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Nov 20, 2024
This week’s theme
Words that appear to be misspelled

This week’s words
hight
desistance
colander
proscription
benison

colander
Pastafarians wear colanders as traditional religious headgear
Photo: G.dallorto / Wikimedia

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

colander or cullender

PRONUNCIATION:
(KUH/KAH-luhn-duhr)

MEANING:
noun: A utensil with perforations, used for straining or draining foods.

ETYMOLOGY:
Of uncertain origin. Probably from Latin colare (to strain). Earliest documented use: 1450.

USAGE:
“The moment in the history of American cooking when efficiency won out over taste and, instead of using a pair of tongs, and pulling the spaghetti straight out of the pot, people started using a colander (an evil instrument) and letting all that dense, murky rich ‘water’ rush down the drain.”
Bill Buford; The Pasta Station; The New Yorker; Sep 6, 2004.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Our greatest strength is the power of our example, not just the example of our power. -Joe Biden, 46th US President (b. 20 Nov 1942)

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