This week’s theme
Words that have changed

This week’s words
parboil
notorious
vedette
acerate
egregious

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(vuh-DET, vi-)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A leading stage or film star.
2. A mounted sentry or a scouting boat posted in an advanced position to observe the movements of an enemy.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French vedette (star, as in a film star; speedboat), from Italian vedetta (influenced by vedere: to see), from veletta. Ultimately from the Indo-European root weg- (to be strong or lively), which also gave us vigor, velocity, vegetable, vegete, and velitation. Earliest documented use: sense 1: 1963, sense 2: 1690.

USAGE:

“Hazel finally got us headed out toward Beverly Hills, while I talked to her ‘in depth’ a lot about her career. From what I gathered: not so grande a vedette. She’d been in so many movies, too many, from such an early age on, bit parts, nothing roles, couldn’t remember them all.”
Brock Brower; The Late Great Creature; Popular Library; 1971.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: