This week’s theme
Loanwords and loan translations

This week’s words
machtpolitik
dogwatch
bridgehead
earworm
immiseration

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(BRIJ-hed)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A foothold opening the way for further advance.
2. A fortified position at the end of a bridge nearest the enemy.

ETYMOLOGY:

Loan translation of French tête de pont (bridge head). Earliest documented use: 1760. Also see beachhead.

USAGE:

“Nigel Farage takes his first seat in the Commons on his eighth attempt ... a bridgehead to cajole Conservatives that lurching further to the right is their future.”
Mick O’Reilly; The UK’s Future Begins Today; Gulf News (Dubai); Jul 9, 2024.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: