A.Word.A.Day --pulchritude

A.Word.A.Day

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Nov 21, 2016

This week’s theme
Don't judge a word by its sound

This week’s words
pulchritude
degustation
bucolic
puissant
crepuscular

First International Pageant of Pulchritude, 1926

International Pageant of Pulchritude, 1916 (yes, that was the name)

Photo: LOC/Cecil Thomson Studios

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

A saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We are also encouraged not to judge people by their appearance. Well, this week’s words are selected in the same spirit. They may sound ugly, but don’t let that fool you.

A prime example is the word petrichor. This is the word to describe that earthy fragrance that fills the air after the first rain of the season. If there were ever an International Pageant of Words That Sound Ugly But Aren’t, “pulchritude” would be a strong candidate too. What words would you enter in such a pageant?

pulchritude

PRONUNCIATION:

(PUL-kri-tood, -tyood)

MEANING:

noun: Beauty.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin pulchritudo, from pulcher (beautiful). Earliest documented use: 1460.

USAGE:

“Robert continued to admire her pulchritude.”
Gary Newsom; People Like That...; Back Country; 2014.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire, philosopher (21 Nov 1694-1778)

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