This week's theme
Words of nautical origins

This week's words
doldrums
scupper
scuttlebutt
bonanza
groundswell

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(SKUP-uhr)

MEANING:

noun: An opening for draining water, as on the side of a ship.
verb tr.: 1. To prevent from succeeding. 2. To overwhelm, disable, or destroy.

ETYMOLOGY:

For noun: From Old French escopir (to spit). Earliest documented use: 1485.
For verb: Perhaps from the noun form of the word. Earliest documented use: 1885.

USAGE:

"Three possible misfortunes could scupper recovery."
Inside the Miracle; The Economist (London, UK); Mar 13, 2010.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: