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Word of the day

beanfeast

[ been-feest ]

noun

Chiefly British Slang. (formerly) an annual dinner or party given by an employer for employees.

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More about beanfeast

Beanfeast is a perfectly ordinary compound of the humble bean and feast. A beanfeast was originally an annual dinner given by employers for their employees, but the word acquired the sense “festive occasion” by the end of the 19th century. Beanfeast entered English in the early 19th century.

how is beanfeast used?

In August the annual outing, or, as it was called, the bean-feast, at the works took place.

G. A. Henty, Sturdy and Strong, 1888

Why do we come? … Simply from the primordial love of a bean-feast!

W. W. Blair-Fish, "Because We Are Conventional," The Rotarian, June 1930
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candelabrum

[ kan-dl-ah-bruhm, -ab-ruhm ]

noun

an ornamental branched holder for more than one candle.

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More about candelabrum

Candelabrum comes straight from Latin candēlābrum, formed from the noun candēla “a candle, taper” (from the verb candēre “to shine, gleam”) and -brum, a variant of -bulum, a suffix for forming neuter nouns for tools or places. English candle (Old English candel, condel) had already been in Old English long enough to become part of its poetic vocabulary, e.g., Glād ofer grundas / Godes condel beorht “God’s bright candle glided over the grounds” in the magnificent poem “The Battle of Brunanburh” recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (c. 955). Candelabrum entered English in the 19th century.

how is candelabrum used?

The menorah is an eight-branched candelabrum that is symbolic of the celebration of Hanukkah.

José Antonio Burciaga, "An Anglo, Jewish, Mexican Christmas," Weedee Peepo, 1988

… I bade Pedro to close the heavy shutters of the room … to light the tongues of a tall candelabrum which stood by the head of my bed–and to throw open far and wide the fringed curtains of black velvet which enveloped the bed itself.

Edgar Allan Poe, "The Oval Portrait," Graham's Magazine, April 1842
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Word of the day

shrievalty

[ shree-vuhl-tee ]

noun

the office, term, or jurisdiction of a sheriff.

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More about shrievalty

Shrievalty, “the office, term, or jurisdiction of a sheriff,” is a rare word. Shrieve is one of many, many spelling variants of the Late Middle English compound noun shire-reeve. A shire is “the office of administration, jurisdiction of an office or county,” and a reeve is “a high official in charge of an administrative district.” Sheriff is an ordinary outcome of shire-reeve. The suffix -alty is taken from such political and legal terms as mayoralty (from mayoral and the suffix -ty, from Old French -tet, ultimately from Latin -tās, a suffix for forming abstract nouns from adjectives). The equally rare but more transparent noun sheriffalty was also formed from sheriff and -alty. Shrievalty entered English in the 16th century.

how is shrievalty used?

You must give up your shrievalty immediately and I will get the Shire Court to appoint a caretaker sheriff in your place until the will of the King is known.

Bernard Knight, Witch Hunter, 2004

Judges, small magistrates, officers large and small, the shrievalty, the water office, the tax office, all were to come within its purview.

Theodore Dreiser, The Titan, 1914
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