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 | Aug 26, 2010This week's theme Random words This week's words fluvial sidereal orison macerate sward Make a gift that keeps on giving, all year long A gift subscription of AWAD It takes less than a minute.  Discuss  Feedback  RSS/XML             A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg macerate
 PRONUNCIATION:(MAS-uh-rayt)   
 MEANING:verb tr., intr.: 1. To soften by soaking or steeping in a liquid. 2. To separate into parts by soaking. 3. To weaken or to become thin; to emaciate. ETYMOLOGY:From Latin macerare (to make soft, weaken). Ultimately from the Indo-European
root mag-/mak- (to knead, to fit) that is also the source of make, mason,
mass, match, among, mongrel, mingle, and maquillage. USAGE:"The plastic rubbish has been macerated by marine forces and is composed
   of small particles that float just below the surface, killing fish that
   mistake it for food." John Maxwell; Boojum Hunting in the Caribbean; Jamaica Observer (Kingston); Jan 24, 2010. See more usage examples of macerate in Vocabulary.com's dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:Although a democracy must often fight with one hand tied behind its back, it nonetheless has the upper hand. -Aharon Barak, law professor, former President of the Supreme Court of Israel (b.1936) | 
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