Louche

WORD OF THE DAY

louche / adjective / LOOSH 

Definition

: not reputable or decent

Examples

"Here, he's just a dude, with an earring and a motorcycle, a dude who wears jeans to military court. Freeman's best when he's not trying to win re-election or standing at the Pearly Gates, when he's just a guy slouching in dungarees, looking a little louche." 

— Wesley Morris, The New York Times, 30 Apr. 2020

"On 7 May, for one week only, it released a modern-dress version of Antony and Cleopatra set in a series of strategy rooms, conference centres and five-star hotel suites. The lovestruck Roman was played by a louche, gruff, brooding Ralph Fiennes." 

— Lloyd Evans, The Spectator (UK), 16 May 2020

Did You Know?

Louche ultimately comes from the Latin word luscus, meaning "blind in one eye" or "having poor sight." This Latin term gave rise to the French louche, meaning "squinting" or "cross-eyed." 

The French gave their term a figurative sense as well, taking that squinty look to mean "shady" or "devious." 

English speakers didn't see the need for the sight-impaired uses when they borrowed the term in the 19th century, but they kept the figurative one. 

The word is still quite visible today and is used to describe both people and things of questionable repute.

Parse

WORD OF THE DAY

parse / verb / PARSS 

Definition

1a: to divide (a sentence) into grammatical parts and identify the parts and their relations to each other

1b: to describe (a word) grammatically by stating the part of speech and explaining the inflection and syntactical relationships

2a: to examine in a minute way 

2b: analyze critically

3: to give a grammatical description of a word or a group of words

4: to admit of being parsed

Examples

The lawyer meticulously parsed the wording of the final contract to be sure that her client would get all that he was asking for.

"AI technologies can be very useful when there's enormous amounts of data to parse, and that data is patterned in a way that is either already known or which the AI can discover." 

— Alexander García-Tobar, quoted in The San Francisco Business Times, 19 May 2020

Did You Know?

If parse brings up images of elementary school and learning the parts of speech, you've done your homework regarding this word. 

Parse comes from the first element of the Latin term for "part of speech," pars orationis. It's an old word that has been used since at least the mid-1500s, but it was not until the late 18th century that parse graduated to its extended, non-grammar-related sense of "to examine in a minute way; to analyze critically." 

Remember this extended sense, and you're really at the head of the class.

Yokel

WORD OF THE DAY

yokel / noun / YOH-kul 

Definition

: a naive or gullible inhabitant of a rural area or small town

Examples

Many of the town's residents felt that the documentary unfairly portrayed them as bumbling yokels.

"Few would have predicted that the guys behind the frat-house anthem 'Fight for Your Right' would grow into alt-rock heroes, acclaimed for their innovative sampling and attention to musical craft. By the 2000s, the Beastie Boys were festival headliners, beloved by music fans of all stripes—from rock snobs to hip-hop heads to shirtless yokels." 

— Rafer Guzmán, Newsday (Long Island, New York), 24 Apr. 2020

Did You Know?

The origins of yokel are uncertain, but it might have come from the dialectal English word yokel used as the name for the green woodpecker (the nickname is of imitative origin). 

Other words for supposedly naive country folk are chawbacon (from chaw, meaning "chew," and bacon), hayseed (which has obvious connections to country life), and clodhopper (indicating a clumsy, heavy-footed rustic). 

But city slickers don't always have the last word: rural folk have had their share of labels for city-dwellers too. One simple example is the often disparaging use of the adjective citified. A more colorful (albeit historical) example is cockney, which literally means "cocks' egg," or more broadly "misshapen egg." 

In the past, this word often designated a spoiled or foppish townsman—as opposed to the sturdy countryman, that is.

Omnipotent

WORD OF THE DAY

omnipotent / adjective / ahm-NIP-uh-tunt 

Definition

1a (often capitalized Omnipotent): having absolute power over all 

1b: almighty

2: having virtually unlimited authority or influence

3a (obsolete): being notoriously without moderation 

3b: arrant

Examples

"To the omnipotent leader, rules and norms are meant for everyone but them." 

— Merete Wedell-Wedellsborg, The Harvard Business Review, 12 Apr. 2019

"This isn't the Jean-Luc [Picard] who went toe-to-toe with omnipotent beings, Klingons, Romulans, and the Borg. This is a man with no ship, no crew…, no purpose." 

— Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2020

Did You Know?

The word omnipotent made its way into English through Anglo-French, but it ultimately derives from the Latin prefix omni-, meaning "all," and the word potens, meaning "potent." 

The omni- prefix has also given us similar words such as omniscient (meaning "all-knowing") and omnivorous (describing one that eats both plants and animals). 

Although omnipotent is most often used in general contexts to mean "having virtually unlimited authority or influence" (as in "an omnipotent warlord"), its original applications in English referred specifically to the power held by an almighty God. 

The word has been used as an English adjective since the 14th century, and since the 16th century it has also been used as a noun referring to one who is omnipotent.

Gourmand

Word of the Day

gourmand / noun / GOOR-mahnd

Definition

1: one who is excessively fond of eating and drinking

2: one who is heartily interested in good food and drink

Examples

"Their love was a tale of two gourmands. 'Marty and I fell in love and we loved to eat. Marty knew every restaurant in New York that did second helpings, and we knew every restaurant in Queens that didn't charge for dessert.'" 

— Marisa Meltzer, This Is Big, 2020

"Chefs and restaurants in South Florida are gearing up to offer gourmands a foodie fix with live streaming and video channels with cooking tutorials, designed specifically for their culinary fans who can't leave home because of COVID-19." 

— Rod Stafford Hagwood, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2020

Did You Know?

"What God has plagu'd us with this gourmaund guest?" As this exasperated question from Alexander Pope's 18th-century translation of Homer's Odyssey suggests, being a gourmand is not always a good thing. 

When gourmand began appearing in English texts in the 15th century, it was a decidedly bad thing, a synonym of glutton that was reserved for a greedy eater who consumed well past satiation. 

That negative connotation mostly remained until English speakers borrowed the similar-sounding (and much more positive) gourmet from French in the 19th century. 

Since then, the meaning of gourmand has softened so that although it still isn't wholly flattering, it now suggests someone who likes good food in large quantities rather than a slobbering glutton.

Fraternize

WORD OF THE DAY

fraternize / verb / FRAT-er-nyze 

Definition

1: to associate or mingle as brothers or on fraternal terms

2a: to associate on close terms with members of a hostile group especially when contrary to military orders

2b: to be friendly or amiable

Examples

The boss warned that fraternizing with the junior employees could be a risky career move for a manager.

"Today's social distancing orders make the commonplace themes of pre-COVID ads—singles fraternizing in crowded bars, teen potato chip parties, folks all feasting from a communal bucket of fried chicken—look like cautionary tales, the unwitting equivalent of a 'This is your brain on drugs' PSA." 

— Lorraine Ali, The Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2020

Did You Know?

Both fraternize and fraternal (meaning "of, relating to, or involving brothers") come to us, by way of Medieval Latin, from Latin frater, meaning "brother." 

Other frater descendants in English include friar, fraternity, and confraternity ("a society devoted especially to a religious or charitable cause"). 

Even brother itself shares a relationship with frater. These days, although fraternize can still refer to a brotherly association or simple friendliness, it often occurs in contexts, such as "fraternizing with the enemy," implying friendliness toward someone who would be better avoided.

Crux

WORD OF THE DAY

crux / noun / KRUKS 

Definition

1a: a puzzling or difficult problem 

1b: an unsolved question

2: an essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome

3: a main or central feature (as of an argument)

Examples

"Manipulation is a key trait of individuals with controlling personalities. Call it gaslighting, whitewashing, or rewriting the script: The crux of the matter is the manipulator's desire to control the narrative and either be the hero or the victim." 

— Kristy Lee Hochenberger, Psychology Today, 22 Feb. 2020

"[David] Leib [chair of microbiology and immunology at Dartmouth College] said one of the challenges of combating COVID-19 in humans is the fact that viruses hijack our cells. 'This is really the crux of the reason why it has been so hard to develop antiviral drugs, because almost any drug that will stop viruses dead in [their] tracks will also stop our cells dead in their tracks,' he said." 

— Gabrielle Emanuel, WGBH.org, 27 Apr. 2020

Did You Know?

In Latin, crux referred literally to an instrument of torture, often a cross or stake, and figuratively to the torture and misery inflicted by means of such an instrument. 

Crux eventually developed the sense of "a puzzling or difficult problem"; that was the first meaning that was used when the word entered English in the early 18th century. Later, in the late 19th century, crux began to be used more specifically to refer to an essential point of a legal case that required resolution before the case as a whole could be resolved. 

Today, the verdict on crux is that it can be used to refer to any important part of a problem or argument, inside or outside of the courtroom.

Stalwart

WORD OF THE DAY

stalwart / adjective / STAWL-wert

Definition

: marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or spirit

Examples

"Hubert and Phan—two defenders—stepped in … and played key roles in a stalwart defensive attack that gave up a mere 17 goals all season." 

— Chris Jackson, The Coppell (Texas) Gazette, 11 May 2020

"But female birds make stalwart mothers. After all, theirs is the job of nest making. For example, a female northern cardinal collects nesting material of twigs, leaves, grasses and sundry fibers. The bird chews on twigs with her beak to make them pliable. Her feet then shove the bendable twigs into an open cup shape wedged against a fork of limbs in a bush or tree. Finally, the bird carpets the nest interior with leaves and grasses." 

— Gary Clark, The Houston Chronicle, 8 May 2020

Did You Know?

Sometime in the 15th century, English speakers began to use stalwart in place of the older form stalworth. 

Although stalworth is now archaic, it laid the groundwork for today's meaning of stalwart. 

During the 12th century, forms of stalworth began to be used to describe strongly built people or animals (a meaning stalwart carries). 

It also came to be used as an adjective for people who showed bravery or courage (likewise a meaning passed on to stalwart). So, in a way, stalwart has been serviceable in keeping the spirit of stalworth alive. This character of stalwart is true to its roots. 

Stalworth came from the Old English word stǣlwierthe (meaning "serviceable"), which, in turn, is thought to come from terms meaning "foundation" and "worth."

Conflate

WORD OF THE DAY

conflate / verb / kun-FLAYT 

Definition

1a: to bring together 

1b: fuse  

1c: confuse

2: to combine (things, such as two readings of a text) into a composite whole

Examples

"Some wonder if students are conflating a decision to put off school for a year, and maybe take a job, with the more formal process of an actual gap year—a planned experience that has career and academic benefits." 

— Bill Schackner, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11 May 2020

"Given its name, St. Thomas in Houston has on occasion been conflated with St. Thomas in Minnesota, which as one of the nation's most successful Division III programs is now trying to make the jump to NCAA Division I. St. Thomas in Houston has no such aspirations." 

— David Barron, The Houston Chronicle, 28 Apr. 2020

Did You Know?

We're not just blowing hot air when we tell you that conflate can actually be traced back to the same roots as the English verb blow. 

Conflate derives from conflatus, the past participle of the Latin verb conflare ("to blow together, to fuse"), which was formed by combining the prefix com-, meaning "with" or "together," with the Latin verb flare, which means "to blow" and is akin to English's blow. 

Other descendants of flare in English include afflatus ("a divine imparting of knowledge or power"), inflate, insufflation ("an act of blowing"), and flageolet (a kind of small flute—the flageolet referring to a green kidney bean is unrelated).

Harangue

WORD OF THE DAY

harangue / noun / huh-RANG 

Definition

1: a speech addressed to a public assembly

2: a ranting speech or writing

3: lecture

Examples

The comedian's stand-up act included some delightfully incisive harangues against celebrity culture.

"The loquacious 49ers' cornerback always has a thought, opinion, retort, reply, instinct or handy harangue regarding just about anything. That's why the cameras and notebooks are usually in heavy supply for Sherman, whose skill as a crafty defender is accentuated by his proficiency as one of the NFL's deepest thinkers." 

— Jarrett Bell, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2020

Did You Know?

In Old Italian, the noun aringo referred to a public assembly, the verb aringare meant "to speak in public," and the noun aringa referred to a public speech. 

Aringa was borrowed into Middle French as arenge, and it is from this form that we get our noun harangue, which made its first appearance in English in the 16th century. 

Perhaps due to the bombastic or exasperated nature of some public speeches, the term quickly developed an added sense referring to a speech or writing in the style of a rant (though the word rant is not etymologically related). 

There is also a verb harangue, which refers to the act of making such a speech.

Null

WORD OF THE DAY

null / adjective / NULL 

Definition

1a: having no legal or binding force 

1b: invalid

2a: amounting to nothing 

2b: nil

3a: having no value 

3b: insignificant

4a: having no elements

4b: having zero as a limit

5: of, being, or relating to zero

Examples

"If a teacher organization is found in contempt, any collective bargaining agreement they worked on would be rendered null and they would be barred from collecting dues." 

— Jesse Paul, The Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2018

"While negative and null results can often be overlooked—by authors and publishers alike—their publication is equally as important as positive outcomes and can help fill in critical gaps in the scientific record." 

— PLOS.org, 6 Apr. 2020

Did You Know?

English borrowed null from the Anglo-French nul, meaning "not any." That word, in turn, traces to the Latin word nullus, from ne-, meaning "not," and ullus, meaning "any." 

Null often pops up in legal and scientific contexts. It was originally used in Scottish law and still carries the meaning "having no legal or binding force." 

In mathematics, it is sometimes used to mean "containing nothing"; for example, the set of all whole numbers that are divisible by zero is the "null set" (that is, there are no numbers that fit that description). 

But null also has some more general uses. We often use it with the meaning "lacking meaning or value," as in "By the time I heard it, the news was null."

Bellwether

WORD OF THE DAY

bellwether / noun / BEL-WEH-ther 

Definition

1: one that takes the lead or initiative 

2: leader

3: an indicator of trends

Examples

"The tech giant has long been a bellwether for global industry, and investors will now hope that is still the case. Apple said on Thursday that its revenue rose nearly 1 percent to $58.3 billion in the first three months of the year…." 

— Jack Nicas, The New York Times, 30 Apr. 2020

"That transition to natural gas as the bellwether of the state's energy portfolio has decreased emissions in the state nearly 90% since 1990 as natural gas production grew eleven-fold from 2010 to 2018." 

— Mike Butler, The Observer-Reporter (Washington, Pennsylvania), 4 May 2020

Did You Know?

We usually think of sheep more as followers than leaders, but in a flock one sheep must lead the way. 

Long ago, it was common practice for shepherds to hang a bell around the neck of one sheep in their flock, thereby designating it the lead sheep. 

This animal was called the bellwether, a word formed by a combination of the Middle English words belle (meaning "bell") and wether (a noun that refers to a male sheep that has been castrated). 

It eventually followed that bellwether would come to refer to someone who takes initiative or who actively establishes a trend that is taken up by others. 

This usage first appeared in English in the 15th century.

Fictitious

WORD OF THE DAY

fictitious / adjective / fik-TISH-us 

Definition

1a: of, relating to, or characteristic of fiction 

1b: imaginary

2a : conventionally or hypothetically assumed or accepted

2b (of a name): false, assumed

3: not genuinely felt

Examples

"'Outbreak' follows a team of U.S. Army medical researchers as they struggle to contain a fictitious disease, dubbed the Motaba virus, that's quickly spreading in a California town. In the film, they're successful in halting it in its tracks." 

— Brent Lang, Variety, 15 Apr. 2020

"Forensic auditors released details of their findings at the last regular trustee meeting, noting that more than $14 million was mismanaged…. About $600,000 was spent on lavish travel by former administrators and on payments to what appears to be a fictitious vendor." 

— Eva-Marie Ayala, The Dallas Morning News, 1 May 2020

Did You Know?

Fictitious is related to the Medieval Latin word fictīcius, meaning "artificial," "imaginary," "feigned," or "fraudulent." It was first used in English as an antonym for natural. 

For instance, a fake diamond would be referred to as a fictitious one. This use indicates the word's deeper Latin roots: fictīcius is from the Latin verb fingere, meaning "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of; pretend to be." Nowadays, fictitious is no longer used for physical things shaped by the human hand. 

Rather, it is typically used for imaginative creations or for feigned emotions.

Vilipend

WORD OF THE DAY

vilipend /verb / VIL-uh-pend 

Definition

1a: to hold or treat as of little worth or account 

1b: contemn

2a: to express a low opinion of 

2b: disparage

Examples

As a women's rights movement pioneer, Susan B. Anthony fought against the dicta of those who would vilipend women by treating them as second-class citizens.

"Most people who retire do so after having invested multiple years in employment…. Most are on fixed incomes with tight budgets, hoping for good health and years of stress-free happiness. To vilipend them about their choice of not working, even if they are healthy enough, is just not fair." 

— John F. Sauers, letter in The Rochester (New York) Democrat and Chronicle, 26 June 2005

Did You Know?

Vilipend first appeared in English in the 15th century and had its heyday during the 19th century—being found in the works of such well-known authors as Sir Walter Scott, William Makepeace Thackeray, and George Meredith—but it fell into relative obscurity by the 20th century. 

The word comes to us through French from the Latin roots vilis, meaning "cheap" or "vile," and pendere, meaning "to weigh" or "to estimate." 

These roots work in tandem to form a meaning of "to deem to be of little worth." Each has contributed separately to some other common English words. 

Other vilis offspring include vile and vilify, while pendere has spawned such terms as append, expend, and dispense.

Troubadour

WORD OF THE DAY

troubadour / noun / TROO-buh-dor 

Definition

1: one of a class of lyric poets and poet-musicians often of knightly rank who flourished from the 11th to the end of the 13th century chiefly in the south of France and the north of Italy and whose major theme was courtly love

2: a singer especially of folk songs

Examples

"John Prine was a raspy-voiced heartland troubadour who wrote and performed songs about faded hopes, failing marriages, flies in the kitchen and the desperation of people just getting by. He was, as one of his songs put it, the bard of 'broken hearts and dirty windows.'" 

— Matt Schudel, The Independent (UK), 19 Apr. 2020

"With strict social distancing and isolation directives in place at care centers and assisted living facilities, Bressan has adopted the role of a wandering troubadour, offering songs both sacred and secular from outside the windows of patients like Sherry." 

— Jon Pompia, The Pueblo (Colorado) Chieftain, 8 Apr. 2020

Did You Know?

In the Middle Ages, troubadours were the shining knights of poetry (in fact, some were ranked as high as knights in the feudal class structure). 

Troubadours made chivalry a high art, writing poems and singing about chivalrous love, creating the mystique of refined damsels, and glorifying the gallant knight on his charger. 

Troubadour was a fitting name for such creative artists: it derives from an Old Occitan word meaning "to compose." 

In modern contexts, troubadour still refers to the song-meisters of the Middle Ages, but it has been extended to cover contemporary poet-musicians as well.

Gest

WORD OF THE DAY

gest / noun / JEST 

Definition
1a: a tale of adventures
1b: a romance in verse
2: adventure, exploit

Examples
"The best authentic source of Robin Hood stories is the late medieval poem A Gest of Robyn Hode…, a compilation of traditional ballads and stories." 
— Guy McDonald, England, 2003

"I was looking forward to this film [Onward] for the last month. My mom follows 'new' movie trailers and called me as soon as she saw this one. The gest was essentially an adventure about two brothers." 
— Andrew McManus, The Portsmouth (Ohio) Daily Times, 11 Mar. 2020

Did You Know?
"Let the Queen know of our gests," Antony instructs his men after a hard-won victory on the battlefield in William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. 

Great deeds and heroic acts have been the stuff of gests since medieval days; in fact, the word is more often associated with knights and heroes of old than with modern adventurers. 

We may not be hearing about many 21st century gests, but we do frequently encounter other relatives of the word. Gest traces to Latin gestus, the past participle of the verb gerere, which means "to wage," "to bear," or "to carry," among other things. 

That Latin verb gave us stoutly enduring words like gesture, ingest, jest, register, and suggest.

Lissome

WORD OF THE DAY

lissome / adjective / LISS-um 

Definition
1a: easily flexed
1b: characterized by easy flexibility and grace 
1c: lithe
2: nimble

Examples
"A couple of images haunt me from this 'West Side Story,' and both do come from video. One is of an anonymous, lissome figure, barely detectable as he or she dances at the end of a long, dark street. The other is of a television playing while Maria and Anita are arguing about a recent gang slaying." 
— Ben Brantley, The New York Times, 20 Feb. 2020

"The visiting Americans … look dazed, like astronauts observing lissome green Martian women in a ’50s sci-fi cheapie." 
— David Edelstein, Vulture, 23 Aug. 2019

Did You Know?
Lissome (sometimes spelled lissom) is a gently altered form of its synonym, lithesome. 

While lissome tends to be the more popular choice these days, the two words have similar pasts. 

They both appeared in the 18th century, and they both trace back to the much older lithe, which first appeared in English during the 14th century and comes from an Old English word meaning "gentle." 

Lissome can also be an adverb meaning "in a supple or nimble manner," but this use is rare.

Rendition

WORD OF THE DAY

rendition / noun / ren-DISH-un 

Definition

1: the act or result of rendering something

2: a performance or interpretation of something

3: depiction

4: translation

5: surrender; specifically, US law : the surrender by a state of a fugitive to another state charging the fugitive with a crime 

6: interstate extradition

Examples

"Still, Cosme is bound to offer the 'hood plenty of surprises, including a mescal-spiked, cactus-studded rendition of Manhattan clam chowder." 

— Jeff Gordinier, The New York Times, 2 Sept. 2014

"The best part is the vast majority of adults will love [Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse]. Most know who Spider-Man is. We've seen many different renditions of this superhero." 

— Andrew McManus, The Portsmouth (Ohio) Daily Times, 27 Apr. 2020

Did You Know?

Rendition entered English in the early 17th century and can be traced to the Middle French word reddition and ultimately to the Latin verb reddere, meaning "to return." 

The English verb render is another descendant of reddere, so perhaps it is no surprise that rendition fundamentally means "the act or result of rendering." 

English speakers also once adopted reddition itself (meaning either "restitution, surrender" or "elucidation"), but that word has mostly dropped out of use. 

Incidentally, if you've guessed that surrender is also from the same word family, you may be right; surrender derives in part from the Anglo-French rendre, which likely influenced the alteration of reddition to rendition.

Posture

WORD OF THE DAY

posture / verb / PAHSS-cher 

Definition

1a: to cause to assume a given posture 

1b: pose

2a: to assume a posture

2b: to strike a pose for effect

3a: to assume an artificial or pretended attitude 

3b: attitudinize

Examples

"During the rut, grabbing a bite to eat was an afterthought for bucks, but right now and in the weeks to come, choosing a prime food source is key to their survival. Sure … bucks are still banging antlers and posturing to prove who's boss. But this is all happening at, or around, the best food sources in the area." 

— Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 6 Jan. 2020

"It's also been assumed that a rift exists between Elway and Harris, but according to the player, that couldn't be further from the truth, despite the two being postured as adversaries over contracts and money." 

— Chad Jensen, Sports Illustrated, 11 Jan. 2020

Did You Know?

The Latin verb ponere, meaning "to put" or "to place," had a role in putting quite a few English terms into place, including component, dispose, expose, impose, oppose, posit, position, positive, postpone, and, yes, posture. 

The past participle of ponere—positus—gave Latin the noun positura, which has the same meaning as the English noun posture. 

Positura passed through Italian and Middle French and was finally adopted by English speakers as posture in the late 16th century. 

The verb posture later developed from the noun, finding its place in English at around the midpoint of the 17th century.

Compunction

WORD OF THE DAY

compunction / noun / kum-PUNK-shun 

Definition

1a: anxiety arising from awareness of guilt

1b: distress of mind over an anticipated action or result

2a: a twinge of misgiving 

2b: scruple

Examples

"A big reason why Illinois' population continues to plummet is that college-age youth feel no compunction at all about heading out of state for college." 

— editorial board, The Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2020

"Roses can get old and sick, and there are better varieties to try. I have no compunction ripping out a rose that no longer works for me." 

— Adrian Higgins, The Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2020

Did You Know?

An old proverb says "a guilty conscience needs no accuser," and it's true that the sting of a guilty conscience—or a conscience that is provoked by the contemplation of doing something wrong—can prick very hard indeed. 

The sudden guilty "prickings" of compunction are reflected in the word's etymological history. 

Compunction comes (via Anglo-French compunction and Middle English compunccioun) from Latin compungere, which means "to prick hard" or "to sting." 

Compungere, in turn, derives from pungere, meaning "to prick," which is the ancestor of some other prickly words in English, such as puncture and even point.

Eolian

WORD OF THE DAY

eolian / adjective / ee-OH-lee-un 

Definition

: borne, deposited, produced, or eroded by the wind

Examples

The park is known for its eolian caves—chambers formed in sandstone cliffs by powerful winds.

"If an extremely tenuous atmosphere like that of Pluto can support the generation of bedforms from wind-driven sediment, what kind of eolian activity might we see on places like Io (a moon of Jupiter)…?" 

— Alexander Hayes, quoted in The Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2018

Did You Know?

When Aeolus blew into town, things really got moving. He was the Greek god of the winds and the king of the floating island of Aeolia. 

In The Odyssey, Homer claims Aeolus helped Odysseus by giving him a favorable wind. 

Aeolus also gave English speakers a few terms based on his name, including the adjective eolian (also spelled aeolian), which is often used for wind-sculpted geological features such as caves and dunes, and aeolian harp, the name for an instrument that makes music when the wind blows across its strings.

Stiction

WORD OF THE DAY

stiction / noun / STIK-shun 

Definition

: the force required to cause one body in contact with another to begin to move

Examples

"Stiction is stationary friction. Starting the bolt turning takes more force than keeping it turning. The tighter the bolt, the more stiction can affect torque readings." 

— Jim Kerr, SRTForums.com, 4 Mar. 2004

"The theme of blue continues on the fork stanchions. The upside-down fork itself is the same Showa unit seen on the standard bike, but in this case the inner tubes feature a special nitride coating to help reduce stiction and provide a smoother stroke." 

— Zaran Mody, ZigWheels.com, 14 Apr. 2020

Did You Know?

Stiction has been a part of the English language since at least 1946, when it appeared in a journal of aeronautics. 

While stiction refers to the force needed to get an object to move from a position at rest, it is not related to the verb stick. 

The word is a blend word formed from the st- of static ("of or relating to bodies at rest") and the -iction of friction ("the force that resists relative motion between two bodies in contact"). 

So, basically, it means "static friction" (or to put it another way, "stationary friction").