Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



Jan 23, 2019
This week’s theme
Well-traveled words

This week’s words
aubade
prosopography
kurbash
postiche
safari

“Language is a city to the building of which every human being brought a stone.” ~Emerson
Invite friends & family
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

kurbash or kourbash

PRONUNCIATION:
(KUHR/KOOR-bash)

MEANING:
noun: A whip, especially one made of hippopotamus or rhinoceros hide.
verb tr.: To whip with a kurbash.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Arabic kurbaj, from Turkish kırbaç. Earliest documented use: 1814.

USAGE:
“The officer was a lithe, dark woman marked by two ostrich plumes, and a leather kurbash hung on her left wrist.”
Clayton Emery; Star of Cursrah; Wizards of the Coast; 1999.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
If you don't love me, it does not matter, anyway I can love for both of us. -Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle), novelist (23 Jan 1783-1842)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith