Word of the Day
prolegomenon
noun
a preliminary discussion; introductory essay; a prologue.
More about prolegomenon
Prolegomenon comes from the Ancient Greek prolegómenon, literally “being said beforehand.” The -legómenon element is closely related to several stems in English pertaining to counting, speech, and words, such as lect- (as in dialect), lex- (lexicon), and log- (catalog). Prolegomenon was first recorded in English around 1650.
EXAMPLE OF PROLEGOMENON USED IN A SENTENCE
A prolegomenon in The Fellowship of the Ring introduces readers to the nature and customs of hobbits.
More about clarsach
Clarsach is an adaptation of either the Irish Gaelic cláirseach or the Scottish Gaelic clàrsach, both meaning “harp.” These two words likely come from the Old Irish clár, which variously means “board, plank” or “table, tablet.” Clarsach may be related through Ancient Greek to clergy, cleric, clerk, and the name Clark. Clarsach was first recorded in English around 1805.
EXAMPLE OF CLARSACH USED IN A SENTENCE
The golden clarsach shines against a dark green background on the flag of Leinster.
vigesimal
adjective
of, relating to, or based on twenty.
More about vigesimal
Vigesimal comes from Latin vīcēsimus, “twentieth.” While English and its Germanic relatives base their words for “twenty” on a combination of “two” and “ten,” Latin vīgintī is distantly related to Ancient Greek eíkosi (as in icosahedron, a twenty-sided figure) and Sanskrit viṃśatí (as in pachisi, a game in which twenty-five is the highest score). Vigesimal was first recorded in English in the 1650s.
EXAMPLE OF VIGESIMAL USED IN A SENTENCE
French now uses a vigesimal system for numbers over 60, representing 80 as “4 × 20” and 90 as “4 × 20 + 10.”