A.Word.A.Day --crucible

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Today's Word

crucible

PRONUNCIATION:

(KROO-suh/si-buhl)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A vessel used for heating substances to a high temperature.
2. A trying experience.
3. A situation or place where forces interact to bring about great changes.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin crucibulum (crucible). Earliest documented use: 1475.

USAGE:

“Another political crucible for [Steve] Reed was his experience of being a gay man during the era of Margaret Thatcher’s ‘horrific anti-gay legislation’.”
Freddie Hayward; Encounter; New Statesman (London, UK); Mar 8-14, 2024.

“‘The Notre-Dame isn’t just a religious building -- it has been a crucible for music for almost 1000 years,’ says Valentine.”
Ali Gripper; Cathedral Rebirth Inspires Musical Trip; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Feb 27, 2024.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

It's my duty to see that they get the truth; but that's not enough, I've got to put it before them briefly so that they will read it, clearly so that they will understand it, forcibly so that they will appreciate it, picturesquely so that they will remember it, and, above all, accurately so that they may be wisely guided by its light. -Joseph Pulitzer, newspaper publisher (10 Apr 1847-1911)

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