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 | Jan 19, 2012This week's theme Miscellaneous words This week's words sagacity stochastic immanent venial connubial  Make a gift that keeps on giving, all year long: A gift subscription of AWAD or give the gift of books  Discuss  Feedback  RSS/XML             A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg venial
 PRONUNCIATION: MEANING: 
adjective: Minor; easily excused.
 ETYMOLOGY: 
From Latin venia (forgiveness). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wen-
(to desire or to strive for), which is also the source of wish, win, ween,
overweening, venerate, venison, Venus, and banyan. Earliest documented use:
before 1300.
 USAGE: 
"Wealthy fraudsters are given chieftaincy titles and venerated, and their
nefarious deeds are euphemistically tagged venial." Chiedu Uche Okoye; Victims of Illusion; Daily Independent (Nigeria); Jun 27, 2011. "The production takes a few venial liberties with the text." Ben Brantley; Railing at a Money-Mad World; The New York Times; Jul 1, 2010. See more usage examples of venial in Vocabulary.com's dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends imprisoned by an enchanter in paper and leathern boxes. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) | 
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