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.
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Olykoek has its origins in the now-extinct New York dialect of Dutch. Dutch is related to English, therefore it’s no surprise that Dutch olie and koek resemble their English cognates oil and cake. Olykoek was first recorded in English at the turn of the 19th century. EXAMPLE OF OLYKOEK USED IN A SENTENCE The crowd of Knicks fans enjoyed olykoeks as the sun rose over the Hudson River.
to come forth; emerge.
Debouch is an adaptation of French déboucher, meaning both “to unclog, uncork” and “to emerge, result, drain.” The bouche element means “mouth” and comes from Latin bucca, which means “cheek, jaw.” Bucca eventually replaced Latin ōs, ōr- (as in oral and oration) as the word for “mouth.” Debouch was first recorded in English circa 1660. EXAMPLE OF DEBOUCH USED IN A SENTENCE Passengers in festive clothing debouched from the crowded subway on their way to the parade.
to make an island of.
Enisle comes from French. En- roughly means “to make happen, cause to be,” as in the Word of the Day enkindle, while isle is an older spelling of French île, “island,” from Latin īnsula. Isle and island are not related, but island (from Old English) gained its silent s by association with isle. Enisle was first recorded in English around 1610. EXAMPLE OF ENISLE USED IN A SENTENCE When the dam burst, the torrent of water filled the valley, enisling the highest points of land therein.
the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
Esperance comes by way of Middle French from Vulgar Latin spērantia, based on Latin spēs “hope.” Other derivatives of spērantia include modern French espérance, Italian speranza, Portuguese esperança, and Spanish esperanza, all meaning “hope.” Esperance was first recorded in English in the early 15th century. EXAMPLE OF ESPERANCE USED IN A SENTENCE The players were full of esperance about their new coach.
radiation emitted by a charged particle when accelerating.
Bremsstrahlung is a borrowing from German comprising Bremse, “brake,” and Strahlung, “radiation,” the latter from Strahl, “beam, ray of light” and originally “arrow.” Strahl is related to English streale, a dialectal word for “arrow” in southeastern England. Bremsstrahlung was first recorded in English in the early 1940s. EXAMPLE OF BREMSSTRAHLUNG USED IN A SENTENCE The electron hovered around the atomic nucleus, releasing bremsstrahlung as it lost some speed.
