A.Word.A.Day Archives
from https://wordsmith.org/awad
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Date: Wed Apr 1 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Areopagus
X-Bonus: Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it. -Milan Kundera, novelist, playwright, and poet (b. 1 Apr 1929)
This week's theme: Words coined after mountains and hills
Areopagus (ar-ee-AHP/OP-uh-guhs) noun
A high court.
[Via Latin, from Greek Areios pagos (hill of Ares, the Greek god of war),
from Areios (of Ares) + pagos (hill), from pegnunai (to fasten or stiffen).
In ancient Greece, Areios pagos was the site where the highest governmental
council met. Later it turned into a judicial body. Earliest documented use:
1642.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Areopagus
The Areopagus, as viewed from the Acropolis https://wordsmith.org/words/images/areopagus_large.jpg
Photo: O. Mustafin / Wikimedia
"In a sense the Irish church is approaching an Areopagus of its own.
We are called before the bar of true faith."
Paschal Scallon; Letters; America (New York); Sep 10, 2007.
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Date: Thu Apr 2 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Everest
X-Bonus: You see, war is not the answer / For only love can conquer hate. / You know we've got to find a way / To bring some lovin' here today. -Marvin Gaye, singer and songwriter (2 Apr 1939-1984)
This week's theme: Words coined after mountains and hills
Everest (EV-uh-ruhst/rest) noun
The highest point of something: achievement, ambition, challenge, etc.
[After Mount Everest, the highest mountain (8,848 m) on the Earth (above
sea level) in the Himalayas https://wordsmith.org/words/himalayan.html .
The mountain is named after George Everest (1790-1866), Surveyor-General
of India. Earliest documented use: 1909.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/everest_large.jpg
Photo: Ralf Kayser https://www.flickr.com/photos/68443716@N03/7214564124
"[Joyce Yang's] recital ended with Liszt's Piano Sonata, a half-hour,
single-movement piece that still ranks as an Everest of difficulty
for pianists."
Terry Blain; A Piano Star Lights up Liszt with Pyrotechnic Technique;
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota); Feb 4, 2020.
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Date: Fri Apr 3 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Pelion
X-Bonus: Never bear more than one trouble at a time. Some people bear three kinds -- all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have. -Edward Everett Hale, author (3 Apr 1822-1909)
This week's theme: Words coined after mountains and hills
Pelion (PEE-lee-uhn) noun
A huge or difficult task.
[After Mount Pelion, a mountain in Greece. Earliest documented use: 1560.]
NOTES: In Greek mythology, the twins Otus and Ephialtes piled Mount Pelion
on Mount Ossa and both on Mount Olympus in an attempt to reach heaven and
attack the gods. The word is mainly used in the idiom "to pile Pelion upon
Ossa" meaning to make a challenging task even more difficult by piling
something on top of it.
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pelion_large.jpg
Photo: Heidi B / Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Pelion#/media/File:Pilion_with_monastery_pau.JPG
"But children nowadays are subjected to new habit-forming pressures that
pile Pelion on their Ossa."
Theodore Dalrymple; I Blame the Parents; The Spectator (London, UK);
Mar 21, 2015.
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Date: Mon Apr 6 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Mae West
X-Bonus: Conscience is a dog that does not stop us from passing but that we cannot prevent from barking. -Nicolas de Chamfort, writer (6 Apr 1741-1794)
Benjamin Franklin once said, "If you would not be forgotten as soon as you
are gone, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing."
As it happens, Ben did both. He wrote things worth reading (we still quote
him) and he did things worth writing (Wikipedia summarizes him as a writer,
printer, political philosopher, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor,
humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat).
But there's a third and a fourth way too. If you would not be forgotten as
soon as you are gone, coin a word or have a word coined after you. He has
the word benjamin (a $100 bill) https://wordsmith.org/words/benjamin.html
coined after him. Also Franklin's rod (lightning-conductor) and Franklin
stove (a cast-iron stove).
A word coined after a person is known as an eponym, from Greek ep- (after)
+ -onym (name). Become an eponym and you live forever in the language. In
this week's A.Word.A.Day we feature words coined after people, from history,
fiction, mythology, and more.
Mae West (may WEST) noun
An inflatable life jacket.
[After actress, singer, and playwright Mae West (1893-1980), from the
apparent resemblance of an inflated vest to her large bust. Earliest
documented use: 1940.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Mae%20West
Mae West in the film "Night After Night" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mae_west_large.jpg
Image: Paramount Pictures / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_After_Night_(film)#/media/File:Night_After_Night.jpg
Astronaut Richard A. Mastracchio depends on his Mae West during an emergency bailout exercise
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mae_west_vest_large.jpg
Photo: NASA https://flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/9374199992/
"Although she never did learn to swim, she donned her Mae West and loved
to fish."
Laura Rouse; The Poughkeepsie Journal (New York); Jul 15, 2014.
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Date: Tue Apr 7 00:01:04 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Adonic
X-Bonus: You've got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any damn body's sermon on how to behave. -Billie Holiday, jazz singer and songwriter (7 Apr 1915-1959)
This week's theme: Eponyms
Adonic (uh-DAH/DOH-nik) adjective
Strikingly handsome.
[After Adonis https://wordsmith.org/words/adonis.html , a very handsome
youth in Greek mythology. There's a verb coined after him, as well: adonize
https://wordsmith.org/words/adonize.html . Earliest documented use: 1579.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Adonic
Venus and Adonis https://wordsmith.org/words/images/adonic_large.jpg
Art: Jean-Hugues Taraval (1729-1785) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_of_Venus_(Aphrodite)_and_Adonis#/media/File:Venus_and_Adonis_(Jean_Hugues_Taraval)_-_Nationalmuseum_-_17891.tif
"The back cover of 'Thanks a Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite' shows [Roger Daltrey]
in all his tousle-haired, bare-chested, early-70s Adonic glory."
Tony Fletcher; The Hardest-Working Man in Rock; The Wall Street Journal
(New York); Dec 15, 2018.
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Date: Wed Apr 8 00:01:04 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vandal
X-Bonus: Life is short, short, brother! / Ain't it the truth? / And there is no other / Ain't it the truth? / You gotta rock that rainbow while you still got your youth! -Yip Harburg, lyricist (8 Apr 1896-1981)
This week's theme: Eponyms
vandal (VAN-dl) noun
One who willfully damages another's property.
[After Vandals, a Germanic tribe who overran Gaul, Spain, and northern
Africa, and in 455 CE sacked Rome. Earliest documented use: 1555.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/vandal
"Sack of Rome" (steel engraving) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/vandal_large.jpg
Art: Heinrich Leutemann (1824-1904) https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandals#/media/File:Heinrich_Leutemann,_Pl%C3%BCnderung_Roms_durch_die_Vandalen_(c._1860%E2%80%931880).jpg
"Whether true Conservatives can save their party from such vandals is
one of the great political issues of our time."
On Parliamentarians Talented, Vainglorious, Entertaining, and Anarchic;
The Economist (London, UK); Apr 5, 2019.
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Date: Thu Apr 9 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nimrodize
X-Bonus: Imagine a world in which generations of human beings come to believe that certain films were made by God or that specific software was coded by him. Imagine a future in which millions of our descendants murder each other over rival interpretations of Star Wars or Windows 98. Could anything -- anything -- be more ridiculous? And yet, this would be no more ridiculous than the world we are living in. -Sam Harris, author (b. 9 Apr 1967)
This week's theme: Eponyms
nimrodize (NIM-ruh-dyz) verb intr.
To behave like a tyrant.
[Nimrod https://wordsmith.org/words/nimrod.html was a great-grandson of
Noah's, according to the Bible. He was a hunter and an evil tyrannical
king. Earliest documented use: 1614.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nimrodize_large.jpg
Art: David Scott, 1832 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Scott_(painter)#/media/File:Nimrod_(painting).jpg
"And for a crowne who would not Nimrodize."
Christopher Brooke; The Complete Poems of Christopher Brooke; 1872.
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Date: Fri Apr 10 00:01:04 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Chadband
X-Bonus: Joy is the best makeup. -Anne Lamott, writer (b. 10 Apr 1954)
This week's theme: Eponyms
Chadband (CHAD-band) noun
An oily, hypocritical person.
[After Rev. Mr. Chadband, a greedy preacher in Charles Dickens's 1853
novel "Bleak House". Earliest documented use: 1853.]
Jo, a homeless boy, and Rev. Chadband https://wordsmith.org/words/images/chadband_large.jpg
Illustration: Kyd (Joseph Clayton Clarke) (1856-1937)
"'Peace, maid-servants and men-servants,' said he, after the manner of
Chadband. 'There is no need for alarm. I am a stranger, and you must
take me in.'"
Fergus Hume; The Millionaire Mystery; Chatto & Windus; 1901.
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Date: Mon Apr 13 00:01:04 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rad
X-Bonus: Go to where the silence is and say something. -Amy Goodman, investigative journalist, columnist and author (b. 13 Apr 1957)
What if I told you that the word mob is a trimmed form of
the word mobile (from Latin mobile vulgus: fickle crowd)? That van is
a sheared-off part of caravan, bus of omnibus, and wig of periwig?
Linguists call it clipping. It works both ways: you can clip the front part
or the rear. Taxi is short for taxicab, which is short for taximeter cab,
and cab is short for cabriolet, which is French for a goat's leap, from
cabrioler "to leap in the air". If you think your taxi ride is bumpy now,
try to imagine how it was back then.
Sometimes clipped forms are respelled, for example, bae (short for baby/babe,
a term of endearment).
This week we'll see five terms formed by the process of clipping. If these
clipped forms bother you, don't let them. You use such words all the time:
ad, bra, auto, bike, lab, and so on. If your objection is that these
clippings are newfangled teen talk, well, each of this week's words, in
its clipped form, has been around since at least the 1800s.
rad (rad)
noun: One who advocates fundamental or far-reaching change or reform.
adjective: Extraordinary; wonderful; fashionable; hip; cool.
[From shortening of radical, from Latin radix (root). Ultimately from the
Indo-European root wrad- (branch, root), which also gave us radish, root,
rutabaga, eradicate, and ramify. Earliest documented use: 1820 for noun,
1976 for adjective.]
"'Are you sure you want to get mixed up with these rads?'
'These rads probably have the right idea.' She unlocked her bike.
'Our water is very important. People don't seem to realize we can't
live without clean water.'"
Joyce and Jim Lavene; Perfect Poison; Penguin; 2008.
"'Steep': Extreme skiers hurl themselves down precipices and discuss
how totally rad their sport is."
Phelim O'Neill; DVD Releases; The Guardian (London, UK); Dec 20, 2008.
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Date: Tue Apr 14 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--phiz
X-Bonus: Civilizations in decline are consistently characterised by a tendency towards standardization and uniformity. -Arnold Toynbee, historian (14 Apr 1889-1975)
This week's theme: Words formed by clipping
phiz (fiz) noun
Face; facial expression.
[A shortening/respelling of physiognomy (face, expression), via French and
Latin from Greek physiognomonia. Ultimately from the Indo-European root gno- (to
know), which also gave us know, can, notorious, notice, connoisseur,
recognize, diagnosis, ignore, annotate, noble, narrate, anagnorisis
(the moment of recognition) https://wordsmith.org/words/anagnorisis.html ,
gnomon (the raised arm of a sundial) https://wordsmith.org/words/gnomon.html ,
gnomic (puzzling) https://wordsmith.org/words/gnomic.html , and
agnostic https://wordsmith.org/words/agnostic.html .
Earliest documented use: 1687.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/phiz
"Elvira, no great beauty, did possess a somewhat long and equine phiz --
although it was cruel of Luperini to mention it."
Paul Di Filippo; Monarch of the Feast; Analog Science Fiction & Fact
(New York); Jul/Aug 2019.
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Date: Wed Apr 15 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pleb
X-Bonus: The greatest analgesic, soporific, stimulant, tranquilizer, narcotic, and to some extent even antibiotic -- in short, the closest thing to a genuine panacea -- known to medical science is work. -Thomas Szasz, author, professor of psychiatry (15 Apr 1920-2012)
This week's theme: Words formed by clipping
pleb (pleb) noun
1. A commoner, one belonging to the working class.
2. An uncultured or unsophisticated person.
3. A person of low social status.
[Short for plebeian, from Latin plebeius (of the common people), from plebs
(common people). Earliest documented use: 1795.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pleb
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pleb_large.jpg
Photo: Pedro Figueiredo https://www.flickr.com/photos/pfig/8106073182/
NOTES: In 2012, the British MP Andrew Mitchell resigned when it was reported
that he called a police officer this word. There's more to the story and the
incident has come to be known as Plebgate https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/27/plebgate-andrew-mitchell-explain-non-brits
"For Cicero, free speech was the prerogative of the 'best men' in the
Senate, not the plebs."
Jacob Mchangama; Even Noxious Ideas Need Airing -- Censorship Only Makes
Them Stronger; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 31, 2020.
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Date: Thu Apr 16 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--divvy
X-Bonus: Once we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our mind, our one duty is to furnish it well. -Peter Ustinov, actor, writer, and director (16 Apr 1921-2004)
This week's theme: Words formed by clipping
divvy (DIV-ee)
verb tr.: To divide and share.
noun: Dividend; share.
[A shortening of dividend, from Latin dividere (to divide), from dis- (apart)
+ -videre (to separate). Earliest documented use: 1872.]
noun: A foolish person.
adjective: Foolish.
[Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1975.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/divvy
"They have tried to fairly divvy up shifts among the deli's eight employees
and also gave employees the chance to stay home with no repercussions."
Bryce Airgood; Building Owner Tells Deli Not to Pay Rent: Says to Use
April Money to Pay Its Staff Instead; Times Herald (Port Huron, Michigan);
Mar 26, 2020.
"'Why would you tell people not to go there but leave the pubs open? It's
a bit silly. I think the prime minister's a bit of a divvy,' said Melissa
Parker."
Josh Halliday, et al; "We Can't Afford to Shut": PM's Covid-19 Advice
Leaves Pubs and Shops in Limbo; The Guardian (London, UK); Mar 17, 2020.
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Date: Fri Apr 17 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--phenom
X-Bonus: Everybody's talking about people breaking into houses but there are more people in the world who want to break out of houses. -Thornton Wilder, writer (17 Apr 1897-1975)
This week's theme: Words formed by clipping
phenom (FEE-nom, fi-NOM) noun
A person of outstanding ability or promise.
[Shortening of phenomenon, from Latin phaenomenon, from Greek phainomenon
(appearance), from phainesthai (to appear), from phainein (to show).
Earliest documented use: 1881.]
"Can art assume consciousness? The New York-based phenom Ian Cheng has
described his digital simulations as 'video games that play themselves.'"
Andrea K. Scott; Spring Preview; The New Yorker; Mar 13, 2017.
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Date: Mon Apr 20 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--perforce
X-Bonus: Oh, the comfort -- the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person -- having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away. -Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, poet and novelist (20 Apr 1826-1887)
Reader Mary J. Dickenson of Kingston, Canada, wrote:
I had a friend many years ago whose sister had a baby. She named him Bradly.
To this day, whenever I hear the name Bradley I think of that poor kid
whose parents, unwittingly, adverbed a perfectly solid name. Also, my first
husband's introduction to creative spelling as a teacher was a student named
Jewelly. I still giggle about it.
The naming of a child with an adverbial name is not unheard of, though not
very common (read about a flight attendant named Frankly https://wordsmith.org/words/deasil.html).
If you're expecting a baby and adverbially inclined, you don't have to
limit yourself to -ly words. Consider this week's adverbs, some -ly,
others non-ly.
perforce (puhr-FORS) adverb
Out of necessity.
[From Old French par force (by force), from par (by) + force, from Latin per
(by) and fortis (strong). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhergh-
(high), which also gave us iceberg, borough, burg, burglar, fortify, force,
belfry https://wordsmith.org/words/belfry.html ,
bourgeois https://wordsmith.org/words/bourgeois.html ,
inselberg https://wordsmith.org/words/inselberg.html , and
sforzando https://wordsmith.org/words/sforzando.html .
Earliest documented use: 1330.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/perforce
"Mr Gryseels, like many modern museum bosses, is perforce a canny diplomat."
The Burden of History; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 8, 2018.
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Date: Tue Apr 21 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--totes
X-Bonus: When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (21 Apr 1838-1914)
This week's theme: Adverbs
totes (tohts) adverb
Totally; absolutely; definitely.
[A shortening of totally, from total, from Latin totus (whole, entire).
Earliest documented use: 2006.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/totes.jpg
Photo: Amazon https://amazon.com/dp/B07XKG54DR/ws00-20
"Good for her for not pretending that everything is totes amazeballs."
Ann Wason Moore; How Giving Birth Can Be Blissful; The Gold Coast Bulletin
(Southport, Australia); Jan 6, 2018.
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Date: Wed Apr 22 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cumbrously
X-Bonus: The voice of conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it. -Madame De Stael, writer (22 Apr 1766-1817)
This week's theme: Adverbs
cumbrously (KUHM-bruhs-lee) adverb
In an awkward or ponderous manner.
[From Old French encombrer (to hinder), from combre (dam). Earliest
documented use: 1401.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/cumbrously.gif
Image: BBC/Giphy https://giphy.com/gifs/walking-penguin-waddling-XZn9yRAjnVEQ0
"Mr. Chadband moves softly and cumbrously, not unlike a bear who has
been taught to walk upright."
Charles Dickens; Bleak House; Bradbury & Evans; 1853.
https://wordsmith.org/words/chadband.html
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Date: Thu Apr 23 00:01:04 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--askance
X-Bonus: But man, proud man, / Drest in a little brief authority, / Most ignorant of what he's most assured, / His glassy essence, like an angry ape, / Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven / As make the angels weep. -William Shakespeare, playwright and poet (23 Apr 1564-1616)
This week's theme: Adverbs
askance (uh-SKANS) adverb
1. With suspicion or disapproval.
2. With a side glance.
[Origin unknown. Earliest documented use: 1530.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/askance
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/askance_large.jpg
Image: https://imgflip.com/i/rbzln
The story behind the meme https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-34678592
"We tend to look askance at anyone showing symptoms of national fervour.
We are not comfortable with outward displays of our pride in Australia
and we question the wisdom and the need for individuals to express
their national pride by flying the Australian flag."
Graham Richardson; Voters Would Back Action -- If They Were to See Any;
The Australian (Canberra); Feb 21, 2020.
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Date: Fri Apr 24 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--natch
X-Bonus: For what is a poem but a hazardous attempt at self-understanding: it is the deepest part of autobiography. -Robert Penn Warren, novelist and poet (24 Apr 1905-1989)
This week's theme: Adverbs
natch (nach) adverb
Naturally; of course.
[Shortening and alteration of naturally, from natural, from Latin natura
(nature), from nasci (to be born). Earliest documented use: 1945.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/natch.gif
Comic: Johnny Ryan & Shep Shanks
Read the whole comic at Vice Comics https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/jmdmbx/ryan-comic-493-v17n8
"Kate Morgenroth's debut novel, 'Kill Me First', is a wholly fresh and
absorbing work ... [The killer] gathers the residents of a nursing home
together, pairs them up, and then asks each to choose whom he should kill,
the questionee or their partner. All conform to expectations (kill the
other guy!) except one woman named Sarah, who says (natch) 'kill me first'."
Whodunit, and Why; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 19, 1999.
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Date: Mon Apr 27 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ambivert
X-Bonus: The being cannot be termed rational or virtuous, who obeys any authority, but that of reason. -Mary Wollstonecraft, reformer and writer (27 Apr 1759-1797)
We bump into people as we go on with our lives, at work, as neighbors,
in relationships, as aisle-mates on a flight, and more. Some associations
are like ships passing in an ocean, lasting for a few moments, others for
a lifetime.
Each person is unique, a unique combination of talents, likes, viewpoints,
and more. It's hard to sum up a whole person by a single word, but we are not
limited to a single word. In this week's A.Word.A.Day we give you five
words to describe people. Does anyone come to mind who fits one or more of these
attributes? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/ambivert.html
or email us at words@wordsmith.org.
ambivert (AM-bi-vuhrt) noun
One having the characteristics of both an extrovert and an introvert.
[From Latin ambi- (both) + -vert (as in introvert/extrovert), from vertere
(to turn). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wer- (to turn or bend),
which also gave us wring, weird, writhe, worth, revert, universe,
animadvert https://wordsmith.org/words/animadvert.html ,
divers https://wordsmith.org/words/divers.html ,
quaquaversal https://wordsmith.org/words/quaquaversal.html ,
obverse https://wordsmith.org/words/obverse.html ,
obvert https://wordsmith.org/words/obvert.html , and
verso https://wordsmith.org/words/verso.html .
Earliest documented use: 1923.]
NOTES: An ambivert is one who can be an extrovert or an introvert depending
on the situation. For example, with family or close friends one can be
open and outgoing while being reserved in the presence of strangers.
Also, an ambivert can refer to someone who falls somewhere between the
two extremes and shows some tendencies of each.
"Being an ambivert, I speak very less or nothing at unknown people and
a lot at close ones."
Sasidhar Kareti; Unconditional Uncommitted; Notion Press; 2018.
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Date: Tue Apr 28 00:01:03 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hapless
X-Bonus: People don't alter history any more than birds alter the sky, they just make brief patterns in it. -Terry Pratchett, novelist (Apr 28 1948-2015)
This week's theme: Words to describe people
hapless (HAP-lis) adjective
Unfortunate.
[From Old Norse happ (good luck) + less, from Old English laes (without).
Earliest documented use: 1400.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hapless
"Sticking his gun into the patrolman's abdomen, Chuck once more pulled
the trigger, and again the gun didn't fire. By then O'Sullivan had
joined the fray, and the officers arrested the hapless gunman."
Matthew Bernstein; The Fix Is In; Wild West (Leesburg, Virginia); Jun 2020.
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Date: Wed Apr 29 00:01:04 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--superbious
X-Bonus: I don't need time. What I need is a deadline. -Duke Ellington, jazz pianist, composer, and conductor (29 Apr 1899-1974)
This week's theme: Words to describe people
superbious (su-PUHR-bee-uhs) adjective
Proud; insolent.
[From Latin superbiosus (proud or insolent), from superbia (pride), from
superbus (superb, proud). Earliest documented use: 1509.]
"I find myself a superbious match,
That, of course, being me.
I made my mind up long ago:
I am what is best for me and all those with me.
Nobody else, just me."
Cameron Mcnaughton; Imaginings; AuthorHouse; 2019.
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Date: Thu Apr 30 00:01:05 EDT 2020
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hoary
X-Bonus: I learn that ten percent of all the world's species are parasitic insects. It is hard to believe. What if you were an inventor, and you made ten percent of your inventions in such a way that they could only work by harnessing, disfiguring, or totally destroying the other ninety percent? -Annie Dillard, author (b. 30 Apr 1945)
This week's theme: Words to describe people
hoary (HOHR-ee) adjective
1. Gray or white, as from age.
2. Ancient.
3. Trite.
[From hoar (frost), from Old English har. Earliest documented use: 1530.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hoary
"They are a cool blend of youth and experience, with a couple of hoary
veterans to keep the kids from spinning into space."
Brad Rock; Jazz Dreaming of a Blazing Future; Deseret News (Salt Lake
City, Utah); Dec 9, 2013.