A.Word.A.Day Archives
from https://wordsmith.org/awad
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Date: Fri Mar 1 00:26:38 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--supposititious
X-Bonus: There is no point at which you can say, 'Well, I'm successful now. I might as well take a nap.' -Carrie Fisher
sup.pos.i.ti.tious \s*-.pa:z-*-'tish-*s\ aj [L suppositicius, fr.
suppositus, pp. of supponere to substit] [influenced in meaning by
supposition]ute 1a: fraudently substituted : SPURIOUS of a child 1b1:
falsely presented as a genuine heir 1b2: ILLEGITIMATE 2: of the nature of a
supposition : HYPOTHETICAL - sup.pos.i.ti.tious.ly av
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Date: Sat Mar 2 00:25:32 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--scholiast
X-Bonus: 2 rules to success in life. 1. Don't tell people everything you know.
scho.li.ast \'sko--le--.ast, -le--*st\ \.sko--le--'as-tik\ n [MGk
scholiaste-s, fr. scholiazein to write scholia on, fr. Gk (Xscholion : a
maker of scholia : COMMENTATOR, ANNOTATOR - scho.li.as.tic aj
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Date: Sun Mar 3 00:25:33 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--thirl
X-Bonus: The walls of books around me, dense with the past, formed a kind of insulation against the present world and its disasters. -Ross MacDonald
1. thirl \'th*r-(-*)l\ n [ME, fr. OE thyrel, fr. thurh through - more at
THROUGH] dial : HOLE, PERFORATION, OPENING
2. thirl vt dial Brit 1: PIERCE, PERFORATE dial Brit 2: THRILL
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Date: Mon Mar 4 02:10:51 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mitigate
X-Bonus: The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.
mit.i.gate \'mit-*-.ga-t\ \.mit-*-'ga--sh*n\ \'mit-*-.ga-t-iv\ \-.ga-t-*r\
\'mit-i-g*-.to-r-e-, -.to.r-\ vt [ME mitigaten, fr. L mitigatus, pp. of
mitigare to soften, fr]. mitis soft + -igare (akin to L agere to drive);
akin to OIr mo-ith soft - more at AGENT 1: to cause to become less harsh or
hostile : MOLLIFY 2: to make less severe or painful : ALLEVIATE -
mit.i.ga.tion n
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Date: Tue Mar 5 00:26:31 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oppugn
X-Bonus: Even the boldest zebra fears the hungry lion.
op.pugn \*-'pyu:n, a:-\ vt [ME oppugnen, fr. L oppugnare, fr. ob- against +
pugnareX to fight - more at OB-, PUNGENT 1: to fight against : ASSAIL 2: to
call in question : CONTROVERT - op.pugn.er n
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Date: Wed Mar 6 00:26:34 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--reprise
X-Bonus: Every man has one thing he can do better than anyone else - and usually it's reading his own handwriting. -G. Norman Collie
1. re.prise \ri-'pre-z, 1 is also -'pri-z\ n [ME, fr. MF, lit., action of
taking back, fr. OF, fr. reprendre to take b]ack, fr. re- + prendre to
take, fr. L prehendere 1: a deduction or charge made yearly out of a manor
or estate - usu. used in pl. 2: a recurrence, renewal, or resumption of an
action 3a1: the repetition of the exposition preceding the development 3a2:
RECAPITULATION 3b: a repeated instance : REPETITION
2. re.prise \ri-'pri-z, 3 is -'pre-z\ vt [MF reprise action of taking back]
archaic 1: to take back; esp : to recover by force archaic 2: COMPENSATE
3: to repeat the performance of {~ a song}
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Date: Thu Mar 7 00:24:54 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--restaurateur
X-Bonus: To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. -Bertrand Russell
res.tau.ra.teur also res.tau.ran.teur \.res-t*-r*-'t*r\ \-.ra:n-\ n [F
restaurateur, fr. LL restaurator restorer, fr. L restauratus)X, pp. of
restaurare : the operator or proprietor of a restaurant
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Date: Fri Mar 8 00:25:28 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--solicitous
X-Bonus: Next week there can't be any crisis. My schedule is already full. -Henry Kissinger
so.lic.i.tous \s*-'lis-*t-*s, -'lis-t*s\ aj 1: full of concern or fears :
APPREHENSIVE 2: full of desire : EAGER 3: meticulously careful 4:
manifesting or expressing solicitude - so.lic.i.tous.ly av
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Date: Sat Mar 9 00:25:14 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tergiversation
X-Bonus: Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half of the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it. -Bertrand Russell
ter.gi.ver.sa.tion \.t*r-ji-(.)v*r-'sa--sh*n, (.)t*r-.jiv-*r-\ n 1:
desertion of a cause, party, or faith 2: evasion of straightforward action
or clear-cut statement : EQUIVOCATION
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Date: Sun Mar 10 00:25:39 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sapient
X-Bonus: To gain that worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else. -Bernadette Devlin
Cross references:
1. wise
sa.pi.ent \'sa--pe--*nt, 'sap-e--\ aj [ME, fr. MF, fr. L sapient-, sapiens,
fr. prp. of sapere to t]aste, be wise : SAGE, DISCERNING - sa.pi.ent.ly av
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Date: Mon Mar 11 00:26:49 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--outre
X-Bonus: All rights left. All lefts reserved. All reserves removed. All removes right.
ou.tre \u:-'tra-\ aj [F, fr. pp. of outrer to carry to excess] : violating
convention or propriety : BIZARRE
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Date: Tue Mar 12 00:25:02 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--phatic
X-Bonus: Despise not a small wound, a poor kinsman, or a humble enemy. -English Proverb
phat.ic \'fat-ik\ \-i-k(*-)le-\ aj [Gk phatos, verbal of phanai to speak] :
revealing or sharing feelings or establishing an atmosphere of sociability
rather than communicating ideas {~ communion} - phat.i.cal.ly av
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Date: Wed Mar 13 00:26:49 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sedulous
X-Bonus: To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour. -Robert L. Stevenson
Cross references:
1. busy
sed.u.lous \'sej-*-l*s\ aj [L sedulus, fr. sedulo sincerely, diligently,
fr. se without]+ dolus guile - more at IDIOT, TALE : diligent in
application or pursuit : ASSIDUOUS - sed.u.lous.ly av
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Date: Thu Mar 14 00:25:43 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--humdinger
X-Bonus: In great matters men show themselves as they wish to be seen; in small matters, as they are. -Gamaliel Bradford
hum.ding.er \'h*m-'din-*r\ n [prob. alter. of hummer (humdinger)] : a
person or thing of striking excellence
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Date: Fri Mar 15 03:12:56 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--edacious
X-Bonus: Thesaurus: n. ancient reptile with large vocabulary.
eda.cious \i-'da--sh*s\ \i-'das-*t-e-\ aj [L edac-, edax, fr. edere to eat]
1: of or relating to eating 2: VORACIOUS - edac.i.ty n
1866 R. CHAMBERS, Ess. Ser. II. 182 "His edacious peculiarities-whether..he
was..most partial to lamb or turkey."
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Date: Sat Mar 16 00:25:40 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--infundibuliform
X-Bonus: People who think they know everything greatly annoy those of us who do.
in.fun.dib.u.li.form \-l*-.fo.rm\ aj [NL infundibulum + E -iform] : having
the form of a funnel or cone
1753 CHAMBERS, Cycl. Supp., "Infundibuliform Flowers, or funnel-fashioned
flowers..."
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Date: Sun Mar 17 00:25:06 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--decant
X-Bonus: Do not condemn the judgment of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong. -Dandemis
de.cant \di-'kant\ \.de--.kan-'ta--sh*n\ vt [NL decantare, fr. L de- + ML
cantus side, fr. L, iron ring r]ound a carriage wheel 1: to pour from one
vessel into another 2: to draw off without disturbing the sediment or the
lower liquid layers - de.can.ta.tion n
1959 T. S. ELIOT, Elder Statesman II. 47 "Let's hope this [conversation]
was merely the concoction Which she decants for every newcomer."
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Date: Mon Mar 18 00:25:45 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--festschrift
X-Bonus: Fossil flowers come from the Petrified Florist.
fest.schrift \'fest-.shrift\ \-.shrif-t*n\ \-.shrif(t)s\ n or
fest.schrif.ten or fest.shrifts [G, fr. fest festival, celebration +
schrift writing] pl often cap : a volume of writing by different authors
presented as a tribute or memorial esp. to a scholar
1943 Mind LII. 370 "This volume, a Festschrift presented to M. Maritain on
his sixtieth birthday, comprises some twenty papers written by American
admirers of his writings."
--
"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to
be chewed and digested." So wrote Francis Bacon, English philosopher,
essayist and statesman. This week, we taste (and maybe chew and digest)
seven words about books. -Anu
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Date: Tue Mar 19 08:52:40 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fascicle
X-Bonus: It's better to be an optimist and a fool than a pessimist and right.
fas.ci.cle \'fas-i-k*l\ \-k*ld\ n [L fasciculus, dim. of fascis] 1: a small
bundle : as 1a: an inflorescence consisting of a compacted cyme less
capitate than a glomerule 1b: FASCICULUS 2: one of the divisions of a book
published in parts - fas.ci.cled aj
1887 Homeop. World 1 Nov. 521 "The Sixth Fascicle completes this beautiful
work."
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Date: Wed Mar 20 00:25:15 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hornbook
X-Bonus: Every man has one thing he can do better than anyone else - and usually it's reading his own handwriting. -G. Norman Collie
horn.book \-.bu.k\ n 1: a child's primer consisting of a sheet of parchment
or paper protected by a sheet of transparent horn 2: a rudimentary treatise
1874 MOTLEY, Barneveld II. xi. 30 "Ignorant of the very hornbook of diplomacy."
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Date: Thu Mar 21 00:24:27 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pericope
X-Bonus: And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. -Abraham Lincoln
pe.ric.o.pe \p*-'rik-*-pe-\ n [LL, fr. Gk perikope- section, fr. peri- +
kope- act of] cutting; akin to Gk koptein to cut - more at CAPON : a
selection from a book; specif : LECTION
1884 D. HUNTER, tr. Reuss's Hist. Canon i. 3 "These passages..were
disconnected fragments,..simply pericopes or lessons, as they were
called afterwards in the Christian Church."
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Date: Fri Mar 22 00:24:28 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--auctorial
X-Bonus: Sign on bank: We can loan you enough money to get you completely out of debt.
auc.to.ri.al \o.k-'to-r-e--*l, -'to.r-\ aj [L auctor author - more at
AUTHOR] : of or relating to an author
1949 WELLEK, & WARREN, Theory of Lit. iii. 27 "Eliot makes the judgment of
responsibility depend on both auctorial intention and historic effect."
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Date: Sat Mar 23 00:23:14 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--scholium
X-Bonus: Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. -Mark Twain
scho.li.um \'sko--le--*m\ \-le--*\ n or scho.lia or scho.li.ums [NL, fr. Gk
scholion comment, scholium, fr. dim. of schole- lect] pl ure 1: a marginal
annotation or comment (as on the text of a classic by an early grammarian)
2: a remark or observation subjoined but not essential to a demonstration
or a train of reasoning
1904 R. C. JEBB, Bacchylides (Proc. Brit. Acad.) 9 "From a scholium on the
Iliad (24. 496) we know that Bacchylides spoke of Theano as having borne
fifty sons to Antenor."
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Date: Sun Mar 24 00:23:10 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--screed
X-Bonus: The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. -Linus Pauling
screed \'skre-d\ n [ME screde fragment, fr. OE scre-ade - more at SHRED]
Scot 1: RENT, TEAR 2a: a lengthy discourse 2b: an informal piece of
writing 3: a strip (as of plaster of the thickness planned for the coat)
laid on as a guide
1902 A. DOBSON, S. Richardson v. 117 "Richardson's reply is a screed of
malevolence."
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Date: Mon Mar 25 00:23:39 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--soigne
X-Bonus: Life is painting a picture, not doing a sum. -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
soi.gne or soi.gnee \swa:n-'ya-\ aj [F, fr. pp. of soigner to take care of,
fr. ML soniare] 1: elegantly maintained : MODISH {a ~ restaurant} 2:
WELL-GROOMED, SLEEK
1959 Good Food Guide 35 "The prices remain fairly high but the cooking is
genuinely soigne."
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Date: Tue Mar 26 00:23:27 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--eclaircissement
X-Bonus: Law...begins when someone takes to doing something someone else does not like. -Karl Llewellyn
eclair.cisse.ment \a--kler-se--sma:n\ \-sma:n(z)\ n or eclaircissements [F]
pl : CLARIFICATION, ENLIGHTENMENT
1815 SCOTT, Guy M. xx, "Such..restraints as might prevent any engagement or
eclaircissement taking place."
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Date: Wed Mar 27 00:25:26 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--eclat
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. -Shakespeare
eclat \a--'kla:\ n [F, splinter, burst, e`clat] 1: dazzling effect :
BRILLIANCE 2a: ostentatious display : PUBLICITY archaic 2b: NOTORIETY 3a:
brilliant or conspicuous success 3b: ACCLAIM, APPLAUSE
1847 MRS. SHERWOOD, Lady of Manor II. x. 44 "The glitter and eclat of
foreign levity."
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Date: Thu Mar 28 00:23:41 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pourboire
X-Bonus: Q: What do you call a clairvoyant midget who just broke out of prison? A: A small medium at large.
pour.boire \pu.(*)rb-'wa:r\ n [F, fr. pour boire for drinking] : TIP,
GRATUITY
1979 Times 5 Dec. 14/3 "Commissioners may acquire the much-coveted Cabinet
boxes..if they pay for them... Until [1978]..the boxes were a kind of
pourboire."
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Date: Fri Mar 29 00:24:09 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pourparler
X-Bonus: Give us the fortitude to endure the things which cannot be changed, and the courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to know one from the other. -Oliver J. Hart
pour.par.ler \.pu.(*)r-(.)pa:r-'la-\ n [F] : a discussion preliminary to
negotiations
1900 Nation (N.Y.) 11 Oct. 279/2 "Meanwhile, the Powers are doing a vast
amount of negotiating and pourparlering with each other."
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Date: Sat Mar 30 00:23:42 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--praxis
X-Bonus: The only thing one can do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself. -Oscar Wilde
prax.is \'prak-s*s\ \'prak-.se-z\ n or prax.es [ML, fr. Gk, doing, action,
fr. prassein to pass through, practice - mo] pl re at PRACTICAL 1: exercise
or practice of an art, science, or skill 2: customary practice or conduct
1892 J. ROBERTSON, Early Relig. Israel xv. 390 "This code is merely
the embodiment of praxis or the crystallisation of custom."
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Date: Sun Mar 31 00:24:36 EST 1996
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--megrim
X-Bonus: Those who would have nothing to do with thorns must neve attempt to gather flowers.
1. me.grim \'me--gr*m\ n [ME migreime, fr. MF migraine] 1a: MIGRAINE 1b:
VERTIGO, DIZZINESS 2a: FANCY, WHIM pl 2b: low spirits : BLUES
2. megrim n [origin unknown] : any of several small flatfishes; esp : a
European flounder (Arnoglossus laterna)