This week’s theme
Misleading words

This week’s words
adulterate
metromania
sexennial
placer
psychrophobia

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(for 1 & 2: PLAS-uhr, for 3 & 4: PLAY-suhr)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A deposit of valuable minerals found in sand or gravel.
2. A place where such a deposit is washed to extract the valuable minerals.
3. One who finishes in a particular place in a contest.
4. One who arranges something.

ETYMOLOGY:

For 1 & 2: From Spanish placer (sandbank), from Catalan placer (shoal), from Latin platea (street), from Greek plateia hodos (broad street). Earliest documented use: 1829.
For 3 & 4: From place, from Latin platea (street), from Greek plateia hodos (broad street). Earliest documented use: 1578.

USAGE:

“In a rich placer I've heard that men have washed $50 worth in one pan.”
Pat Miller; Emily; Xulon Press; 2005.

“Placer mining sounds like a strange hobby for a guy who’s already got money.”
Paul Garmisch; Couchwife; First Edition Design; 2015.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: