Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ


Jun 22, 2009
This week's theme
Miscellaneous words

This week's words
eleemosynary
obloquy
palliate
countervail
excoriate

Missed a word?
Check the archives
chronological
alphabetical
thematic
or
search the site
Discuss
Feedback
RSS/XML
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

Have you ever taken a vacation that's planned to every nanosecond? At 9:37 we visit the Garden of Standonburg and spend an hour and 18 minutes there, then we reach the Pamponi Museum at 11:09, and then .... Well, that's not a vacation, is it? Sometimes it's best to let yourself roam through what may come, with no plan, no schedule, no rules, no aim, and nothing to guide except a free mind and open heart.

This week's AWAD is prepared in just that spirit. A word tickles our fancy and leads us to some others that bring forth new sights. We skip some of them, move ahead or perhaps take a leisurely stroll through the dictionary. There's nothing common among the words selected -- at least as far as we know. There's no theme to constrain our word choices during the next five days. Or maybe that's the theme.

eleemosynary

PRONUNCIATION:
(el-uh-MOS-uh-ner-ee, el-ee-, -MOZ-)

MEANING:
adjective: Relating to charity.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin eleemosynarius, from eleemosyna (alms), from Greek eleemosyne (pity, charity), from eleemon (pitiful), from eleos (pity).

USAGE:
"The Guzmans started their non-profit organization, Path of Hope Foundation, 18 years ago. Their single goal: to care for the poor who live near their corner. The Thanksgiving dinner is one of their eleemosynary events."
Lynn Seeden; Free Thanksgiving Dinner Feeds 1,400; Orange County Register (Santa Ana, California); Dec 4, 2003.

See more usage examples of eleemosynary in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
To freely bloom - that is my definition of success. -Gerry Spence, lawyer (b. 1929)

What they say

“A trawl through the site’s archive yields all kinds of delights.”
Read more

The Observer


More articles

Anu Garg on words

“Browsing the OED is the idea of a perfect day for me.”

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2025 Wordsmith