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Sep 8, 2021
This week’s theme
Eponyms

This week’s words
galahad
baedeker
zephyr
janus-faced
ritz

zephyr
Zephyrus with the nymph Chloris
Art: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1875

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

zephyr

PRONUNCIATION:
(ZEF-uhr)

MEANING:
noun:
1. A wind blowing from the west.
2. A gentle breeze.
3. A soft and light garment, fabric, or yarn.
4. Anything having a soft, fine quality.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Zephyrus, the god of the west wind in Greek mythology. Earliest documented use: before 1150.

USAGE:
“What lingers, days after you leave the cinema, is ... the zephyr of emotional intensity that blows through the film [Arrival].”
Anthony Lane; Talk to Them; The New Yorker; Nov 14, 2016.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
People forget years and remember moments. -Ann Beattie, novelist (b. 8 Sep 1947)

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