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Jun 15, 2011
This week's theme
Verbs

This week's words
etiolate
betide
lancinate
lignify
obtest

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

lancinate

PRONUNCIATION:
(LAN-suh-nayt)

MEANING:
verb tr.: To pierce or tear.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin lancinare (to tear), from lacer (torn). Earliest documented use: 1603.

USAGE:
"The Honorable Rep. Spear is fixing to lancinate our state by declaring the American bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, the official North Carolina amphibian. To me, a stab like this makes about as much sense as declaring Bunny Bread the official loaf of Paris or 'darn' the official swear word of New York City."
Phil Woodhall; An Amphibian Worth Complimenting; The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina); May 5, 2007.

See more usage examples of lancinate in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Life is a long lesson in humility. -James M. Barrie, novelist, short-story writer, and playwright (1860-1937)

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