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Word of the dayPrevious Week Next WeekMonday, February 05, 2018
crump
verb [kruhmp, kroo mp]to make a crunching sound, as in walking over snow, or as snow when trodden on.Look it upGet to know dictionary.com
What is the origin of crump?
Crump was first recorded in 1640-50. It is imitative of the sound of something crunching underfoot.Previous DayHow is crump used?
With the new snow flattening sounds he felt almost deaf or dreaming. His boots crumped down into it. Adam Foulds, The Quickening Maze, 2009
The horses' hooves crunched in the snow, the wagon wheels creaked through it and, behind, the march of several hundred feet crump-crumped along. Janet Paisley, White Rose Rebel, 2007
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Word of the daySunday, February 04, 2018
byzantine
adjective [biz-uh n-teen, -tahyn, bahy-zuh n-, bih-zan-tin]complex or intricate: a deal requiring Byzantine financing.Look it upWhat is the origin of byzantine?
The English adjective Byzantine originally applied to the city of Byzantium (later Constantinople) and the art, architecture, and history of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire. The most common current sense "complex, intricate" dates from the first half of the 20th century. Byzantine entered English in the 18th century.Previous DayHow is byzantine used?
“We’ve had the process referred to as byzantine, shrouded in secrecy, opaque. Yet this is the process that Congress designed, a process that not only demands confidentiality, but strict confidentiality. This is the system we’re tasked to administer,” Grundmann said. Joe Davidson, "Hill's workplace rights agency points to Congress for lack of transparency," Washington Post, December 1, 2017
Over the course of two hundred pages I had improvised a byzantine system involving highlighter, underlines, and marginal punctuation marks. Tom Perrotta, Joe College, 2000
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Word of the daySaturday, February 03, 2018
What is the origin of moxie?
Moxie originally was the trademark of a carbonated soft drink that was created by Dr. Augustin Thompson, a homeopathic physician who was born in Maine and spent his professional life in Massachusetts. Dr. Thompson patented his beverage in 1885 and promoted it as a “nerve tonic” or “nerve food.” Moxie, the drink, has always been associated with New England: Calvin Coolidge liked it; Ted Williams endorsed it on the radio; the state of Maine made Moxie its official soft drink in 2005. Moxie’s lowercase sense "courage, spirit, vigor" entered English in the 20th century.Previous DayHow is moxie used?
“The only safe thing is to take a chance,” she told Nichols, who was both amazed at her moxie and inspired by her trust in him. "Sweet and Sour," The New Yorker, June 13, 2005
He's not a natural singer ... but like the kid in the school play who sells the thing by sheer force of moxie, Crowe handily wins us over. Richard Lawson, "'Les Miserables': Destroying Cynicism with Song," The Atlantic, December 17, 2012
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Word of the dayFriday, February 02, 2018
What is the origin of oblivescence?
Oblivescence dates from the late 19th century and is a later spelling of obliviscence, which dates from the late 18th century. The spelling oblivescence arose by influence of the far more common suffix -escence. The English noun is a derivative of the Latin verb oblīviscī “to forget,” literally “to wipe away, smooth over.” The Latin verb is composed of the prefix ob- “away, against” and the same root as the adjective lēvis “smooth.”Previous DayHow is oblivescence used?
Would that our sins had built-in qualities of oblivescence such as our dreams have. Iris Murdoch, A Word Child, 1975
Even in reasoning, the gratifying confirmatory instance sticks in the mind, while the negative cases all go glimmering into oblivescence. H. L. Hollingworth, "The Oblivescence of the Disagreeable," The Journal of Philosophy Psychology and Scientific Methods, Volume VII, January–December 1910
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Word of the dayThursday, February 01, 2018
epistemic
adjective [ep-uh-stee-mik, -stem-ik]of or relating to knowledge or the conditions for acquiring it.Look it upWhat is the origin of epistemic?
The Greek noun epistḗmē “skill, knowledge, scientific knowledge, science” is a derivative of the verb epistánai “to know how (to do), believe (that), be acquainted with, know, know as a fact.” The verb is composed of the prefix epi- “on, over” and stánai “to stand.” Various languages use different prefixes plus the verb to stand to express intellectual comprehension: in Greek one “stands over”; in German verstehen means literally “stand before’”; and in English one "stands under."Previous DayHow is epistemic used?
Debates over epistemic principles sound abstract, but they have enormous practical repercussions. For instance, in order to decide policy matters (like what to put in our textbooks and what to teach in science classrooms) we need to decide on the facts. Michael Lynch, "Defending Science: An Exchange," New York Times, March 11, 2012
The US is experiencing a deep epistemic breach, a split not just in what we value or want, but in who we trust, how we come to know things, and what we believe we know — what we believe exists, is true, has happened and is happening. David Roberts, "America is facing an epistemic crisis," Vox, November 2, 2017
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Word of the dayWednesday, January 31, 2018
fenestrated
adjective [fen-uh-strey-tid, fi-nes-trey- or fi-nes-treyt, fen-uh-streyt]Architecture. having windows; windowed; characterized by windows.Look it upWhat is the origin of fenestrated?
The English adjective fenestrated is used in the technical language of architecture, anatomy (“pierced, perforated”), and entomology (“having transparent spots”). Fenestrated is obviously derived from the Latin noun fenestra “window.” But Latin fenestra has no clear etymology. Some derive it from Etruscan fnestra, which is not only unattested but also may be a loan word in Etruscan from another, unknown language. Fenestrated entered English in the 19th century.Previous DayHow is fenestrated used?
As you approach the formal entrance from State Street on the west, you're looking at five or six stories ... of ornately carved and fenestrated red sandstone. Sarah Andrews, Fault Line, 2002
Even those who feel queasy at the sight of such ostentatious perpetrations of Sir Gilbert Scott in his Gothic Revival style, may yet feel its presence visually preferable to yet another skyscraping multiplication of a single fenestrated module. Patrick Ryan, "The last word on ... Diplomatic dilapidation," New Scientist, January 16, 1975
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Word of the dayTuesday, January 30, 2018
obsequious
adjective [uh b-see-kwee-uh s]characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning: an obsequious bow.Look it upWhat is the origin of obsequious?
The English adjective obsequious, a direct borrowing from Latin obsequiōsus, has undergone pejoration (change in meaning for the worse) from its Latin original. The Latin word means “obedient, compliant,” which is the original English meaning of the word in the 15th century. By the end of the 16th century, in Shakespeare’s time, obsequious developed the meaning "dutiful in showing one’s respect for the dead." Its current sense, "fawning, servile," dates from the early 17th century.Previous DayHow is obsequious used?
At such a moment, the arrival of her friend was a sincere pleasure to Elizabeth, though in the course of their meetings she must sometimes think the pleasure dearly bought, when she saw Mr. Darcy exposed to all the parading and obsequious civility of her husband. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813
He was garrulous and obsequious, sprinkling “yes, sir”s around as though casting handfuls of seed on new-raked soil. Annie Proulx, "A Resolute Man," The New Yorker, March 21, 2016
