Word of the Day
desegregation
noun
the elimination of laws, customs, or practices under which people from different religions, ancestries, ethnic groups, etc., are restricted to specific or separate public facilities, neighborhoods, schools, organizations, or the like.
More about desegregation
Desegregation, “the elimination of laws under which people are separated,” is a compound of de-, “not, un-,” and segregation, which comes from Latin sēgregāre, “to part from the flock.” Sēgregāre is formed from sē-, “without, apart,” and grex (stem greg-), “flock,” the latter of which is also the source of congregate (literally meaning “to flock together”), gregarious (“belonging to a flock”), and egregious (“out of the flock”). Though segregation is often contrasted with its rhyming opposite integration, the two are unrelated. Instead, integration ultimately comes from Latin integer, “untouched, undivided, whole.” Desegregation was first recorded in English in the early 1950s. (Read more about an important example of desegregation on this day in 1960.)
EXAMPLE OF DESEGREGATION USED IN A SENTENCE
A flurry of court cases and legislation, such as Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, was critical to desegregation in the United States.
gouache
noun
an opaque watercolor prepared with gum used in painting.
More about gouache
Gouache, “an opaque watercolor prepared with gum,” is a loanword from French and is adapted from Italian guazzo, originally meaning “place where there is water.” Guazzo, in turn, apparently comes from Latin aquātiō, of the same meaning, from aqua, “water.” The Italian descendant of Latin aqua is acqua, and the Latin suffix -tiō usually becomes -gione, -zione, or -zzone in Italian, which is why Latin aquātiō is also the source of Italian acquazzone, “downpour.” How guazzo came into being, when it does not follow standard Latin-to-Italian sound change patterns, is a bit of a mystery, but one possibility is that guazzo reflects an early borrowing from a Romance language of northern Italy. Gouache was first recorded in English in the early 1880s.
EXAMPLE OF GOUACHE USED IN A SENTENCE
In contrast to watercolors, which are designed to be translucent, the thickness of gouache allows for bold colors after a single session of painting.
perennial
adjective
perpetual; everlasting; continuing; recurrent.
More about perennial
Perennial, “perpetual, continuing,” comes from Latin perennis, “lasting the whole year through,” which is based on per, “through, by,” and -enn-, a combining form of annus, “year.” A common trend in Latin is for a to change to e or i in compounds; other examples of this include ars, “skill,” becoming iners, “unskillful” (compare art and inert), and amīcus, “friend,” becoming inimicus, “unfriendly” (compare amicable, enemy, and the Word of the Day inimical). Perennial is often confused with annual because the two have similar meanings and origins, but you can learn to tell the difference by reading our article on these words. Perennial was first recorded in English circa 1640.
EXAMPLE OF PERENNIAL USED IN A SENTENCE
A key feature of the lands north of the Arctic Circle is its nearly perennial winter, with cold temperatures even in July.