Word of the Day
deglutition
noun
the act or process of swallowing.
Why the Museum of Science chose deglutition
How many times do you think you swallow in a day? To find out, watch this video about deglutition from science communicator, Alex Dainis, PhD.
Learn more fun facts at the Museum of Science.
More about deglutition
Deglutition comes by way of French from the Latin verb glūtīre, “to swallow.” Of a similar origin is glutton, “a person who eats excessively,” while the related Latin noun gula, “throat,” is the source of gullet and perhaps beagle—yes, the breed of dog. Despite the similar spelling, deglutition is not related to gluteus (a muscle), which comes from Greek rather than Latin, or to gluten, which comes from the Latin word for “glue.” Deglutition was first recorded in English in the 1640s.
EXAMPLE OF DEGLUTITION USED IN A SENTENCE
If you don’t drink some water before eating peanut butter, its sticky consistency may make deglutition rather challenging.
androsphinx
noun,
a sphinx with the head of a man.
More about androsphinx
Androsphinx, “a sphinx with the head of a man,” is a compound of andro-, “man,” and sphinx, the mythical riddle-posing creature composed of a woman’s head, a lion’s body, and a bird’s wings. Andro- comes from Ancient Greek anḗr, “man,” which is the source of the names Alexander, Andromeda, and Cassandra. Sphinx comes from Ancient Greek sphínx, which is based on the verb sphíngein, “to hold tight,” perhaps after a sphinx’s storied tendency to strangle the poor souls who could not solve its riddles. The female equivalent of androsphinx should be “gynecosphinx” for etymological reasons, though numerous sources use the not-quite-yet-standardized “gynosphinx” instead. Androsphinx was first recorded in English in the first decade of the 17th century.
EXAMPLE OF ANDROSPHINX USED IN A SENTENCE
Though the sphinx in the Greek myth of Oedipus was a winged female, the Great Sphinx of Giza is a wingless androsphinx.
dwy
noun
a gusty flurry or shower; a brief squall or storm accompanied by precipitation.
More about dwy
Dwy, “a gusty flurry,” is used in the Newfoundland dialect of English, and it may be linked originally to dwyes, “eddies,” in the dialect of the Isle of Wight (off the coast of southern England) or twy, “coastal squall,” in the dialects of Hampshire and Wiltshire (in southern England). Newfoundland is well known for its unique variety of English, which exhibits heavy influence from the English dialects of southern/southwestern England, southeastern Ireland, and both Highland and Lowland Scotland, despite its location in Atlantic Canada, because of longtime immigration from those regions. Dwy was first recorded in English in the early 1860s.
EXAMPLE OF DWY USED IN A SENTENCE
The lighthouse keeper knew that she had to prepare for the dwies of winter.