This week’s theme
Words using only one of the vowels

This week’s words
parastatal
defervescence
imprimis
poltroon
tumulus



This week's comments
AWADmail 662

Next week's theme
Poetic forms

---

A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(TOO-myuh-luhs, TYOO-)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A mound of earth placed over prehistoric tombs. Also known as a barrow.
2. A dome-shaped swelling formed in cooling lava.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin tumere (to swell). Earliest documented use: 1686.

USAGE:

“Anthropologists have suggested [Mima mounds] might be tumuli marking ancient burials.”
Gopher Broke; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 14, 2013.

“Many inflation features are present on the flow, including the tumulus in upper right.”
Megan Moseley; Lava Advances 50 Yards, Edging Closer to Highway; Honolulu Star-Advertiser (Hawaii); Jan 27, 2015.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: