This week’s theme
Words that appear dirty, but aren’t

This week’s words
interdigitate
titular
cockloft
cuntline
cummingtonite



This week’s comments
AWADmail 920

Next week’s theme
Onomatopoeic words

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(KUHM-ing-tuh-nyt)

MEANING:

noun: A mineral, otherwise known as magnesium iron silicate hydroxide.

ETYMOLOGY:

Named after Cummington, Massachusetts, where it was discovered. Earliest documented use: 1824.

NOTES:

Cummingtonite is named after Cummington, MA, and the town of Cummington itself is named after Colonel John Cumings who got things started in the township. If cummingtonite is not enough for you, there’s also fukalite, named after Fuka mines in the Fuka region of Japan. Then there is carnalite, named after mining engineer Rudolf von Carnall.

Not much is known about cummingtonite’s applications. An unscientific survey shows it’s commonly used in the making of T-shirts.

USAGE:

“And cummingtonite is actually a mineral, not a rock. Although that doesn’t explain why the cracks in mineral rocks are called cleavage.”
Johanna Edwards; How to Be Cool; Berkley Books; 2007.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: