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Jul 21, 2011
This week's theme
Words of French origin

This week's words
nouveau riche
voulu
mise en scene
pur sang
coup de main

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

pur sang

PRONUNCIATION:
(pyoor SAN*)
[* the last syllable is nasal]

MEANING:
adjective: Pure; genuine.
noun: Someone or something that is genuine.
adverb: Genuinely; in all respects.

ETYMOLOGY:
From French pur sang (pure blood). Earliest documented use: 1846.

USAGE:
"The Durango is a pur sang truck wagon. There has been no namby-pamby dilution of its place in life."
Cam McRae; Battles for First Place; The Toronto Star (Canada); Nov 8, 1997.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind. -Hannah Senesh, poet, playwright, and paratrooper (1921-1944)

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