Word of the Day
radiant
noun
the point in the heavens from which a shower of meteors appears to radiate.
Why the Museum of Science chose radiant
To find out, watch this video from science communicator Alex Dainis, PhD.
Learn more at the Museum of Science.
More about radiant
Radiant is based on Latin radiāns, “shining,” from the verb radiāre, “to shine.” While English uses -ing for present participles (as in seeing, going), Latin uses -ns, often changing to -nt-. This is why Latin pungēns, “piercing,” becomes pungent and conveniēns, “coming together,” becomes convenient. Radiant was first recorded in English in the late 15th century.
EXAMPLE OF RADIANT USED IN A SENTENCE
The meteors emerged from a radiant somewhere in the constellation Lyra and streaked across the night sky.
More about rort
The noun rort is an example of a back formation. It was formed from the adjective rorty, “boisterous, rowdy” or earlier “fine, splendid.” Rorty itself may be connected to the verb roar. Rort was first recorded in English in the mid-1920s. Learn more about common back formations in English.
EXAMPLE OF RORT USED IN A SENTENCE
The Friday night gathering turned into a wild rort, with wine and revelry lasting until dawn.
northpaw
adverb
with or for the right hand; right-handedly.
More about northpaw
Northpaw is often said to come from baseball, with a westward-facing pitcher’s right arm to the north, but this claim remains unproven. Many languages associate handedness with cardinal directions; compare Biblical Hebrew yāmîn, meaning both “right hand” and “south.” Northpaw was first recorded in English in the late 1890s. Northpaw is one of the recent additions to Dictionary.com.
EXAMPLE OF NORTHPAW USED IN A SENTENCE
To switch things up after hours of practicing, the left-handed pitcher threw northpaw instead.