A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Aug 3 00:01:07 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--micturate X-Bonus: The world is changed not by the self-regarding, but by men and women prepared to make fools of themselves. -P.D. James, novelist (3 Aug 1920-2014) Using short Anglo-Saxon words is preferable than long Latinate terms, but there's a use for everything. While being direct is a good policy in general, there are times when you want to avoid spelling it out bluntly and use a polysyllabic word instead. Think 'expectorate' https://wordsmith.org/words/expectorate.html instead of 'spit', for example. This week we'll feature Latin terms for some everyday actions. We typically use four-letter words for these actions in day-to-day use, but in polite company you may want to use this week's words instead. micturate (MIK-chuh-rayt, MIK-tuh-) verb intr. To urinate. [From Latin micturire (to want to urinate), from meiere (to urinate). Ultimately from the Indo-European root meigh- (to urinate), which also gave us mist, thrush, and mistletoe. Earliest documented use: 1842.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/micturate The Princess and the Pee https://wordsmith.org/words/images/micturate_large.jpg Cartoon: Ivan Kaminoff https://www.flickr.com/photos/ikaminoff/14930470459/ "Michael Owen, formerly a soccer player, will not spend a penny unnecessarily. 'Don't care how much I'm bursting,' he tweets, 'I refuse to pay 20p to have a wee at a train station.' One applauds his thriftiness while simultaneously wondering what he does in the circumstances to relieve himself. One also wonders when he found himself in this frightful situation. When last I needed to micturate on railway premises, the going rate was an inflation-busting, wallet-hammering 30p." Alan Taylor; How Would Rabbie Burns Vote in the Referendum?; Sunday Herald (Glasgow, Scotland); Feb 9, 2014. -------- Date: Tue Aug 4 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--osculate X-Bonus: Ah! what a divine religion might be found out if charity were really made the principle of it instead of faith. -Percy Bysshe Shelley, poet (4 Aug 1792-1822) This week's theme: Unusual verbs for everyday actions osculate (OS-kyuh-layt) verb tr.: To kiss. verb intr.: To touch or to bring together. [From Latin osculatus, past participle of osculari (to kiss), from osculum (kiss; literally, little mouth), diminutive form of os (mouth). Ultimately from the Indo-European root os- (mouth), which also gave us usher, oral, orifice, oscillate, os https://wordsmith.org/words/os.html , and ostiary https://wordsmith.org/words/ostiary.html . Earliest documented use: 1656.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/osculate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/osculate_large.jpg Cartoon: Joker magazine, Feb 1961, via retrothing.com "Angrat enjoyed the rest of their day in the swamp, as Beneficent grabbed one frog after another and eagerly osculated each amphibian on its little froggy nose. As always, Angrat marveled at her sister's eagerness to embrace any tall tale. Nothing came out of the smooches." D.E. Park; Unwashed Fiction; Lulu Press; 2015. -------- Date: Wed Aug 5 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--regurgitate X-Bonus: Every government has as much of a duty to avoid war as a ship's captain has to avoid a shipwreck. -Guy de Maupassant, short story writer and novelist (5 Aug 1850-1893) This week's theme: Unusual verbs for everyday actions regurgitate (ri-GUHR-ji-tayt) verb tr. 1. To bring up undigested food through the mouth. 2. To repeat something without understanding it. [From Latin regurgitare (to overflow or flow back), from re- (again) + gurgitare (to flood), from gurges (whirlpool). Earliest documented use: 1578.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/regurgitate Ad�lie Penguin regurgitates krill for its chick https://wordsmith.org/words/images/regurgitate_large.jpg Photo: Liam Quinn https://www.flickr.com/photos/liamq/5917753158/ "Ms Kendall appears to have swallowed this argument whole and regurgitated it in ill-digested chunks." Silence of the Lambs; The Times (London, UK); Jul 27, 2015. -------- Date: Thu Aug 6 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--masticate X-Bonus: There are none so sour as those who are sweet to order. -Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues, essayist (6 Aug 1715-1747) This week's theme: Unusual verbs for everyday actions masticate (MAS-ti-kayt) verb tr., intr. 1. To chew. 2. To reduce to pulp by crushing and grinding. [From Latin masticare (to chew), from Greek mastikhan (to gnash the teeth). Earliest documented use: 1562. A synonym of this word is fletcherize https://wordsmith.org/words/fletcherize.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/masticate Emily prepares to be masticated https://wordsmith.org/words/images/masticate_large.jpg Photo: abbamouse https://www.flickr.com/photos/abbamouse/8011235392/ "Don't chew with mouth open: Thy beauty causeth every head to turn. Thy comeliness could launch a thousand ships. But suitors will be few till thou dost learn To masticate with firmly closed lips. (Nan Reiner, Alexandria)" Pat Myers; Rhymes & Misdemeanors; The Washington Post; Jun 14, 2015. "Ansari helpfully masticates their findings down for a general audience." Helen Lewis; Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari review; The Guardian (London, UK); Jun 4, 2015. -------- Date: Fri Aug 7 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--exungulate X-Bonus: It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person a few scars. -Garrison Keillor, radio host and author (b. 7 Aug 1942) This week's theme: Unusual verbs for everyday actions exungulate (ek-SUNG-uh-layt) verb tr. To pare nails, claws, etc. [From Latin exungulare (to lose the hoof), from ex- (out) + ungula (claw, nail, hoof, talon, etc.). Earliest documented use: 1623.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/exungulate_large.jpg Photo: Ermolaev Alexander/Shutterstock "Pets mimic their owners; Fred [the dog] is very protective. A few days after me and Jordana had done the dirty for the first time, he swiped me across the ear. I would like to exungulate Fred." Joe Dunthorne; Submarine: A Novel; Random House; 2008. -------- Date: Mon Aug 10 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--saturnalia X-Bonus: I like the pluralism of modernity; it doesn't threaten me or my faith. And if one's faith is dependent on being reinforced in every aspect of other people's lives, then it is a rather insecure faith, don't you think? -Andrew Sullivan, author and editor (b. 10 Aug 1963) When I find myself unduly worried about something, I look up. I see an expanse billions of miles across, billions of years in time. Puts it all in perspective. Then I leap back to Earth and read about the presidential candidates here in the US who would stoop to any low in pursuit of the right to rule a tiny speck of dust for a tiny fraction of a second. If I had my way, I would make an Astronomy 101 course mandatory for everyone, especially for those running for office. That may not happen any time soon, but a small step would be to replace astrology columns in newspapers and magazines with an astronomy one. One can dream. And this week let's dream about what's out there in the big beyond. We'll feature five words related to the planets and other objects in space. PS: For a gentle introduction to astronomy, check out this excellent video series by Phil Plait: Crash Course Astronomy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rHUDWjR5gg saturnalia (sat-uhr-NAY-lee-uh) noun A time of unrestrained revelry. [From Latin Saturnalia (relating to Saturn). In ancient Rome, Saturnalia was a festival organized in honor of the Roman god Saturn who also gave his name to the planet Saturn. Earliest documented use: 1591. Also see saturnine https://wordsmith.org/words/saturnine.html and saturnian https://wordsmith.org/words/saturnian.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/saturnalia Saturnalia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/saturnalia_large.jpg Art: Antoine Callet (1741-1823) "It is a sort of holiday, a saturnalia, a time of licence when restrictions on liberty can be cast aside." Allan Massie; Rioters Just Want Excitement -- and New Trainers; The Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland); Aug 10, 2011. -------- Date: Tue Aug 11 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--meteoric X-Bonus: In the presence of eternity, the mountains are as transient as the clouds. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (11 Aug 1833-1899) This week's theme: Words related to space meteoric (mee-tee-OR-ik) adjective 1. Relating to a meteor or a meteorite. 2. Resembling a meteor in speed, brilliance, suddenness, or transience. 3. Coming from the atmosphere (used to describe water); meteorological. [From Old French meteore, from Latin meteorum, from Greek meteoron (raised in the air), from meta- (among) + aeirein (to raise). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wer- (to raise), which also gave us air, aura, aorta, artery, and arterious https://wordsmith.org/words/arterious.html . Earliest documented use: 1612.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/meteoric Perseid Meteor Shower https://wordsmith.org/words/images/meteoric_large.jpg Photo: Alexis Birkill https://www.flickr.com/photos/abirkill/7775866978/ Don't miss the Perseid meteor shower this week, Aug 12 & 13 http://www.sciencealert.com/look-up-the-perseid-meteor-shower-hits-its-peak-on-august-12-13 "Despite his meteoric climb up the corporate ladder, there was something missing for Anderson." Brad Davidson; Gamble of His Life; The Gold Coast Bulletin (Southport, Australia); Jul 11, 2015. NOTES: In the above mixed metaphor, visualize the image of a meteor climbing a ladder, one rung a time. At any rate, ever wondered why we talk about a 'meteoric rise' when meteors always come down? -------- Date: Wed Aug 12 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--venery X-Bonus: I hate with a murderous hatred those men who, having lived their youth, would send into war other youth, not lived, unfulfilled, to fight and die for them; the pride and cowardice of those old men, making their wars that boys must die. -Mary Roberts Rinehart, novelist (12 Aug 1876-1958) This week's theme: Words related to space venery (VEN-uh-ree) noun The practice or pursuit of s=exual pleasure. [From Latin veneria, from venus (desire, love). Venus was the goddess of love and beauty in Roman mythology who gave her name to the planet Venus. Earliest documented use: 1497.] Hunting. [From Old French venerie, from vener (to hunt). Earliest documented use: 1330. Ultimately both senses are from the Indo-European root wen- (to desire or to strive for), which is also the source of wish, win, overweening, venerate, venison, banyan, wonted https://wordsmith.org/words/wonted.html , venial https://wordsmith.org/words/venial.html , and ween https://wordsmith.org/words/ween.html . Earliest documented use: 1330. In olden times one was supposed to know the terms of venery https://wordsmith.org/words/sounder.html .] The Birth of Venus: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/venery_large.jpg Art: Sandro Botticelli "Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation." Benjamin Franklin; The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin; J. Parsons; 1793. "In those days true dedication to venery meant having your own hunting pack." Philip Bowern; Hunting the Hills of Devon; The Western Morning News (Plymouth, UK); Dec 17, 2012. -------- Date: Thu Aug 13 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tellurian X-Bonus: The Supreme Ethical Rule: Act so as to elicit the best in others and thereby in thyself. -Felix Adler, professor, lecturer, and reformer (13 Aug 1851-1933) This week's theme: Words related to space tellurian (te-LOOR-ee-uhn) adjective: Relating to or inhabiting Earth. noun: An inhabitant of Earth. [From Latin tellus (earth). Tellus, also known as Terra, was the goddess of the earth in Roman mythology. Earliest documented use: 1846.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tellurian Tellus (detail from a panel of the Ara Pacis, Rome) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tellurian_large.jpg Photo: xlibber https://www.flickr.com/photos/xlibber/8541982324/ "Life without him was less imaginable than a tellurian's camping-tent on a mountain in the moon." Vladimir Nabokov; The Real Life of Sebastian Knight; New Directions Publishers; 1941. "We Tellurians, or Earth-dwellers, have always wondered about the existence of life on other worlds." Howard Williams; Book Briefs; The Press (Christchurch, New Zealand); Sep 29, 2007. -------- Date: Fri Aug 14 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--constellate X-Bonus: By the age of six the average child will have completed the basic American education. ... From television, the child will have learned how to pick a lock, commit a fairly elaborate bank holdup, prevent wetness all day long, get the laundry twice as white, and kill people with a variety of sophisticated armaments. -Russell Baker, columnist and author (b. 14 Aug 1925) This week's theme: Words related to space constellate (KON-stuh-layt) verb tr., intr. To gather or form a cluster. [From Latin con- (together) + stella (star). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ster- (star), which also gave us star, asterisk, asteroid, astrology, disaster, stellar, constellation, Persian sitareh (star), the names Stella and Esther, and astraphobia (an abnormal fear of lightning and thunder) https://wordsmith.org/words/astraphobia.html . Earliest documented use: 1611.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/constellate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/constellate_large.jpg Photo: Jason Jenkins https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdub1980/14446324021/ "These [men] are constellated round a centrally placed, red-sheeted double bed that acts as a kind of stage-within-a-stage." Paul Taylor; Tis Pity ...; The Independent (London, UK); Feb 24, 2012. -------- Date: Mon Aug 17 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ad hoc X-Bonus: The real secret is why love starts out with claws like a cat and then fades with time like a half-eaten mouse. -Herta M�ller, novelist, poet, Nobel laureate (b. 17 Aug 1953) They only try to help, but they get no credit for it. The novelist Graham Greene called them "beastly", journalist Walter Bagehot called them "timid", poet Theodore Roethke exhorted that one must hate them. Who are they and what have they done to deserve such opprobrium? Well, they are the part of speech known as the adverb. Literally, they try to help the verb. But their help is not much appreciated. Once in a while it's fine, but if you find yourself employing the adverb often, recruit better verbs (and nouns and other words) instead. That said, judicious use of the adverb never hurt anyone. Even arsenic can work like a medicine in small quantities. So go ahead and use them, but use them sparingly. This week we'll bring you five unusual adverbs. ad hoc (ad HOK) adverb, adjective: For a particular purpose only (as opposed to a wider application); impromptu. [From Latin ad hoc (for this). Earliest documented use: 1639.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ad%20hoc In Napa Valley, California, there's a restaurant called "ad hoc" that promises "temporary relief from hunger" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ad_hoc.jpg Photo: Jennifer Che http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com/ad-hoc/ "He said any changes to the national anthem must be properly approved by the Government; not done ad hoc by an events committee." Church Unhappy with Change; Papua New Guinea Post-Courier (Port Moresby); Jul 8, 2015. -------- Date: Tue Aug 18 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--wherewith X-Bonus: Dreams heed no borders, the eyes need no visas. With eyes shut I walk across the line in time. All the time. -Gulzar, poet, lyricist, and film director (b. 18 Aug 1934) This week's theme: Adverbs wherewith (hwer-WITH) adverb: With which. pronoun: The thing(s) with which. conjunction: By means of which. [From where + with. Earliest documented use: 1200.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/wherewith_large.jpg "Knowledge, the wing wherewith we fly to heaven." From the book Isabel St. Clair, a romance of the 17th century https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/11067352523/ "When a brilliant student completes his work ahead of schedule, he is granted an award of time and means wherewith he may execute some pet project of his own devising." The Urantia Book; Urantia; 1955. -------- Date: Wed Aug 19 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--inter alia X-Bonus: The door of a bigoted mind opens outwards so that the only result of the pressure of facts upon it is to close it more snugly. -Ogden Nash, poet (19 Aug 1902-1971) This week's theme: Adverbs inter alia (IN-tuhr AY-lee-uh, AH-) adverb Among other things. [From Latin inter (among) + alius (other). Earliest documented use: 1665.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/inter%20alia "Gary Lineker is chatting to the second in line to the throne as his interviewee is, inter alia, president of the FA [The Football Association]." Rachel Johnson; Now Try Calling Kate Your 'Current Wife', William...; Mail on Sunday (London, UK); May 31, 2015. -------- Date: Thu Aug 20 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--athwart X-Bonus: I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way. -Edgar Guest, poet (20 Aug 1881-1959) This week's theme: Adverbs athwart (uh-THWART) adverb, preposition: From side to side of; across; against. [From a- (on, into, toward) + thwart, from Old Norse thvert, neuter of thverr (transverse). Earliest documented use: 1470.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/athwart Mariana at the Window https://wordsmith.org/words/images/athwart_large.jpg Inspired by Tennyson's poem, Mariana: "She drew the casement-curtain by, And glanced athwart the glooming flats." Art: Arthur Hughes (1832-1915) "He shuffled athwart, keeping one eye ahead vigilantly." Joseph Conrad; Heart of Darkness; Blackwood's Magazine; 1899. -------- Date: Fri Aug 21 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pro rata X-Bonus: It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen. -Aristotle, philosopher (384-322 BCE) This week's theme: Adverbs pro rata (pro RAY-tuh, RAH-) adverb: Proportionally. adjective: Proportional. [From Latin pro rata (according to the calculated share). Earliest documented use: 1575.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pro%20rata "The distribution would be pro rata on length of service." Dennis Conroy; The Cairo Connection; Trafford; 2005. -------- Date: Mon Aug 24 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lorelei X-Bonus: To fall in love is to create a religion that has a fallible god. -Jorge Luis Borges, writer (24 Aug 1899-1986) If you have ever called someone brainy an Einstein, or someone clever and perceptive a Sherlock (sometimes sarcastically), you have made use of an eponym. An eponym is a word coined after a person, from Greek epi- (upon) + -onym (name). The English language has thousands of them, for men and women, from fact and fiction, obscure and well-known, home-grown and borrowed from other languages. This week we'll feature five assorted eponyms. Lorelei (LOR-uh-ly) noun A dangerously seductive woman. [In German legend Lorelei was a nymph who sat on a rock of the same name on the Rhine river. Her songs lured sailors to their destruction on the rock. Earliest documented use: 1878. Also see siren https://wordsmith.org/words/siren.html , Mata Hari https://wordsmith.org/words/mata_hari.html , and Circe https://wordsmith.org/words/circe.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Lorelei https://wordsmith.org/words/images/lorelei_large.jpg Art: Carl Joseph Begas (1794-1854) "In fact, Peter the Publican's daughter is his Lorelei, enticing customers into his establishment, then flirting brazenly just to keep them drinking." Michael Dirda; These Dead Men Don't Just Tell Tales, They Quarrel. A Lot; The Washington Post; Apr 9, 2015. -------- Date: Tue Aug 25 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Paul Pry X-Bonus: We have met the enemy and he is us. -Walt Kelly, cartoonist (25 Aug 1913-1973) This week's theme: Eponyms Paul Pry (paul pry) noun An excessively inquisitive person. [From a character in the comedic play Paul Pry by John Poole (1786-1872). Earliest documented use: 1826. Also see nosy parker https://wordsmith.org/words/nosy_parker.html .] The actor John Liston as Paul Pry (with umbrella) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/paul_pry_large.jpg Art: George Clint (1770-1854) "You must stop me if I begin to ask too much, or sound like an old Paul Pry." Molly Gloss; The Jump-Off Creek; Houghton Mifflin; 1989. -------- Date: Wed Aug 26 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--boycott X-Bonus: We can pay our debt to the past by putting the future in debt to ourselves. -John Buchan, poet, novelist, and politician (26 Aug 1875-1940) This week's theme: Eponyms boycott (BOI-kot) verb tr.: To protest by refusing to buy a product or to deal with a person, organization, nation, etc. noun: The practice or an instance of this. [After Charles C. Boycott (1832-1897), an English land agent in Ireland, who was ostracized for refusing to lower rents during a time of poor harvest. Earliest documented use: 1880.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/boycott Charles C. Boycott https://wordsmith.org/words/images/boycott_large.jpg Vanity Fair, Jan 29, 1881 "Despite pressure to boycott state elections, voters in the disputed region of Kashmir are flocking to the polls." A Shift in the Mountains; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 10, 2014. -------- Date: Thu Aug 27 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chauvinism X-Bonus: When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road. -William Least Heat-Moon, travel writer (b. 27 Aug 1939) This week's theme: Eponyms chauvinism (SHO-vuh-niz-uhm) noun The belief in the superiority of one's country, group, gender, etc. [After Nicolas Chauvin, a legendary French soldier in Napoleon's army, noted for his fanatical patriotism. The figure of Nicolas Chauvin was popularized in the play La Cocarde Tricolore by the Cogniard brothers. Earliest documented use: 1870.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/chauvinism "You mean a _woman_ can open it?" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/chauvinism_large.jpg Alcoa Aluminum ad, 1953 "It wasn't some cheap outcrop of chauvinism. It was rather the latest evidence of sport's ability to unite a people in pride." James Lawton; Magical Memories of 2012 Olympics; The Independent (London, UK); Dec 21, 2012. -------- Date: Fri Aug 28 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lovelace X-Bonus: If only the sun-drenched celebrities are being noticed and worshiped, then our children are going to have a tough time seeing the value in the shadows, where the thinkers, probers and scientists are keeping society together. -Rita Dove, poet (b. 28 Aug 1952) This week's theme: Eponyms Lovelace (LUV-lays) noun A seducer; a licentious man. [After Robert Lovelace, a dissolute character in Samuel Richardson's novel Clarissa (1748). Earliest documented use: 1751. Other eponyms with similar senses are Casanova https://wordsmith.org/words/casanova.html , Don Juan https://wordsmith.org/words/don_juan.html , and Romeo http://wordsmith.org/words/romeo.html .] Robert Lovelace preparing to abduct Clarissa Harlowe: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/lovelace.jpg Art: Francis Hayman (1708-1776) "He could not be made to understand that the modern drama of divorce is sometimes cast without a Lovelace. 'You might as well tell me there was nobody but Adam in the garden when Eve picked the apple. You say your wife was discontented? No woman ever knows she's discontented till some man tells her so.'" Edith Wharton; The Custom of the Country; 1913. -------- Date: Mon Aug 31 00:13:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fribble X-Bonus: The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist." -Maria Montessori, educator (31 Aug 1870-1952) Verbs are special words. They describe action. Nothing would ever get done if it were not for verbs. Look at a sentence on your screen or on paper -- it just lies there listless, a mere collection of random words until a verb comes to infuse life into it. This week we'll feature five unusual verbs -- words for a few things you most likely don't do every day. fribble (FRIB-uhl) verb intr.: To act in a wasteful or frivolous manner. verb tr.: To fritter away. noun: A wasteful or frivolous person or thing. [Of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of frivol (to behave frivolously), from Latin frivolus (worthless). Earliest documented use: 1610.] "I skipped the diamonds, the couture 'Minou' sunglasses by Nour and various other fribbles including uninteresting check shirts by Riflessi." Richard Edmonds; DVD Reviews; Birmingham Post (UK); Jul 12, 2004. "The Apple Watch will sell like ghost cakes during Halloween, but a year or so from now, I think sales will fizzle and fribble just like Google's silly glasses." Malcolm Berko; Watching Apple's Stock; Creators Syndicate (Los Angeles); May 27, 2015.