Word of the Day
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Why Dictionary.com chose bissextile
More about bissextile
- First recorded in 1585–95.
- From the word bissextus, which refers to February 29th.
- Bissextus means literally “the second sixth,” so called because the 6th day before the first day of March in the ancient Roman calendar appeared a second time once every leap year.
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EXAMPLES OF BISSEXTILE
- The extra day in a bissextile helps keep the calendar in sync with the solar year.
- February 29th is an occurrence that only happens in a bissextile.
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Why Dictionary.com chose adumbrate
More about adumbrate
- First recorded in 1575–85.
- Comes from the past participle of the Latin verb adumbrāre, “to shade.”
- Adumbrāre has the stem umbr(a), “shade, shadow,” also found in the Astronomy terms umbra, “the complete or perfect shadow of a planet,” and penumbra, “the partial or imperfect shadow outside the complete shadow of a planet.”
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EXAMPLES OF ADUMBRATE
- The subtle hints in her letter adumbrated her true intentions.
- The cryptic message seemed to adumbrate a dark future for the kingdom.
denouement
noun
the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.
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Why Dictionary.com chose denouement
More about denouement
- First recorded in 1745–55.
- From French, literally means, “an untying.”
- Noer from Old French means “to knot” and comes from a Latin derivative of nōdus, “knot.”
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EXAMPLES OF DENOUEMENT
- As the play reached its denouement, the audience held their breath in anticipation.
- In a surprising denouement, the protagonist turned out to be the long-lost heir to the fortune.
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