 13 July 2015
Did You Know?
In Latin, vulnus means "wound." You might think, then, that the English adjective vulnerary would mean "wounding" or "causing a wound"—and, indeed, vulnerary has been used that way, along with two obsolete adjectives, vulnerative and vulnific.
But for the lasting and current use of vulnerary, we took our cue from the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder. In his Natural History, he used the Latin adjective vulnerarius to describe a plaster, or dressing, for healing wounds. And that's fine—the suffix -ary merely indicates that there is a connection, which, in this case, is to wounds. (As you may have already suspected, vulnerable is related; it comes from the Latin verb vulnerare, which means "to wound.")
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Invective
WORD OF THE DAY
invective \ in-VEK-tiv \ noun
Definition
1 : an abusive expression or speech
2a : insulting or abusive language
2b: vituperation
Examples
"The ongoing collapse of responsible broadcast and cable journalism and the explosive role that social media has assumed in this campaign have made for a nasty brew of invective, slurs and accusations…."
— Susan J. Douglas, In These Times, July 2016
"At a moment when American political discourse has descended to almost unimaginable levels of … invective, we need our teachers to model a better way to discuss our differences."
— Jonathan Zimmerman, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 14 Aug. 2016
Did You Know?
Invective originated in the 15th century as an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse." In the early 16th century, it appeared in print as a noun meaning "an example of abusive speech." Eventually, the noun developed a second sense applying to abusive language as a whole.
Invective comes to us from the Middle French word invectif, which in turn derives from Latin invectivus, meaning "reproachful, abusive." (Invectivus comes from Latin invectus, past participle of the verb invehere, one form of which means "to assail with words.") Invective is similar to abuse, but it tends to suggest not only anger and vehemence but verbal and rhetorical skill. It sometimes implies public denunciation, as in "blistering political invective."
invective \ in-VEK-tiv \ noun
Definition
1 : an abusive expression or speech
2a : insulting or abusive language
2b: vituperation
Examples
"The ongoing collapse of responsible broadcast and cable journalism and the explosive role that social media has assumed in this campaign have made for a nasty brew of invective, slurs and accusations…."
— Susan J. Douglas, In These Times, July 2016
"At a moment when American political discourse has descended to almost unimaginable levels of … invective, we need our teachers to model a better way to discuss our differences."
— Jonathan Zimmerman, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 14 Aug. 2016
Did You Know?
Invective originated in the 15th century as an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse." In the early 16th century, it appeared in print as a noun meaning "an example of abusive speech." Eventually, the noun developed a second sense applying to abusive language as a whole.
Invective comes to us from the Middle French word invectif, which in turn derives from Latin invectivus, meaning "reproachful, abusive." (Invectivus comes from Latin invectus, past participle of the verb invehere, one form of which means "to assail with words.") Invective is similar to abuse, but it tends to suggest not only anger and vehemence but verbal and rhetorical skill. It sometimes implies public denunciation, as in "blistering political invective."
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Banausic
WORD OF THE DAY
banausic \ buh-NAW-sik \ adjective
Definition
1: relating to or concerned with earning a living — used pejoratively
2: utilitarian, practical
Examples
"At the far end was a wooden board on which were hung saws, chisels, knives and other banausic instruments of the trade."
— Sebastian Faulk, Human Traces, 2005
"That story is followed by a brilliant allegory of reality TV and the cult of personality, Rumours About Me, in which a simple company man sees his banausic daily life … broadcast by the media until he is transformed into 'a nobody who was known by everybody.'"
— Christine Thomas, The Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2008
Did You Know?
The ancient Greeks held intellectual pursuits in the highest esteem, and they considered ideal a leisurely life of contemplation. A large population of slaves enabled many Greek citizens to adopt that preferred lifestyle. Those who had others to do the heavy lifting for them tended to regard professional labor with contempt.
Their prejudice against the need to toil to earn a living is reflected in the Greek adjective banausikos (the root of banausic), which not only means "of an artisan" (from the word for "artisan," banausos) but "nonintellectual" as well.
banausic \ buh-NAW-sik \ adjective
Definition
1: relating to or concerned with earning a living — used pejoratively
2: utilitarian, practical
Examples
"At the far end was a wooden board on which were hung saws, chisels, knives and other banausic instruments of the trade."
— Sebastian Faulk, Human Traces, 2005
"That story is followed by a brilliant allegory of reality TV and the cult of personality, Rumours About Me, in which a simple company man sees his banausic daily life … broadcast by the media until he is transformed into 'a nobody who was known by everybody.'"
— Christine Thomas, The Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2008
Did You Know?
The ancient Greeks held intellectual pursuits in the highest esteem, and they considered ideal a leisurely life of contemplation. A large population of slaves enabled many Greek citizens to adopt that preferred lifestyle. Those who had others to do the heavy lifting for them tended to regard professional labor with contempt.
Their prejudice against the need to toil to earn a living is reflected in the Greek adjective banausikos (the root of banausic), which not only means "of an artisan" (from the word for "artisan," banausos) but "nonintellectual" as well.
Monday, October 3, 2016
Guerdon
WORD OF THE DAY
guerdon \ GUR-dun \ noun
Definition
: reward, recompense
Examples
"The big hurdle … was early promotion to captain. … This early promotion, this small dry irrevocable statistic in the record, was his guerdon for a quarter of a century of getting things done."
— Herman Wouk, The Winds of War, 1971
"The guerdon in attending a repertory company's concert is being able to savor the variety of work on display."
— Juan Michael Porter II, Broadway World, 7 June 2016
Did You Know?
Guerdon dates back to the 14th century, when Geoffrey Chaucer used it in The Romaunt of the Rose (ca. 1366): "He quitte him wel his guerdon there." It derives from Anglo-French and is thought to be related to the Old High German widarlōn, meaning "reward." Shakespeare used guerdon a couple of times in his plays.
In Love's Labour's Lost, for example, Berowne, attendant to King Ferdinand, sends the clown Costard to deliver a letter to Rosaline, attendant to the princess of France, handing him a shilling with the line, "There's thy guerdon; go." Guerdon is a rare word today, but contemporary writers do use it on occasion for poetic effect.
guerdon \ GUR-dun \ noun
Definition
: reward, recompense
Examples
"The big hurdle … was early promotion to captain. … This early promotion, this small dry irrevocable statistic in the record, was his guerdon for a quarter of a century of getting things done."
— Herman Wouk, The Winds of War, 1971
"The guerdon in attending a repertory company's concert is being able to savor the variety of work on display."
— Juan Michael Porter II, Broadway World, 7 June 2016
Did You Know?
Guerdon dates back to the 14th century, when Geoffrey Chaucer used it in The Romaunt of the Rose (ca. 1366): "He quitte him wel his guerdon there." It derives from Anglo-French and is thought to be related to the Old High German widarlōn, meaning "reward." Shakespeare used guerdon a couple of times in his plays.
In Love's Labour's Lost, for example, Berowne, attendant to King Ferdinand, sends the clown Costard to deliver a letter to Rosaline, attendant to the princess of France, handing him a shilling with the line, "There's thy guerdon; go." Guerdon is a rare word today, but contemporary writers do use it on occasion for poetic effect.
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