Word of the Day
invaluable
adjective
beyond calculable or appraisable value; of inestimable worth; priceless.
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Why Dictionary.com chose invaluable
More about invaluable
- Invaluable was first recorded in 1570–80.
- Invaluable comes from the negative prefix in– and the word valuable in its outdated sense of “capable of valuation.”
- To complicate it all, invaluable has also been used to mean “worthless,” although its “priceless” sense is much more common.
EXAMPLES OF INVALUABLE
- The advice she gave me was invaluable; it completely transformed the way I approached the project.
- The experience of traveling to different countries and immersing myself in different languages and cultures has been invaluable to my personal growth and understanding of the world.
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Why Dictionary.com chose arvo
More about arvo
- Arvo is Australian English slang that was first recorded in 1930–35.
- Arvo takes the af- from the word afternoon, voices the –f so that is pronounced like a –v, and combines it with –o.
- The ar– represents how a speaker of a dialect in which r is not pronounced, like Australian English, would say a low back vowel (-a).
- Many Australian English terms are similarly shortened, like avo for avocado, servo for service station, and devo for devastated.
EXAMPLES OF ARVO
- Their friends said they would catch them at the beach later in the arvo for a game of volleyball.
- The sun is shining, making this arvo perfect for a bike ride.
chiaroscuro
noun
the distribution of light and shade in a picture.
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Why Dictionary.com chose chiaroscuro
More about chiaroscuro
- Chiaroscuro was first recorded in English between 1680–90.
- Chiaroscuro comes from Italian and is composed of chiaro, meaning “bright,” and oscuro, meaning “dark.”
- From chiaro comes the English word clear, “free from darkness; light,” and from oscuro comes obscure, “not clear” or “lacking in light.”
- Leonardo da Vinci and (Michelangelo Merisi da) Caravaggio famously utilized the technique of chiaroscuro in their works of art.
EXAMPLES OF CHIAROSCURO
- The photograph captured the beautiful chiaroscuro of the sunset, with vibrant hues blending seamlessly into deepening shadows.
- The filmmaker expertly crafted a scene using chiaroscuro to heighten the tension, casting eerie shadows across the dimly lit room.
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