Word of the Day
prehensile
adjective
adapted for seizing, grasping, or taking hold of something
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Why Dictionary.com chose prehensile
More about prehensile
- First recorded in 1781–85.
- Borrowed directly from French and ultimately from the Latin prehensus, meaning “to grasp or seize.”
EXAMPLES OF PREHENSILE
- The elephant used its prehensile trunk to pick bananas from the tree.
- The monkey used its prehensile tail to grip the branches and swing through the trees.
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Why Dictionary.com chose gelid
More about gelid
- First used in 1600–10.
- From the Latin gelidus, “icy cold,” equivalent to gel(um), “frost, cold” + –idus, see -id4, suffix meaning “pertaining to.”
EXAMPLES OF GELID
- The hikers shivered in the gelid air as they climbed higher up the mountain.
- A gelid breeze swept through the city, signaling the arrival of winter.
sprechgesang
noun
a vocal style intermediate between speech and singing but without exact pitch intonation
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Why Dictionary.com chose sprechgesang
More about sprechgesang
- First used in English in the early 19th century.
- Directly from German, equivalent to sprech(en) “to speak“+ Gesang, “song.”
EXAMPLES OF SPRECHGESANG
- Her vocal technique included sprechgesang, blending speech with melody.
- Sprechgesang is often found in 20th-century works, especially by Schoenberg.
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