This week’s theme
Words from science that have different senses in everyday use

This week’s words
optics
epicenter
quantum
theory
entropy

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(EP-i-sen-tuhr)

MEANING:

noun:
1. The point on the earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.
2. The center or focal point of an activity or event, especially something unpleasant.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin epicentrum, from Greek epikentros, from epi- (upon) + kentron (needle, pivot point for drawing a circle). Earliest documented use: 1887.

USAGE:

“Itu, a commuter city outside Sao Paulo, is at the epicenter of the worst drought to hit southeastern Brazil in more than eight decades.”
Biggest Brazil City Desperate for Water in Drought; Associated Press (New York); Nov 6, 2014.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: