This week’s theme
Words formed by clipping

This week’s words
rad
phiz
pleb
divvy
phenom

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I, Rearrangement Servant
May I try your name?

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(DIV-ee)

MEANING:

noun: Dividend; share.
verb tr.: To divide and share.

noun: A foolish person.
adjective: Foolish.

ETYMOLOGY:

For the first noun, verb: A shortening of dividend, from Latin dividere (to divide), from dis- (apart) + -videre (to separate). Earliest documented use: 1872.
For the second noun, adjective: Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1975.

USAGE:

“They have tried to fairly divvy up shifts among the deli’s eight employees and also gave employees the chance to stay home with no repercussions.”
Bryce Airgood; Building Owner Tells Deli Not to Pay Rent: Says to Use April Money to Pay Its Staff Instead; Times Herald (Port Huron, Michigan); Mar 26, 2020.

“’Why would you tell people not to go there but leave the pubs open? It’s a bit silly. I think the prime minister’s a bit of a divvy,’ said Melissa Parker.”
Josh Halliday, et al; “We Can’t Afford to Shut”: PM’s Covid-19 Advice Leaves Pubs and Shops in Limbo; The Guardian (London, UK); Mar 17, 2020.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: