Word of the Day
Learn a new word every day! The Dictionary.com team of language experts carefully selects each Word of the Day to add some panache to your vocabulary.
love conquers all.
Omnia, “all, everything,” is the neuter plural of omnis, “all, every,” while amor means “love.” Vincit is a form of vincere, “to conquer, win,” which is also the source of the Word of the Day victorine. Omnia vincit amor was first recorded in English in the late 16th century. EXAMPLE OF OMNIA VINCIT AMOR USED IN A SENTENCE “Omnia vincit amor,” declared the officiant, and the couple began to exchange vows.
a combination of closely linked DNA sequences on one chromosome that are often inherited together.
Haplotype is a compound of haplo-, meaning “single, simple,” and type, “kind, sort.” Both of these elements come from Ancient Greek. Haplotype was first recorded in English in the late 1960s, perhaps as a coinage by Italian geneticist Ruggero Ceppellini and his colleagues in 1967. EXAMPLE OF HAPLOTYPE USED IN A SENTENCE The Y-chromosome samples from subjects in southern Europe and the Middle East all had the same haplotype, pointing to a common ancestor in ancient Africa.
incapable of being measured; limitless.
Immensurable is easily confused with immeasurable, and the resemblance is no coincidence. Both come from Late Latin mēnsūrābilis, “that can be measured,” from earlier Latin mētīrī, “to measure.” Immensurable was first recorded in English around 1530, more than a century after immeasurable. EXAMPLE OF IMMENSURABLE USED IN A SENTENCE Without the use of sonar to detect distance, the furthest depths of the ocean would still seem immensurable to scientists today.
a clever, unscrupulous person.
Snollygoster is a slang term of uncertain origin. It has been proposed that it is connected to snallygaster, a mythical monster from Maryland with a name derived from German schnelle Geister, “quick spirits.” One complication here is that snallygaster first appears in the 1940s, while snollygoster was first recorded in English a century earlier in the 1840s. EXAMPLE OF SNOLLYGOSTER USED IN A SENTENCE The snollygoster managed to convince much of the audience that his political rivals were responsible for his own errors in judgment.
a small flag or streamer fastened to a lance, masthead, etc.
Banderole comes by way of French from Italian banderuola, formed from bandiera, “banner,” and -uola, roughly meaning “little.” Bandiera and English banner both come from Late Latin bandum or bannum, a type of flag representing a monarch or nation. Banderole was first recorded in English around 1560. EXAMPLE OF BANDEROLE USED IN A SENTENCE The long, thin banderoles flapped in the breeze as the ship docked in the harbor.
