Word of the day strikes back

[Richard Frost]

Word of the Day : March 29, 2021 - https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

diffident

adjective DIF-uh-dunt

Definition
1 : hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence

2 : reserved, unassertive

3 archaic : distrustful

Did You Know?
Diffident and confident are etymologically related antonyms, perched at opposite ends of a scale of self-assurance. Both words trace back to the Latin verb fīdere, which means "to trust." Diffident arose from a combination of fīdere and the prefix dis-, meaning "the absence of"; it has been used to refer to individuals lacking in self-trust since the 15th century. Confident arose from confīdere, a term created by combining fīdere with the intensifying prefix con-. That term has been used for self-trusting folks since at least the late 16th century. Fīdere puts the trust in several other English words too, including fidelity and fiduciary.

Examples
Always diffident and soft-spoken, Tony did not raise any objection when the cashier overcharged him for his purchase.

"His small but indelible role in this melancholy farce didn't even make the trailer, but he's hilarious as the kind but diffident manager of a discount outlet store, especially in a scene where he has to announce the death of a beloved colleague whose name he can't remember." — Chris Hewitt, The Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 20 Jan. 2021

[Richard Frost]

Word of the Day : March 30, 2021

alacrity

noun uh-LAK-ruh-tee

Definition
: promptness in response : cheerful readiness

Did You Know?
"I have not that alacrity of spirit / Nor cheer of mind that I was wont to have," says William Shakespeare's King Richard III in the play that bears his name. Alacrity derives from the Latin word alacer, meaning "lively" or "eager." It denotes physical quickness coupled with eagerness or enthusiasm. Are there any other words in English from Latin alacer? Yes—allegro, which is used as a direction in music with the meaning "at a brisk lively tempo.” It came to English via Italian (where it can mean "merry") and is assumed to be ultimately from alacer.

Examples
"Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face, but alacrity in his heart. And while the late steamer Big Missouri worked and sweated in the sun, the retired artist sat on a barrel in the shade close by, dangled his legs, munched his apple...." — Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876

"The Barred Owl will quietly sit on a branch until some unsuspecting victim passes by, and then silently and with alacrity, this owl will swoop down for the coup de grâce." — Ginna Parsons, The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (Tupelo, Mississippi), 14 Feb. 2021

[Richard Frost]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

campestral

[ kam-pes-truhl ]

adjective
of or relating to fields or open country.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF CAMPESTRAL?
Campestral, “relating to fields or open country,” comes from Latin campestris “relating to fields or plains; flat, level,” a derivative of campus “field” and the adjective suffix –estris. Campus has no reliable etymology in Latin, but some of its senses are very important. The most important campus in Roman life was the Campus Martius “the Field of Mars” (named after an altar dedicated to the god Mars). The Campus Martius was originally pastureland outside the walls of Rome and therefore suitable for military exercises, army musters, and assemblies of legions before processing in triumphs through the city. Campestral entered English in the early 18th century.

HOW IS CAMPESTRAL USED?
I was able to thoroughly enjoy the region’s rolling, campestral beauty in a three-town tour.
LUCAS PETERSON, "IN SOUTHEAST ENGLAND, WHITE CLIFFS, FISH AND CHIPS, AND DEALS," NEW YORK TIMES, JULY 26, 2017

Beyond its wine and campestral vistas, Orcia is home to many historical attractions, including the medieval village of Rocca ‘Orcia.
MARISA D'VARI, "ORCIA: THE 'UNDISCOVERED' SANGIOVESE DOC REGION," FORBES, AUGUST 5, 2019

[Richard Frost]

1st April - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petrichor

petrichor

pe·​tri·​chor | \ ˈpe-trə-ˌkȯr \

Definition of petrichor
: a distinctive, earthy, usually pleasant odor that is associated with rainfall especially when following a warm, dry period and that arises from a combination of volatile plant oils and geosmin released from the soil into the air and by ozone carried by downdrafts

Australian scientists first documented the process of petrichor formation in 1964 …
— Tim Logan

The intensity of the petrichor smell can vary with the type of soil and how heavily the rain is falling.
— John Boyer

First Known Use of petrichor
1964, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for petrichor
PETR(O)- + ICHOR

NOTE: The word was introduced by the Australian mineral chemists Isabel Joy Bear (born 1927) and Richard Grenfell Thomas (†1974) in "Nature of argillaceous odour," Nature, vol. 201, No. 4923 (March 7, 1964), pp. 993-95. According to the authors, "The diverse nature of the host material has led us to propose the name 'petrichor' for this apparently unique odour which can be regarded as an 'ichor' or 'tenuous essence' derived from rock or stone."

[Sarah]

Word of the day from Susie Dent today:

A reminder of the word ‘gobemouche’ (19th century): a credulous person who believes everything they are told. (French for ‘fly-swallower’).

https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 16480?s=20

[Richard Frost]

Word of the Day : April 2, 2021 - https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

pertain

verb per-TAYN

Definition
1 a (1) : to belong as a part, member, accessory, or product

(2) : to belong as an attribute, feature, or function

(3) : to belong as a duty or right

b : to be appropriate to something

2 : to have reference

Did You Know?
Pertain comes to English via Anglo-French from the Latin verb pertinēre, meaning "to reach to" or "to belong." Pertinēre, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix per- (meaning "through") and tenēre ("to hold"). Tenēre is a popular root in English words and often manifests with the -tain spelling that can be seen in pertain. Other descendants include abstain, contain, detain, maintain, obtain, retain, and sustain, to name a few of the more common ones. Not every -tain word has tenēre in its ancestry, though. Ascertain, attain, and certain are among the exceptions. And a few tenēre words don't follow the usual pattern: tenacious and tenure are two.

Examples
"The author's careful attention to history—especially as it pertains to the struggle creative women like Curie and Fuller faced for acceptance as creative equals to men—helps round out the text with feminist insights." — Kirkus Reviews, 15 Dec. 2020

"Capitalism pertains to an economy that runs by voluntary contracts between citizens rather than government command and control, and that principle can bring some of the same advantages that Kant adduced for democratic republics." — Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, 2011

[Richard Frost]

3rd April

alpenstock

(ˈælpənˌstɒk)
NOUN

an early form of ice axe, consisting of a stout stick with an iron tip and sometimes having a pick and adze at the head, formerly used by mountain climbers

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Word origin
C19: from German, from Alpen Alps + Stock stick1

[kevinchess1]

3rd April

alpenstock

Also means how much muesli the supermarket has

[Richard Frost]

SUNDAY, APRIL 04, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

leporine
[ lep-uh-rahyn, -rin ]

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a rabbit or hare.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF LEPORINE?
Leporine, “pertaining to or resembling a rabbit or hare,” a technical term in zoology, comes straight from the Latin adjective leporīnus, a derivative of the noun lepus (inflectional stem lepor-) “hare.” The etymology of lepus is obscure, but it may be related to Greek dialect léporis (Sicily) and lebērís (Marseille). Leporine entered English in the mid-17th century.

HOW IS LEPORINE USED?
Of course, the Easter Bunny isn’t our only leporine hero. There is a general fascination with hares, bunnies, and rabbits in children’s literature and other aspects of popular and folk culture around the world.
ELLEN C. CALDWELL, "THE EASTER BUNNY, OR, WHY WE LOVE RABBITS," JSTOR DAILY, MARCH 25, 2016

His face looked naked, his teeth big and leporine.
KAREN JOY FOWLER, WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES, 2013

[Richard Frost]

MONDAY, APRIL 05, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

bricolage

[ bree-kuh-lahzh, brik-uh- ]
noun

a construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF BRICOLAGE?
The noun bricolage in French means “do it yourself,” formed from the verb bricoler “to do odd jobs, do small chores; make improvised repairs,” from Middle French bricoler “to zigzag, bounce off,” ultimately a derivative of the Old French noun bricole “a trifle.” The French suffix –age, completely naturalized in English –age, as in carriage, marriage, passage, voyage, comes from –āticum, a noun suffix from the neuter of the Latin adjective suffix –āticus. Bricolage entered English in the second half of the 20th century.

HOW IS BRICOLAGE USED?
Indeed, if we scratch beneath the surface, English is a veritable bricolage of these ‘borrowed’ words.
TIM LOMAS, "THE MAGIC OF 'UNTRANSLATABLE' WORDS," SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, JULY 12, 2016

So, for now, with my basket in one hand and my daughter’s little palm in the other, we’ll continue to walk the world in search of people, spaces and moments that move our soul and gather them into a living piece of art, a bricolage of memories called home.
STEVIE TRUJILLO, "THE WAGER OF RAISING A CHILD ABROAD," NEW YORK TIMES, FEBRUARY 16, 2018