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Word of the dayPrevious Week Next WeekThursday, January 24, 2019
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What is the origin of buzzwig?
A buzzwig “bigwig, big shot” is someone who wears a large, bushy wig. The first syllable, buzz, may be a shortening of busby, the very large fur hat worn by hussars on parade. Buzzwig entered English in the 19th century.Previous DayHow is buzzwig used?
... all was suddenly upset by two witnesses ... whom the old Spanish buzwigs doated on as models of all that could be looked for in the best. Thomas De Quincey, "The Spanish Nun," Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers, Volume I, 1853
who, as Porson's brother-in-law, and a man of admirable sense and wit, had a no profound veneration for the buzzwig doctor. Mary Russell Mitford, "Letter to Miss Barrett, July 23, 1842," The Life of Mary Russell Mitford, 1870
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Word of the dayWednesday, January 23, 2019
adrenalize
verb [uh-dreen-l-ahyz]to stir to action; excite: The promise of victory adrenalized the team.See Full DefinitionWhat is the origin of adrenalize?
Adrenalize is an unimaginative compound of the noun adrenaline and -ize, a Greek verb suffix completely naturalized. Adrenalize was first used in the early 20th century in the now rare sense “to treat with adrenaline.” In the 1930s it acquired a metaphorical meaning, “to stir to action, excite; be stirred to action, be excited.”Previous DayHow is adrenalize used?
It all seemed some sort of overblown, middle-American hysteria, a desire to adrenalize an otherwise sleepy existence. Adam Buckley Cohen, "A Psychological Twister," New York Times, May 28, 2011
Stocco is being touted as a guy who can adrenalize a program that has gone a mediocre 13-19 in the Big Ten over the last five years. Clete Campbell, "Stocco a cool QB," Telegraph-Herald, August 21, 2004
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Word of the dayTuesday, January 22, 2019
What is the origin of shirty?
The adjective shirty derives from the phrase “to have one’s shirt out, get one’s shirt out, get someone’s shirt out, to be or become annoyed.” “Getting one’s shirt out” is one possible result of swinging one’s arms in an argument in a pub; a head-butt is another. Shirty entered English in the 19th century.Previous DayHow is shirty used?
... she was usually all right about most things, if you woke her before she was ready she could get a bit shirty. Beryl Kingston, London Pride, 1991
There's no need to get shirty, young man. My ticket is right there. André Alexis, "Maupassant," Beauty and Sadness, 2010
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Word of the dayMonday, January 21, 2019
What is the origin of creed?
Creed has existed in English since before the year 1000. Its Middle English form crede and its Old English form crēda ultimately derive from Latin crēdō meaning “I believe.”Previous DayHow is creed used?
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have a Dream," delivered August 28, 1963
Blight was most impressed by Douglass’s mental, physical and intellectual endurance, his “ability to still believe, and to demand a place in the country’s creed. , "Big New Biographies of Two Big American Lives," New York Times, November 9, 2018
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Word of the daySunday, January 20, 2019
altiloquent
adjective [awl-til-uh-kwuh nt, al-]Archaic. (of language) high-flown or pretentious.See Full DefinitionWhat is the origin of altiloquent?
Altiloquent, “(in language) high-flown, pretentious,” comes from Latin alti-, a combining form of the adjective altus “high” and loquent-, the stem of the present participle loquēns “speaking, talking, having the power of speech,” from the verb loquī. (The adjective altiloquēns does not exist in Latin.) Altiloquent dates from the 17th century.Previous DayHow is altiloquent used?
The altiloquent talker may be called a word-fancier, searching for all the fine words discoverable ... John Bate, Talkers, 1878
My altiloquent style takes too much energy. I'm the best in the business, but I'm seven thousand years old and slowing down. Stanley Elkin, Searches & Seizures, 1973
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Word of the daySaturday, January 19, 2019
freegan
noun [free-guhn]a person who buys as little as possible and makes use of recycled or discarded goods and materials, in an effort to reduce waste and limit environmental impact.See Full DefinitionWhat is the origin of freegan?
Freegan is a blend of free and vegan. One who practices freeganism is usually also but not necessarily a vegetarian or vegan. Freeganism differs from the usually disparaging term dumpster diving in that freegans are anticonsumerist and anticapitalist in their ideology, but are actively engaged in alternative lifestyles. Freegan entered English in the late 20th century.Previous DayHow is freegan used?
While Kalish and the freegans work to educate people about the amount of waste we generate, they essentially want to put themselves out of business. Eillie Anzilotti, "New York's Freegans Expose the Insane Waste of Our Food System," Fast Company, March 30, 2018
Don't get hung up on the foraging. ... Everybody gets all freaked out about the diving, the whole Freegan thing. Jonathan Miles, Want Not, 2013
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Word of the dayFriday, January 18, 2019
perfunctory
adjective [per-fuhngk-tuh-ree]performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial: perfunctory courtesy.See Full DefinitionWhat is the origin of perfunctory?
Perfunctory comes from the Late Latin adjective perfunctōrius “done carelessly or superficially.” Perfunctōrius is a derivative of the verb perfungī “to carry through, discharge one’s part or duty,” a compound of the prefix per- signifying completeness, thoroughness, or intensity and the verb fungī “to perform, discharge, carry out.” It is therefore curious that the Latin adjective (and its English derivative) means “done carelessly” and not “done thoroughly and completely.” Perfunctory entered English in the 16th century.Previous DayHow is perfunctory used?
Rep. Nancy Pelosi issued what seemed like a perfunctory statement backing her colleagues in Democratic leadership. Paul Kane, "House Democratic leaders find strength in numbers to fight challenge to Pelosi," Washington Post, November 20, 2018
... the House whooped through the beer bill with only perfunctory debate. William F. Kerby, "House Passes 3.2 Per Cent Beer Measure," Berkeley Daily Gazette, March 14, 1933
