Word of the Day
eruct
verb
to belch, as gas from the stomach.
Why the Museum of Science chose eruct
To find out, watch this video about from science communicator, Alex Dainis, PhD.
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More about eruct
Eruct comes from the Latin verb ērūgere, “to belch out, discharge noisily.” Not surprisingly, the -ruct part of eruct is distantly related to English reek, “to smell bad.” While reek is of Old English origin (and therefore more than 1000 years old), eruct was first recorded in English in the 1660s. Read more about this medical term.
EXAMPLE OF ERUCT USED IN A SENTENCE
The unlucky photographer missed the perfect shot when he eructed and bumped the camera out of focus.
repristinate
verb
to restore to the first or original state or condition.
More about repristinate
Repristinate, “to restore to the first or original state or condition,” is formed from the adjective pristine, with the prefix re-, “back, again,” and the suffix -ate. Pristine comes from Latin pristinus, “early,” which belongs to a small family of Latin words relating to coming before something. Words in this family include prae (“before”), prior and prius (“former,” literally “more before”), and prīmus (“first,” literally “most before”). To see these Latin roots in action today, check out the Words of the Day prefatory, preternatural, and primaveral. Repristinate was first recorded in English in the 1650s.
EXAMPLE OF REPRISTINATE USED IN A SENTENCE
In an effort to attract wildlife, the environmentalists began repristinating the park, bulldozing buildings and planting trees to remove the impact of humans.
tenacious
adjective
holding together; not easily pulled asunder; tough.
More about tenacious
Tenacious, “not easily pulled asunder; tough,” is based on the noun tenacity and the suffix -ous, “full of.” Tenacity comes from Latin tenāx (stem tenāc-), “holding fast,” from the verb tenēre, “to hold.” Tenēre has three common stems in English: ten- (as in lieutenant, tenable, and tenor) and -tin- (as in continue and retinue) as well as -tain (as in abstain, attain, and maintain) by way of French. Tenacious was first recorded in English circa 1605.
EXAMPLE OF TENACIOUS USED IN A SENTENCE
The team remained tenacious even as their rivals came closer and closer to winning the game.