Word of the Day
retrospection
noun
the action, process, or faculty of looking back on things past.
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Why Dictionary.com chose retrospection
More about retrospection
- Retrospection was first recorded in 1625–35.
- Retrospection was formed from the suffix –ion, denoting action or condition, and the word retrospect, “contemplation of the past.”
- Retrospect was probably formed from the prefix retro-, meaning “backward,” and the word (pro)spect from the Latin word prōspectus, “outlook, view.”
- The last piece of the puzzle, spect-, comes from the Latin word specere, meaning “to look.”
EXAMPLES OF RETROSPECTION
- The elderly man smiled as he leafed through his photo album, indulging in moments of retrospection, reliving his youth and reflecting on a life well-lived.
- After a year of travel, she looked out the plane window in retrospection, reminiscing about the places she had visited and the memories she had made.
machinations
noun
crafty schemes; plots; intrigues.
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Why Dictionary.com chose machinations
More about machinations
- Machinations was first recorded around 1375–1425.
- Machinations comes from the late Middle English word machinacion, from the Latin stem māchinātiōn-.
- The verb form, machinate, entered English over a century later from the Latin word māchinārī, “to invent, contrive, devise artfully,” and is related to the more common word machine, “a mechanical apparatus or contrivance.”
EXAMPLES OF MACHINATIONS
- The mastermind behind the political machinations orchestrated a complex web of deceit to manipulate public opinion.
- Through cunning machinations and hidden alliances, the spy infiltrated the enemy ranks and gathered vital intelligence.
phantasmagoria
noun
a shifting series of phantasms, illusions, or deceptive appearances, as in a dream or as created by the imagination.
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Why Dictionary.com chose phantasmagoria
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More about phantasmagoria
- Phantasmagoria was first recorded in 1795–1805.
- Phantasmagoria comes from the French word fantasmagorie, a compound word based on fantasme, “phantasm.”
- Phantasm, the first element, ultimately comes from the Greek word phántasma, “image, vision.”
- The second element of phantasmagoria perhaps represents the Greek word agorá, “assembly, gathering.”
EXAMPLES OF PHANTASMAGORIA
- The magician’s show was filled with a phantasmagoria of tricks and illusions, leaving the audience in awe and disbelief.
- As she entered the abandoned house, a phantasmagoria of eerie shadows and ghostly figures danced before her eyes.
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