May 26, 2012
Word of the Day

PERVADE
audio pronunciation
\per-VAYD\

DEFINITION

verb
: to become diffused throughout every part of

EXAMPLES

Jennifer's new perfume was lovely, but she applied it with such a generous hand that the scent pervaded the entire room.

"Lowballing pervades the home mortgage market because lenders being compared to other lenders usually have no other way to distinguish themselves." — From an article by Jack Guttentag in Inman News, March 5, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

English speakers borrowed "pervade" in the mid-17th century from Latin "pervadere," meaning "to go through." "Pervadere," in turn, was formed by combining the prefix "per-," meaning "through," with the verb "vadere," meaning "to go." Synonyms of "pervade" include "permeate," "impregnate," and "saturate." "Pervade" stresses a spreading diffusion throughout every part of a whole ("art and music pervade every aspect of their lives"). "Permeate" implies diffusion specifically throughout a material thing ("a green dye permeating a garment"). "Impregnate" suggests a forceful influence or effect on something throughout ("impregnate the cotton with alcohol"). "Saturate" is used when nothing more may be taken up or absorbed ("cloth saturated with water").

May 27, 2012
Word of the Day

EPITOME
audio pronunciation
\ih-PIT-uh-mee\

DEFINITION

noun
1
a : a summary of a written work b : a brief presentation or statement of something
2
: a typical or ideal example : embodiment

EXAMPLES

The cabin we'd rented was the epitome of country charm: wide pine floors, simple sturdy furniture, and clean linen curtains billowing in the breeze of the open windows.

"He was the epitome of a new kind of cool, he was hilarious, a visionary, talented on so many different levels from music to film." — Pop singer Santigold on Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, as quoted by Dan DeLuca on Philly.com, May 7, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Epitome" first appeared in print in 1520, when it was used to mean "summary." If someone asks you to summarize a long paper, you effectively cut it up, mentioning only the most important ideas in your synopsis, and the etymology of "epitome" reflects this process. The word descends from Greek "epitemnein," meaning "to cut short," which in turn was formed from the prefix "epi-" and the verb "temnein," which means "to cut." Your summary probably also presents all the key points of the original work, which may explain why "epitome" eventually came to be used for anything (such as a person or object) that is a clear or good example of an abstraction.


Dan's knives are the Epitome of the TRUE "Price to Performance Ratio"! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

May 30, 2012
Word of the Day

ESCHEW
audio pronunciation
\ess-CHOO\

DEFINITION

verb
: to avoid habitually especially on moral or practical grounds

EXAMPLES

The keynote speakers were two former gang members who now eschew violence.

"The women least likely to have epidurals, said Wilson, are those who arrive at the hospital in the nick of time and those determined to eschew drugs." — From an article by Leslie Mann in the Chicago Tribune, April 25, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Eschew" derives from the Anglo-French verb "eschiver" and is akin to the Old High German verb "sciuhen" ("to frighten off"), an ancestor of our word "shy." In his famous dictionary of 1755 Dr. Samuel Johnson characterized "eschew" as "almost obsolete." History has proven that the great lexicographer was wrong on that call, however. William Thackeray found "eschew" alive enough to use it almost one hundred years later in his classic novel Vanity Fair: "He has already eschewed green coats, red neckcloths, and other worldly ornaments." The word swelled in usage in English during the 19th and 20th centuries and is now common enough to be included even in small paperback dictionaries.

May 31, 2012
Word of the Day

FUGACIOUS
audio pronunciation
\fyoo-GAY-shus\

DEFINITION

adjective
: lasting a short time : evanescent

EXAMPLES

The rock band's rise in popularity turned out to be fugacious, and within two years its members had moved on to other careers.

"It is of no surprise that their debt problem is not fugacious, it is insurmountable. It is an impossible task for Greece to pay its debt." — From a letter to the editor by Alfonso Tiu Henderson in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, February 12, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Fugacious" is often used to describe immaterial things like emotions, but not always. Botanists, for example, use it to describe plant parts that wither or fall off before the usual time. Things that are fugacious are fleeting, and etymologically they can also be said to be fleeing. "Fugacious" derives from the Latin verb "fugere," which means "to flee." Other descendants of "fugere" include "fugitive," "refuge," and "subterfuge."

June 01, 2012
Word of the Day

SPACE CADET
audio pronunciation
\SPAYSS-kuh-DET\

DEFINITION

noun
: a flaky, lightheaded, or forgetful person

EXAMPLES

A well-worded e-mail that recaps your main points can remind your colleagues that, however much you flubbed your presentation in the meeting, you're not really such a space cadet.

"I'm more or less a space cadet in general, and developing the skill to pay attention so as not to electrocute myself has been quite helpful. You could say electrical wiring keeps me grounded." — Tom Ensign in an interview in The Bellingham (Washington) Herald, April 5, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Space cadet" has been used derogatorily since the late 1970s, but long before then it referred to the rank that the character Matt Dodson hoped to achieve in Robert Heinlein's 1948 novel Space Cadet. Other writers of futuristic fiction followed Heinlein's lead, using the word in reference to young astronauts. From there the meaning broadened to cover any space travel enthusiast. Today the word is occasionally used as a slang word for a pilot who shows off, but it most commonly refers to those of us who may seem to have our minds in outer space while our bodies remain earthbound.


Kinda makes you want to break out and sing "Rocket Man". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Either that or look at a picture of Washington. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

June 02, 2012
Word of the Day

RECIDIVISM
audio pronunciation
\rih-SID-uh-viz-um\

DEFINITION

noun
: a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; especially : relapse into criminal behavior

EXAMPLES

The judge took the rate of recidivism into account when assigning penalties for various criminal offenses.

"The Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations has proposed a $65,000 study of housing problems faced by ex-offenders, an issue repeatedly raised last year during its community meetings on housing discrimination. Lack of jobs and housing has been tied to high recidivism rates across the nation." — From an article by Joe Smydo in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 2, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Recidivism" means literally "a falling back" and usually implies "into bad habits." It comes from the Latin word "recidivus," which means "recurring." "Recidivus" itself came from the Latin verb "recidere," which is a composite of the prefix "re-" and the verb "cadere" (meaning "to fall") and means "to fall back." "Recidivists" tend to relapse, or "fall back," into old habits and particularly crime. "Deciduous" and "incident" are two other English words that have roots in "cadere." "Deciduous" comes from the verb "decidere" ("de-" plus "cadere"), which means "to fall off." And "incident" comes from "incidere" ("in" plus "cadere"), which means "to fall into."

YUP, Webster must have been looking east when they picked Todays word!

June 06, 2012
Word of the Day

COGNOSCENTE
audio pronunciation
\kahn-yuh-SHEN-tee\

DEFINITION

noun, plural cognoscenti
: a person who has expert knowledge in a subject : connoisseur

EXAMPLES

Cognoscenti in the art world knew that most of the works being auctioned off were second-rate.

"The foreign-exchange cognoscenti have framed Friday's Bank of Japan meeting as one with potential to break the stubbornly strong Japanese currency." — From an article by Michael J. Casey in The Wall Street Journal, April 25, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Cognoscente" and "connoisseur" are more than synonyms; they're also linguistic cousins. Both terms descend from the Latin verb "cognoscere," meaning "to know," and they're not alone. You might guess that "cognizance" and "cognition" are members of the "cognoscere" clan. Do you also recognize a family resemblance in "recognize"? Can you see through the disguise of "incognito"? Did you have a premonition that we would mention "precognition"? "Cognoscente" itself came to English by way of Italian and has been a part of our language since the late 1700s.

June 07, 2012
Word of the Day

UNFETTERED
audio pronunciation
\un-FET-erd\

DEFINITION

adjective
: free, unrestrained

EXAMPLES

The biographer has been given unfettered access to the family's collection of personal correspondence.

"In this era of urban sprawl and unfettered development, land preservation and conservation are keys to maintaining our outdoors heritage…." — From an article by Gary Blockus in The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania), May 8, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

A fetter is a chain or shackle for the feet (as on a prisoner), or, more broadly, anything that confines or restrains. The word derives from Middle English "feter" and shares a relationship with Old English "fot," meaning "foot." In current English "unfettered" typically suggests that someone or something is figuratively "unchained," or unrestrained in progress or spirit. The poet John Donne is believed to have been the first to use "unfettered" in this way, in his 1601 work The Progress of the Soule: "To an unfetterd soules quick nimble hast / Are falling stars, and hearts thoughts, but slow pac'd."

HUM... I think there will be some unfettered feeding at the Bussekin Blade Bowls starting tomorrow at Noon Atlanta time. AND it will continue all weekend long. Hope all you folks have been eating your Wheaties! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

June 14, 2012
Word of the Day

MANDARIN
audio pronunciation
\MAN-drin\

DEFINITION

adjective
1
: of, relating to, or typical of a public official in China
2
: marked by polished ornate complexity of language

EXAMPLES

"Paradoxically, given his intense intellectuality and mandarin prose, Updike wrote his best work about ordinary life, especially in his tetralogy about Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom." — From an obituary by Andrew Rosenheim in The Independent (London), January 29, 2009

"Lovecraft managed to genuinely unnerve readers with his haunting monsters and mandarin prose…." — From an article by Geoff Schumacher in Las Vegas CityLife, October 6, 2011

DID YOU KNOW?

The Portuguese were the first to refer to a Chinese official as a "mandarin." The word hails from the Portuguese word "mandarium," which developed from Sanskrit "mantrin," a word for "counselor." Mandarins were promoted by successfully completing the imperial Chinese examination system, which was primarily based on the teachings of Confucian texts. In time, "mandarin" became a word for a pedantic official, a bureaucrat, or a person of position and influence. The noun passed into the English language in 1589, and the adjective appeared about 15 years later. You may also know "Mandarin" as a word for the chief dialect of China or be familiar with the mandarin orange. (The fruit's name comes from the orange color of a mandarin official's robe.)

une 15, 2012
Word of the Day

EXIGENT
audio pronunciation
\EK-suh-junt\

DEFINITION

adjective
1
: requiring immediate aid or action
2
: requiring or calling for much : demanding

EXAMPLES

The computer technician complained that customers' requests were becoming increasingly exigent, bordering on unreasonable.

"Except in exigent circumstances, citizens are supposed to call the police — not take the law into their own hands." — From an editorial by Owen Courrèges in Uptown Messenger, May 14, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"This writ seemeth to be called an Exigent because it exacteth the party, that is, requireth his expearance or forthcomming, to answer the lawe." Writer John Cowell, referring in 1607 to a writ summoning a person on pain of outlawry, clearly recognized "exigent" as a derivative of Latin "exigere," which means "to demand." Over the last five centuries we have demanded a lot from "exigent." It has served as a legal term (as in Cowell's quote), as well as a noun meaning either "an emergency" or "an end or extremity." Nowadays, the adjective is seen frequently in legal contexts referring to "exigent circumstances," such as those used to justify a search by police without a warrant.

June 16, 2012
Word of the Day

AHIMSA
audio pronunciation
\uh-HIM-sah\

DEFINITION

noun
: the Hindu and Buddhist doctrine of refraining from harming any living being

EXAMPLES

The young man has renounced his violent past and now adheres to the doctrine of ahimsa.

"There are few schools, particularly in the yoga stronghold of New York City, that don't offer some sort of ethical framework to their students, if only recommending that they practice ahimsa, which translates to 'nonviolence,' and train their minds to become unstuck on gluttonous practices…." — From an article by Vanessa Grigoriadis in New York Magazine, April 23, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Ahimsa" has been part of the English language since at least the late 19th century, but the word didn't gain the attention of the English-speaking world until the first half of the 20th century, when it was recognized as an important component of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. "Ahimsa" comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "noninjury," and Gandhi's policy of nonviolent protest played a crucial role in the political and social changes that eventually led to India's independence from Britain in 1947.

June 17, 2012
Word of the Day

PUNGENT
audio pronunciation
\PUN-junt\

DEFINITION

adjective
1
: having a sharp point
2
: marked by a sharp incisive quality
3
a : causing a sharp or irritating sensation b : having an intense flavor or odor

EXAMPLES

Toni likes to add pungent habaneros to her chili to give it an extra spicy kick.

"The locker room door swung open and a glorious mix of Tom Petty music and pungent hockey equipment wafted into the hallway." — From an article by Chip Scoggins in the Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), May 15, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Pungent" implies a sharp stinging or biting quality, especially of odors, so it's not too surprising to discover the Latin verb "pungere" ("to prick, sting") at its root. "Compunction," "poignant," "puncture," and "punctual" share the same pointy root, and their meanings reflect its influence. Someone who feels compunction may experience the prick of a guilty conscience. Something that is poignant can be piercingly moving. And a punctured tire, pricked by a sharp point, can make it hard to be punctual — that is, to arrive "on the dot" or at a particular point in time.

Stand Down wind of a certain city <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> and you WILL know what it means! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />