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This week's theme Words from Darwin and Lincoln This week's words propinquity conduce interdict sanguine irascible Today's word in Visual Thesaurus From the Net Darwin's First Clues Unfinished Business Next week's theme Bird words Discuss Feedback RSS/XML A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg irascible PRONUNCIATION: (i-RAS-uh-buhl) MEANING: adjective: 1. Quick-tempered. 2. Showing anger or resulting from anger. ETYMOLOGY: From Latin irascibilis (quick to anger), from irasci (to grow angry), from ira (anger). Ultimately from the Indo-European root eis- (passion), which is also the source of irate, ire, hierarchy, hieroglyphic, and estrogen. USAGE: "Mr. Weir concludes from his large experience that the erection of the feathers is caused much more by anger than by fear. He gives as an instance a hybrid goldfinch of a most irascible disposition, which when approached too closely by a servant, instantly assumes the appearance of a ball of ruffled feathers." Charles Darwin; The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals; 1872. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Myth: we have to save the earth. Frankly, the earth doesn't need to be saved. Nature doesn't give a hoot if human beings are here or not. The planet has survived cataclysmic and catastrophic changes for millions upon millions of years. Over that time, it is widely believed, 99 percent of all species have come and gone while the planet has remained. Saving the environment is really about saving our environment - making it safe for ourselves, our children, and the world as we know it. If more people saw the issue as one of saving themselves, we would probably see increased motivation and commitment to actually do so. -Robert M. Lilienfeld, management consultant and author (b. 1953) and William L. Rathje, archaeologist and author (b. 1945)

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