A.Word.A.Day		About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us

Home Today's Word Yesterday's Word Archives FAQ

This week's theme Verbs This week's words dissimulate cadge pretermit wend brachiate Today's word in Visual Thesaurus A gibbon (photo: Jeff L. Milsteen) This week's mail AWADmail Next week's theme Fabric words used metaphorically Discuss Feedback RSS/XML A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg brachiate PRONUNCIATION: (verb: BRAY-kee-ayt, BRAK-ee-ayt, adjective: BRAY-kee-it, BRAK-ee-it) MEANING: verb intr.: To move by swinging from one hold to another by using arms. adjective: Having arms. ETYMOLOGY: From Latin brachiatus (having arms), from brachium (arm), from Greek brakhion (upper arm). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mregh-u- (short) that is also the source of brief, abbreviate, abridge, brassiere, and brumal. USAGE: "Thick-furred, with a red face, the monkey moves by sprawling out and brachiating from branch to branch through the high forest canopy." Roger Rosenblatt; Earth's Green Gown; Time (New York); Jun 17, 2004. "The new superfriends head out on their first missions: the isotope feint and a related museum heist, which allows Sydney to dress in cat-burglar clothes and brachiate around an unguarded exhibition." Virginia Heffernan; Yet More of One Face in Season 4 of 'Alias'; The New York Times; Jan 5, 2005. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Prison: Young Crime's finishing school. -Clara Lucas Balfour, social activist (1808-1878)

A.Word.A.Day by email: Subscribe "The most welcomed, most enduring piece of daily mass e-mail in cyberspace." Sponsored by: Give the Gift of Words Share the magic of words. Send a gift subscription of A.Word.A.Day. Anu on Words: Writer Magazine Globe & Mail Interact: Bulletin board Wordsmith Talk Moderated Chat Wordsmith Chat Readers' Voice AWADmail