Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jun 29, 2010 8:31:40 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for June 29, 2010 is: chary • \CHAIR-ee\ • adjective 1 a : discreetly cautious: as * b : hesitant and vigilant about dangers and risks c : slow to grant, accept, or expend Felix's Example Sentence: After lifetime of hearing politicians and business leaders making bold statements of fact, and confident predictions of outcomes, the majority of which proved to be junk, I am chary of believing any such folks. Did you know? It was sorrow that bred the caution of "chary." In Middle English "chary" meant "sorrowful," a sense that harks back to the word's Old English ancestor "caru" (an early form of "care," and another term that originally meant "sorrow" or "grief"). In a sense switch that demonstrates that love can be both bitter and sweet, "chary" later came to mean "dear" or "cherished." That's how 16th century English dramatist George Peele used it: "the chariest and the choicest queen, That ever did delight my royal eyes." Both sorrow and affection have largely faded from "chary," however, and in Modern English the word is most often used as a synonym of either "careful" or "sparing." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jun 30, 2010 7:47:54 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jun.30.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for June 30, 2010 is: Wellerism • \WELL-uh-riz-um\ • noun
: an expression of comparison comprising a usually well-known quotation followed by a facetious sequel
Felix's Example Sentence:
You might say that a Wellerism is an intentional malapropism, to use another literary reference.
Did you know?
Sam Weller, Mr. Pickwick's good-natured servant in Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers, and his father were fond of following well-known sayings or phrases with humorous or punning conclusions. For example, in one incident in the book, Sam quips, "What the devil do you want with me, as the man said, w[h]en he see the ghost?" Neither Charles Dickens nor Sam Weller invented that type of word play, but Weller's tendency to use such witticisms had provoked people to start calling them "Wellerisms" by 1839, soon after the publication of the novel.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 1, 2010 7:09:37 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 01, 2010 is: advert • \ad-VERT\ • verb 1 : to turn the mind or attention *2 : to call attention in the course of speaking or writing : make reference Felix's Example Sentence: In talking to the department employees, I repeatedly adverted to the need for verification of information presented by applicants for rental assistance. Did you know? You may be familiar with the noun "advert," which is used, especially in British sources, as a shortened form of "advertising." 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." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 2, 2010 7:48:11 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 02, 2010 is: nescience • \NESH-ee-unss\ • noun : lack of knowledge or awareness : ignorance Felix's Example Sentence: A contempt for "experts" runs through the American culture, the dark underside of a spirit of enterprise and self reliance, but the present climate of anti-science political fervor favors the apotheosis of nescience in this country. Did you know? Eighteenth-century British poet, essayist, and lexicographer Samuel Johnson once said, "There is nothing so minute or inconsiderable that I would not rather know it than not know it." He probably knew a thing or two about the history of the word "nescience," which evolved from a combination of the Latin prefix "ne-," meaning "not," and "scire," a verb meaning "to know." And he may also have known that "scire" is an ancestor of "science," a word whose original meaning in English was "knowledge."
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 3, 2010 9:12:09 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jul.03.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 03, 2010 is: Antaean • \an-TEE-un\ • adjective
1 : mammoth
*2 : having superhuman strength
Felix's Example Sentence:
For novelist Thomas Wolfe, the Antaean myth provided a metaphor of artistic creation, in which his strength as a writer derived from his own life experience, especially his youth in Asheville.
Did you know?
In Greek mythology, Antaeus was the gigantic and powerful son of Gaea the Earth goddess and Poseidon the sea god. Antaeus was a wrestler and whenever he touched his mother (the Earth), his strength was renewed, so he always won his battles even if his opponents threw him to the ground. He proved invincible until he challenged Hercules to wrestle. Hercules discovered the source of the giant's strength, lifted him off the ground, and crushed him to death. In 18th century England, the poet William Mason discovered the power of "Antaean" as a descriptive English adjective, when he used it in his Ode to the Hon. William Pitt: "If foil'd at first, resume thy course / Rise strengthen'd with Antaean force."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 4, 2010 18:29:10 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 04, 2010 is: cadence • \KAY-dunss\ • noun *1 : a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds (as in language) 2 : a musical chord sequence moving to a harmonic close or point of rest 3 : the modulated and rhythmic recurrence of a sound especially in nature Felix's Example Sentence: Winston Churchill's matchless cadences, broadcast over radio to wartime Britain, inspired the British people to endure the fierce Luftwaffe blitz. Did you know? Falling into the hands of English speakers in the 14th century, "cadence" derives via Middle English and Old Italian from the Latin verb "cadere," meaning "to fall." ("Cadere" can be found in the history of many common English words, including "decay," "coincide," and "accident"). We most often hear "cadence" used in contexts pertaining to voice or music -- it might refer to the familiar way in which someone speaks, or the rhythms employed by a rap artist, or the rising and falling notes of a bird’s call. "Cadenza," the Old Italian word that factors into the history of "cadence," has its own place in English as well, usually referring to a brilliant musical flourish played before closing out an aria. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 5, 2010 14:28:54 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 05, 2010 is: ponderous • \PAHN-duh-rus\ • adjective 1 : of very great weight *2 : unwieldy or clumsy because of weight and size 3 : oppressively or unpleasantly dull : lifeless Felix's Example Sentence: Let me not burst in ignorance; but tell Why thy canonized bones, hearsed in death, Have burst their cerements; why the sepulchre, Wherein we saw thee quietly inurn'd, Hath oped his ponderous and marble jaws, To cast thee up again. - William Shakespeare, Hamlet I, iv Did you know? "Ponderous" is ultimately from the Latin word for "weight," namely, "pondus" (which also gave us "ponder" and "preponderance" and is related to "pound"). We adopted "ponderous" with the literal sense "heavy" from Anglo-French "ponderus" in the 15th century, and early on we appended a figurative sense of "weighty," that is, "serious" or "important." But we stopped using the "serious" sense of "ponderous" around 200 years ago -- perhaps because in the meantime we'd imposed on it a different figurative sense of "dull and lifeless," which we still use today. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 6, 2010 8:26:20 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jul.06.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 06, 2010 is: peloton • \pel-uh-TAHN\ • noun
: the main body of riders in a bicycle race
Felix's Example Sentence:
Increased enthusiasm for serious bicycle riding in this country has brought the peloton into common knowledge, eclipsing the motorcycle gang as the image of a group on wheels.
Did you know?
If you've ever watched the Tour de France on television, you've seen the peloton, the brightly colored pack of riders making up the central group. You may have also gained some inadvertent insight into the word itself, which as you may have guessed is French in origin. In French, "peloton" literally means "ball," but it is most often used with the meaning "group." It's frequently used in the bicycling context, just as in English, but it can also refer to a group in a marathon or other sporting event. French "peloton" can also mean "squad" or "platoon," and since we’ve told you that you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that it is also the source of our word "platoon."
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 8, 2010 8:48:30 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jul.07.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 07, 2010 is: infra dig • \IN-fruh-DIG\ • adjective
: being beneath one's dignity : undignified
Felix's Example Sentence:
In a society which prizes at least the appearance of humility, few things are truly infra dig, which partly explains reality television shows.
Did you know?
In her autobiography, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." In other (less eloquent) words, don't put up with any treatment or situation that is unendurably infra dig. The word "infra dig" is used in relatively casual, sometimes sarcastic contexts (e.g., "Apparently, drugstore-purchased shampoo is too infra dig for my glamorous sister -- only the most expensive salon shampoos will do!"). "Infra dig" is a shortened version of the Latin phrase "infra dignitatem," meaning "beneath dignity."
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 8, 2010 8:51:47 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jul.08.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 08, 2010 is: congeries • \KAHN-juh-reez\ • noun
: aggregation, collection
Felix's Example Sentence:
Indiana Jones famously was phobic about a slithery sinuous snarl of snakes, which makes me wonder about his reaction should he have ever encountered a congeries of coiling conger eels.
Did you know?
What do "epitome," "circus," "tribunal," and "congeries" have in common? All are part of a relatively small collection of English nouns that made the transition from Latin to English unaltered in both spelling and meaning. "Congeries" joined this group in our language in the early 1600s. Latin "congeries" comes from the Latin verb "congerere," which means "to carry or bring together" and which is also the source of our word "congest." In English, "congeries" stands out because it is a singular word with a plural appearance -- and its plural is also spelled "congeries."
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 10, 2010 23:17:45 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 09, 2010 is: struthious • \STROO-thee-us\ • adjective : of or relating to the ostriches and related birds Felix's Example Sentence: Faced with the irreconcilable goals of increasing taxes or reducing spending, with the concomitant reductions in government services, most politicians adopt various struthious evasions and duplicitous devices to avoid both measures. Did you know? "Struthious" can be scientific and literal, or it can be figurative with the meaning "ostrich-like," as in our example sentence. The extended use suggests a tendency to bury one’s head in the sand like an ostrich. But do ostriches really do this? No -- the bird’s habit of lying down and flattening its neck and head against the ground to escape detection gave rise to the misconception. The word "struthious" has been fully visible in English since the 18th century. "Ostrich" is much older. Anglo-French speakers created "ostriz" from Vulgar Latin "avis struthio" ("ostrich bird"); Middle English speakers made it "ostrich" in the 13th century. Scientists seeking a genus word for ostriches turned back to Latin, choosing "struthio."
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 10, 2010 23:21:00 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jul.10.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 10, 2010 is: sinew • \SIN-yoo\ • noun
1 : tendon; especially : one dressed for use as a cord or thread
2 a : solid resilient strength : power * b : the chief supporting force : mainstay -- usually used in plural
Felix's Example Sentence:
The daily commitment of average citizens to a work ethic and belief in the worth of a representative government form the sinews of the United States of America.
Did you know?
Many parts of the body have come to have figurative meanings in English. One can have an eye for interior design, for example, or the stomach for a fight. "Muscle," of course, can mean "strength," and so can "sinew," a word for the tissue that ties muscle to bone -- more commonly known as a tendon. (For a while, "sinew" also meant "nerve," but that usage is obsolete.) The use of "sinew" to mean "the chief supporting force" ties into its anatomical function as a stabilizing unit. "Sinew" derives via Middle English from Old English "seono"; it is also related to Old High German "senawa" ("sinew") and Sanskrit "syati" ("he binds").
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 12, 2010 7:30:07 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 11, 2010 is: perfidious • \per-FID-ee-us\ • adjective : of, relating to, or characterized by faithlessness or disloyalty : treacherous Felix's Example Sentence: It is commonplace amongst right-wing folk in the United States to revile the perfidious French, accusing them of everything from treachery to cowardice. Did you know? We wouldn't lie to you about the history of "perfidious" -- even though the word itself suggests deceitfulness. The modern English meaning of "perfidious" remains faithful to that of its Latin ancestor, "perfidus," which means "faithless." English speakers have used "perfidious" to mean "treacherous" since at least 1572. One of the earliest known uses of the term can be found in Act V, scene iii of Shakespeare’s All's Well That Ends Well: the "perfidious slave" Parolles is thought to be an unreliable witness; he’ll say whatever suits his purpose, whether true or not. In contemporary usage, "perfidious" not only implies treacherousness, but an inability to be reliable or honorable. … courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 12, 2010 is: stand pat • \STAND-PAT\ • verb 1 : to play one's hand as dealt in draw poker without drawing *2 : to oppose or resist change Felix's Example Sentence: Passing effective debt reduction legislation in Congress has always been difficult, with members in both houses standing pat on spending in their states and districts. Did you know? If you stand pat in draw poker you're betting on the cards in your hand being better than any you're likely to draw. It didn't take long for "stand pat" to move from the poker table, where it first appeared in the late 1800s, to the realm of politics; by the early 20th century, to stand pat was to oppose any change in U.S. tariff policy. The term continues to be used mainly in U.S. English, where it's applied to everything from a coach's decision not to change out players during a game to a homeowner's decision not to refinance. The nouns "standpatter" ("one who resists or opposes change") and "standpattism" ("resistance to change" or "reluctance to take positive action") are also used, although generally only in political contexts. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 13, 2010 11:07:35 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jul.13.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 13, 2010 is: autochthonous • \aw-TAHK-thuh-nus\ • adjective
1 : indigenous, native
*2 : formed or originating in the place where found
Felix's Example Sentence:
H. P. Lovecraft created the hideous Cthulhu, autochthonous to the distant planet Vhoorl, so monstrous that its name alone inspires dread.
Did you know?
Ancient Athenians considered their ancestors the primordial inhabitants of their land, as if sprung from the very soil of the region they inhabited. Their word for any true-born Athenian, "autochthōn," itself springs from "auto-," meaning "self," and "chthōn," meaning "earth." Nowadays, the English adjective "autochthonous" is often used in somewhat meaty scientific or anthropological writing (as in "several autochthonous cases of fever broke out in the region"), but it was a "bready" context in which it made its debut. Observed English literary critic William Taylor in 1805: "The English have this great predilection for autochthonous bread and butter" (rather than French bread, one might safely presume).
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 14, 2010 21:11:49 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jul.14.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 14, 2010 is: prolegomenon • \proh-lih-GAH-muh-nahn\ • noun
: prefatory remarks; specifically : a formal essay or critical discussion serving to introduce and interpret an extended work
Felix's Example Sentence:
The five volume Poets of the English Language, edited by W. H. Auden and Norman Holmes Pearson, included in each volume a prolegomenon in the form of an essay on the particular group of poets in each volume.
Did you know?
"Prolegomenon" is the singular and "prolegomena" is the plural of this scholarly word, though people sometimes mistakenly interpret "prolegomena" as the singular. The word, which comes from the Greek verb "prolegein" ("to say beforehand"), first appeared in print around 1652. It has appeared in the titles of noteworthy scholarly and philosophical works, but it has never been as common in general use as its older cousin "prologue." "Prologue" usually refers to an introduction to a literary work or to a speech addressed to the audience at the beginning of a play. "Prolegomenon" is most often used of the introduction to a work of scholarly analysis. Both words can also be used in a broader sense to refer generally to something that serves as an introduction.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 15, 2010 15:01:39 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 15, 2010 is: ab initio • \ab-ih-NISH-ee-oh\ • adverb : from the beginning Felix's Example Sentence: The obduracy of the Republican minorities in Congress regarding the victorious Obama was obvious ab initio; from the day after the election, leaders of the opposition party made every effort to obstruct all legislation supported by the new Administration. Did you know? We’ll tell you right from the beginning where "ab initio" comes from. This adverb was adopted at the end of the 16th century directly from Latin, and it translates, unsurprisingly, as "from the beginning." ("Initio" is a form of the noun "initium," meaning "beginning," which gave rise to such English words as "initial," "initiate," and "initiative.") "Ab initio" most frequently appears in legal contexts, but our example sentence is not out of the norm. Recently, people have also begun using "ab initio" as an adjective meaning "starting from or based on first principles" (as in "predicted from ab initio calculations").
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 16, 2010 7:44:50 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 16, 2010 is: bandbox • \BAND-bahks\ • noun 1 : a usually cylindrical box of cardboard or thin wood for holding light articles of attire *2 : a structure (as a baseball park) having relatively small interior dimensions Felix's Example Sentence: In a famously detached town, the U.S. Congress is physically and in its members' capacities a bandbox in a huge and complex world. Did you know? In the 17th century, the word "band" was sometimes used for ruffs, the large round collars of pleated muslin or linen worn by men and women of the time period, and the bandbox was invented for holding such bands. The flimsy cardboard structure of the box inspired people to start using its name for any flimsy object, especially a small and insubstantial one. But people also contemplated the neat, sharp appearance of ruffs just taken from a bandbox and began using the word in a complimentary way in phrases such as "she looked as if she came out of a bandbox." Today, "bandbox" can also be used as an adjective meaning "exquisitely neat, clean, or ordered," as in "bandbox military officers." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 17, 2010 7:19:57 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jul.17.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 17, 2010 is: burgle • \BER-gul\ • verb
*1 : to break into and steal from
2 : to commit burglary against
Felix's Example Sentence:
Over the past few months, a number of homes in our neighborhood have been burgled, sometimes during the day, sometimes at night, causing the neighborhood association to issue pleas for residents to report suspicious persons or vehicles.
Did you know?
"Burglary," which means "forcible entry into a building especially at night with the intent to commit a crime (as theft)," and "burglar" ("one who commits burglary") have been with us since the 16th century. "Burgle" and its synonym "burglarize" didn't break into the language until the 19th century, however, arriving almost simultaneously around 1870. "Burgle" is a back-formation (that is, a word formed by removing a suffix or prefix) from "burglar." "Burglarize" comes from "burglar" as well, with the addition of the familiar "-ize" ending. Both verbs were once disparaged by grammarians ("burgle" was considered to be "facetious" and "burglarize" was labeled "colloquial"), but they are now generally accepted. "Burglarize" is slightly more common in American English, whereas "burgle" seems to be preferred in British English.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 18, 2010 13:38:31 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 18, 2010 is: agita • \AJ-uh-tuh\ • noun : a feeling of agitation or anxiety Felix's Example Sentence:Months stretching into almost two years since the financial collapse of 2008 have produced serious agita in the general public, in view of weak economic news and stubborn unemployment figures. Did you know?Judging by its spelling and meaning, you might think that "agita" is simply a shortened version of "agitation," but that's not the case. Both "agitation" and the verb "agitate" derive from Latin "agere" ("to drive"). "Agita," which first appeared in American English in the early 1980s, comes from a dialectical pronunciation of the Italian word "acido," meaning "heartburn" or "acid," from Latin "acidus." ("Agita" is also occasionally used in English with the meaning "heartburn.") For a while the word's usage was limited to New York City and surrounding regions, but the word became more widespread in the mid-90s.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 19, 2010 10:41:32 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 19, 2010 is: Barmecidal • \bahr-muh-SYE-dul\ • adjective
: providing only the illusion of abundance
Felix's Example Sentence:
In Spielberg's remake of Peter Pan, the grown-up Peter returns to Neverland, to be seated a Barmecidal feast by the Lost Boys, which is invisible to him until he recovers the spirit of boyish joy which defines Neverland.
Did you know?
"Barmecide" is the name of a family of princes in a tale from The Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights' Entertainment). One prince in the family torments a beggar by inviting him to a fabulous feast, at which all the dishes are imaginary. The poor man plays along with his malicious host, pretending to get drunk on the imaginary wine; he then gets even by knocking down the patronizing royal.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 21, 2010 6:58:20 GMT -5
… courtesy of [url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?Jul.20.2010 ]Merriam Webster[/url], with slight modifications by me:
The Word of the Day for July 20, 2010 is: conn • \KAHN\ • verb
: to conduct or direct the steering of (as a ship)
Felix's Example Sentence:
Before the invention of the astrolabe, ships out of sight of land were virtually blind, their masters only able to conn by observing currents, winds, the presence of land birds and the directions they flew.
Did you know?
In the 19th century, warships (and, later, submarines) began to be built with structures known as "conning towers." These structures were so called because it was from them that an officer could "conn" the vessel. The verb "conn" (also spelled "con") is first known to have appeared in English in the 1600s. It is an alteration of "cond," which is probably an alteration of Middle English "condien" or "conduen," meaning "to conduct." Since the 19th century, "conn" has also been used as a noun ("the control exercised by one who conducts or directs the steering of a ship"). This noun, though seldom encountered in general English, is likely familiar to fans of the various Star Trek series in which the directive "You have the conn" is sometimes given from the starship captain to another officer on the bridge.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 21, 2010 7:00:00 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 21, 2010 is: declivity • \di-KLIV-uh-tee\ • noun 1 : downward inclination *2 : a descending slope Felix's Example Sentence: The steep declivity close under the bluffs of Lookout Mountain would have been a formidable obstacle to Union troops attempting to storm the top, but the Confederate forces withdrew before that bitter assault was to be made. Did you know? Three different English words descend from "clivus," the Latin word for "slope" or "hill" -- with the help of three Latin prefixes. "Declivity" combines "clivus" with the prefix "de-," meaning "down" or "away." "Acclivity" uses "ad-" (which may change its second letter depending on the root word), meaning "to" or "toward." Hence, an acclivity is an upward slope. The third word has a figurative meaning in English: "proclivity" makes use of the prefix "pro-," meaning "forward," and this word refers to a personal inclination, predisposition, or "leaning." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 24, 2010 8:19:43 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 22, 2010 is: inenarrable • \in-ih-NAIR-uh-bul\ • adjective : incapable of being narrated : indescribable Felix's Example Sentence: In The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner managed to give form to a tale told by an idiot, a seemingly inenarrable story. Did you know? "Ineffable," "inenarrable," "indescribable" -- English has quite a few words for expressing that which can't be expressed. The prefix "in-," meaning "not," teamed up with Latin "enarrare" ("to explain in detail") to give us "inenarrable," and the same prefix joined with Latin "effabilis" ("capable of being expressed") to create "ineffable." English speakers have used "ineffable" since the 14th century, and "inenarrable" made its way into the language from French in the 15th century. "Indescribable" was a late arrival, relatively speaking -- it has only been with us since the 18th century.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 24, 2010 8:22:27 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 23, 2010 is: garner • \GAHR-ner\ • verb 1 a : to gather into storage b : to deposit as if in a granary 2 *a : to acquire by effort : earn b : accumulate, collect Felix's Example Sentence: Ebenezer Scrooge obsessively garnered a fortune in money, only to realize his poverty of soul when the the three spirits visited him over Christmas Eve. Did you know? What do you call a building in which grain is stored? These days, English speakers are most likely to call it a "granary," but there was a time when the noun "garner" was also a likely candidate. That noun, which can also mean "something that is collected," dates from the 12th century. The verb "garner" joined the language two centuries later. The verb was once commonly used with the meaning "to gather into a granary," but today it usually means "to earn" or "to accumulate." The noun "garner" is uncommon in contemporary use; it is now found mainly in older literary contexts, such as these lines of verse from Sir Walter Scott's "The Bride of Lammermoor": "Or, from the garner-door, on ether borne, / The chaff flies devious from the winnow'd corn." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 24, 2010 8:25:22 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 24, 2010 is: tactile • \TAK-tul\ • adjective 1 : perceptible by touch *2 : of, relating to, or being the sense of touch Felix's Example Sentence: A person may lose considerable tactile ability in the hands if arthritis develops with age. Did you know? "Tangible" is related to "tactile," and so are "intact," "tact," "contingent," "tangent," and even "entire." There's also the uncommon noun "taction," meaning "the act of touching." Like "tactile," all of these words can be traced back to the Latin verb "tangere," meaning "to touch." "Tactile" made its way to our language by way of French, touching ground in English in the early 17th century. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 27, 2010 10:56:17 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 25, 2010 is: poetaster • \POH-uh-tass-ter\ • noun : an inferior poet Felix's Example Sentence: There is a fine line between a poetaster and a poet working in vernacular, especially in a humorous vein - Robert Service for example. Did you know? In Latin, the suffix "-aster" indicates partial resemblance. In both Latin and English, that often translates to "second-rate," or maybe even "third-rate." Not surprisingly, "poetaster" often goes hand in hand with "doggerel," meaning "verse marked by triviality or inferiority." "Most of the people who send me thick sheaves of handwritten or word-processed doggerel," Ms. Greer tells us in the Independent article we quote above, "appear never to have read any poetry, good or bad.... Every week poetasters, like literary flashers seeking to amaze and appal hapless passers-by with the sight of their grey flaccidities, send their effusions to people like me." Are there are other kinds of "-asters" out there? Yes indeed -- we have criticasters, philosophasters, and politicasters, among others.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 27, 2010 10:59:51 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 26, 2010 is: parlay • \PAHR-lay\ • verb 1 : to bet in a parlay 2 a : to exploit successfully * b : to increase or otherwise transform into something of much greater value Felix's Example Sentence: In the current Age of the Tabloid, every person making headlines, however briefly, often parlays their few minutes of fame into opportunities for further media attention. Did you know? If you're the gambling type, you may already know that "parlay" can also be used as a noun describing a series of bets in which a person places a bet, then puts the original stake of money and all of its winnings on new wagers. But you might not know that "parlay" represents a modified spelling of the French name for such bets: "paroli." You might also be unaware that the original French word is still occasionally used in English with the same meaning as the noun "parlay." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 27, 2010 11:04:32 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 27, 2010 is: Hobson's choice • \HAHB-sunz-choyss\ • noun *1 : an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative 2 : the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives Felix's Example Sentence: Prospective tenants in Public Housing, usually needing immediate housing, are sometimes presented with a Hobson's choice when offered an available unit for their family or, if refusing that, a position on the waiting list. Did you know? In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Thomas Hobson worked as a licensed carrier of passengers, letters, and parcels between Cambridge and London, England. He kept horses for this purpose and rented them to university students when he wasn't using them. Of course, the students always wanted their favorite mounts, and consequently a few of Hobson's horses became overworked. To correct the situation, Hobson began a strict rotation system, giving each customer the choice of taking the horse nearest the stable door or none at all. This rule became known as "Hobson's choice," and soon people were using that term to mean "no choice at all" in all kinds of situations. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 29, 2010 11:26:05 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 28, 2010 is: friable • \FRYE-uh-bul\ • adjective : easily crumbled or pulverized Felix's Example Sentence: Loess, a wind-deposited, quite fertile and friable soil, is the foundation of the highly productive farming areas of the Midwestern United States. Did you know? "Friable" entered into English in the mid-1500s, and was borrowed either from Middle French or directly from Latin "friabilis." This Latin adjective comes from the verb "friare," which means "to crumble." "Fiare" in turn is related to the verb "fricare" ("to rub"), the source of the English noun "friction." "Friable" is used to describe something that can be easily reduced to a powdered form. In contemporary usage, it is often found in the discussion of asbestos. Health concerns about asbestos primarily center around friable asbestos -- that is, asbestos that is easily pulverized into tiny fibers which may remain suspended in the air and become a potential health risk to those who inhale them.
|
|
Felix
Global Moderator
Tepid One
Happy Morning
Posts: 4,137
|
Post by Felix on Jul 29, 2010 11:29:43 GMT -5
… courtesy of Merriam Webster, with slight modifications by me: The Word of the Day for July 29, 2010 is: adjure • \uh-JOOR\ • verb 1 : to command solemnly under or as if under oath or penalty of a curse *2 : to urge or advise earnestly Felix's Example Sentence: In the Bible, 1 Timothy 5:23, the faithful are adjured to "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities." Did you know? "Adjure" and its synonyms "entreat," "importune," and "implore" all mean "to ask earnestly." "Entreat" implies an effort to persuade or overcome resistance. "Importune" goes further, adding a sense of annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request. "Implore," on the other hand, suggests a great urgency or anguished appeal on the part of the speaker. "Adjure" implies advising as well as pleading, and is sometimes accompanied by the invocation of something sacred. Be careful not to confuse "adjure" with "abjure," meaning "to renounce solemnly" or "to abstain from." Both words are rooted in Latin "jurare," meaning "to swear," but "adjure" includes the prefix "ad-," meaning "to" or "toward," whereas "abjure" draws on "ab-," meaning "from" or "away." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
|
|