This week’s theme
Coined words

This week’s words
kinesics
agnostic
googol
inscape
blurb


This week’s comments
AWADmail 834

Next week’s theme
Words from politics

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(bluhrb)

MEANING:

noun: A short description of a creative work, such as a book, film, etc. used for promotional purposes.
verb tr.: To write a brief description of a creative work.

ETYMOLOGY:

Coined by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) for promoting his book Are You a Bromide?. The dust jacket of this book featured a Miss Belinda Blurb singing its praises. Earliest documented use: 1907.

USAGE:

“If you like sustained discomfort you’ll love this one [Our Kind of Cruelty]. In the cover blurb, Gone Girl’s Gillian Flynn calls it ‘one of the nastiest and most disturbing thrillers I’ve read in years.’ Bring it on.”
Sarah Murdoch; Arrivals; Toronto Star (Canada); May 19, 2018.

See more usage examples of blurb in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: