Word of the Day
More about sklent
Sklent, “to deviate from a straight course,” is a Scots variant of Middle English slenten “to slant.” As we learned from the Word of the Day whigmaleerie, Scots is a sister language of English with its own grammar and vocabulary, unlike Scottish English, which is a dialect of English or Scottish Gaelic, which is a Celtic language. Similar to that of the Word of the Day tawpie, sklent’s origin lies in Scandinavia, and relatives of sklent include Swedish slinta “to slide, slip.” The apparent addition of the k in sklent is an example of an excrescent sound, as we learned from the Word of the Day enumerate. Sklent was first recorded in English circa 1510.
EXAMPLE OF SKLENT USED IN A SENTENCE
The driver swerved off the asphalt rather than answer an uncomfortable question, sklenting from both the road and the truth in one fell swoop.
nainsook
noun
a fine, soft-finished cotton fabric, usually white, used for lingerie and infants' wear.
More about nainsook
Nainsook, “a cotton fabric used in delicate clothing,” comes from Hindi nainsukh, literally meaning “eye’s pleasure.” The nain- element means “eye” and comes from a Sanskrit verb meaning “to lead.” Meanwhile, the -sukh component means “pleasure” and comes from Sanskrit sukha-, “pleasant” or “running easily,” the latter in reference to carts and chariots. To delve a bit deeper, sukha- may be a compound of su-, “good,” and kha-, “axle-hole,” and su- is a distant relative of Ancient Greek eús, “good,” as in euphemism, euphony, and Word of the Day euxinia. Nainsook was first recorded in English in the 1780s.
EXAMPLE OF NAINSOOK USED IN A SENTENCE
The tailor selected the nainsook with the vivid embroidery for the dressing gown.
dithyrambic
adjective
of, relating to, or of the nature of an impassioned oration.
More about dithyrambic
Dithyrambic, “of or relating to an impassioned oration,” describes a dithyramb, which refers to a wild Greek choral song or, more broadly, to an enthusiastic speech. Dithyramb comes from Ancient Greek dīthýrambos, which belongs to a small family of words related to song or rhythm, including íambos, “iamb.” Alas, these words are likely of mysterious pre-Greek origin, coming from a lost language spoken in the eastern Mediterranean. For more examples of pre-Greek words, check out the Words of the Day obelize and pharyngeal. Dithyrambic was first recorded in English at the turn of the 17th century.
EXAMPLE OF DITHYRAMBIC USED IN A SENTENCE
The teacher was known for dithyrambic declarations, praising all her students for their exceptional performance.