This week's theme
Contranyms

This week's words
enjoin
liege
nickel-and-dime
prodigious
cull

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(leej, leezh)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A feudal lord.
2. A vassal or subject.

adjective:
1. Pertaining to the relationship between a feudal vassal and lord.
2. Loyal; faithful.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old French lige, from Latin laetus (serf). Earliest documented use: 1297.

USAGE:

"I am not worthy to buckle your shoe, my liege. Please would you spit on me?"
Nathan Bevan; If It's On, He's On It; Wales On Sunday (Cardiff); Feb 28, 2010.

"AT&T is demanding that repair crews from the regional Bell telephone companies place Velcro patches bearing the AT&T emblem on their uniforms. 'We told them, "We are not your liege,"' recalled Thomas Hester, the general counsel of the Ameritech Corporation."
Mark Landler; After the Bells and Their New Rivals Have It Out; The New York Times; Jul 15, 1996.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: