WORD OF THE DAY
OBSTREPEROUS \ ub-STREP-uh-rus \ adjective
Definition
1 : marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness : clamorous
2 : stubbornly resistant to control : unruly
Examples
After two months at sea with dwindling food supplies and declining confidence in the captain, the ship's crew became obstreperous and began to plot a mutiny.
"It is Rob she calls for when crankily refusing to go to bed, and when Alan attempts to calm her she grows only more obstreperous."
— Charles Isherwood, The New York Times, 9 Nov. 2015
Did You Know?
The handy Latin prefix ob-, meaning "in the way," "against," or "toward," occurs in many Latin and English words, often in alternate forms. Obstreperous comes from ob- plus strepere, a verb meaning "to make a noise," so someone who is obstreperous is literally making noise to rebel against something, much like a protesting crowd or an unruly child. The word has been used in English since around the beginning of the 17th century. Strepere has not played a role in the formation of any other notable English words, but ob- words abound; these include obese, obnoxious, occasion, offend, omit, oppress, and oust.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Jeremiad
WORD OF THE DAY
JEREMIAD \ jair-uh-MYE-ud \ noun
Definition
: a prolonged lamentation or complaint; also : a cautionary or angry harangue
Examples
Mrs. Whinge waggled a finger at us and launched into a doleful jeremiad about how we would come to no good end.
"[Pope Francis's] now-famous jeremiads as pope against today's culture of excessive consumption and environmental degradation are rooted in a thrift ethic that he acquired early in life and never abandoned."
— David Blankenhorn, The Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City), 11 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
Jeremiah was a Jewish prophet who lived from about 650 to 570 BC. He spent his days lambasting the Hebrews for their false worship and social injustice and denouncing the king for his selfishness, materialism, and inequities. When not calling on his people to quit their wicked ways, he was lamenting his own lot; a portion of the Bible's Book of Jeremiah is devoted to his "confessions," a series of lamentations on the hardships endured by a prophet with an unpopular message. Nowadays, English speakers use Jeremiah for a pessimistic person and jeremiad for the way these Jeremiahs carry on. The word jeremiad was actually borrowed from the French, who coined it as jérémiade.
JEREMIAD \ jair-uh-MYE-ud \ noun
Definition
: a prolonged lamentation or complaint; also : a cautionary or angry harangue
Examples
Mrs. Whinge waggled a finger at us and launched into a doleful jeremiad about how we would come to no good end.
"[Pope Francis's] now-famous jeremiads as pope against today's culture of excessive consumption and environmental degradation are rooted in a thrift ethic that he acquired early in life and never abandoned."
— David Blankenhorn, The Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City), 11 Dec. 2015
Did You Know?
Jeremiah was a Jewish prophet who lived from about 650 to 570 BC. He spent his days lambasting the Hebrews for their false worship and social injustice and denouncing the king for his selfishness, materialism, and inequities. When not calling on his people to quit their wicked ways, he was lamenting his own lot; a portion of the Bible's Book of Jeremiah is devoted to his "confessions," a series of lamentations on the hardships endured by a prophet with an unpopular message. Nowadays, English speakers use Jeremiah for a pessimistic person and jeremiad for the way these Jeremiahs carry on. The word jeremiad was actually borrowed from the French, who coined it as jérémiade.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Proscribe
WORD OF THE DAY
PROSCRIBE \ proh-SCRYBE \ verb
1 : to publish the name of as condemned to death with the property of the condemned forfeited to the state
2 : to condemn or forbid as harmful or unlawful : prohibit
Examples
The town passed an ordinance that proscribed the ownership of snakes and other exotic pets.
"Military law may proscribe conduct which is otherwise protected in the civilian world due to the different character of the military community and of the military mission."
— Capt. Anne C. Hsieh, quoted in The Herald Democrat (Sherman, Texas), 18 Oct. 2015
Did You Know?
Proscribe and prescribe both have Latin-derived prefixes meaning "before" attached to the verb scribe (from scribere, meaning "to write"). Yet the two words have very distinct, often nearly opposite meanings. Why? In a way, you could say it's the law. In the 15th and 16th centuries both words had legal implications. To proscribe was to publish the name of a person who had been condemned, outlawed, or banished. To prescribe meant "to lay down a rule," including legal rules or orders.
PROSCRIBE \ proh-SCRYBE \ verb
1 : to publish the name of as condemned to death with the property of the condemned forfeited to the state
2 : to condemn or forbid as harmful or unlawful : prohibit
Examples
The town passed an ordinance that proscribed the ownership of snakes and other exotic pets.
"Military law may proscribe conduct which is otherwise protected in the civilian world due to the different character of the military community and of the military mission."
— Capt. Anne C. Hsieh, quoted in The Herald Democrat (Sherman, Texas), 18 Oct. 2015
Did You Know?
Proscribe and prescribe both have Latin-derived prefixes meaning "before" attached to the verb scribe (from scribere, meaning "to write"). Yet the two words have very distinct, often nearly opposite meanings. Why? In a way, you could say it's the law. In the 15th and 16th centuries both words had legal implications. To proscribe was to publish the name of a person who had been condemned, outlawed, or banished. To prescribe meant "to lay down a rule," including legal rules or orders.
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