January 19, 2012
Word of the Day

FUSTIAN
audio pronunciation
\FUSS-chun\

DEFINITION

noun
1
: a strong cotton and linen fabric
2
: high-flown or affected writing or speech; broadly : anything high-flown or affected in style

EXAMPLES

Readers with a low tolerance for fustian may be put off by the writer's style, but there is no denying that his arguments have merit.

"To be wearing plain dimity and fustian in a room full of satin, velvet and diamonds took an effort of will." -- From Daisy Goodwin's 2011 novel The American Heiress

DID YOU KNOW?

"Fustian" has been used in English for a kind of cloth since the 13th century, but it didn't acquire its high-flown sense until at least three centuries later. One of the earliest known uses of the "pretentious writing or speech" sense occurs in Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus when Wagner says, "Let thy left eye be diametarily [sic] fixed upon my right heel, with quasi vestigiis nostris insistere," and the clown replies, "God forgive me, he speaks Dutch fustian." The precise origins of the word "fustian" aren't clear. English picked it up from Anglo-French, which adopted it from Medieval Latin, but its roots beyond that point are a subject of some dispute.

January 20, 2012
Word of the Day

DARLING
audio pronunciation
\DAHR-ling\

DEFINITION

noun
1
: a dearly loved person
2
: favorite

EXAMPLES

The youngest of three children, she was always her parents' little darling.

"A darling of Martha Stewart and Alice Waters, the Meyer -- nicknamed 'the gourmet lemon' -- also has become a favorite of California gardeners." -- From an article by Debbie Arrington in the Sacramento Bee, December 14, 2011

DID YOU KNOW?

The origins of "darling" can be found in the very heart of the English language; its earliest known uses can be traced back to Old English writings from the 9th century. Old English "deorling" was formed by attaching the Old English suffix "-ling" ("one associated with or marked by a specified quality") with the adjective "dēore," the ancestor of our adjective "dear" ("regarded very affectionately or fondly," "highly valued or esteemed," "beloved"). English speakers appear to have developed a fondness for "darling" and have held on to it for over a thousand years now. And though its spelling has changed over time -- including variations such as "dyrling," "derlinge," and "dearling" -- "darling" has maintained its original sense of "one dearly loved."

'Nuf said.

January 22, 2012
Word of the Day

LEONINE
audio pronunciation
\LEE-uh-nyne\

DEFINITION

adjective
: of, relating to, suggestive of, or resembling a lion

EXAMPLES

"The world wanders into many strange by-paths of affection. The love of a mother for her children is dominant, leonine, selfish, and unselfish." -- From Theodore Dreiser's 1912 novel The Financier

"At 72, the leonine pianist [McCoy Tyner] didn't make the instrument shudder as he did earlier in his career. But, at its best, his set still produced more sound and fury, more brilliant colors and bursts of dissonance, than most of his peers could match." -- From a review by Howard Reich in the Chicago Tribune, December 21, 2011

DID YOU KNOW?

"Leonine" derives from Latin "leo," meaning "lion," which in turn comes from Greek "lēon." "Lēon" gave us an interesting range of words: "leopard" (which is "lēon" combined with "pardos," a Greek word for a panther-like animal); "dandelion" (which came by way of the Anglo-French phrase "dent de lion" -- literally, "lion's tooth"); and "chameleon" (which uses the combining form from Greek that means "on the ground"); as well as the names "Leon" and "Leonard." But the dancer's and gymnast's leotard is not named for its wearer's cat-like movements. Rather, it was simply named after its inventor, Jules Leotard, a 19th-century French aerial gymnast.

January 25, 2012
Word of the Day

INTERCALATE
audio pronunciation
\in-TER-kuh-layt\

DEFINITION

verb
1
: to insert (as a day) in a calendar
2
: to insert between or among existing elements or layers

EXAMPLES

Over the centuries, people of various cultures have intercalated months and days to bring their calendars into alignment with the seasonal year.

"The fossiliferous deposits of the Tatrot Formation outcropping in the area consist of pale pinkish-orange brown clays, brownish grey siltstones and shale, and greenish grey fine to medium grained sandstones intercalated with dark grey conglomerates…." -- From an article by M. A. Khan, et al., in the Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, December 31, 2011

DID YOU KNOW?

"Intercalate" was formed from the Latin prefix "inter-," meaning "between" or "among," and the Latin verb "calare," meaning "to proclaim" or "to call." It was originally associated with proclaiming the addition of a day or month in a calendar. An instance of intercalation occurred in the earliest versions of the Roman calendar, which originally consisted of 304 days and 10 months and was determined by the lunar cycle. When the Romans realized that they had overlooked a two-month cycle during the winter, the king "intercalated" the months January and February. Eventually, the word's use broadened to include other kinds of insertion.

Read more - http://w.po.st/share/entry/redir?publish...harer=copypaste

January 26, 2012
Word of the Day

LOATH
audio pronunciation
\LOHTH\

DEFINITION

adjective
: unwilling to do something contrary to one's way of thinking : reluctant

EXAMPLES

She was loath to admit her mistakes.

"Doctors are loath to testify against colleagues guilty of malpractice." -- From an article by Tammerlin Drummond in the Contra Costa Times (California), December 21, 2011

DID YOU KNOW?

Many usage commentators point out that the spelling of "loath" the adjective is distinct from "loathe," the verb that means "to dislike greatly." Merriam-Webster dictionaries record "loathe" (along with "loth") as a variant spelling for the adjective, at the same time indicating that the spelling with an "e" is not as common as the form without it. Both words hark back to Old English, and the "e" ending in each has come and gone over the centuries -- but if you want to avoid the ire of those who like to keep the language tidy, stick with "loath" for the adjective and "loathe" for the verb.

I won't go there!

January 27, 2012
Word of the Day

ARBALEST
audio pronunciation
\AHR-buh-list\

DEFINITION

noun
: a crossbow especially of medieval times

EXAMPLES

The destructive power of the arbalest was so greatly feared during the 1100s that some governments tried to outlaw its use.

"During forensic examination, it was established that the murder was made using [an] arbalest. " -- From an article in States News Service, January 19, 2011

DID YOU KNOW?

The arbalest was the distance weapon of choice for medieval armies. It was first mentioned in 1100 in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of Saxon England. In 1622 British historian Peter Heylyn wrote that Richard the Lion-Hearted, the 12th-century English monarch, was "slain by a shot from an Arbalist." The crossbow's name is one of many terms that came into English from Old French when the Normans took control of England after the Battle of Hastings; our word is adapted from "arbaleste," the French name of the weapon. The French, in turn, derived their word from a combination of Latin "arcus" (meaning "bow") and "ballista" ("an ancient crossbow for hurling large missiles").

And here I thought it had something to do with Trees! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

January 28, 2012
Word of the Day

BRIGHT-LINE
audio pronunciation
\BRYTE-lyne\

DEFINITION

adjective
: providing an unambiguous criterion or guideline especially in law

EXAMPLES

The company's new reimbursement policy makes a bright-line distinction between acceptable and unacceptable travel expenses.

"The NFL needs to have a bright-line rule for the use of electronics devices during games." -- From a post by Mike Florio at nbcsports.com, January 13, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

In the first half of the 20th century, courts began referring to a "bright line" that could or could not be drawn to make clear-cut distinctions between legal issues. Early users may have been influenced by the term "bright line," used by physicists to refer to the distinct color lines in the light spectrum. Before that, judges were content with wording that was more prosaic, such as "line of demarcation." In the second half of the 20th century, we began using "bright-line" as an adjective. Nonlegal types looking for unambiguous distinctions in other walks of life took a shine to "bright-line" sometime in the 1980s.

January 29, 2012
Word of the Day

COOK'S TOUR
audio pronunciation
\COOKS-TOOR\

DEFINITION

noun
: a rapid or cursory survey or review

EXAMPLES

The guide gave the group a Cook's tour of the types of sea life that they might encounter on their dive.

"Remain in the party zone. Do not drag other guests on an adventurous cook's tour of the property, sneak beyond closed doors, explore the master bath instead of the powder room, or snoop in the medicine cabinet." -- From an article by Krys Stefansky in The Virginian-Pilot, December 12, 2011.

DID YOU KNOW?

In 1841, British missionary Thomas Cook convinced a British railway to run a special train to a temperance meeting, then proceeded to find passengers for the trip, an event regarded as the beginning of organized tourism. Within a few years, Cook was setting up excursions on a regular basis, and by the century's end, the Thomas Cook & Son travel agency was orchestrating travel around the world. The agency's tours were famously well-organized, but they were also known for herding travelers hurriedly from location to location. A Cook's tourist might see an impressive array of famous sites, but often only in superficial glimpses. Over time, English speakers started using "Cook's tour" for any hurried tour, and later, for any rushed activity or cursory review.

VOLUPTUOUS
adj \v&#601;-&#712;l&#601;p(t)-sh&#601;-w&#601;s, -sh&#601;s\
Definition of VOLUPTUOUS
1
a : full of delight or pleasure to the senses : conducive to or arising from sensuous or sensual gratification : luxurious <a voluptuous dance> <voluptuous ornamentation> <a voluptuous wine> b : suggesting sensual pleasure by fullness and beauty of form <voluptuous nudes>
2
: given to or spent in enjoyment of luxury, pleasure, or sensual gratifications <a long and voluptuous holiday — Edmund Wilson>
— vo·lup·tu·ous·ly adverb
— vo·lup·tu·ous·ness noun
See voluptuous defined for English-language learners »
See voluptuous defined for kids »
Examples of VOLUPTUOUS

<the voluptuous richness of the music>

Origin of VOLUPTUOUS
Middle English, from Latin voluptuosus, irregular from voluptas pleasure, from volup pleasurable; akin to Greek elpesthai to hope, Latin velle to wish — more at will
First Known Use: 14th century
Related to VOLUPTUOUS
Synonyms: carnal, fleshly, luscious, lush, sensuous, sensual

February 02, 2012
Word of the Day

STICTION
audio pronunciation
\STIK-shun\

DEFINITION

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

EXAMPLES

Tire quality can affect stiction at the start of an auto race.

"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." -- From an article by Jim Kerr in the Winnipeg Free Press, December 30, 2011

DID YOU KNOW?

"Stiction" has been a part of the English language since at least 1946, when it appeared in a journal of aeronautics. The word is a combination of 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, as in our second example sentence, "stationary friction").

February 03, 2012
Word of the Day

GAM
audio pronunciation
\GAM\

DEFINITION

verb
1
: to have a visit or friendly conversation with
2
: to spend or pass (as time) talking

EXAMPLES

The two strangers discovered that they had a lot in common as they gammed the hours away on the long train ride.

"It always was -- and still is, for that matter -- infuriating to be ignored when superiors are gamming on about an operation in which you are the one about to risk life and limb." -- From Robert N. Macomber's 2010 novel The Darkest Shade of Honor

DID YOU KNOW?

"But what is a gam? You might wear out your index-finger running up and down the columns of dictionaries, and never find the word." So says the narrator, who calls himself Ishmael, of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. These days you will indeed find "gam" entered in dictionaries; Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the noun "gam" as "a visit or friendly conversation at sea or ashore especially between whalers." (It can also mean "a school of whales.") Melville’s narrator explains that when whaling ships met far out at sea, they would hail one another and the crews would exchange visits and news. English speakers have been using the word "gam" to refer to these and similar social exchanges since the mid-19th century.

February 04, 2012
Word of the Day

LYMPHATIC
audio pronunciation
\lim-FAT-ik\

DEFINITION

adjective
1
a : of, relating to, or produced by lymph, lymphoid tissue, or lymphocytes b : conveying lymph
2
: lacking physical or mental energy : sluggish

EXAMPLES

Because of the snowstorm, the day was a lazy one and the whole family felt lymphatic.

"Tonsils are collections of lymphatic tissue on both sides of the back of the mouth." -- From an article by Dr. Rhonda Patt in the Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), January 3, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

Lymph is a pale liquid in the body that helps maintain fluid balance and removes bacteria from tissues. Today, we understand that lymph plays an important role in the body's immune system. In the past, however, it was commonly believed that an excess of lymph caused sluggishness -- hence the "sluggish" meaning of "lymphatic." The word "lymph" comes from Latin "lympha" ("water" or "water goddess"), which itself may be a modification of the Greek word "nymph&#275;," meaning "nymph." Both "lymph" and its related adjective "lymphatic" have been used in English since the mid-17th century.