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Word of the dayPrevious Week Next WeekSunday, February 18, 2018
glissade
noun [gli-sahd, -seyd]a skillful glide over snow or ice in descending a mountain, as on skis or a toboggan.Look it upGet to know dictionary.com
What is the origin of glissade?
The English noun glissade shows its obviously French origin. The French noun means “glide, slide, slip, faux pas” and derives from the verb glisser ”to slip, slide.” The French verb comes from Old French glicier, an alteration of glier “to glide,” a verb of Germanic (Frankish) origin, related to Old English glīdan and Old High German glītan “to glide.” Glissade entered English in the 19th century.Previous DayHow is glissade used?
A rapid scramble down the shattered ridge to the col, and a careful kicking of steps along the first two or three hundred feet of the glacier which led northwards to our picnic place, then a glissade ... gradually easing off into a run down. T. Howard Somervell, After Everest: The Experiences of a Mountaineer and Medical Missionary, 1950
“Don’t worry,” she cheerily assured us over her shoulder. “In some places glissade is just about the only thing you can do. Plus, it’s fun.” Paul Schneider, "On Snowshoes in New Hampshire, Shuffling Off to Lonesome Lake," New York Times, March 5, 2009
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Word of the daySaturday, February 17, 2018
objurgate
verb [ob-jer-geyt, uh b-jur-geyt]to reproach or denounce vehemently; upbraid harshly; berate sharply.Look it upWhat is the origin of objurgate?
The English verb objurgate comes from Latin objūrgāt-, the past participle stem of the verb objūrgāre “to reprimand, rebuke.” The Latin verb is composed of the prefix ob- “against,” and the verb jūrgāre or jūrigāre “to rebuke.” Jūrigāre, in turn, is composed of the noun stem jūr- (from jūs “right, law, justice”) and the verb suffix -igāre, from -ig-, a noun derivative of agere “to drive, do,” as in fumigate, litigate, and navigate. Objurgate entered English in the early 17th century.Previous DayHow is objurgate used?
Let his fellows grumble and objurgate, said he; they would cringe to him when he became a dragoman, with his pockets stuffed with piastres. Sabine Baring-Gould, The Book of Ghosts, 1904
It would be my advice to persons situated in this way, to not roll or thrash around, because this excites the interest of all the different sorts of animals and makes every last one of them want to turn out and see what is going on, and this makes things worse than they were before, and of course makes you objurgate harder, too, if you can. Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, 1889
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Word of the dayFriday, February 16, 2018
What is the origin of messan?
The English noun messan “small dog, lap dog” comes from Scots Gaelic measan “small dog,” cognate with Irish Gaelic measán, both of which are diminutives of Gaelic mess “favored (one).” Messan entered English in the late 15th century.Previous DayHow is messan used?
They are good enough lads, Sholto and Laurence both, but they will be for ever gnarring and grappling at each other like messan dogs round a kirk door. S. R. Crockett, The Black Douglas, 1899
Here, sisters, here is my trusty and well-beloved Dame de Ste. Petronelle, who takes such care of me that she dogs my footsteps like a messan. Charlotte Mary Yonge, Two Penniless Princesses, 1890
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Word of the dayThursday, February 15, 2018
What is the origin of SOS?
SOS comes from the Morse code alphabet, in which three dots (or short clicks) represents the letter S and three dashes (or long clicks) represents the letter O.Previous DayHow is SOS used?
When an SOS is heard, there is an immediate response by almost anyone who is in a position to be of assistance and a prayerful response by those are unable to assist. Gilbert P. Pond, "SOS ... SAS," The Rotarian, July 1955
SOS is not only a signal of despair, it is a larger symbol of hope. "SOS," New York Times, December 24, 1956
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Word of the dayWednesday, February 14, 2018
ship
verb [ship]to take an interest in or hope for a romantic relationship between (fictional characters or famous people), whether or not the romance actually exists: I’m shipping for those guys—they would make a great couple!Look it upWhat is the origin of ship?
The verb ship, originally meaning “to discuss or portray a romantic couple in fiction, especially in a serial” is a shortening of (relation)ship and dates only from 1996.Previous DayHow is ship used?
The characters are ‘shipped by enough people that the duo has a name: Reylo. Alexis Rhiannon, "Kylo Ren & Rey's 'Last Jedi' Relationship Is Tearing The Fandom Apart & Here's Why," Bustle, December 2017
It’s a popular misunderstanding that one can only ship two characters who are not already romantically involved on a show. In fact, it’s perfectly appropriate to ship, for example, Jim and Pam from “The Office.” Jonah Engel Bromwich, "Who Do You Ship? What Tumblr Tells Us About Fan Culture," New York Times, December 4, 2017
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Word of the dayTuesday, February 13, 2018
Aesopian
adjective [ee-soh-pee-uh n, ee-sop-ee-]conveying meaning by hint, euphemism, innuendo, or the like: In the candidate's Aesopian language, “soft on Communism” was to be interpreted as “Communist sympathizer.”Look it upWhat is the origin of Aesopian?
The English adjective Aesopian has multiple origins. The Latin adjective has the forms Aesōpīus and Aesōpēus, from Greek Aisṓpeios, derivative adjective of the proper name Aísōpos (Aesop). Aesop was a Greek slave who supposedly lived c620 b.c.–c560b.c. on the island of Samos and told animal fables that teach a lesson, e.g., “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Aesopian entered English in the late 17th century.Previous DayHow is Aesopian used?
Gauss taught that past political thinkers wrote in a kind of code--an Aesopian language of double or multiple meanings--in order to avoid persecution in their own day and to communicate with contemporaries and successors who knew how to read between the lines, as it were. Terence Ball, Rousseau's Ghost, 1998
By then, some Soviet writers had learned to use the Aesopian language, with its hints and euphemisms, to get their books into print. Elena Gorokhova, "Beyond Banned: Books That Survived the Censors," NPR, March 30, 2011
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Word of the dayMonday, February 12, 2018
madeleine
noun [mad-l-in, mad-l-eyn]something that triggers memories or nostalgia: in allusion to a nostalgic passage in Proust's Remembrance of Things Past.Look it upWhat is the origin of madeleine?
The etymology of madeleine (in full, gâteau à la Madeleine), which is named after an 18th-century cook named Madeleine Paulnier or Paumier, is dubious. Madeleines (the small cakes) are popular today, but perhaps the word madeleine “something that evokes a memory or nostalgia” has more significance from the use of madeleine in this sense in Swann’s Way (1922), the first volume of Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time (À la recherche du temps perdu), also known in English as Remembrance of Things Past.Previous DayHow is madeleine used?
... thus temporarily bringing the sounds and smells of his dream world to him, a madeleine of the ever-postponed future. Jane DeLynn, Real Estate, 1988
To reread this is like scenting a Madeleine of the drama and struggle that once was. Mustapha Marrouchi, Edward Said at the Limits, 2004
