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

Home Today's Word Yesterday's Word Archives FAQ

Discuss Email this Feedback RSS/XML Permalink A.Word.A.Day--lagniappe What does the 'lute' of a musician have in common with the Norwegian sea monster 'kraken' and 'lariat' of a cowboy? All three words come with a built-in definite article. The word lute is from Arabic al 'ud (the wood), kraken has the suffixed Norwegian definite article (-en), and lariat is from Spanish la reata (the rope). Words reveal buried civilizations. Begin digging and you come across layers of history. Passage of time muddies the original form of words and when we borrow them from another language, we don't realize that they're already hitched to an article before we add a new one. Well, you don't have to hop across languages or travel through time to see this kind of redundancy in action. We have the ATM machine and the VAT tax and AC current in the English language. This week we feature five more words that come with a packaged definite article. lagniappe (lan-YAP, LAN-yap) noun An unexpected benefit, especially a small gift a customer receives with a purchase. [From Louisiana French, from American Spanish la ñapa (the gift), from Quechua yapa (something added).] Today's word in Visual Thesaurus. -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Of little consequence, a tiny lagniappe and a green salad came compliments of the house." M.H. Reed; In Ossining, a Restaurant With a Past; The New York Times; Sep 23, 2001. X-Bonus Do something for somebody every day for which you do not get paid. -Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, Nobel laureate (1875-1965)

Just released: A new book: The Dord, the Diglot, and an Avocado or Two: The Hidden Lives and Strange Origins of Common and Not-So-Common Words Subscribe: Sign up to receive A.Word.A.Day in your mailbox every day. "The most welcomed, most enduring piece of daily mass e-mail in cyberspace." -The New York Times 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