This week's theme
Eponyms

This week's words
silhouette
casanova
xanthippe
shrapnel
Don Juan

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(SHRAP-nel)

MEANING:

noun: Fragments of an exploded bomb, shell, mine, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Henry Shrapnel (1761-1842), English army officer. He invented an artillery shell containing metal balls, which exploded in the air near the target. Earliest documented use: 1806.

USAGE:

"It's true that Hagel harbors a healthy skepticism about deploying American troops. That's because he also harbors shrapnel in his chest from Vietnam and appreciates the human costs when Pentagon officials move pins on maps."
Nicholas D. Kristof; In Defense of Hagel for Defense; The New York Times; Jan 9, 2013.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: