A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Apr 1 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--umbra X-Bonus: Make no judgments where you have no compassion. -Anne McCaffrey, writer (1 Apr 1926-2011) What does an umbrella have in common with ellipsis? They both block or leave out something. Umbrella: rain, and ellipsis: words. The word umbrella comes from the Latin umbra (shade) and ellipsis from the Greek ekleipein (to fail to appear) -- the same root as the word eclipse. All this has been on my mind as we anticipate a total solar eclipse in parts of North America next week. The moon plants its face directly between the sun and the earth. There's never been this much excitement about what is basically a photobombing. The piddly moon is going all in and will take on the mighty sun, some 400 times wider than itself. Maybe there's a metaphor in there somewhere. You can overshadow and overcome the mighty, you just need to find the right place and right time. Will you be in the right place at the right time on Apr 8 to witness the eclipse? Are you an eclipse chaser, an umbraphile perhaps? We'd love to hear about it. Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/umbra.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). Meanwhile, this week we'll feature five words that you can use to talk about the eclipse. But you don't have to wait for the next eclipse event to occur. You can also use them metaphorically. umbra (UHM-bruh) noun 1. Shade; shadow. 2. The darkest inner part of a shadow, as during an eclipse. [From Latin umbra (shade, shadow). Earliest documented use: 1601. Some other words coined from the same Latin root are bumbershoot https://wordsmith.org/words/bumbershoot.html , umbriferous https://wordsmith.org/words/umbriferous.html , umber https://wordsmith.org/words/umber.html , adumbrate https://wordsmith.org/words/adumbrate.html , and umbrage https://wordsmith.org/words/umbrage.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/umbra https://wordsmith.org/words/images/umbra_large.jpg Image: Guiral Lacotte / Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eclipses_solares.en.svg "India is an emerging economy, however, its transition is taking place in the umbra of China's yet more majestic prominence." India in the Era of Rising Minilateralism; Tehelka (New Delhi, India); Jan 16, 2022. -------- Date: Tue Apr 2 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--occultation X-Bonus: A neurosis is a secret that you don't know you're keeping. -Kenneth Tynan, critic and writer (2 Apr 1927-1980) This week's theme: Eclipse occultation (ah-kuhl-TAY-shuhn) noun 1. The state of being hidden or blocked. 2. The passage of a celestial object in front of another, hiding it from view. [From Latin occultare (to conceal), frequentative of occulere (to conceal), from culere (to hide). Earliest documented use: 1453.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/occultation "Matt Rinaldi [came to] to Dallas to work at a law firm at about the time when Texas Democrats were sliding into occultation." Christopher Hooks; Sinners in the Hands of an Angry GOP; Texas Monthly (Austin); Dec 2023. "A pair of amateur astronomers were setting their telescopes, hoping to catch an elusive occultation, where for a few seconds, an asteroid too faint to see would block out the light from a star." Henry Melton; Lighter Than Air; Wire Rim Books; 2008. -------- Date: Wed Apr 3 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--penumbra X-Bonus: I am only one, / But still I am one. / I cannot do everything, / But still I can do something; / And because I cannot do everything, / I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. -Edward Everett Hale, author (3 Apr 1822-1909) This week's theme: Eclipse penumbra (pi/puh-NUHM-bruh) noun 1. A surrounding area or fringe, a zone of influence or activity that is less distinct or certain. 2. A partly shaded region between fully dark and fully lit. 3. The diffuse area around the dark central area of a sunspot. [From Latin paene (almost) + umbra (shadow). Earliest documented use: 1665.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/penumbra https://wordsmith.org/words/images/penumbra_large.jpg Image: Guiral Lacotte / Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eclipses_solares.en.svg "If the mainstream debate is robust, its penumbra is toxic." Arguing Over Iran; The Economist (London, UK); Sep 5, 2015. -------- Date: Thu Apr 4 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--umbrageous X-Bonus: I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. -Maya Angelou, poet (4 Apr 1928-2014) This week's theme: Eclipse umbrageous (uhm-BRAY-juhs) adjective 1. Inclined to take offense easily. 2. Cast in shadow; shaded. 3. Providing shade. [From Latin umbra (shade, shadow) + -ous (full of). Earliest documented use: 1587.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/umbrageous https://wordsmith.org/words/images/umbrageous_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Q: Is it possible to spend time with friends whose company I do enjoy without incurring the wrath of the umbrageous? Judith Martin; Host Needs Specific Dates for Holiday Guests; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia); Dec 8, 2019. "Dark, umbrageous, sometimes pungent, [the streets] have had their ups and downs." Michael Frank; It's Not Rome or Venice. That's Part of Its Charm; The New York Times; Apr 30, 2017. "I think clumps of wide-spreading, umbrageous trees close off the space overhead." Michael McCoy; Feels Good, Looks Good; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Jul 29, 2006. -------- Date: Fri Apr 5 00:01:01 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--totality X-Bonus: There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up. -Booker T. Washington, reformer, educator, and author (5 Apr 1856-1915) This week's theme: Eclipse totality (toh-TAL-i/uh-tee) noun 1. The condition or quality of being complete or whole. 2. An aggregate amount or sum. 3. The phase of an eclipse when an obscuring body completely blocks the light source, e.g., when the moon completely blocks the view of the sun. [From total, from Latin totus (entire). Earliest documented use: 1598.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/totality Totality, France, Aug 11, 1999. Only the Sun's corona and prominences are visible https://wordsmith.org/words/images/totality_large.jpg Photo: Luc Viatour / Wikimedia https://lucnix.be/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Solar_eclipse_1999_4.jpg "The 'I' we experience is smaller than, and different from, the totality of who and what we are." Joshua Rothman; As Real as It Gets; The New Yorker; Apr 2, 2018. "The next total solar eclipse after Apr 8 occurs Aug 12, 2026. However, because its path of totality is short-lived and mostly in secluded areas, it might be a less popular target. It will touch Greenland, Iceland, and northern Russia, as well as a small part of Portugal and Spain." Michael E. Bakich; The Next 20 Years of Eclipses; Astronomy (Milwaukee, Wisconsin); Apr 2024. -------- Date: Mon Apr 8 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--precipitate X-Bonus: I don't understand how any good art could fail to be political. -Barbara Kingsolver, novelist, essayist, and poet (b. 8 Apr 1955) If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. A chemistry reference or aphorism? How about both? You can say something similar about the words this week. Use them in a chem lab or to talk about your day-to-day life. Can you come up with example sentences for each of this week's words that combine both the literal and figurative meanings? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/precipitate.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). precipitate (verb: pri-SIP-i-tayt; noun, adjective: pri-SIP-i-tit/tayt) verb tr.: 1. To make something, especially something undesirable, happen prematurely or suddenly. 2. To throw suddenly. 3. To cause (water vapor in the atmosphere) to condense and fall as rain, snow, hail, etc. 4. To cause a solid substance to be separated from a solution. verb intr.: 1. To separate from a solution as a solid. 2. To condense from water vapor in the atmosphere and fall as rain, snow, hail, etc. adjective: 1. Headlong; hasty; rash; abrupt. 2. Happening unexpectedly. noun: 1. A solid separated from a solution. 2. Moisture condensed as rain, snow, hail, etc. [From Latin praecipitare (to cast down headlong), from prae- (before) + caput (head). Earliest documented use: 1528.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/precipitate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/precipitate_large.jpg Image: PRINTED / Redbubble https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Funny-Chemistry-Joke-Chemical-Experiment-Humor-If-You-re-Not-Part-Of-The-Solution-You-re-Part-Of-The-Precipitate-by-Phashion/114410797.WFLAH "What's more, my deception precipitated a major and unforeseen consequence." Daniel D. Victor; The Final Page of Baker Street; MX Publishing; 2014. "[Jo] precipitated herself into the arms of a stately old gentleman." Louisa May Alcott; Little Women, Vol 1; Roberts Brothers; 1868. -------- Date: Tue Apr 9 00:01:03 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--titrate X-Bonus: Everything considered, work is less boring than amusing oneself. -Charles Baudelaire, poet, critic, and translator (9 Apr 1821-1867) This week's theme: Words from chem lab titrate (TY-trayt) verb tr. 1. To carefully adjust something in measured increments to achieve a desired balance or effect. 2. To determine the concentration of a solution by gradually adding another solution until a specific reaction, often indicated by a color change, occurs. [From French titrer (to assay), from titre (title, fineness of alloyed gold or silver). Earliest documented use: 1860.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/titrate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/titrate_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The error lies in thinking that one can titrate the application of violence to achieve exquisitely precise results." Eliot A. Cohen; Putin Is Cornered; The Atlantic; Sep 20, 2022. "He'd titrate what he told the elders until he saw which way the wind blew." Ann Gimpel; Unbalanced; Ann Gimpel Books; 2018. -------- Date: Wed Apr 10 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--crucible X-Bonus: It's my duty to see that they get the truth; but that's not enough, I've got to put it before them briefly so that they will read it, clearly so that they will understand it, forcibly so that they will appreciate it, picturesquely so that they will remember it, and, above all, accurately so that they may be wisely guided by its light. -Joseph Pulitzer, newspaper publisher (10 Apr 1847-1911) This week's theme: Words from chem lab crucible (KROO-suh/si-buhl) noun 1. A vessel used for heating substances to a high temperature. 2. A trying experience. 3. A situation or place where forces interact to bring about great changes. [From Latin crucibulum (crucible). Earliest documented use: 1475.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/crucible https://wordsmith.org/words/images/crucible_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Another political crucible for [Steve] Reed was his experience of being a gay man during the era of Margaret Thatcher's 'horrific anti-gay legislation'." Freddie Hayward; Encounter; New Statesman (London, UK); Mar 8-14, 2024. "'The Notre-Dame isn't just a religious building -- it has been a crucible for music for almost 1000 years,' says Valentine." Ali Gripper; Cathedral Rebirth Inspires Musical Trip; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Feb 27, 2024. -------- Date: Thu Apr 11 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--volatile X-Bonus: A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they're dead. -Leo Rosten, author (11 Apr 1908-1997) This week's theme: Words from chem lab volatile (VOL-uh-tuhl/tyl) adjective 1. Fluctuating widely and unpredictably. 2. Evaporating easily. 3. Explosive. 4. Capable of flying. [From Latin volare (to fly), which also gave us volitant https://wordsmith.org/words/volitant.html , vole https://wordsmith.org/words/vole.html , and volley. Earliest documented use: 1325.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/volatile https://wordsmith.org/words/images/volatile_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "She decided not to rely on Rhy's good nature, which was a chancy thing at best. Rhy was hair-triggered, volatile, never predictable." Linda Howington; An Independent Wife; Harlequin; 1982. -------- Date: Fri Apr 12 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sublimate X-Bonus: If life's lessons could be reduced to single sentences, there would be no need for fiction. -Scott Turow, author and lawyer (b. 12 Apr 1949) This week's theme: Words from chem lab sublimate (verb: SUHB-luh-mayt, noun, adj.: -mit) verb tr.: 1. To divert basic or instinctual impulses to something more socially acceptable. 2. To refine or purify. verb tr., intr.: To directly transform from solid to gas, or vice versa, bypassing the liquid state. adjective: Refined; purified; elevated; exalted. noun: A substance obtained by sublimating. [From Latin sublimare (to elevate). Earliest documented use: 1425.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sublimate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sublimate_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "But he mustn't show it; he must subdue his eagerness and sublimate his need." Edwin L. Millet; Another Kind of Hero; Xlibris; 2014. -------- Date: Mon Apr 15 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--neophilia X-Bonus: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. -Leonardo da Vinci, painter, engineer, musician, and scientist (15 Apr 1452-1519) neophilia (nee-uh-FIL-ee-uh) noun The love of what's new or novel. [From Greek neo- (new) + -philia (love). Earliest documented use: 1899. The opposite is neophobia https://wordsmith.org/words/neophobia.html .] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/neophilia_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Neophilia is at the root of the growing problem of hazardous waste in the US and other developed countries. More than 100 million mobile phones were discarded in the US last year, along with tens of millions of computers." Neophiliac; New Scientist (London, UK); Jun 10, 2006. -------- Date: Tue Apr 16 00:01:01 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pyrophobia X-Bonus: The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. -Anatole France, novelist, essayist, Nobel laureate (16 Apr 1844-1924) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms pyrophobia (py-roh-FOH-bee-uh) noun An extreme fear of fire. [From Greek pyro- (fire) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1858.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pyrophobia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pyrophobia_large.jpg Image: PosterEnvy/Amazon https://amazon.com/dp/B006L8HI4G/ws00-20 "I checked the oven was switched off for the fifth time. ... I suffered pyrophobia but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to rid myself of it." They Said My Fire Fears Were Silly, But My Worst Nightmare Came True; As Told to Joanna Singleton; The Daily Mirror (London, UK); Mar 20, 2007. "Piero de Cosimo is said to have been ... so pyrophobic that he rarely cooked his food, subsisting mostly on hard-boiled eggs that he prepared 50 at a time while heating glue for his art." Carol Vogel; A Renaissance Master, His Quirks and His Art; The New York Times; Jul 25, 2014. -------- Date: Wed Apr 17 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--arithmomania X-Bonus: If only I could so live and so serve the world that after me there should never again be birds in cages. -Isak Dinesen (pen name of Karen Blixen), author (17 Apr 1885-1962) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms arithmomania (uh-rith-muh-MAY-nee-uh) noun An obsessive preoccupation with numbers, calculations, and counting. [From Greek arithmo- (number) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze). Earliest documented use: 1892.] NOTES: If you go for a bicycle ride and can't help but determine the distance, time traveled, average speed, elevation gain, and more, chances are you have arithmomania. If you feel it necessary to count the number of steps in a staircase as you go up or down, chances are you have arithmomania. If you count the number of floors in buildings as you walk through a downtown area, arithmomania. I only count the number of words in a dictionary. Count von Count, a vampire Muppet on Sesame Street, has arithmomania. He counts run-of-the-mill things such as those mentioned above, but also bats in his castle. Apparently all vampires have arithmomania. One way to stop them is to spill grain around them. They have no choice but to count the grains, allowing you to escape. Do you have arithmomania? How so? We'll let you count the ways. Tell us about it, on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/arithmomania.html or by email words@wordsmith.org. Count von Count https://wordsmith.org/words/images/arithmomania_large.jpg Image: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12345#/media/File:DIG14086-005.jpg "Nikola Tesla was notorious for his compulsion to count items, especially in his later years. ... His arithmomania was an expression of what some modern psychologists believe to be his OCD." Amy M. O'Quinn; Nikola Tesla for Kids; Chicago Review Press; 2019. -------- Date: Thu Apr 18 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--zoolatry X-Bonus: Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt. -Clarence Darrow, lawyer and author (18 Apr 1857-1938) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms zoolatry (zo-OL-uh-tree) noun 1. The worship of animals. 2. Extreme devotion to animals, for example, to one's pets. [From Greek zoo- (animal) + -latry (worship). Earliest documented use: 1784.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/zoolatry NOTES: In Egypt they worshiped cats. In Greece it was goats. In India, cows. And so on. But they had nothing on modern pet worshipers. There are wines for dogs https://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/1071173/ridiculous-pet-products-for-your-dog/ . There are diamond-encrusted collars https://www.rover.com/blog/the-10-most-ridiculously-and-awesomely-extravagant-dog-products/ . Pet spa and massage therapists keep modern fur babies in bliss. How do you pamper your pets? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/zoolatry.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Hermes dog bed, only $5,450 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/zoolatry_large.jpg Image: Hermes https://www.hermes.com/us/en/product/patapouf-dog-bed-large-model-H800688Ev01/ https://web.archive.org/web/20240410070248/https://www.hermes.com/us/en/product/patapouf-dog-bed-large-model-H800688Ev01/ "Dolphins have dethroned Christ, but don't be fooled by that smile. Around here, zoolatry is amping up." Anson Cameron; Can't Find God? Try Flipper; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Nov 14, 2020. -------- Date: Fri Apr 19 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cryptogenic X-Bonus: Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later. -Fred Brooks, computer scientist (19 Apr 1931-2022) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms cryptogenic (krip-tuh-JEN-ik) adjective Of unknown origin or cause. [From Greek crypto- (secret, hidden) + -genic (producing, produced by). Earliest documented use: 1873.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/cryptogenic_large.jpg Cartoon: Nathan Gray, MD https://www.instagram.com/inkvessel/p/Clz1HVZLjTY/?img_index=5 "'Barney loves her, I know that,' said Bennett. 'He wants to marry her. Yet for reasons we might diagnose as cryptogenic, she keeps saying no.'" Erich Segal; Doctors: A Novel; Bantam; 1988. -------- Date: Mon Apr 22 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--proprioception X-Bonus: The desire of the man is for the woman, but the desire of the woman is for the desire of the man. -Madame de Stael, writer (22 Apr 1766-1817) It's 11 pm. Do you know where your limbs are? The answer may seem obvious, "Of course, I know where my arms and legs are." But not so fast. If you have ever stepped on a dance floor and thought you had two left feet, you might have a rethink. A good dancer knows where their arms and legs are and the rest of their body is in a 3-D space at any time. (In case of a partner dance, the same for their partner's limbs, too). You can say that an accomplished dancer has a good proprioception. If you use a keyboard in your daily life, and who doesn't in these digital times, chances are your fingers have good proprioception and you don't need to look at the keyboard while typing. This week we have brought together words related to each of the five senses -- touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Is one of your senses your superpower? Maybe you were born with it, perhaps you developed it by practice. Tell us about it. Conversely, if you are challenged in one of these senses, how do you handle this challenge? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/proprioception.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). proprioception (pro-pree-uh/oh-SEP-shuhn) noun The awareness of location of parts of one's body. [From Latin proprius (one's own) + reception, from recipere (to receive), from capere (to take). Earliest documented use: 1906.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/proprioception https://wordsmith.org/words/images/proprioception_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Typing and playing the piano without looking at the keys, for instance, require proprioception." Ben McGrath; Muscle Memory; The New Yorker; Jul 30, 2007. -------- Date: Tue Apr 23 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--macrosmatic X-Bonus: This above all: to thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man. -William Shakespeare, poet and dramatist (23 Apr 1564-1616) This week's theme: Words related to the senses macrosmatic (mak-rahz-MAT-ik) adjective Having a well-developed sense of smell. [From Greek macro- (large) + osmatic, from French osmatique, from Greek osme (smell). Earliest documented use: 1890.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/macrosmatic_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "[George Orwell was] a macrosmatic writer tracking down the stench of hypocrisy or the gangrene of intellectual treachery." Dennis Potter; Despair and an Acre of Calm; The Times (London, UK); Oct 5, 1968. -------- Date: Wed Apr 24 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--photophobia X-Bonus: I hold that gentleman to be the best-dressed whose dress no one observes. -Anthony Trollope, novelist (24 Apr 1815-1882) This week's theme: Words related to the senses photophobia (fo-tuh-FO-bee-uh) noun An abnormal sensitivity to light. [From Greek photo- (light) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1772.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/photophobia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/photophobia_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "'Do you always have to wear those sunglasses?' she snapped. ... 'Yes, I pretty much always wear them outdoors. I have a mild form of photophobia.'" Nola Cross; A Family for Christmas; Tule Publishing; 2019. -------- Date: Thu Apr 25 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--amusia X-Bonus: We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. -Edward R. Murrow, journalist (25 Apr 1908-1965) This week's theme: Words related to the senses amusia (ay-MYOO-zee-uh) noun The inability to recognize, reproduce, or appreciate music. [From Greek a- (not) + mousike (music), from Mousa (Muse). Earliest documented use: 1890.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/amusia NOTES: Hear this fascinating description of amusia by Oliver Sacks, author of "Musicophilia": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPRW0wZ9NOM (4 min.) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/amusia_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The woman (who eventually decided she had amusia) had spent her life attending concerts out of politeness." Christopher Borrelli; Don't Like Music? You Are Not Alone; Chicago Tribune; (Chicago, Illinois); Aug 3, 2014. -------- Date: Fri Apr 26 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gustatory X-Bonus: A new word is like a fresh seed sown on the ground of the discussion. -Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher (26 Apr 1889-1951) This week's theme: Words related to the senses gustatory (GUHS-tuh-TOR-ee) adjective Relating to the sense of taste. [From Latin gustare (to taste). Earliest documented use: 1684.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/gustatory https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gustatory_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "For many Japanese the classical gustatory quartet of sour, sweet, salty, and bitter seems insufficient. They suggest there are other basic tastes, and are prepared to back that suggestion with scientific research." The Tastemakers; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 31, 2015.