A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Tue Jul 1 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--misanthrope X-Bonus: One is happy as a result of one's own efforts once one knows the necessary ingredients of happiness: simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self denial to a point, love of work, and above all, a clear conscience. -George Sand [pen name of Amantine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin], novelist (1804-1876) This week's theme: Words to describe people misanthrope (MIS-uhn-throp, MIZ-) noun One who dislikes people in general. [From Greek misanthropos, from misos (hatred) + anthropos (man). Earliest documented use: 1683.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/misanthrope The Misanthrope: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Misanthrope_(Bruegel) Art: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1568 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Misanthrope_(Bruegel) "Consider both an avid cocktail party hostess with hundreds of acquaintances and a grumpy misanthrope, who may have one or two friends." Infectious Personalities; The Economist (London, UK); May 15, 2010. -------- Date: Wed Jul 2 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bon vivant X-Bonus: The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis. -Thurgood Marshall, US Supreme Court Justice (1908-1993) This week's theme: Words to describe people bon vivant (BAHN vee-VAHNT, BON* vee-VAN*) noun [* these syllables are nasal] One who enjoys good things in life, especially good food and drink. [From French, from bon (good) + vivant (a person living), from vivre (to live). Earliest documented use: 1695.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bon%20vivant Bon vivant in the bike lane: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bon_vivant_large.jpg Photo: VJ Beauchamp https://www.flickr.com/photos/vj_pdx/35147743/ "The consumption culture has gone a long way in establishing Singapore as a watering hole of choice for the Asian bon vivant." Uptown Pours; The Business Times (Singapore); Mar 18, 2011. -------- Date: Thu Jul 3 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--autodidact X-Bonus: So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being. -Franz Kafka, novelist (1883-1924) This week's theme: Words to describe people autodidact (ah-to-DY-dakt) noun A self-taught person. [From Greek autodidaktos (self-taught), from autos (self) + didaktos (taught). Earliest documented use: 1534.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/autodidact Lincoln, the autodidact https://wordsmith.org/words/images/autodidact_large.jpg Image: US Mint "Tom didn't do particularly well in school because of problems with attention disorder, hyperactivity, and even a streak of mischievousness. Instead, he became an autodidact, using his intense interest in reading to educate himself." Sharon Salyer; He Was the Love of Her Life; The Herald (Everett, Washington); May 7, 2014. -------- Date: Fri Jul 4 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--magnifico X-Bonus: The best way to be more free is to grant more freedom to others. -Carlo Dossi, author and diplomat (1849-1910) This week's theme: Words to describe people magnifico (mag-NIF-i-ko) noun A person of high rank or position. [Earlier magnifico was an honorary title applied to Venetian noblemen. From Italian magnifico (magnificent), from Latin magnus (great). Ultimately from the Indo-European root meg- (great), which is also the source of magnificent, maharajah, master, mayor, maestro, magnate, magistrate, maximum, magnify, mickle https://wordsmith.org/words/mickle.html , mahatma https://wordsmith.org/words/mahatma.html , and magnanimous https://wordsmith.org/words/magnanimous.html . Earliest documented use: 1573.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/magnifico Portrait of a Venetian Nobleman https://wordsmith.org/words/images/magnifico_large.jpg Art: Vittore Carpaccio, c.1510 "All the magnificos emerge looking banally ordinary." Peter Schjeldahl; Beasts: The Art World; The New Yorker; May 17, 2010. -------- Date: Mon Jul 7 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hortatory X-Bonus: It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. -Robert A. Heinlein, science-fiction author (1907-1988) Politics is a dirty business, but what if you need to slander an opponent who's an incarnation of virtue? All you need is this "Guaranteed Effective All-Occasion Non-Slanderous Political Smear Speech" from Mad magazine. http://gis.washington.edu/~phurvitz/outgoing/bustagut/Non-SlanderousPoliticalSmearSpeech.htm http://www.webcitation.org/6Ql2iI202 It has gems such as: "His female relatives put on a constant pose of purity and innocence, and claim they are inscrutable https://wordsmith.org/words/scrutate.html , yet every one of them has taken part in hortatory activities." Well, election season is coming up and so we give you a fresh set of words to help you write your own non-slanderous smear speech. Even if you don't plan on contesting an election, why not sprinkle these words in your office memos, research reports, or term papers? This week we'll see five words that sound dirty, but aren't. hortatory (HOR-tuh-tor-ee) adjective Strongly urging. [From Latin hortari (to urge). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gher- (to like or want), which also gave us yearn, charisma, greedy, and exhort. Earliest documented use: 1586.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hortatory "Of course, the book has its morals, just not hortatory ones." More Than Just a Phunny Phellow; The Economist (London, UK); Apr 15, 2010. "There are hortatory slogans painted along the architrave." Will Self; Real Meals; New Statesman (London, UK); Oct 25, 2013. -------- Date: Tue Jul 8 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--formicate X-Bonus: People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within. -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, psychiatrist and author (1926-2004) This week's theme: Words that sound dirty, but aren't formicate (FOR-mi-kayt) verb intr. 1. To crawl like ants. 2. To swarm with ants. [From Latin formicare (to crawl like ants), from formica (ant). Earliest documented use: 1854.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/formicate NOTES: The noun form, formication, is the hallucination of ants crawling over the skin. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/formicate_large.jpg Photo: Prakash Bajracharya https://www.flickr.com/photos/prakaz/4737971828/ "Again, again, again, until you reach the inevitable conclusion of sky-rises, nuclear submarines, orbiting satellites, and Homo sapiens formicating the Earth." Laird Barron; Shiva, Open Your Eye; Fantasy & Science Fiction (Cornwall, Connecticut); Sep 2001. -------- Date: Wed Jul 9 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--assonance X-Bonus: Any life, no matter how long and complex it may be, is made up of a single moment -- the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is. -Jorge Luis Borges, writer (1899-1986) This week's theme: Words that sound dirty, but aren't assonance (AS-uh-nuhns) noun The use of words with same or similar vowel sounds but with different end consonants. Example: The o sounds in Wordsworth's "A host, of golden daffodils." [Via French, from Latin ad- (to) + sonare (to sound), from sonus (sound). Ultimately from the Indo-European root swen- (to sound), which also gave us sound, sonic, sonnet, sonata, and unison. Earliest documented use: 1728.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/assonance "The passage offers many beauties: the nearly incantatory repetition, the assonance (define and confine, streets and treat, space and faces), the homophones (rains and reins -- but not reigns?), the pun (no sign of motorway)." Kevin Dettmar; Less Is Morrissey; The Chronicle of Higher Education (Washington, DC); Dec 9, 2013. -------- Date: Thu Jul 10 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--inspissate X-Bonus: Every reader finds himself. The writer's work is merely a kind of optical instrument that makes it possible for the reader to discern what, without this book, he would perhaps never have seen in himself. -Marcel Proust, novelist (1871-1922) This week's theme: Words that sound dirty, but aren't inspissate (in-SPIS-ayt) verb tr., intr. To thicken or condense. [From Latin inspissare (to thicken), from spissus (thick). Earliest documented use: 1603.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/inspissate Jaggery making https://wordsmith.org/words/images/inspissate_large.jpg Photo: Joe Athialy https://www.flickr.com/photos/joeathialy/8418563783/ "These are flavors that have been inspissating in some timeless tandoor for hours, days -- decades." Brad Leithauser; And an Outpost on Rodeo Drive; The New York Times; Mar 5, 1995. -------- Date: Fri Jul 11 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cocker X-Bonus: I hold one share in the corporate earth and am uneasy about the management. -E.B. White, writer (1899-1985) This week's theme: Words that sound dirty, but aren't cocker (KAHK-uhr) verb tr.: To pamper or spoil. [Of obscure origin. Earliest documented use: 1499.] noun: A breed of small spaniel dog. [From the use of such dogs in hunting of birds such as woodcock. Earliest documented use: 1811.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cocker "Parents, by humouring and cockering them when little, corrupt the principles of nature in their children, and wonder afterwards to taste the bitter waters, when they themselves have poisoned the fountain." John Locke (1632-1704). -------- Date: Mon Jul 14 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vizard X-Bonus: The power to define the situation is the ultimate power. -Jerry Rubin, activist and author (1938-1994) I love optical illusions and one of my favorite is the checker shadow illusion. http://web.mit.edu/persci/people/adelson/checkershadow_illusion.html This week's words are a kind of illusion. They are spelled correctly, but you may wonder if they are misspelled. It's just that each of these words has a spelling very similar to an everyday word. So keep calm and spell on. And if your spellchecker makes a noise, give it a click on the backside and tell it you have everything under control. vizard or visard (VIZ-uhrd) noun A visor, mask, or disguise. [A variant of visor, from Anglo-French viser, from vis (face), from visus (sight), from videre (to see). Ultimately from the Indo-European root weid- (to see), which is also the source of guide, wise, vision, advice, idea, story, history, previse https://wordsmith.org/words/previse.html , polyhistor https://wordsmith.org/words/polyhistor.html , invidious https://wordsmith.org/words/invidious.html , hades https://wordsmith.org/words/hades.html , eidos https://wordsmith.org/words/eidos.html , and eidetic https://wordsmith.org/words/eidetic.html . Earliest documented use: 1555.] A horseman with his wife in a vizard: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/vizard_large.jpg 16th century. Artist unknown "The birds wear floor-length costumes, and Princess Victoria actually comes from the Veneto, bearing a vizard (the beaked plague-doctor's mask)." The ABC of Fabulous Princesses; Kirkus Reviews (New York); Dec 15, 2013. -------- Date: Tue Jul 15 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--grogram X-Bonus: The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart. -Iris Murdoch, writer (1919-1999) This week's theme: Words that appear to be misspellings grogram (GROG-ruhm) noun A coarse fabric of silk, combined with mohair or wool, and often stiffened with gum. [From French gros grain (large or coarse grain). Another fabric from the same origin is grosgrain. Earliest documented use: 1562.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/grogram https://wordsmith.org/words/images/grogram_large.jpg Admiral Edward Vernon, who loved grogram coats and earned the nickname "Old Grog". He also diluted rum and helped coin the term grog https://wordsmith.org/words/grog.html Art: Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) "Instead of putting her still-thick, white hair into its usual twist, she'd tied it back at the nape of her neck with a black, grogram ribbon." Nancy Desrosiers; Stay a Little Longer; Tate Publishing; 2011. -------- Date: Wed Jul 16 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--secretory X-Bonus: In any free society, the conflict between social conformity and individual liberty is permanent, unresolvable, and necessary. -Kathleen Norris, novelist and columnist (1880-1966) This week's theme: Words that appear to be misspellings secretory (si-KREE-tuh-ree) adjective Relating to the release of a substance from a cell, gland, or an organ. [From Latin secernere (to distinguish), from se- (apart) + cernere (to sift). Ultimately from the Indo-European root krei- (to sift or to discriminate), which also gave us crime, crisis, certain, excrement, secret, critic, garble, hypocrisy, and diacritical https://wordsmith.org/words/diacritical.html . Earliest documented use: 1692.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/secretory "The secret behind such organised societies is communication through the use of around 20 pheromones, emitted by ants' secretory organs." Wisdom of Crowds; The Economist (London, UK); Apr 8, 2009. -------- Date: Thu Jul 17 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--factitious X-Bonus: There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind. -Hannah Senesh, poet, playwright, and paratrooper (1921-1944) This week's theme: Words that appear to be misspellings factitious (fak-TISH-uhs) adjective 1. Artificial. 2. Sham. [From Latin facticius (artificial), from factus, past participle of facere (to do). Earliest documented use: 1646.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/factitious "'For me, this is the only real place,' David says in the novel, but for the reader the city remains disappointingly factitious." Say Nice Things About Detroit; The New Yorker; Aug 27, 2012. -------- Date: Fri Jul 18 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--proem X-Bonus: People hate as they love, unreasonably. -William Makepeace Thackeray, novelist (1811-1863) This week's theme: Words that appear to be misspellings proem (PRO-uhm, -em) noun An introduction, preface, or preamble. [From Old French proeme, from Latin prooemium, from Greek prooimion, from pro- (before) + oime (song). Earliest documented use: 1410.] "However, if one carries on reading beyond the proem and carefully examines the main body ..." Eleni Kechagia; Plutarch Against Colotes; Oxford University Press; 2011. -------- Date: Mon Jul 21 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bohemian X-Bonus: One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper patterns at the right moment. -Hart Crane, poet (1899-1932) What does a marathoner have in common with a Neanderthal https://wordsmith.org/words/neanderthal.html and a milliner https://wordsmith.org/words/milliner.html? All three are derived from the names of places. The word marathon is from Marathon in Greece, the word Neanderthal is coined from Neander valley in Germany, and a milliner is, literally, someone from Milan, Italy. These are examples of toponyms (from Greek topos: place), words derived from place names. This week we'll see five other words coined from place names (in the Czech Republic, Syria, Scotland, England, and Spain). Bohemian (bo-HEE-mee-uhn) adjective: 1. Relating to Bohemia, its people, or languages. 2. Living an unconventional life. 3. Leading a wandering life. noun: 1. A person (such as a writer or an artist) who lives an unconventional life. 2. A vagabond or wanderer. 3. A native or inhabitant of Bohemia. 4. The Czech dialects spoken in Bohemia. [From French bohémien (Gypsy, vagabond), because Gypsies were believed to come from Bohemia or entered through Bohemia. Bohemia is a region in central Europe, now a part of the Czech Republic. Earliest documented use: 1579.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Bohemian The Bohemian https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bohemian_large.jpg Art: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1890 "The Green Relief 'natural health clinic' in a bohemian part of San Francisco doesn't sound like an ordinary doctor's surgery. For those who wonder about the sort of relief provided, its logo -- a can#nabis leaf -- is a clue." Virtually Legal; The Economist (London, UK); Nov 12, 2009. -------- Date: Tue Jul 22 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--damson X-Bonus: If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint. -Edward Hopper, painter (1882-1967) This week's theme: Toponyms or words derived from place names damson (DAM-zuhn, -suhn) noun 1. A variety of small plum (Prunus insititia) or its fruit. 2. A dark purple color. [From Latin Prunum Damascenum (plum of Damascus), perhaps because it was first cultivated in Damascus or because it was introduced into Europe from Syria. Two other words coined after Damascus are damask https://wordsmith.org/words/damask.html and damascene https://wordsmith.org/words/damascene.html . Earliest documented use: 1398.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/damson https://wordsmith.org/words/images/damson_large.jpg Photo: Myriam Bonnie https://www.flickr.com/photos/myri_bonnie/9783348461 "The mind I love must have wild places, a tangled orchard where dark damsons drop in the heavy grass, an overgrown little wood, the chance of a snake or two, a pool that nobody's fathomed the depth of, and paths threaded with flowers planted by the mind." The Journal of Katherine Mansfield; Knopf; 1927. "She put a studded denim cropped jacket on over her favourite purple maxi-dress ... An extra slick of damson lip gloss completed the look." Coleen Nolan; Denial; Macmillan; 2011. -------- Date: Wed Jul 23 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Gretna Green X-Bonus: At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed, must seem to be inevitable. -Raymond Chandler, writer (1888-1959) This week's theme: Toponyms or words derived from place names Gretna Green (GRET-nuh green) noun 1. A place where couples elope to to get married. 2. Such a wedding. [After Gretna Green, a village in Scotland on the English border. English couples who had not reached the age of majority eloped to Gretna Green where such a wedding was permitted. A wedding was typically performed by a blacksmith in his shop. Earliest documented use: 1813.] An English couple eloping to Gretna Green with her father in hot pursuit: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gretna_green_large.jpg From "The English Dance of Death", 1815; Illustration: Thomas Rowlandson Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/biomedical_scraps/7006377507 "They finished up with a Gretna Green elopement of a couple in a terrible old Model T Ford, with Father chasing after them all over the aerodrome." Nevil Shute; Round the Bend; William Morrow; 1951. -------- Date: Thu Jul 24 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--whitehall X-Bonus: So I accept these awards on behalf of the cake bakers and all of those other women who can do some things quite as important, if not more important, than flying, as well as in the name of women flying today. -Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) This week's theme: Toponyms or words derived from place names Whitehall (HWYT-hawl) noun The British government or the British Civil Service. [From Whitehall, a street in London, on which many government offices are located. The street gets its name from the Palace of Whitehall. Earliest documented use: 1827.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/whitehall Whitehall https://wordsmith.org/words/images/whitehall_large.jpg Photo: CdL Creative http://www.cdlcreative.me "Armed with these clues, Blitz called a Whitehall source, who said that the official was being paid by the Foreign Office." John Cassidy; The David Kelly Affair; The New Yorker; Dec 8, 2003. -------- Date: Fri Jul 25 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rounceval X-Bonus: The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race, or his holy cause. A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business. -Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983) This week's theme: Toponyms or words derived from place names rounceval or rouncival (ROUN-si-vuhl) adjective: Big or strong. noun: Someone or something that is large. [From Roncesvalles, a town at the foot of the Pyrenees. It was the site of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 in which Roland, a commander of Charlemagne's army, was defeated by the Basques. Over time the story turned into a legend and giant bones of prehistoric animals discovered at the site were claimed to be those of heroes slain at the battle. Earliest documented use: 1570.] The death of Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/rounceval_large.jpg From an illustrated manuscript (1455-1460) "She was a big girl, a rouncival, Desroches called her." Dolors Tool; Appetite for Murder; Breakwater Books; 2002. "Gold ingots the size of rounceval peas, they say. Oh, and there's another curious aspect to the legend." Louis Bayard; The School of Night; Henry Holt and Co.; 2010. -------- Date: Mon Jul 28 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--harbinger X-Bonus: We are social creatures to the inmost centre of our being. The notion that one can begin anything at all from scratch, free from the past, or unindebted to others, could not conceivably be more wrong. -Karl Popper, philosopher and professor (1902-1994) The linguist Ferdinand de Saussure once said, "Time changes all things: there is no reason why language should escape this universal law." A living language, just like humans, adapts with time. All words change, some more than others. In the beginning, to broadcast was to sow seeds by scattering, a diaper was a kind of fabric, and a matrix was a womb. This week we'll see a few more words that ain't what they used to be. harbinger (HAHR-bin-juhr) noun: One that foreshadows the approach of something. verb tr.: To signal the arrival of something. [Originally, a harbinger was a host, a person who provided lodging. With time the sense changed to a person sent in advance to find lodging for an army. From Old French herbergier (to provide lodging for), from herberge (lodging). Ultimately from the Indo-European root koro- (war, host, army) which also gave us harbor, herald, harness, hurry, harangue, and harry https://wordsmith.org/words/harry.html . Earliest documented use: 1175.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/harbinger "It is hard to elude the suspicion that it is a harbinger of further things to come." Colby Cosh; Trigger Warnings are Easy to Ridicule; Maclean's (Toronto, Canada); Jun 2, 2014. -------- Date: Tue Jul 29 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obsequious X-Bonus: To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up. -Ogden Nash, poet (1902-1971) This week's theme: Words that have changed with time obsequious (ob-SEE-kwee-uhs, uhb-) adjective Behaving in an ingratiating or servile manner. [Earlier the word meant obedient or dutiful, with no connotations of fawning. Over time it has taken a negative turn. From Latin obsequiosus (compliant), from obsequi (to comply), from ob- (to) + sequi (follow), which also gave us obsequy https://wordsmith.org/words/obsequy.html . Earliest documented use: 1447.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/obsequious "The staff has the sense of hospitality without being obsequious." Bill Clapper; Sushi and Sake Equal A Satisfying Experience; Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts); Apr 24, 2014. "I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, and obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board." -Henry David Thoreau -------- Date: Wed Jul 30 00:01:02 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--restive X-Bonus: The man who is denied the opportunity of taking decisions of importance begins to regard as important the decisions he is allowed to take. -C. Northcote Parkinson, author and historian (1909-1993) This week's theme: Words that have changed with time restive (RES-tiv) adjective Restless, uneasy. [From Middle French rester (to remain), from Latin restare (to remain standing). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sta- (to stand), which is also the source of stay, stage, stable, instant, establish, static, system, stet https://wordsmith.org/words/stet.html and nihil obstat https://wordsmith.org/words/nihil_obstat.html . Earliest documented use: 1549.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/restive Earlier the word meant refusing to go forward, as in a restive horse. Over time the word shifted in meaning and now it means the opposite. Instead of "unable to advance", now it means "unable to remain still". "The more than 500,000 small-scale coffee farmers are restive. Last month thousands marched though Manizales, the capital of the coffee-belt, demanding more government help and a shake-up of the federation." Bitter Grounds; The Economist (London, UK); Sep 15, 2012. -------- Date: Thu Jul 31 00:01:03 EDT 2014 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--garble X-Bonus: It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. -J.K. Rowling, author (b. 1965) This week's theme: Words that have changed with time garble (GAHR-buhl) verb tr.: To distort a message, document, transmission, etc. noun: An instance of garbling. [Originally the word meant to sift, for example to remove refuse from spices. With time its meaning became distorted to what it is now. From Old Italian garbellare (to sift), from Arabic gharbala (to select). Earliest documented use: 1483.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/garble "Divers can 'talk' under water but as they are unable to move their lips freely due to their mouthpieces the words are garbled." Deep; The Helsinki Times (Finland); Jul 19, 2014.