A.Word.A.Day --swidden

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Today's Word

swidden

PRONUNCIATION:

(SWID-n)

MEANING:

noun: An area of land cleared for farming by slashing and burning the vegetation.

ETYMOLOGY:

A variant of Northern English dialect swithen (to burn), from Old Norse svithna (to be singed). Earliest documented use: 1868.

USAGE:

“Some headed out to the charred earth of their swidden gardens to tend crops of manioc, bananas, and sweet potatoes.”
Chip Brown; Kayapo Courage; National Geographic (Washington, DC); Jan 2014.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

The [Nobel] prize is such an extraordinary honor. It might seem unfair, however, to reward a person for having so much pleasure over the years, asking the maize plant to solve specific problems and then watching its responses. -Barbara McClintock, scientist, Nobel laureate (16 Jun 1902-1992)

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