Word of the day strikes back

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Richard Frost
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Thu May 27 2021 10:32am

Word of the Day : May 27, 2021 - https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

flotilla

noun floh-TILL-uh

Definition
1 : a fleet of ships or boats; especially : a navy organizational unit consisting of two or more squadrons of small warships

2 : an indefinite large number

Did You Know?
Flotilla comes from the diminutive form of the Spanish noun flota, meaning "fleet." Flota derives via Old French from Old Norse floti and is related to Old English flota (meaning "ship" or "fleet"), an ancestor to English's float. Much like other words referring to groups of particular things (such as swarm), flotilla has taken on expanded usage to refer simply to a large number of something not necessarily having to do with nautical matters, often with humorous effect (e.g., "a flotilla of rather mature-looking male models" — Jed Perl, The New Republic).

Examples
"Sometimes, a hot bite, a cold drink, and a flotilla of paddle boats is just right. In fact, after this winter of our discontent, it's just perfect." — Merrill Shindler, The Daily Breeze (Torrance, California), 19 Mar. 2021

"The vessel was sunk during an engagement with a Japanese flotilla of much larger battleships, cruisers and destroyers." — Tim Stanley, The Tulsa (Oklahoma) World, 7 Apr. 2021
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Richard Frost
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Fri May 28 2021 11:13am

Word of the Day : May 28, 2021 - https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

lymphatic

adjective lim-FAT-ik

Definition
1 a : of, relating to, or produced by lymph, lymphoid tissue, or lymphocytes

b : conveying lymph

2 : lacking physical or mental energy : sluggish

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 (meaning "water" or "water goddess"), which itself may be a modification of the Greek word nymphē, meaning "nymph." Both lymph and its related adjective lymphatic have been used in English since the 17th century.

Examples
"Apple cider vinegar is known to boost the immune system, help break up mucus, and support lymphatic drainage. Experts recommend mixing one to two tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a glass of water and lemon juice three times a day to relieve allergy symptoms." — The Kane County Chronicle (Geneva, Illinois), 21 Apr. 2021

"Wrench had a wretched lymphatic wife who made a mummy of herself indoors in a large shawl…." — George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1871
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Sat May 29 2021 10:26am

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

inroad

noun IN-rohd

Definition
1 : an advance or penetration often at the expense of someone or something — usually used in plural

2 : a sudden hostile incursion : raid

Did You Know?
Inroad is a combination of in and road, both of which are pretty mundane, as far as words go. But the first-and-oldest-meaning of inroad hints at a meaning of road other than the "way for traveling" one. Beginning back in the days of Old English, road referred to an armed hostile incursion made on horseback. (Raid comes from this use of road and also formerly specified incursions on horseback.) Road, as well as inroad, has lost its violent connotation. While inroads are often made at the expense of someone or something, they are at times simply advances, as when an artist is said to be "making inroads into a community."

Examples
"'These are no longer cars,' said Marc Rogers, the principal security researcher at the cybersecurity firm CloudFlare. 'These are data centers on wheels. Any part of the car that talks to the outside world is a potential inroad for attackers.'" — Nicole Perlroth, The New York Times, 7 June 2017

"Swatch Group on Thursday reported its first annual loss since the early days of the Swiss watchmaker almost 40 years ago as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered shops and smartwatches made inroads into the market." — John Revill, Reuters, 28 Jan. 2021
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Sun May 30 2021 9:47am

Word of the Day : May 30, 2021 - https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

nettle

verb NET-ul

Definition
1 : to strike or sting with or as if with nettles

2 : to arouse to sharp but transitory annoyance or anger

Did You Know?
If you've ever brushed against nettles, you know those weeds have sharp bristles that can leave you smarting and itching. The painful and irritating rash that nettles cause can last for days, but at least it is a rash with a linguistic silver lining. The discomfort caused by nettles can serve to remind one that the verb nettle is a synonym of irritate. Nettle originated as a plant name that we can trace to the Old English word netel. Eventually, people likened the nagging itch caused by the plant to the nagging aggravation of being annoyed, and nettle became a synonym of vex, peeve, and of course irritate.

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Examples
You could tell by his nervous reaction that the town official was nettled by the reporter's probing questions.

"Agent Cooper … will be back in the weird little hamlet of Twin Peaks, Washington, a quarter-century after the original ABC series aired. He will presumably be investigating one or more fresh crimes that stir eerie echoes of a mystery that, way back when, nettled the nation: 'Who killed Laura Palmer?'" — The Dallas Morning News, 17 May 2017
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Mon May 31 2021 10:47am

Word of the Day : May 31, 2021 - https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

elegiac

adjective el-uh-JYE-ak

Definition
1 a : of, relating to, or consisting of two dactylic hexameter lines the second of which lacks the arsis in the third and sixth feet

b (1) : written in or consisting of elegiac couplets

(2) : noted for having written poetry in such couplets

c : of or relating to the period in Greece about the seventh century b.c. when poetry written in such couplets flourished

2 : of, relating to, or comprising elegy or an elegy; especially : expressing sorrow often for something now past

Did You Know?
Elegiac was borrowed into English in the 16th century from Late Latin elagiacus, which in turn derives from Greek elegeiakos. Elegeiakos traces back to the Greek word for "elegiac couplet," which was elegeion. It is no surprise, then, that the earliest meaning of elegiac referred to such poetic couplets. These days, of course, the word is also used to describe anything sorrowful or nostalgic. As you may have guessed, another descendant of elegeion in English is elegy, which in its oldest sense refers to a poem in elegiac couplets, and now can equally refer to a somewhat broader range of laments for something or someone that is now lost.

Examples
"And so 'Names of Horses,' a very different but also elegiac poem, with its litany of remembered farm animals' names, helped lead to 'Names of My Mother's Friends'…, with its litany of women's names of a previous generation, and its tribute to names and ways of life that have passed out of currency." — Judy Kronenfeld, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California), 3 Apr. 2021

"The novel is elegiac in a way, but it's also a celebration of the city's artistic spirit. Looking back gives us an opportunity to think how we can bring that spirit back because it's been such a vital part of our history and who we are." — Jasmin Darznik, quoted in The San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2021
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Sarah » Mon May 31 2021 7:35pm

Word of the day from Susie Dent:
Word of the day is ‘clinomania’: the excessive desire to stay in bed.
https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 08709?s=20
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Tue Jun 01 2021 10:21am

cerulean - https://www.merriam-webster.com/diction ... ean#note-1

adjective

ce·​ru·​le·​an | \ sə-ˈrü-lē-ən \

Definition of cerulean
: resembling the blue of the sky

Did You Know?
Cerulean comes from the Latin word caeruleus, which means "dark blue" and is most likely from "caelum," the Latin word for "sky." An artist rendering a sky of blue in oils or watercolors might choose a tube of cerulean blue pigment. Birdwatchers in the eastern U.S. might look skyward and see a cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea). "Cerulean" is not the only color name that's closely associated with the sky. "Azure" (which ultimately comes from a Persian word for lapis lazuli, a rich blue stone) describes the color of a cloudless sky and can even be a noun meaning "the unclouded sky."

Examples of cerulean in a Sentence

Kinsale, the historical fishing town, has winding roads lined with pubs and galleries, tucked behind facades of purple, cerulean, and hot pink.
— Lea Lane, Forbes, "Dozens Of Offbeat Irish Delights: Dingle, Benbulben, Barmbrack — More," 11 Mar. 2021

Funny how two yellow narcissus, a hummingbird and a cerulean sky will put you in a good mood.
— Kevin Fisher-paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, "Springtime in S.F. brings surprise flowers, hope," 2 Mar. 2021

First Known Use of cerulean
1599, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for cerulean
Latin caeruleus dark blue
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Wed Jun 02 2021 8:58am

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

colleague

noun KAH-leeg

Definition
: an associate or coworker typically in a profession or in a civil or ecclesiastical office and often of similar rank or status : a fellow worker or professional

Did You Know?
Which of the following words come from the same source as colleague: college, legacy, collaborate, allegation, collar, relegate, delegate? It might be easier to guess if you know that the ancestor in question is legare, a Latin verb meaning "to choose or send as a deputy or emissary" or "to bequeath." All of the words in the list above except collaborate (which comes from the Latin collaborare, meaning "to labor together") and collar (from collum, collus, Latin for "neck") are descendants of legare.

Examples
Rochelle's creativity, professional demeanor, and ability to get things done soon earned her the respect of her colleagues.

"Without an option to drop by a colleague's desk to ask a casual question, teams felt there should be more process conversations, but also that these chats could be exhausting. Some teams moved away from using video meetings to less-demanding communication tools like Slack." — The New York Times, 24 Apr. 2021
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Word of the day

Post by Richard Frost » Thu Jun 03 2021 9:11am

Word of the Day : June 3, 2021 - https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day

peach


verb PEECH
Definition
1 : to inform against : betray

2 : to turn informer : blab

Did You Know?
If you guessed that the origin of this verb peach has something to do with a slightly fuzzy fruit, you are unfortunately incorrect. The fruit peach is an unrelated word that traces back to the Latin phrase malum persicum, literally meaning "Persian fruit." The verb blossomed from Middle English apechen ("to accuse"), itself an offspring of the Anglo-French verbs apecher and empecher, both meaning "to ensnare." Empecher is also an ancestor of the English verb impeach, meaning "to bring an accusation against." Both of these English verbs can be traced back to Latin impedicare, meaning "to shackle the feet," and that word is itself rooted in ped-, pes, meaning "foot."

Examples
"They'll think his lordship, or perhaps his brother, peached on them." — Grace Burrowes, Gabriel: Lord of Regrets, 2013

"Peter cocked his head. 'What are the chances of him finding out who peached him?' 'He will certainly never hear it from me.' She slid her gaze to her coachman. 'Or Gary. As long as you don't say anything, there is no chance.'" — Michelle Diener, The Emperor's Conspiracy, 2012
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Fri Jun 04 2021 10:26am

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

deliquesce

[ del-i-kwes ]

verb (used without object)

to melt away.

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF DELIQUESCE?
Deliquesce, “to melt away; become liquid,” comes straight from Latin dēliquēscere “to become liquid, dissipate one’s energy,” a compound of the preposition and prefix dē, dē-, here indicating removal, and the verb liquēscere “to melt, decompose, putrefy.” Liquēscere is an inchoative verb (also called an inceptive verb), meaning that the verb indicates the beginning, the inception of an action. In Latin (and in Greek) the suffix –sc– (Latin) and –sk– (Greek) changes a verb of state, such as liquēre “to be liquid, be clear,” to an inceptive verb. Derivatives of liquēre include liquidus “clear, fluid” (English liquid) and liquor “fluidity, liquid character” (English liquor). Deliquesce entered English in the mid-18th century.

HOW IS DELIQUESCE USED?
My thoughts started to deliquesce and slide through my brain like melting cheese.
ZOE WILLIAMS, "FIT IN MY 40S: 'MY THOUGHTS SLIDE THROUGH MY BRAIN LIKE MELTING CHEESE," THE GUARDIAN, JULY 21, 2018

A subsequent painting in the album … sees Jeong render the white peaks in ink that fades from the top of the composition to the bottom, making the mountain range deliquesce as if in fog.
JASON FARAGO, "REVIEW: WHEN A LANDSCAPE (AND MEMORY) IS ALL YOU HAVE," NEW YORK TIMES, FEBRUARY 8, 2018
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