This week's theme
Words of nautical origins

This week's words
doldrums
scupper
scuttlebutt
bonanza
groundswell

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Next week's theme
Words that have meanings in multiple parts of speech

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(GROUND-swell)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A surge of opinion or feeling about someone or something.
2. A broad deep swell of the ocean, caused by a distant storm or an earthquake.

ETYMOLOGY:

Groundswell was the term sailors used for a swelling of the ocean. Why ground? Originally, ground referred to the bottom of anything, especially an ocean. Earliest documented use: 1817.

USAGE:

"A nationwide general strike fuelled by a groundswell of anger brought parts of Spain to a halt yesterday."
General Strike; The New Zealand Herald (Auckland); Mar 31, 2012.

"Waves along the coasts may get as high as 23 feet this weekend due to two significant groundswells."
High Surf Expected This Weekend; Los Angeles Times; Mar 29, 2012.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: