Word of the Day
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Why Dictionary.com chose aole
More about aole
- Aole comes from the Hawaiian interjectionʿaʿole, which can mean “no, not, never; to be none, to have none.”
- ʿAʿole takes on various forms in Hawaiian, such as aʿohe, ʿole, and aʿoe, in order to be harmonious with the surrounding sounds.
- The phrase, “aʿole e ʿole” is one of the strongest ways in Hawaiian to say that something exists or must be true, translating as “it cannot be otherwise.”
EXAMPLES OF AOLE
- When asked if he’d ever been to Hilo, he responded sadly, “Aole, never.”
- Do we want to wait in line? Aole! Certainly not!
horripilation
noun
a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold or fear; goosebumps.
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Why Dictionary.com chose horripilation
More about horripilation
- Horripilation was first recorded in English in the 1650s.
- Horripilation comes from the Late Latin word horripilāre, “to become bristly,” which is also the source of words such as horrendous, horrify, and horror.
- Unlike terror, which literally has to do with being frightened, the root of horror is all about hair standing on its end!
- The –pil– part of horripilation is a Latin stem meaning “hair.”
EXAMPLES OF HORRIPILATION
- The chilling horror movie gave me such a fright that I felt horripilation ripple through my entire body.
- The eerie silence and dark atmosphere of the abandoned house sent waves of horripilation down her arms and legs.
nepo baby
noun
a celebrity with a parent who is also famous, especially one whose industry connections are perceived as essential to their success.
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Why Dictionary.com chose nepo baby
More about nepo baby
- Nepo baby was first recorded in 2022, even though the term has been used in social media since at least 2018.
- The word nepo is an informal shortening of nepotism, which refers to favoritism that a person receives due to a family relation.
- Nepotism comes from the Italian word nepotismo, based on the word for “nephew.”
- The word baby indicates the familial relationship and comes from babe, which entered English around 1150–1200.
EXAMPLES OF NEPO BABY
- The media often criticizes nepo babies and their perceived lack of talent, but it’s important to acknowledge that connections can only take you so far.
- Many aspiring actors struggle to make it in Bollywood without connections, while some argue that nepo babies have an unfair advantage in the industry.
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