WORD OF THE DAY
trousseau / noun / TROO-soh
Definition
: the personal possessions of a bride usually including clothes, accessories, and household linens and wares
Examples
I am fortunate to be in possession of various family heirlooms, including several items from my great-grandmother's trousseau.
"Sifting through these abandoned papers … one gets the sense of a community occupied primarily with day-to-day concerns: The price of wheat, the contents of a daughter's trousseau, news from a relative one hasn't heard from in a while, a dispute over grazing rights, the quality of a certain fabric from Morocco."
— Michael David Lukas, The Forward (New York City, New York), 30 Mar. 2018
Did You Know?
Trousseau is a descendant of the French verb trousser, meaning "to truss" or "to tuck up." Fittingly, a bride might truss, or bundle, a variety of items as part of her trousseau—and it is not too surprising that truss is also a trousser descendant.
A less common descendant of trousser is retroussé, meaning "turned up," as in a "retroussé nose." The ultimate origin of trousser is likely the Latin verb torquēre, which means "to twist."
Torquēre has many descendants in the language, among them a number of "tort" words (distort, contort, retort, extort), torque, and torture.
Friday, September 28, 2018
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Orotund
WORD OF THE DAY
orotund / adjective / OR-uh-tund
Definition
1a: marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound
1b: sonorous
2a: excessively elevated or inflated
2b: pompous, bombastic
Examples
"'This time, it's personal.' Yeah, yeah, you've no doubt heard that orotund threat before in movie trailers for the newest sequel to some action revenge movie starring Charles Bronson, Bruce Willis or Liam Neeson."
— Jeff Simon, The Buffalo News, 15 Dec. 2017
"She attacked 'Dopo notte, atra e funesta,' from Ariodante, with downright ferocity (the text partly describes a ship tossed in a tempest). It was an excellent display piece for her distinctive voice, which is deeply pitched and orotund of character, yet capable of finely calibrated coloratura."
— James M. Keller, The Santa Fe New Mexican, 5 Jan. 2018
Did You Know?
The Latin roots of orotund are related to two more common English words—oral and rotund. Latin or- means "mouth," and rotundus means "round" or "circular."
The Roman poet Horace joined forms of those Latin terms to create the phrase ore rotundo, literally meaning "with round mouth," and figuratively meaning "with well-turned speech."
Ore rotundo was modified to orotund and adopted into English in the late 18th century. It can indicate either strength of delivery or inflated wording.
orotund / adjective / OR-uh-tund
Definition
1a: marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound
1b: sonorous
2a: excessively elevated or inflated
2b: pompous, bombastic
Examples
"'This time, it's personal.' Yeah, yeah, you've no doubt heard that orotund threat before in movie trailers for the newest sequel to some action revenge movie starring Charles Bronson, Bruce Willis or Liam Neeson."
— Jeff Simon, The Buffalo News, 15 Dec. 2017
"She attacked 'Dopo notte, atra e funesta,' from Ariodante, with downright ferocity (the text partly describes a ship tossed in a tempest). It was an excellent display piece for her distinctive voice, which is deeply pitched and orotund of character, yet capable of finely calibrated coloratura."
— James M. Keller, The Santa Fe New Mexican, 5 Jan. 2018
Did You Know?
The Latin roots of orotund are related to two more common English words—oral and rotund. Latin or- means "mouth," and rotundus means "round" or "circular."
The Roman poet Horace joined forms of those Latin terms to create the phrase ore rotundo, literally meaning "with round mouth," and figuratively meaning "with well-turned speech."
Ore rotundo was modified to orotund and adopted into English in the late 18th century. It can indicate either strength of delivery or inflated wording.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Habiliment
WORD OF THE DAY
habiliment / noun / huh-BIL-uh-munt
Definition
1a (plural): characteristic apparatus
1b: trappings
2a: the dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion — usually used in plural
2b: clothes — usually used in plural
Examples
"My riches are these poor habiliments, / Of which if you should here disfurnish me, / You take the sum and substance that I have."
— William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, 1595
"Kerr Gulch likes to have clothing delivered to her door by an online 'partner in personal style' called Stitch Fix. After sampling Stitch Fix's assortment of attire, Kerr holds onto the handsomest habiliments and boxes up the rest for shipment back to the company."
— The Canyon Courier (Evergreen, Colorado), 28 Dec. 2017
Did You Know?
Habiliment, from Middle French abillement, is a bit old-fashioned and is often used to describe complex, multi-pieced outfits like those of medieval times.
For instance, a full suit of armor—which might include a helmet, a gorget, pallettes, brassard, a skirt of tasses, tuilles, gauntlets, cuisses, jambeaus, and sollerets, along with other pieces and plates—can be considered the habiliments of a knight.
Nowadays, habiliment, which is usually used in its plural form, is also fitting for the dress of an occupation, such as the different vestments of a priest, or for clothes, such as elegant formal wear, worn on special occasions.
When habiliment is used for plain old clothes, it is more than likely for jocular or poetic effect—as we see it being used by William Shakespeare in the first example below.
habiliment / noun / huh-BIL-uh-munt
Definition
1a (plural): characteristic apparatus
1b: trappings
2a: the dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion — usually used in plural
2b: clothes — usually used in plural
Examples
"My riches are these poor habiliments, / Of which if you should here disfurnish me, / You take the sum and substance that I have."
— William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, 1595
"Kerr Gulch likes to have clothing delivered to her door by an online 'partner in personal style' called Stitch Fix. After sampling Stitch Fix's assortment of attire, Kerr holds onto the handsomest habiliments and boxes up the rest for shipment back to the company."
— The Canyon Courier (Evergreen, Colorado), 28 Dec. 2017
Did You Know?
Habiliment, from Middle French abillement, is a bit old-fashioned and is often used to describe complex, multi-pieced outfits like those of medieval times.
For instance, a full suit of armor—which might include a helmet, a gorget, pallettes, brassard, a skirt of tasses, tuilles, gauntlets, cuisses, jambeaus, and sollerets, along with other pieces and plates—can be considered the habiliments of a knight.
Nowadays, habiliment, which is usually used in its plural form, is also fitting for the dress of an occupation, such as the different vestments of a priest, or for clothes, such as elegant formal wear, worn on special occasions.
When habiliment is used for plain old clothes, it is more than likely for jocular or poetic effect—as we see it being used by William Shakespeare in the first example below.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Secrete
WORD OF THE DAY
secrete / verb / sih-KREET
Definition
1: to deposit or conceal in a hiding place
2a: to appropriate secretly
2b: abstract
Examples
The squirrel had secreted nuts all over the yard in preparation for winter, and as spring approached, more were still to be found.
"Then he allegedly sneaked the cash into a truck, moved the truck outside and covered the bag with his raincoat before secreting it away in his personal car."
— Tina Moore et al., The New York Post, 27 July 2018
Did You Know?
If you guessed that the secret to the origins of secrete is the word secret, you are correct.
Secrete developed in the mid-18th century as an alteration of a now obsolete verb secret. That verb had the meaning now carried by secrete and derived from the familiar noun secret ("something kept hidden or unexplained").
The noun, in turn, traces back to the Latin secretus, the past participle of the verb secernere, meaning "to separate" or "to distinguish."
Incidentally, there is an earlier and distinct verb secrete with the more scientific meaning "to form and give off (a secretion)."
That secrete is a back-formation from secretion, another word that can be traced back to secernere.
secrete / verb / sih-KREET
Definition
1: to deposit or conceal in a hiding place
2a: to appropriate secretly
2b: abstract
Examples
The squirrel had secreted nuts all over the yard in preparation for winter, and as spring approached, more were still to be found.
"Then he allegedly sneaked the cash into a truck, moved the truck outside and covered the bag with his raincoat before secreting it away in his personal car."
— Tina Moore et al., The New York Post, 27 July 2018
Did You Know?
If you guessed that the secret to the origins of secrete is the word secret, you are correct.
Secrete developed in the mid-18th century as an alteration of a now obsolete verb secret. That verb had the meaning now carried by secrete and derived from the familiar noun secret ("something kept hidden or unexplained").
The noun, in turn, traces back to the Latin secretus, the past participle of the verb secernere, meaning "to separate" or "to distinguish."
Incidentally, there is an earlier and distinct verb secrete with the more scientific meaning "to form and give off (a secretion)."
That secrete is a back-formation from secretion, another word that can be traced back to secernere.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Glade
WORD OF THE DAY
glade / noun / GLAYD
Definition
: an open space surrounded by woods
Examples
"Whenever they got a glimpse of the sun in an open glade they seemed unaccountably to have veered eastwards."
— J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954
"Park on the side of the road near the sign where possible, but try to avoid going too far off into the mud. Walk past the sign and across a glade before descending into the hollow."
— James Baughn, The Southeast Missourian, 5 Apr. 2018
Did You Know?
We know that glade has been with us since at least the early 1500s, though the word's origins remain a bit of a mystery.
Glade, which originally was often used not just to indicate a clearing in the woods but one which was also filled with sunlight, may come from the adjective glad.
In Middle English, glad also meant "shining," a meaning that goes back to the word's Old English ancestor, glæd.
Glæd is akin to Old High German glat ("shining, smooth") and Old Norse glathr ("sunny"). It may also be a relative of Old English geolu, the ancestor of the modern English word yellow.
glade / noun / GLAYD
Definition
: an open space surrounded by woods
Examples
"Whenever they got a glimpse of the sun in an open glade they seemed unaccountably to have veered eastwards."
— J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954
"Park on the side of the road near the sign where possible, but try to avoid going too far off into the mud. Walk past the sign and across a glade before descending into the hollow."
— James Baughn, The Southeast Missourian, 5 Apr. 2018
Did You Know?
We know that glade has been with us since at least the early 1500s, though the word's origins remain a bit of a mystery.
Glade, which originally was often used not just to indicate a clearing in the woods but one which was also filled with sunlight, may come from the adjective glad.
In Middle English, glad also meant "shining," a meaning that goes back to the word's Old English ancestor, glæd.
Glæd is akin to Old High German glat ("shining, smooth") and Old Norse glathr ("sunny"). It may also be a relative of Old English geolu, the ancestor of the modern English word yellow.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Panoply
WORD OF THE DAY
panoply / noun / PAN-uh-plee
Definition
1a: a full suit of armor
1b: ceremonial attire
2: something forming a protective covering
3a: a magnificent or impressive array
3b: a display of all appropriate appurtenances
Examples
"Like many of the islands of the Caribbean, Jamaica is home to a cuisine that combines a heady mixture of flavors, spices, techniques and influences from the panoply of cultures that have inhabited its shores."
— Maria Sonnenberg, Florida Today, 11 July 2018
"'Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse' focuses on the final turbulent decade of a life, but Andrea di Robilant captures the full panoply of quirks and conflicts that often made Papa and those closest to him miserable."
— Michael Mewshaw, The Washington Post, 26 July 2018
Did You Know?
Panoply comes from the Greek word panoplia, which referred to the full suit of armor worn by hoplites, heavily armed infantry soldiers of ancient Greece.
Panoplia is a blend of the prefix pan-, meaning "all," and hopla, meaning "arms" or "armor." (As you may have guessed already, hopla is also an ancestor of hoplite.)
Panoply entered the English language in the 17th century, and since then it has developed other senses which extend both the "armor" and the "full set" aspects of its original use.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Milieu
WORD OF THE DAY
milieu / noun / meel-YOO
Definition
1: the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops
2: environment
Examples
"In researching my second film, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, I learned just how much independence and bravery it took for Guggenheim to step away from her very traditional roots and move at the age of 20 to Paris, where she … became part of the milieu of the Surrealist artists, and ultimately set out on the path to becoming a world famous patron."
— Lisa Vreeland, Town & Country, March 2018
"Critics have called [Nicole] Holofcener 'the female Woody Allen,' noting that the two directors, both Jewish, explore a milieu disproportionately populated by writers, artists, and shrinks."
— Ariel Levy, The New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2018
Did You Know?
The etymology of milieu comes down to mi and lieu. English speakers learned the word (and borrowed both its spelling and meaning) from French.
The modern French term comes from two much older French forms, mi, meaning "middle," and lieu, meaning "place."
Like so many terms in the Romance languages, those Old French forms can ultimately be traced to Latin; mi is an offspring of Latin medius (meaning "middle") and lieu is a derivative of locus (meaning "place").
English speakers have used milieu for the environment or setting of something since at least the mid-1800s, but other lieu descendants are much older. We've used both lieu itself (meaning "place" or "stead," as in "in lieu of") and lieutenant since the 13th century.
milieu / noun / meel-YOO
Definition
1: the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops
2: environment
Examples
"In researching my second film, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, I learned just how much independence and bravery it took for Guggenheim to step away from her very traditional roots and move at the age of 20 to Paris, where she … became part of the milieu of the Surrealist artists, and ultimately set out on the path to becoming a world famous patron."
— Lisa Vreeland, Town & Country, March 2018
"Critics have called [Nicole] Holofcener 'the female Woody Allen,' noting that the two directors, both Jewish, explore a milieu disproportionately populated by writers, artists, and shrinks."
— Ariel Levy, The New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2018
Did You Know?
The etymology of milieu comes down to mi and lieu. English speakers learned the word (and borrowed both its spelling and meaning) from French.
The modern French term comes from two much older French forms, mi, meaning "middle," and lieu, meaning "place."
Like so many terms in the Romance languages, those Old French forms can ultimately be traced to Latin; mi is an offspring of Latin medius (meaning "middle") and lieu is a derivative of locus (meaning "place").
English speakers have used milieu for the environment or setting of something since at least the mid-1800s, but other lieu descendants are much older. We've used both lieu itself (meaning "place" or "stead," as in "in lieu of") and lieutenant since the 13th century.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Atone
WORD OF THE DAY
atone / verb / uh-TOHN
Definition
1: to make amends : to provide or serve as reparation or compensation for something bad or unwelcome — usually with for
2a: to make reparation or supply satisfaction for
2b: expiate — used in the passive voice with for
Examples
James tried to atone for the mistakes of his youth by devoting his life to helping others.
"Tony Stark became Iron Man partially to atone for his history of global weapons profiteering."
— Alex Biese and Felecia Wellington Radel, Asbury Park (New Jersey) Press, 1 July 2018
Did You Know?
Atone comes to us from the combination in Middle English of at and on, the latter of which is an old variant of one.
Together they meant "in harmony." (In current English, we use "at one" with a similar suggestion of harmony in such phrases as "at one with nature.") When it first entered English, atone meant "to reconcile" and suggested the restoration of a peaceful and harmonious state between people or groups.
These days the verb specifically implies addressing the damage (or disharmony) caused by one's own behavior.
atone / verb / uh-TOHN
Definition
1: to make amends : to provide or serve as reparation or compensation for something bad or unwelcome — usually with for
2a: to make reparation or supply satisfaction for
2b: expiate — used in the passive voice with for
Examples
James tried to atone for the mistakes of his youth by devoting his life to helping others.
"Tony Stark became Iron Man partially to atone for his history of global weapons profiteering."
— Alex Biese and Felecia Wellington Radel, Asbury Park (New Jersey) Press, 1 July 2018
Did You Know?
Atone comes to us from the combination in Middle English of at and on, the latter of which is an old variant of one.
Together they meant "in harmony." (In current English, we use "at one" with a similar suggestion of harmony in such phrases as "at one with nature.") When it first entered English, atone meant "to reconcile" and suggested the restoration of a peaceful and harmonious state between people or groups.
These days the verb specifically implies addressing the damage (or disharmony) caused by one's own behavior.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Lenitive
WORD OF THE DAY
lenitive / adjective / LEN-uh-tiv
Definition
1: alleviating pain or harshness
2: soothing
Examples
Peppermint, chamomile, and ginger are all reputed to have a lenitive effect on the digestive system.
"The air in Eastbourne … is melancholy with the sweet memories of childhood, and the promises it breathes are prayerful and lenitive: all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
— Howard Jacobson, The Independent (London), 2 Aug. 2008
Did You Know?
Lenitive first appears in English in the 15th century. It derives from the Latin verb lenire ("to soften or soothe"), which was itself formed from the adjective lenis, meaning "soft" or "mild."
Lenire also gave us the adjective lenient, which usually means "tolerant" or "indulgent" today but in its original sense carried the meaning of "relieving pain or stress."
Often found in medical contexts, lenitive can also be a noun referring to a treatment (such as a salve) with soothing or healing properties.
lenitive / adjective / LEN-uh-tiv
Definition
1: alleviating pain or harshness
2: soothing
Examples
Peppermint, chamomile, and ginger are all reputed to have a lenitive effect on the digestive system.
"The air in Eastbourne … is melancholy with the sweet memories of childhood, and the promises it breathes are prayerful and lenitive: all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
— Howard Jacobson, The Independent (London), 2 Aug. 2008
Did You Know?
Lenitive first appears in English in the 15th century. It derives from the Latin verb lenire ("to soften or soothe"), which was itself formed from the adjective lenis, meaning "soft" or "mild."
Lenire also gave us the adjective lenient, which usually means "tolerant" or "indulgent" today but in its original sense carried the meaning of "relieving pain or stress."
Often found in medical contexts, lenitive can also be a noun referring to a treatment (such as a salve) with soothing or healing properties.
Monday, September 17, 2018
Chiliad
WORD OF THE DAY
chiliad / noun KILL-ee-ad PrevNext
Definition
1: a group of 1000
2a: a period of 1000 years; especially
2b: one reckoned from the beginning of the Christian era
Examples
Erin's pursuit of an MD degree felt like it took a chiliad, but she achieved her goal and is now running her own pediatric clinic.
"While teachers may offer children some new vocab words, there are some at-home tricks parents can also use to make sure their children learn a chiliad of new words."
— Herb Scribner, The Petoskey (Michigan) News-Review, 6 Sept. 2015
Did You Know?
What's the difference between a chiliad and a millennium? Not much: both are a period of 1000 years. While millennium is more widely used, chiliad is actually older.
Chiliad first appeared in the late 1500s and was originally used to mean "a group of 1000," as in "a chiliad of arrows"; millennium didn't make its way into written English until some decades later, in the early 1600s.
Not surprisingly, both words trace back to roots that mean "thousand."
Millennium comes from Latin mille, and chiliad is a descendant of Greek chilioi.
chiliad / noun KILL-ee-ad PrevNext
Definition
1: a group of 1000
2a: a period of 1000 years; especially
2b: one reckoned from the beginning of the Christian era
Examples
Erin's pursuit of an MD degree felt like it took a chiliad, but she achieved her goal and is now running her own pediatric clinic.
"While teachers may offer children some new vocab words, there are some at-home tricks parents can also use to make sure their children learn a chiliad of new words."
— Herb Scribner, The Petoskey (Michigan) News-Review, 6 Sept. 2015
Did You Know?
What's the difference between a chiliad and a millennium? Not much: both are a period of 1000 years. While millennium is more widely used, chiliad is actually older.
Chiliad first appeared in the late 1500s and was originally used to mean "a group of 1000," as in "a chiliad of arrows"; millennium didn't make its way into written English until some decades later, in the early 1600s.
Not surprisingly, both words trace back to roots that mean "thousand."
Millennium comes from Latin mille, and chiliad is a descendant of Greek chilioi.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Advert
WORD OF THE DAY
advert / verb / ad-VERT
Definition
1: to turn the mind or attention — used with to
2: to call attention in the course of speaking or writing : make reference — used with to
Examples
"He also adverted to the practice of demanding that producers take back unsold produce as an 'unfair' practice that concerns the commission."
— Patrick Smyth, The Irish Times, 12 Apr. 2018
"Painfully as I am affected by the family calamity which has fallen on me, I cannot let this opportunity pass without adverting to another subject which seriously concerns your welfare…."
— Wilkie Collins, No Name,
Did You Know?
You may be familiar with the noun advert, which is used, especially in British sources, as a shortened form of advertisement.
That's one way to use advert, but it has also been used as a verb in English since the 15th century. There's a hint about the origin of the verb in the idea of "turning" the mind or attention to something; the word derives via Anglo-French from the Latin verb advertere, which in turn comes from Latin vertere, meaning "to turn."
Vertere is the ancestor of a number of words in English, including controversy, divert, invert, revert, and even versatile.
In addition, we'd like to turn your attention to one particular vertere descendant: avert, meaning "to avoid." Be careful to avoid mixing this one up with advert.
advert / verb / ad-VERT
Definition
1: to turn the mind or attention — used with to
2: to call attention in the course of speaking or writing : make reference — used with to
Examples
"He also adverted to the practice of demanding that producers take back unsold produce as an 'unfair' practice that concerns the commission."
— Patrick Smyth, The Irish Times, 12 Apr. 2018
"Painfully as I am affected by the family calamity which has fallen on me, I cannot let this opportunity pass without adverting to another subject which seriously concerns your welfare…."
— Wilkie Collins, No Name,
Did You Know?
You may be familiar with the noun advert, which is used, especially in British sources, as a shortened form of advertisement.
That's one way to use advert, but it has also been used as a verb in English since the 15th century. There's a hint about the origin of the verb in the idea of "turning" the mind or attention to something; the word derives via Anglo-French from the Latin verb advertere, which in turn comes from Latin vertere, meaning "to turn."
Vertere is the ancestor of a number of words in English, including controversy, divert, invert, revert, and even versatile.
In addition, we'd like to turn your attention to one particular vertere descendant: avert, meaning "to avoid." Be careful to avoid mixing this one up with advert.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Taradiddle
WORD OF THE DAY
taradiddle / noun / tair-uh-DID-ul
Definition
1a: a trivial or childish lie
1b: fib
2: pretentious nonsense
Examples
"The time came when she not only told her taradiddle about having 'hunted quite a lot,' she even came near believing it."
— George Orwell, Burmese Days, 1934
"As truths go, the history of Miss Rossiter she had laid out was unimpressive: a forked-tongue taraddidle of the highest order and if I were to serve it up to Hardy and be found out afterwards I should be lucky to escape arrest, if not a smack on the legs with a hairbrush for the cheek of it."
— Catriona McPherson, Danny Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains, 2009
Did You Know?
The true origin of taradiddle is unknown, but that doesn't mean you won't encounter a lot of balderdash about its history. Some folks try to connect it to the verb diddle (one meaning of which is "to swindle or cheat"), but that connection hasn't been proven and may turn out to be poppycock.
You may even hear some tommyrot about this particular sense of diddle coming from the Old English verb didrian, which meant "to deceive," but that couldn't be true unless didrian was somehow suddenly revived after eight or nine centuries of disuse. No one even knows when taradiddle was first used.
It must have been before it showed up in a 1796 dictionary of colloquial speech (where it was defined as a synonym of fib), but if we claimed we knew who said it first, and when, we'd be dishing out pure applesauce.
taradiddle / noun / tair-uh-DID-ul
Definition
1a: a trivial or childish lie
1b: fib
2: pretentious nonsense
Examples
"The time came when she not only told her taradiddle about having 'hunted quite a lot,' she even came near believing it."
— George Orwell, Burmese Days, 1934
"As truths go, the history of Miss Rossiter she had laid out was unimpressive: a forked-tongue taraddidle of the highest order and if I were to serve it up to Hardy and be found out afterwards I should be lucky to escape arrest, if not a smack on the legs with a hairbrush for the cheek of it."
— Catriona McPherson, Danny Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains, 2009
Did You Know?
The true origin of taradiddle is unknown, but that doesn't mean you won't encounter a lot of balderdash about its history. Some folks try to connect it to the verb diddle (one meaning of which is "to swindle or cheat"), but that connection hasn't been proven and may turn out to be poppycock.
You may even hear some tommyrot about this particular sense of diddle coming from the Old English verb didrian, which meant "to deceive," but that couldn't be true unless didrian was somehow suddenly revived after eight or nine centuries of disuse. No one even knows when taradiddle was first used.
It must have been before it showed up in a 1796 dictionary of colloquial speech (where it was defined as a synonym of fib), but if we claimed we knew who said it first, and when, we'd be dishing out pure applesauce.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Enigmatic
WORD OF THE DAY
enigmatic / adjective / en-ig-MAT-ik
Definition
1: of, relating to, or resembling an enigma
2: mysterious
Examples
"The magic of the Mona Lisa's smile is that it seems to react to our gaze. What is she thinking? She smiles back mysteriously. Look again. Her smile seems to flicker. We glance away, and the enigmatic smile lingers in our minds, as it does in the collective mind of humanity."
— Walter Isaacson, The Atlantic, November 2017
"The Chapel of the Good Shepherd, also known as the Nevelson Chapel, is the work of Louise Nevelson, a flamboyant New York City sculptor who rose to prominence for her postwar abstract assemblages that turned street detritus into enigmatic works of art."
— Jack Balderrama Morley, The Architects Newspaper (archpaper.com), 15 Aug. 2018
Did You Know?
An enigma is a puzzle, a riddle, a mystery. The adjective enigmatic describes what is hard to solve or figure out. An enigmatic person is someone who is a bit mysterious to others. Behind an enigmatic smile are thoughts impossible to guess.
The word enigma originally referred not to people or smiles but to words, and specifically to words that formed a riddle or a complicated metaphor that tested one's alertness and cleverness.
This meaning is clearly connected to the word's origin. Enigma comes from the Greek word ainissesthai, meaning "to speak in riddles."
enigmatic / adjective / en-ig-MAT-ik
Definition
1: of, relating to, or resembling an enigma
2: mysterious
Examples
"The magic of the Mona Lisa's smile is that it seems to react to our gaze. What is she thinking? She smiles back mysteriously. Look again. Her smile seems to flicker. We glance away, and the enigmatic smile lingers in our minds, as it does in the collective mind of humanity."
— Walter Isaacson, The Atlantic, November 2017
"The Chapel of the Good Shepherd, also known as the Nevelson Chapel, is the work of Louise Nevelson, a flamboyant New York City sculptor who rose to prominence for her postwar abstract assemblages that turned street detritus into enigmatic works of art."
— Jack Balderrama Morley, The Architects Newspaper (archpaper.com), 15 Aug. 2018
Did You Know?
An enigma is a puzzle, a riddle, a mystery. The adjective enigmatic describes what is hard to solve or figure out. An enigmatic person is someone who is a bit mysterious to others. Behind an enigmatic smile are thoughts impossible to guess.
The word enigma originally referred not to people or smiles but to words, and specifically to words that formed a riddle or a complicated metaphor that tested one's alertness and cleverness.
This meaning is clearly connected to the word's origin. Enigma comes from the Greek word ainissesthai, meaning "to speak in riddles."
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Deportment
WORD OF THE DAY
deportment / noun / dih-PORT-munt
Definition
1: the manner in which one conducts oneself
2: behavior
Examples
The candidate chosen for the position had an exceptional resume, but it was her deportment and personality as exhibited during interviews that were the deciding factors.
"The one artisanal, teachable thing is outer conduct. You can't restructure a genome, but, as Mr. Turveydrop, in [Charles Dickens'] 'Bleak House,' insisted, you really can teach deportment."
— Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2018
Did You Know?
Deportment evolved from the verb deport, meaning "to behave especially in accord with a code," which in turn came to us through Middle French from Latin deportare, meaning "to carry away." (You may also know deport as a verb meaning "to send out of the country"; that sense is newer and is derived directly from Latin deportare.)
Deportment can simply refer to one's demeanor, or it can refer to behavior formed by breeding or training and often conforming to conventional rules of propriety: "Are you not gratified that I am so rapidly gaining correct ideas of female propriety and sedate deportment?" wrote 17-year-old Emily Dickinson to her brother Austin.
deportment / noun / dih-PORT-munt
Definition
1: the manner in which one conducts oneself
2: behavior
Examples
The candidate chosen for the position had an exceptional resume, but it was her deportment and personality as exhibited during interviews that were the deciding factors.
"The one artisanal, teachable thing is outer conduct. You can't restructure a genome, but, as Mr. Turveydrop, in [Charles Dickens'] 'Bleak House,' insisted, you really can teach deportment."
— Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2018
Did You Know?
Deportment evolved from the verb deport, meaning "to behave especially in accord with a code," which in turn came to us through Middle French from Latin deportare, meaning "to carry away." (You may also know deport as a verb meaning "to send out of the country"; that sense is newer and is derived directly from Latin deportare.)
Deportment can simply refer to one's demeanor, or it can refer to behavior formed by breeding or training and often conforming to conventional rules of propriety: "Are you not gratified that I am so rapidly gaining correct ideas of female propriety and sedate deportment?" wrote 17-year-old Emily Dickinson to her brother Austin.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Fathom
WORD OF THE DAY
fathom / verb / FA-thum
Definition
1: probe
2a: to take soundings
2b: to measure by a sounding line
3: to penetrate and come to understand
Examples
Even those close to him couldn't always fathom why he repeatedly risked his life to climb the world's tallest mountains.
"It was hard to fathom that this canyon was carved not by natural forces, but by humans. But that's the Mesabi Iron Range for you."
— Simon Peter Groebner, The Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 15 July 2018
Did You Know?
Today's word comes to us from Old English fæthm, meaning "outstretched arms."
The noun fathom, which now commonly refers to a measure (especially of depth) of six feet, was originally used for the distance, fingertip to fingertip, created by stretching one's arms straight out from the sides of the body.
In one of its earliest uses, the verb fathom meant to encircle something with the arms as if for measuring and was also a synonym of embrace.
In the 1600s, however, fathom took on the meaning of using a sounding line to measure depth. At the same time, the verb also developed senses synonymous with probe or investigate, and is now frequently used to refer to the act of getting to the bottom of something, figuratively speaking.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Schmooze
WORD OF THE DAY
schmooze / verb / SHMOOZ
Definition
1a: to converse informally
1b: chat
1c: to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections
2: to engage in informal conversation with
Examples
Conference attendees will have plenty of chances to schmooze with the industry's power players.
"We're spending less time schmoozing with our co-workers, going from an average of 2.5 hours a week in the mid-1970s to under an hour in 2012."
— Katrina Trinko, The Visalia (California) Times-Delta, 7 May 2018
Did You Know?
Schmooze (also spelled shmooze) is one of a small, but significant, number of words borrowed from Yiddish that have become relatively common members of the English language.
Other such words include chutzpah, lox, maven, mensch, nebbish, schlep, and schlock. Though classified as a High German language, Yiddish also borrows from the Slavic and Latinate languages as well as from Aramaic and Hebrew.
It was the Hebrew shěmu’ōth ("news, rumor") that provided Yiddish with the noun shmues ("talk") and the verb shmuesn ("to talk or chat").
Although originally used in English to indicate simply talking in an informal and warm manner, schmooze has since also taken on the suggestion of discussion for the purposes of gaining something.
schmooze / verb / SHMOOZ
Definition
1a: to converse informally
1b: chat
1c: to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections
2: to engage in informal conversation with
Examples
Conference attendees will have plenty of chances to schmooze with the industry's power players.
"We're spending less time schmoozing with our co-workers, going from an average of 2.5 hours a week in the mid-1970s to under an hour in 2012."
— Katrina Trinko, The Visalia (California) Times-Delta, 7 May 2018
Did You Know?
Schmooze (also spelled shmooze) is one of a small, but significant, number of words borrowed from Yiddish that have become relatively common members of the English language.
Other such words include chutzpah, lox, maven, mensch, nebbish, schlep, and schlock. Though classified as a High German language, Yiddish also borrows from the Slavic and Latinate languages as well as from Aramaic and Hebrew.
It was the Hebrew shěmu’ōth ("news, rumor") that provided Yiddish with the noun shmues ("talk") and the verb shmuesn ("to talk or chat").
Although originally used in English to indicate simply talking in an informal and warm manner, schmooze has since also taken on the suggestion of discussion for the purposes of gaining something.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Quiddity
WORD OF THE DAY
quiddity / noun / KWID-uh-tee
Definition
1a: whatever makes something the type that it is
1b: essence
2a : a trifling point
2b: quibble
2c: an unusual personal opinion or habit
2d: eccentricity
Examples
"The elegant, punky, petroleum-like smokiness that imbues every good mezcal, and which is its quiddity, comes from the burning of the agave heart."
— Ray Harvey, The Coloradoan, 19 May 2016
"An apparently intractable fact of life is that our thoughts are inaccessible to one another. Our skulls are like space helmets; we are trapped in our heads, unable to convey the quiddity of our sensations."
— Jason Pontin, Wired, 16 Apr. 2018
Did You Know?
When it comes to synonyms of quiddity, the Q's have it. Consider quintessence, a synonym of the "essence of a thing" sense of quiddity (this oldest sense of quiddity dates from the 14th century). Quibble is a synonym of the "trifling point" sense; that meaning of quiddity arose from the subtler points of 16th-century academic arguments.
And quirk, like quiddity, can refer to a person's eccentricities. Of course, quiddity also derives from a "Q" word, the Latin pronoun quis, which is one of two Latin words for "who" (the other is qui).
Quid, the neuter form of quis, gave rise to the Medieval Latin quidditas, which means "essence," a term that was essential to the development of the English quiddity.
quiddity / noun / KWID-uh-tee
Definition
1a: whatever makes something the type that it is
1b: essence
2a : a trifling point
2b: quibble
2c: an unusual personal opinion or habit
2d: eccentricity
Examples
"The elegant, punky, petroleum-like smokiness that imbues every good mezcal, and which is its quiddity, comes from the burning of the agave heart."
— Ray Harvey, The Coloradoan, 19 May 2016
"An apparently intractable fact of life is that our thoughts are inaccessible to one another. Our skulls are like space helmets; we are trapped in our heads, unable to convey the quiddity of our sensations."
— Jason Pontin, Wired, 16 Apr. 2018
Did You Know?
When it comes to synonyms of quiddity, the Q's have it. Consider quintessence, a synonym of the "essence of a thing" sense of quiddity (this oldest sense of quiddity dates from the 14th century). Quibble is a synonym of the "trifling point" sense; that meaning of quiddity arose from the subtler points of 16th-century academic arguments.
And quirk, like quiddity, can refer to a person's eccentricities. Of course, quiddity also derives from a "Q" word, the Latin pronoun quis, which is one of two Latin words for "who" (the other is qui).
Quid, the neuter form of quis, gave rise to the Medieval Latin quidditas, which means "essence," a term that was essential to the development of the English quiddity.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Banshee
WORD OF THE DAY
banshee / noun / BAN-shee
Definition
: a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die
Examples
"The family is reputed to have its own banshee that howls when one of them is going to die. Corran remembered that on receiving reports that the banshee had been heard, telegrams were sent to everyone in the family to find out if they were all right."
— The Daily Telegraph (London), 16 July 2018
"Moments after the banshee wail of the air raid siren began, the teacher of my Grade 6 class shouted, 'Under the desks, children! Quickly!'"
— Ken Cuthertson, The Globe and Mail (Canada), 14 April 2018
Did You Know?
In Irish folklore, a bean sídhe (literally "woman of fairyland") was not a welcome guest. When she was seen combing her hair or heard wailing beneath a window, it was considered a sign that a family member was about to die.
English speakers modified the mournful fairy's Irish name into the modern word banshee—a term we now most often use to evoke her woeful or terrible or earsplitting cry, as in "to scream like a banshee," or attributively, as in "a banshee wail."
banshee / noun / BAN-shee
Definition
: a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die
Examples
"The family is reputed to have its own banshee that howls when one of them is going to die. Corran remembered that on receiving reports that the banshee had been heard, telegrams were sent to everyone in the family to find out if they were all right."
— The Daily Telegraph (London), 16 July 2018
"Moments after the banshee wail of the air raid siren began, the teacher of my Grade 6 class shouted, 'Under the desks, children! Quickly!'"
— Ken Cuthertson, The Globe and Mail (Canada), 14 April 2018
Did You Know?
In Irish folklore, a bean sídhe (literally "woman of fairyland") was not a welcome guest. When she was seen combing her hair or heard wailing beneath a window, it was considered a sign that a family member was about to die.
English speakers modified the mournful fairy's Irish name into the modern word banshee—a term we now most often use to evoke her woeful or terrible or earsplitting cry, as in "to scream like a banshee," or attributively, as in "a banshee wail."
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Ingratiate
WORD OF THE DAY
ingratiate / verb / in-GRAY-shee-ayt
Definition
: to gain favor or favorable acceptance for by deliberate effort — usually used with with
: to gain favor or favorable acceptance for by deliberate effort — usually used with with
Examples
"He ingratiated himself with Crispin, deliberately ignoring Crispin's suspicion of him."
— Zadie Smith, White Teeth, 2000
"He ingratiated himself with Crispin, deliberately ignoring Crispin's suspicion of him."
— Zadie Smith, White Teeth, 2000
"Ford is also hoping to ingratiate itself with investors as its stock price still hovers around $11."
— Nora Naughton, The Detroit News, 20 June 2018
— Nora Naughton, The Detroit News, 20 June 2018
Did You Know?
17th-century English speakers combined the Latin noun gratia, meaning "grace" or "favor," with the English prefix in- to create the verb ingratiate. When you ingratiate yourself, you are putting yourself in someone's good graces to gain their approval or favor.
17th-century English speakers combined the Latin noun gratia, meaning "grace" or "favor," with the English prefix in- to create the verb ingratiate. When you ingratiate yourself, you are putting yourself in someone's good graces to gain their approval or favor.
English words related to ingratiate include gratis and gratuity. Both of these reflect something done or given as a favor through the good graces of the giver.
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