Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ

Feb 20, 2006

This week's theme
Red-herring words

This week's words
sextet
potatory
gyrovague
discommode
obsequy

---

Take the word friable, for instance. All the evidence leads us to suggest this word could be used to refer to raw potato chips. But in truth, something friable is that which could be easily crumbled. Well, it could be used to refer to potato chips, after all.

This week we visit these red-herring words, words with meanings that are not the first things that come to mind.

sextet

noun:
1. A group of six.
2. A group of six singers or musicians, or a piece of music composed for them.

Alteration of sestet, influenced by Latin sex (six).

"With the local hockey sextet locked in a Stanley Cup series it would be loyal to stop by and pick up a six-pack."
Dick Kreck; Raise a Glass to Avs; The Denver Post; May 18, 2001.

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

X-Bonus