Word of the Day
pion
noun
a subatomic particle with spherical symmetry and positive, negative, or neutral charge.
More about pion
Pion is either a contraction of pi meson or formed from pi and the suffix -on, which indicates subatomic particles. The Greek letter pi (Ancient Greek pî or peî) is a borrowing from the Phoenician alphabet, and its name comes from a Semitic root meaning “mouth.” Pion was first recorded in English in the early 1950s.
EXAMPLE OF PION USED IN A SENTENCE
The pion blinked into and out of existence within mere billionths of a second.
humuhumunukunukuapuaa
noun
either of two triggerfishes of Indo-Pacific coral reefs.
More about humuhumunukunukuapuaa
Humuhumunukunukuapuaa is from Hawaiian humuhumu-nukunuku-ā-pua‘a. The humuhumu element means “triggerfish,” while nukunuku translates as “short, blunt” and “small snout,” ā means “like,” and pua’a means “pig.” Both humuhumu and nukunuku are reduplicated forms, same as the English terms bye-bye, chitchat, and itsy-bitsy. Humuhumunukunukuapuaa was first recorded in English in the mid-1860s.
EXAMPLE OF HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUAA USED IN A SENTENCE
A school of brightly colored humuhumunukunukuapuaa drifted idly by the reef.
abat-jour
noun
a device, as a skylight or reflector, for diverting light into a building.
More about abat-jour
Abat-jour is from French, in which abat is a form of abattre, “to beat down,” ultimately from Latin battuere, “to beat.” Battuere is the source of numerous fighting-related words in English, including battle and debate, and French jour, “day, daylight,” is the source of journal and journey. Abat-jour was first recorded in English in the 1820s.
EXAMPLE OF ABAT-JOUR USED IN A SENTENCE
Through an abat-jour in the ceiling, the sun cast a square of light onto the floor.
