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Jan 23, 2017
This week’s theme
Miscellaneous words

This week’s words
quotidian
effluvium
ineffable
visage
inexorable

“You have to fall in love with hanging around words.” ~John Ciardi
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

To dehumidify is the opposite of humidify, but to devote is not the opposite of vote. To take is the antonym of to give, but caretaker and caregiver are synonyms. We add -er and -est to a word to make its comparative and superlative, but temper and tempest are not the comparative and superlative of temp.

English language learners around the world: you have my sympathy. I believe the language was designed as a secret handshake. Wouldn’t want everyone to learn the code so easily!

This week I have picked five random words from the code book of this language. Five* down, 999,995 more to go. Don’t let this discourage you. Google is working on the Enigma machine to break the code.

*Or 5000, if you have been with us since the beginning in 1994

quotidian

PRONUNCIATION:
(kwo-TID-ee-uhn)

MEANING:
adjective: 1. Commonplace; ordinary. 2. Occurring every day.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Old French cotidian, from Latin quotidianus/cotidianus, from quotidie (each day), from quot (how many). Earliest documented use: 1393.

USAGE:
“He seemed to soar in his contempt for the quotidian. ‘I daresay her highs will be sweet highs, and her lows, will be inexorable.’”
Carrie Chang; Fork and Spoon; Xlibris; 2016.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin. -Samuel Adams, revolutionary (1722-1803)

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