Word of the Day

Terricolous is based on the Latin word terra, meaning “earth,” and the element -colous, meaning “inhabiting.” Terra is also the source of the Words of the Day terraqueous and terrene. Terricolous was first recorded in English around 1830. EXAMPLE OF TERRICOLOUS USED IN A SENTENCE A large patch of terricolous moss grew in the shade of the old shed.

Hadal is based on Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. The Ancient Greek name for Hades, Hā́idēs, is of unclear origin, but a longtime popular explanation is that it is related to aïdḗs, meaning “invisible, unseen.” Hadal was first recorded in English in the late 1950s. EXAMPLE OF HADAL USED IN A SENTENCE No sunlight can ever penetrate the hadal trenches of the Pacific Ocean.

Écossaise is a form of French écossais, meaning “Scottish.” Both French Écosse and English Scotland come from Late Latin Scotus, a name for Gaelic-speaking people in the British Isles. The origin of Scotus may be connected to Irish Gaelic scoith, “to cut off,” or Scottish Gaelic sgaothrach, “crowd.” Écossaise was first recorded in English in the early 1860s. EXAMPLE OF ÉCOSSAISE USED IN A SENTENCE The couples prepared to dance the écossaise by forming two parallel lines.

Alley-oop comes from French allez-hop, which generally means “off you go” or “go on up.” Allez, “go,” is a form of aller, “to go,” as in the Word of the Day laisser-aller. Hop is an expressive word with a variety of meanings and is also the source of hoopla. Alley-oop was first recorded in English in the late 1910s. EXAMPLE OF ALLEY-OOP USED IN A SENTENCE “Alley-oop,” cried the vaudeville performer, and his co-stars struggled to lift the piano he was sitting on.

Girasol, from Italian girasole, is an abbreviation of girare, meaning “to turn,” and sole, “sun.” While girare is related to English gyrate, sole shares an origin with English solar. Girasol was first recorded in English in the 1580s. EXAMPLE OF GIRASOL USED IN A SENTENCE The girasols were uprooted so they could be cooked for lunch.