Word of the Day
gauche
adjective
lacking social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness; awkward; tactless.
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Why Dictionary.com chose gauche
More about gauche
- Gauche entered English around 1745–55.
- Gauche comes from the French word meaning “awkward.”
- Gauche in French, is a derivative of the verb gauchir, “to turn, veer,” which has Germanic origins.
EXAMPLES OF GAUCHE
- Trying to fit in with his well-mannered colleagues, he couldn’t help but feel gauche in their refined presence.
- Despite her best efforts, her gauche attempt at small talk only made the conversation more awkward.
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Why Dictionary.com chose armillary
More about armillary
- Armillary was first recorded around 1655–65.
- Armillary comes from the Latin word armill(a), “bracelet, hoop,” which is typically worn on the arm.
- The Latin word armill(a) was formed from the Latin word arm(us), meaning “shoulder,” and the diminutive suffix –illa.
- Armillary is most often used in the term armillary sphere, “an ancient instrument consisting of an arrangement of rings used to show the relative positions of the celestial equator, ecliptic, and other circles on the celestial sphere.”
EXAMPLES OF ARMILLARY
- As I studied the antique armillary sundial, I marveled at the elegant combination of delicate rings that allowed for precise timekeeping.
- The museum displayed a stunning armillary globe, its metal rings forming a three-dimensional representation of the celestial sphere.
bosky
adjective
covered with bushes, shrubs, and small trees; woody.
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Why Dictionary.com chose bosky
More about bosky
- Bosky was first recorded in 1585–95.
- Bosky comes from the noun bosk, “a small wood or thicket,” which entered English around 1250–1300.
- Bosk, in turn, comes from the Middle English variant of busk(e), which shares the Old Norse origin, buskr, with bush, “a low plant with many branches.”
EXAMPLES OF BOSKY
- In the heart of the bosky knoll, a family of deer gracefully emerged from the undergrowth, their antlers blending with the surrounding verdant foliage.
- The old stone cottage nestled in a cozy clearing, its windows framed by a bosky landscape that seemed straight out of a fairy tale.
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