This week’s theme
Verbs

This week’s words
devolve
edify
parlay
espouse
acerbate

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(PAHR-lay)

MEANING:

verb tr.: 1. To use an initial asset to achieve something more valuable. 2. To gamble an initial stake and winnings on a subsequent bet, race, contest, etc.
noun: A bet that uses the earlier bet and its winnings as the new bet.

ETYMOLOGY:

An alteration of paroli (staking the double of the sum staked before), from French, from Italian paroli, plural of parolo, perhaps from paro (equal), from Latin par (equal). Earliest documented use: 1828.

USAGE:

“Pacquaio has also parlayed his enormous popularity at home into a political career.”
Victor Mather; A Boxer Who Can Sing, Dance, and Legislate; The New York Times; Apr 17, 2015.

See more usage examples of parlay in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: