Word of the Day
emoticon
noun
a digital icon or a sequence of keyboard symbols that serves to represent a facial expression, as :‐) for a smiling face.
More about emoticon
Emoticon is a portmanteau of emotion and icon. Emotion comes from Latin ēmovēre, “to move out,” while icon comes from Ancient Greek eikṓn, meaning “figure, image, likeness.” The resemblance between emoticon and emoji is a coincidence, as emoji is of Japanese origin. Emoticon was first recorded in English in the late 1980s.
EXAMPLE OF EMOTICON USED IN A SENTENCE
The colon and left parenthesis momentarily formed a frowning emoticon before AutoCorrect replaced the symbol with a yellow face emoji.
elsewhither
adverb
in another direction; toward a different place or goal.
More about elsewhither
In elsewhither, else is a distant relative of numerous words for “other,” such as Greek állos (as in allograft) and Latin alius (as in alien). Whither, meaning “to where,” is the opposite of whence, “from where,” and is a counterpart of hither, “to here,” and thither, “to there.” Elsewhither was first recorded around the year 1000 as Old English elleshwider.
EXAMPLE OF ELSEWHITHER USED IN A SENTENCE
The road forked into two paths: one that led to town and another that led elsewhither.
More about deltoidal
Deltoidal means “delta-shaped,” and river deltas are so named for their resemblance to the triangular Greek letter delta (Δ). Delta is adapted from a Phoenician letter, dalt or dālet, originally meaning “door,” related to Arabic dāl (د) and Hebrew dāleth (ד). Deltoidal was first recorded in English in the 1830s.
EXAMPLE OF DELTOIDAL USED IN A SENTENCE
The low tide revealed a deltoidal cluster of narrow channels at the river’s mouth.