Word of the Day
Word of the day
asana
noun
any of the postures in a yoga exercise.
What is the origin of asana?
The noun asana, “any of the postures in a yoga exercise,” comes from the Sanskrit noun āsanam “(act of) sitting, sitting position,” from the Sanskrit root ās– “to sit, be seated,” from the Proto-Indo-European root ēs– “to sit,” found only in Indo-Iranian, Greek, and Hittite: Sanskrit ā́ste, Avestan āste, Greek hēstai, and Hittite esa, esari all mean “he sits.” Asana entered English in the first half of the 19th century.
how is asana used?
Getting in to the correct asana is good but you must also train your mind not to oscillate.
I can still do some asanas. And I never could get the hang of meditation, but I still can do an asana or two.
Word of the day
jo
noun
Scot.
beloved one; darling; sweetheart.
What is the origin of jo?
The common noun jo, “darling, sweetheart,” is Scots, a variant of joy. Jo occurs in many noted Scots authors, including Robert Burns’s “John Anderson my jo!,” Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Just twa o’ my old joes, my hinny dear” (“Just two of my old sweethearts, my honey dear”). Jo entered English in the first half of the 16th century.
how is jo used?
… her ne’er-do-well jo had provided her with a rope-ladder during the forenoon service, by which she had descended into his arms when she believed the house to be all at rest …
John Anderson, my jo!
Word of the day
chocolate-box
adjective
excessively decorative and sentimental, as the pictures or designs on some boxes of chocolate candy; prettified: decorous, chocolate-box paintings of Victorian garden parties.
What is the origin of chocolate-box?
The compound noun chocolate box dates from around 1865 and has the literal meaning “a package, box, or tin filled with chocolates.” Such packages or boxes are typically decorated in a showy, gaudy, sentimental style. By the end of the 19th century, the compound noun acquired the function of an attributive adjective, hyphenated as chocolate-box, meaning “excessively decorative and sentimental.”
how is chocolate-box used?
It works best when everyone stops worrying about conjuring a chocolate-box version of the past and allows the duo’s raw talent to shine through.
But if it’s verdant folds, chocolate-box villages and a taste of eternal England that you want, try East Kent ….
Word of the day
quiddity
noun
the quality that makes a thing what it is; the essential nature of a thing.
What is the origin of quiddity?
Quiddity, with its conflicting senses, “the essential nature of a thing” and “a trifling nicety of subtle distinction,” ultimately comes from the Medieval Latin noun quidditās (stem quidditāt-), literally “whatness,” formed from the Latin interrogative pronoun quid “what” and the abstract noun suffix –itās, the source via Old French –ité of the English suffix –ity. Quiddity entered English at the end of the 14th century.
how is quiddity used?
… that gift for creating idioms may be a clue to the quiddity of his genius.
If, argues he, we could only find out exactly what humour is ‘in its quiddity,’ we could keep ourselves humorous, or at any rate bring up our children to be so.
Word of the day
blench
verb (used without object)
to shrink; flinch; quail: an unsteady eye that blenched under another's gaze.
What is the origin of blench?
The history of the verb blench is complicated. The uncommon Old English verb blencan “to cheat, deceive” is the direct source of Middle English blenchen, blenken, blinchen, blinken “to move suddenly, dodge, avoid, mislead, deceive.” The various Middle English forms yield both English blench “to shrink, flinch” and blink “to wink the eyes, be startled.”
how is blench used?
But art historians should not blench at the sight of dreadful paintings, any more than doctors should blench at the sight of blood.
… the actor blenches as he reads the instruction ….
Word of the day
grandstand
verb (used without object)
to conduct oneself or perform showily or ostentatiously in an attempt to impress onlookers: The senator doesn't hesitate to grandstand if it makes her point.
What is the origin of grandstand?
The noun grandstand, “the main seating area of a stadium, racetrack, parade route, etc.,” dates from the second half of the 18th century and was originally spelled as two words. The verb grandstand, “to conduct oneself or perform showily or ostentatiously in order to impress onlookers,” was originally used in baseball and dates from the early 20th century.
how is grandstand used?
The debt limit debate allows politicians to grandstand on fiscal responsibility.
He used his political platform to grandstand over Italy’s Catholic identity and repeatedly found ways to poke European Union officials in the eye.
Word of the day
pinnacle
noun
the highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc.: the pinnacle of one's career.
What is the origin of pinnacle?
English pinnacle comes from Middle English pinacle, pinnacle, penacle (and even more spellings) “upright architectural structure terminating in a gable or cone,” from Middle French, Old French pinacle, pinnacle “gable, top,” from Late Latin pinnāculum “peak (of a building), pinnacle.” Pinnāculum comes from pinna, a dialect variation of penna “feather, wing, raised part of a parapet,” and the usually diminutive suffix –(ā)culum. The figurative senses, such as “the highest point of success or power,” developed in the mid-15th century. Pinnacle entered English in the first half of the 14th century.
how is pinnacle used?
… the 13 tracks on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band are the pinnacle of the Beatles’ eight years as recording artists.
That little golden statue, which will be handed out on February 9, represents the pinnacle of movie-making.