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Dec 24, 2010
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No el

This week's words
katzenjammer
quixotic
divagate
nyctophobia
frowsty

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Words derived from the names of body parts
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

frowsty

PRONUNCIATION:
(FROW-stee)

MEANING:
adjective: Musty: having a stale smell.

ETYMOLOGY:
Of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of frowzy (stuffy). Earliest documented use: 1865.

USAGE:
"The big doors close behind us and we're underground, enveloped in cool, moist air. The smell is overwhelming: heady, frowsty, and thick."
Johanna Hegerty; Quality in Every Whiff; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Nov 13, 2008.

See more usage examples of frowsty in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Though familiarity may not breed contempt, it takes off the edge of admiration. -William Hazlitt, essayist (1778-1830)

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