Word of the Day
polyped
noun
a being or object having many legs.
Why the Museum of Science chose polyped
To find out, watch this video from science communicator Maynard Okereke, better known as the Hip Hop M.D.
Learn more at the Museum of Science.
More about polyped
Poly- comes from Ancient Greek polýs, meaning “many,” while -ped is from Latin pēs, “foot,” meaning that polyped is a blend of roots from two different languages. An all-Greek version would be “polypod,” while an all-Latin version would be “multipod” instead. Polyped was first recorded in English around 1820.
EXAMPLE OF POLYPED USED IN A SENTENCE
Centipedes, millipedes, and several other kinds of polypeds scurried across the forest floor.
pwn
verb
to totally defeat or dominate, especially in a video or computer game.
More about pwn
Pwn is an intentional misspelling of the verb own, likely inspired by the adjacent O and P keys on QWERTY keyboards. Pwn is an example of leetspeak, a fanciful, tongue-in-cheek style of English spelling used online in informal contexts. Woot, also spelled w00t, is another example. Pwn was first recorded in English in the early 1990s.
EXAMPLE OF PWN USED IN A SENTENCE
“Ultimate pwnage,” the gamer remarked as she swiftly pwned the boss of the level.
haroseth
noun
a mixture of chopped nuts and apples, wine, and spices that is eaten at the Seder meal on Passover.
More about haroseth
Haroseth is borrowed from a Hebrew word that is either related to or derived from ḥarsīth or ḥeres, “pottery clay.” The Hebrew “khuh” sound, represented by the letter heth at the beginning of haroseth, may appear in English as h, ḥ, ẖ, ch, or kh. Haroseth was first recorded in English in the mid-1880s.
EXAMPLE OF HAROSETH USED IN A SENTENCE
The red wine and cinnamon gave the haroseth a sharp, distinctive taste.