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Why Dictionary.com chose wamble
More about wamble
- First recorded in Middle English (1150–1475) to mean “to feel nausea.”
- Of obscure origin; possibly related to Norwegian vamla, meaning “to stagger,” and distantly related to vomit.
EXAMPLES OF WAMBLE
- After a long day of hiking, I will start to wamble when I walk.
- The tower of wooden blocks wambled as the toddler ran past.
scrupulous
adjective
having moral or ethical standards
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Why Dictionary.com chose scrupulous
More about scrupulous
- First recorded between 1400–50.
- Combines scruple, meaning “a moral or ethical standard,” + -ous.
- From the Latin scrupulus, originally meaning “a sharp piece of stone” but later “a worry or doubt.”
EXAMPLES OF SCRUPULOUS
- His scrupulous commitment to fair wages earned his company a loyal workforce.
- Even under pressure, the judge remained scrupulous in upholding the law.
earthshine
noun
a faint glow on the dark part of the moon during a crescent phase, caused by sunlight reflecting off the earth
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Why Dictionary.com chose earthshine
More about earthshine
- First recorded in 1825–35.
- Combines earth + shine¹; after moonshine.
- Possibly influenced by the earlier German word with the same meaning, Erdschein, which has cognate elements.
EXAMPLES OF EARTHSHINE
- Through the telescope, the soft earthshine made the entire lunar surface faintly visible.
- Leonardo da Vinci was one of the first to correctly explain the phenomenon of earthshine.
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