A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Aug 1 00:00:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oenophile X-Bonus: Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures -- in this century, as in others, our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author and aviator (1900-1944) It's human nature to seek patterns: some find the shapes of elephants in the clouds, the face of Jesus in a piece of burnt tortilla, and the spelling coincidences in the names of Kennedy and Lincoln assassins. CONTEST: There's a pattern, too, in this week's words, even if it's not very apparent. Can you find it? PRIZES: The first person to correctly identify the commonality and one person randomly selected from all correct answers will receive their choice of the word game One Up! http://www.uppityshirts.com/oneup.shtml or an autographed copy of the book A Word A Day https://wordsmith.org/awad/books.html . HOW TO ENTER: Email your answers to (contest AT wordsmith.org) by Friday this week. One entry per person, please. Be sure to include your location (city/state/country). oenophile or enophile (EE-nuh-fyl) noun Someone who enjoys wine, especially as a connoisseur. [From Greek oinos (wine), + -phile (love). Earliest documented use: 1930.] "While I am more than happy to drink wine of all nations and colours, my husband Don is the family oenophile." Ann Morrison; Confessions of an Underqualified Oenophile; Financial Times (London, UK); Jun 10, 2006. -------- Date: Tue Aug 2 00:00:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--interstitial X-Bonus: Said a hunted fox followed by twenty horsemen and a pack of twenty hounds, "Of course they will kill me. But how poor and how stupid they must be. Surely it would not be worth while for twenty foxes riding on twenty asses and accompanied by twenty wolves to chase and kill one man." -Kahlil Gibran, mystic, poet, and artist (1883-1931) This week's theme: Yours to discover interstitial (in-tuhr-STISH-uhl) adjective Concerning or located between things, especially those closely spaced. [From Latin interstitium, from intersistere (to stand in between, to pause), from inter- (between) + sistere (to stand). Earliest documented use: 1646.] "Hazen Schumacher provided interstitial narration." Zachary Woolfe; Wartime Songs Keep Luster From Long Ago and Far Away; The New York Times; Jun 12, 2011. -------- Date: Wed Aug 3 00:08:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stupefy X-Bonus: The religion of one age is the literary entertainment of the next. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) This week's theme: Yours to discover stupefy (STOO-puh-fy, STYOO-) verb tr. 1. To make someone so bored or tired as unable to think clearly. 2. To amaze. [From French stupéfier (to astound), from Latin stupefacere (to make stupid or senseless), from stupere (to be numb or amazed) + facere (to make). Earliest documented use: before 1600.] "Craig Kimbrel's stuff has an almost narcotic attraction to it, an irresistible quality that can stupefy." Steve Hummer; Braves Closer Took Unusual Path to Role; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia); May 21, 2011. -------- Date: Thu Aug 4 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--defalcate X-Bonus: It is not what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable. -Moliere, actor and playwright (1622-1673) This week's theme: Yours to discover defalcate (di-FAL-kayt) verb intr. To misuse funds; to embezzle. [From Latin defalcare (to cut off), from de- (off) + falx (sickle). Earliest documented use: 1541.] "Prakash hit upon a more daring method to defalcate the company." Samsung Official Dupes Company of Crores; The Economic Times (New Delhi, India); Dec 2, 2005. -------- Date: Fri Aug 5 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--somnolence X-Bonus: Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910) This week's theme: Yours to discover somnolence (SOM-nuh-luhns) noun A state of sleepiness or drowsiness. [From Latin somnus (sleep). Ultimately from the Indo-European root swep- (to sleep), which is also the source of insomnia, hypnosis, soporific (inducing sleep), soporose (sleepy), somnambulate (to walk in sleep), and Sanskrit svapnah (dream). Earliest documented use: around 1386.] NOTES: Somnopathy, a variant of somnipathy, the word for a sleep disorder, has four consecutive letters from the alphabet. "The electorate entered a new phase of alertness following a sustained period of disengagement from politics, bordering on somnolence." Hugh Mackay; Voters Sense a Howard Weakness; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Mar 10, 2007. -------- Date: Mon Aug 8 00:01:08 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--paseo X-Bonus: The most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly distorted truth. -Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, scientist and philosopher (1742-1799) A recent article in The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/science/earth/27traffic.html?pagewanted=all talks about the backlash against automobiles. Many countries, especially in Europe, are realizing the huge toll cars take in return for convenience. Many cities are taking measures to reduce the clogging of roads by making it hard to drive. In some places traffic lights favor public transport. Others have designated slow speed zones where drivers have to drive so slowly that a pedestrian can cross a street at any time without waiting for a signal. The Toyota Paseo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Paseo may be just the car for those zones. Have you ever stopped to wonder what all these car names mean? Often they are coined words or a mix of letters and numbers, but sometimes they are actual dictionary words. This week we've picked five from the latter group. Look to see if your car makes an appearance here. If not, check out a previous week of car names in AWAD https://wordsmith.org/words/prelude.html . paseo (pah-SAY-oh) noun 1. A leisurely stroll. 2. A place or path designed for walking. 3. A street or boulevard. [From Spanish pasear (to take a stroll), frequentative of pasar (to go, to pass), from Latin passus (step). Earliest documented use: 1832.] Paseo de Rosales, Madrid: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/paseo_large.jpg Photo: Alain Consonni http://www.flickr.com/photos/conson/2451533767/ "The idea was to turn the alleys into beachlike paseos to enchant pedestrians." Fred Swegles; San Clemente Takes Down Paseo Lights; The Orange County Register (California); Nov 7, 2010. -------- Date: Tue Aug 9 00:01:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--accord X-Bonus: The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives. -Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, and musician (1875-1965) This week's theme: What do these car names mean? accord (uh-KORD) noun: 1. A formal agreement. 2. Agreement or harmony. verb tr. To grant. verb intr. To fit in or to be harmonious. [From Old French acorder (to reconcile), from Latin accordare, from ad- (towards) + cor (heart). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kerd- (heart) that is also the source of cardiac, cordial, courage, concord, discord, and record. Earliest documented use: before 1121.] "India and the US yesterday signed an accord that will enable them to jointly secure their cyber spaces." Agreement With US on Cyber Space; Gulf Times (Qatar); Jul 19, 2011. -------- Date: Wed Aug 10 00:01:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--prius X-Bonus: One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. -Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction writer (1917-2008) This week's theme: What do these car names mean? prius (PRI-uhs, PRAI-) noun Something preceding, especially a necessary prior condition. [From Latin prius (something preceding). Earliest documented use: 1882.] What's the plural of the word prius? Priuses. Marketers at Toyota conducted a poll asking people to vote for their choice of plural for Toyota Prius. Prii received the greatest number of votes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUor4gdFoyg https://wordsmith.org/words/images/prius.jpg "This definition identifies God as the prius of everything that has being." Paul Tillich & Michael Palmer; Writings in the Philosophy of Culture; 1990. -------- Date: Thu Aug 11 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--impresa X-Bonus: By a free country, I mean a country where people are allowed, so long as they do not hurt their neighbours, to do as they like. I do not mean a country where six men may make five men do exactly as they like. -Robert Cecil, British prime minister (1830-1903) This week's theme: What do these car names mean? impresa (im-PRAY-zuh) noun An emblem or device, usually with a motto. [From Italian impresa (undertaking), past participle of imprendere (to undertake), from Latin in- + prehendere (to grasp). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghend-/ghed- (to seize or to take), which is also the source of pry, prey, spree, reprise, surprise, pregnant, osprey, prison, and get. Earliest documented use: before 1586.] Subaru Impreza https://wordsmith.org/words/images/impresa_large.jpg Photo: Rob Smith http://www.flickr.com/photos/rob_smith_photography/3511423497/ "A bottle of poison was brought by a girl who owns a ring bearing the impresa of Mary Stuart." S.J. Parris; Prophecy; Doubleday; 2011. -------- Date: Fri Aug 12 00:01:08 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--corolla X-Bonus: All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. -Anatole France, novelist, essayist, Nobel laureate (1844-1924) This week's theme: What do these car names mean? corolla (kuh-ROL-uh) noun The petals of a flower as a group. [From Latin corolla (little garland), diminutive of corona (wreath, crown, garland), from Greek korone (crown, anything curved). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sker- (to turn or bend), which is also the source of other words such as ranch, rank, shrink, circle, crisp, search, ring, curb, ridge, and curve. Earliest documented use: 1671.] Toyota Corolla https://wordsmith.org/words/images/corolla_large.jpg Photo: Andrew Bolte http://www.flickr.com/photos/albolte/489248618/ "'Some plants shelter their pollen grains through a change in floral orientation or closing their corolla on rainy days,' explains Shuang-Quan Huang." Matt Walker; Raindrops Drive Flower Evolution; BBC News (London, UK); Aug 6, 2009. "The radiographer angled the screen towards me so that I could see the corolla of dark tumours spiralling through my breast." Sarah Gabriel; My Cancer Heartbreak; Daily Mail (London, UK); Nov 3, 2009. -------- Date: Mon Aug 15 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--coronary X-Bonus: That sorrow which is the harbinger of joy is preferable to the joy which is followed by sorrow. -Saadi, poet (c. 1213-1291) A few years back the summer was extra hot. Our daughter Ananya decided to set up a lemonade stand and invited a friend to take part in a joint venture. In the US a lemonade stand is one of the rites of passage that initiates children into the ways of entrepreneurship http://www.inc.com/inctv/2009/09/best-lemonade-stand-winners.html . We drove to the neighborhood grocery store and bought a bag of organic lemons. Back home the girls started preparing the lemons: halving and squeezing them to the very last drop. Soon our kitchen smelled more lemony than Snicket himself. Then it was time to mix all the ingredients -- sugar, lemon juice, and water. The final product turned out to be a bit too sweet, but we were out of lemons and in any case the girls were delighted with the taste. At the corner of our cul-de-sac they set up a folding table with paper cups, napkins, a sign, a trash can, and a cash box. The lemonade stand was in business. Soon a thirsty motorist stopped. They served him a cup and added, "It's very sweet." The motorist paid a quarter, took a sip, and said, "No, it's not very sweet." "It has a lot of sugar," they chimed again. "I think it's fine," the motorist countered. It became obvious to me that we had two different interpretations of the term "very sweet". For the girls, who liked the extra sweet taste, it was a selling point, while the motorist thought they were warning him that it was too sweet, some kind of truth-in-advertising. That's how it goes with words: a word can mean many things, depending on the context, the frame of mind... and that's not even taking into account when a word has many meanings to begin with. This week we'll feature five words that have multiple, unrelated meanings. coronary (KOR-uh-ner-ee) adjective 1. Of or relating to the crown. 2. Of or relating to the heart. 3. Of or relating to the arteries or veins of the heart. noun 4. A heart attack. 5. The office of a coroner. [From Latin coronarius (of a crown), from corona (crown). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sker- (to turn or bend), which is also the source of ranch, rank, shrink, circle, circa, crisp, corolla, search, ring, curb, ridge, and curve. Earliest documented use: 1610.] NOTES: The literal meaning of the word refers to a crown. It came to be applied to the heart from the allusion to the blood vessels that encircle the heart like a crown. And a coroner is named so because he was an officer of the crown. "Previously, patients with coronary issues had to travel to Lautoka to have their condition assessed." Margaret Wise; Lifeline for Heart Patients; Fiji Times; Jul 22, 2010. "In my fifth consulship I remitted thirty-five thousand pounds weight of coronary gold." Kenneth John Atchity; The Classical Roman Reader; Oxford University Press; 1998. "Many of the writs relate to the offices of Regality, Justiciary, Coronary, and Admiralty of St. Andrew's." Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (London, UK); 1872. -------- Date: Tue Aug 16 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fugue X-Bonus: They laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian. They're not laughing now. -Bob Monkhouse, comedian (1928-2003) This week's theme: Words that have many unrelated meanings fugue (fyoog) noun 1. A musical form in which a theme is repeated in several voices and developed into a complex pattern. 2. A pathological state of consciousness in which someone appears to be conscious of one's actions but has no memory of them after returning to a normal state. [From Italian fuga (escape, flight), from Latin fuga (flight), from fugere (to flee) which is also the source of fugitive, centrifugal, subterfuge, refuge, and fugacious https://wordsmith.org/words/fugacious.html . Earliest documented use: 1597.] Bach, Fugue 7 in E-flat major: http://www.youtube.com/user/smalin#p/u/44/GX_1q5c7jIU "The balance between strings, harpsichord, and flute was spot on during the meshing lines of the fugue." Libby Hanssen; Second Summerfest Concert Challenges the Status Quo; Kansas City Star; Jul 17, 2011. "On the subway home, I opened my bags to see what, in my shopping-induced fugue state, I had actually purchased." Ariel Kaminer; It's Always Sunny in Targetland; The New York Times; Jul 30, 2010. -------- Date: Wed Aug 17 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--marrow X-Bonus: Take a commonplace, clean it and polish it, light it so that it produces the same effect of youth and freshness and originality and spontaneity as it did originally, and you have done a poet's job. The rest is literature. -Jean Cocteau, author and painter (1889-1963) This week's theme: Words that have many unrelated meanings marrow (MAIR-oh) noun 1. The soft fatty tissue in the interior of bones. 2. The inmost, best, or essential part. 3. Any of various squashes in green or creamy-white colors. [From Old English mearg/mearh. Earliest documented use: around 1150.] 4. A helper, co-worker, friend, or a spouse. [Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1440.] "Unlike most birds, a kiwi even has marrow in its bones." Rachel Dixon; A Night With the Kiwis; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Jul 30, 2011. "Steven Spielberg has a reputation as a saccharine film-maker but he can chill you to the marrow when he wants to." Spielberg Makes the Epic Feel Intimate Yet Again; Irish Independent (Dublin, Ireland); Jul 19, 2011. "The big secrets behind mammoth marrows and colossal cucumbers will be unveiled at a gardening show." Sam Casey; Grower Peter Really Knows His (Giant) Onions; Yorkshire Evening Post (UK); Jul 30, 2011. "Poor man, he's good enough to be a marrow for anybody!" William Chambers and Robert Chambers; Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science and Arts (London, UK); Jan-Jun 1861. -------- Date: Thu Aug 18 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--talus X-Bonus: I am not interested to know whether vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human race or doesn't. The pain which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity toward it, and it is to me sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910) This week's theme: Words that have many unrelated meanings talus (TAY-luhs) noun A bone of the ankle joint, also known as the anklebone. [From Latin talus (ankle, anklebone, die for gaming). Earliest documented use: 1684.] A slope, especially a sloping mass of debris at the foot of a cliff. [From French talus, from Old French talu (slope), from Latin talutium (slope). Earliest documented use: 1645.] Talus field of Melakwa Pass, Washington https://wordsmith.org/words/images/talus_large.jpg Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/k2ef5n/2822038017/ "Do you appreciate your feet? Have you thanked your metatarsals for their hard work? How about your talus?" Vince Pierri; Why it's Important to Appreciate Your Feet; Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois); Apr 4, 2008. "John Laing then tumbled an additional 70 to 100 feet down a talus slope." Cory Hatch; Two Rescued After Accidents; Jackson Hole News & Guide (Wyoming); Jul 20, 2010. -------- Date: Fri Aug 19 00:31:03 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--billet X-Bonus: There is more to life than increasing its speed. -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) This week's theme: Words that have many unrelated meanings billet (BIL-it) verb tr., intr.: To lodge or to be quartered. noun: 1. A civilian place (as a private home) where soldiers are lodged temporarily. 2. An official order directing someone to provide lodging for soldiers. 3. A short letter or a note. 4. A job appointment. [From Anglo-Norman billette, diminutive of bille (bill), from Latin bulla (seal, sealed document), from bubble (amulet). Earliest documented use: around 1440. Note: The letter or note sense of the word billet is apparent in the French term for a love letter: billet-doux (literally, sweet note).] noun: 1. A chunk of wood, suitable for fuel. 2. A metal bar or ingot. [From Old French billette/billot, diminutives of bille (tree trunk), from Latin billa/billus (branch, trunk). Earliest documented use: around 1440.] "We were billeted at the Plaza del Norte Hotel." Millie and Karla Reyes; Land of Bagnet; The Philippine Star (Manila); Aug 4, 2011. "Highlighting brisk steel demand, the price of steel billet in northern China rose to as high as 4,520 yuan per tonne." Iron Ore-Price for Indian Cargoes Rises; Reuters News; Aug 1, 2011. -------- Date: Mon Aug 22 00:04:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--parvenu X-Bonus: This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914) From the most noble soul to the most dastardly individual, we all share a wide spectrum of traits. It would be rare to find a person who can be completely characterized by a single word. This week AWAD will explore five adjectives that will help you describe people you may encounter. Can you see the face of a friend, relative, neighbor, or co-worker in these assorted arrangements of the alphabet? parvenu (PAHR-vuh-noo, -nyoo) noun One who has newly acquired wealth or status, but has not yet gained acceptance by others in that class. [From French parvenu (upstart), from parvenir (to arrive), from Latin per- (through) + venire (to come). Earliest documented use: 1787.] "To some, Charles Clore's philanthropy was seen as parvenu social climbing." Andrew Anthony; Vivien Duffield: The Woman Who Thinks It's Better to Give; The Observer (London, UK); Mar 27, 2011. -------- Date: Tue Aug 23 00:04:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nubile X-Bonus: Because the heart beats under a covering of hair, of fur, feathers, or wings, it is, for that reason, to be of no account? -Jean Paul Richter, writer (1763-1825) This week's theme: Words to describe people nubile (NOO-bil, -byl, NYOO-) adjective 1. Sexually attractive (referring to a young woman). 2. Ready or suitable for marriage (referring to a young woman). [From Latin nubere (to marry). Earliest documented use: 1642.] "Hillie is not some nubile young woman, but a 65-year-old mother-of-two." Jill Foster; Can You Believe This Woman is 65?; Daily Mail (London, UK); May 9, 2011. -------- Date: Wed Aug 24 00:04:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mountebank X-Bonus: The world is a looking glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. -William Makepeace Thackeray, novelist (1811-1863) This week's theme: Words to describe people mountebank (MOUN-tuh-bangk) noun An unscrupulous pretender; a quack. [A mountebank was a hawker of quack medicines who peddled his wares from the top of a bench to attract customers. The word is from Italian montambanco (one who climbs on a bench), from montare (to climb) + im-/in- (on) + banco (bench). Earliest documented use: 1577.] "Billy Graham is now at death's door, and I shudder at the fulsome eulogies and encomiums that will be heaped on him upon his demise. Fortunately, Bothwell's book* can provide a salutary antidote to them. It's the only fitting memorial for Graham and stands as a stark warning to posterity to be on guard against similar charlatans, mountebanks, and demagogues, especially in the fertile field of religion. Bothwell's book* should be required reading for all Americans." Richard A. S. Hall; Evangelist Unmasked; Free Inquiry (Amherst, New York); Aug/Sep 2011. *The Prince of War: Billy Graham's Crusade for a Wholly Christian Empire http://amazon.com/o/asin/061516272X/ws00-20 -------- Date: Thu Aug 25 00:04:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--losel X-Bonus: All know that the drop merges into the ocean but few know that the ocean merges into the drop. -Kabir, reformer, poet (late 15th century) This week's theme: Words to describe people losel (LOA-zuhl, LOO-, LOZ-uhl) noun One that is worthless. [From Middle English losen, past participle of lesen (to lose). Earliest documented use: 1362.] "For she had borne me to a losel vile, A spendthrift of his substance and himself." Dante Alighieri; The Divine Comedy; 1308-1321. Translation: Henry F. Cary; 1805-1814. -------- Date: Fri Aug 26 00:01:12 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--penurious X-Bonus: When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. -Helen Keller, author and lecturer (1880-1968) This week's theme: Words to describe people penurious (puh-NOOR-ee-uhs, -NYOOR-) adjective 1. Extremely poor. 2. Extremely frugal or stingy. [From Latin penuriosus (needy), from penuria (want, need). Earliest documented use: 1590.] "Precisely because authors are penurious, however, most of us supplement our income by reviewing." Francis Wheen; The Hunting of the Snark; The Financial Times (London, UK); Aug 5, 2011. -------- Date: Mon Aug 29 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--recondite X-Bonus: The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character. -Walter Scott, novelist and poet (1771-1832) Usually the words in AWAD form a theme, but once in a while we simply feature words that are engaging by themselves. Consider this a cross-country drive through the dictionary, with no itinerary in hand. We'll make several stops along the way, but who knows where we might stop, and why. Let's see what kind of words we come across. We'll meet words that are long or short and unusual or familiar, but all of them, just like people, are interesting if we care enough to learn about them. recondite (REK-uhn-dyt, ri-KON-dyt) adjective 1. Concerned with a profound, esoteric, or difficult subject. 2. Little known; obscure. [From Latin recondere (to hide), re- (back) + condere (to put together), from con- (with) + -dere (to put). Earliest documented use: 1619.] "With its fragmented words, multilingual puns and recondite allusions, the verse of Paul Celan hovers on the edge of untranslatability." Mark M. Anderson; A Poet at War With His Language; The New York Times; Dec 31, 2000. "The sight of beautiful people making beautiful babies is a huge turn-on; but a recondite TV actress dying in a state of dementia, as Marty would say, 'not so much'." Lynn Crosbie; Brangelina Babies; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Aug 5, 2008. -------- Date: Tue Aug 30 00:01:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cicatrize X-Bonus: Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much of life. So aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words cicatrize (SIK-uh-tryz) verb, tr., intr. To heal or become healed by forming a scar. [From Latin cicatrizare (to form a scar), from cicatrix (scar). Earliest documented use: 1563.] "Let's make the Katyn wound finally heal and cicatrize." Lech Kaczynski; Seventy Years On, It is Time the Wounds of Katyn Were Healed; The Independent (London, UK); Apr 13, 2010. -------- Date: Wed Aug 31 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--perspicuous X-Bonus: For sleep, riches, and health to be truly enjoyed, they must be interrupted. -Jean Paul Richter, writer (1763-1825) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words perspicuous (puhr-SPIK-yoo-uhs) adjective Clearly expressed; easy to understand. [From Latin perspicuus (transparent), from perspicere (to see through), from per- (through) + -spicere, combining form of specere (to look). Ultimately from the Indo-European root spek- (to observe), which is also the ancestor of such words as suspect, spectrum, bishop (literally, overseer), espionage, despise, telescope, spectator, speculum, and spectacles. Earliest documented use: 1570.] "HAND also offers the most informed and perspicuous account of the political violence." Darfur Humanitarian Update; Sudan Tribune (Paris, France); Sep 1, 2010. "We can see exactly what's going on, though the people involved can't. We get a wonderfully perspicuous view of somebody else's confusion." Tom Lubbock; Great Works; The Independent (London, UK); Jun 13, 2008.