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Word of the day

bewray

[ bih-rey ] [ bɪˈreɪ ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

verb

to betray.

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More about bewray

Bewray is a compound of the prefix be-, which is a form of the preposition by, and wray, an obsolete verb meaning “to accuse, expose.” Because of the influence of betray, the definition of bewray may have shifted from accusation to disloyalty. The prefix be- appears in befriend, bedazzle, and bejewel. Bewray was first recorded in English in the late 13th century.

EXAMPLE OF BEWRAY USED IN A SENTENCE

Several senators bewrayed Caesar, bringing him to an untimely end.

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Word of the day

pion

[ pahy-on ] [ ˈpaɪ ɒn ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

a subatomic particle with spherical symmetry and positive, negative, or neutral charge.

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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 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.

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humuhumunukunukuapuaa

[ hoo-moo-hoo-moo-noo-koo-noo-koo-ah-poo-ah-ah ] [ ˌhu muˌhu muˌnu kuˌnu kuˌɑ puˈɑ ɑ ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

either of two triggerfishes of Indo-Pacific coral reefs.

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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.

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