The 2021 Word Of The Year is…
adjective
surrounding; lying along the outskirts; of, at, or near the circumference.
Circumferential nowadays means only “surrounding, on the outskirts or periphery of.” In the late 17th century circumferential had the additional meaning “indirect, roundabout.” Circumferential entered English in the early 17th century.
Now bees, as may be clearly seen by examining the edge of a growing comb, do make a rough, circumferential wall or rim all round the comb …
Far away in the circumferential wall a little doorway looked like Heaven, and he set off in a wild rush for it.
verb
Northern U.S. to break into pieces.
Busticate is a facetious Northern US formation from bust “to burst” and -icate, on the model of the regularly formed rusticate “to go to the country.”
I’ll have a sipe more of coffee, but if I eat another bite, I’ll busticate.
“Elephants really busticate trees,” said Brendan Washington-Jones.
noun
a slow, idle, or leisurely walk or stroll.
The Spanish noun paseo “a stroll” is a derivative of the verb pasear “take a walk,” itself a derivative of pasar “to come past, go past.” Pasar comes from an assumed Vulgar Latin verb passāre “to pass, go on, extend,” which is formed from Latin passus, the past participle of pandere “to unfold, extend, spread out.” The Latin noun passus “a step, pace,” also derived from pandere, is the ultimate source of pace, i.e., “a step,” and the verb pass. Paseo entered English in the 19th century.
… the theme of every evening’s conversation at the different houses, and in our afternoon’s paseo upon the beach, was the ship …
For the last two days in Ibarra, the foreigner has enjoyed easygoing Latina hospitality: a tour of the market where Celia’s mother has a stall; a paseo to a small village hosting a bullfight, even the funeral of a family friend.