A.Word.A.Day --sang-froid

A.Word.A.Day

Home

Jan 14, 2013

This week's theme
Words derived from bodily fluids

This week's words
sang-froid
lymphatic
seminal
salivate
melancholy

Spread the joy of words
Send a gift subscription
It's free.

Discuss

Feedback

RSS/XML

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

Blood may be the best-known fluid in the human body, but it's not the only one. And it's not the largest either (there's about twice as much lymph). There are dozens of fluids in the human body and they all have their purposes in life. Even the lowly cerumen (that's a highfalutin word for earwax) helps to protect the ear from bacteria.

This week we'll be exchanging bodily fluids with you, metaphorically speaking. All five words we've picked this week are coined from fluids that make our body work.

sang-froid

PRONUNCIATION:

(san*-FRWA)

[* the first syllable is nasal]

MEANING:

noun: Calmness, especially under stress.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French sang-froid (cold blood). Earliest documented use: 1750.

USAGE:

"We can take a lot more, we the stoic nation with its legendary sang-froid."
S. Prasannarajan; Shame el-Sheikh; India Today (New Delhi); Aug 3, 2009.

See more usage examples of sang-froid in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

There are two kinds of light -- the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures. -James Thurber, writer and cartoonist (1894-1961)

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