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Jun 29, 2023
This week’s theme
Toponyms

This week’s words
byzantine
erewhonian
Pearl Harbor
Delphic
Roman peace

Delphi
Priestess of Delphi, 1891
(Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi)
Art: John Collier

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

Delphic

PRONUNCIATION:
(DEL-fik)

MEANING:
adjective: Obscure or ambiguous.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Delphi, a city in ancient Greece, near Mount Parnassus. Delphi the seat of the oracle of Apollo in Greek mythology. The Oracle at Delphi was known for her ambiguous prophecies that were open to various interpretations. Earliest documented use: 1567.

USAGE:
“So, what are they trying to say? It’s a challenge to sieve lucid answers from the artist who, while enormously amiable, is prone to somewhat Delphic statements when it comes to explaining his work.”
Rachel Spence; The Chilean artist Eugenio Dittborn; Financial Times (London, UK); Oct 16, 2021.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author and aviator (29 Jun 1900-1944)

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