A.Word.A.Day --ventifact

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ventifact

PRONUNCIATION:

(VEN-tuh-fact)

MEANING:

noun: A stone shaped, polished, or faceted by windblown sand.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin venti- (wind), from ventus (wind) + factum (something made), from facere (to make or do). First recorded use: 1911. Also see yardang.

USAGE:

"On that last trip, I knelt by the river and took a stone from the deep pockets of my wind pants. It was a black ventifact, an igneous rock. During eons of exposure to the wind, its surface had become smooth and polished."
Bill Green; Adventure in Antarctica; The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio); Oct 1, 1995.

See more usage examples of ventifact in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Nationalist pride, like other variants of pride, can be a substitute for self-respect. -Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983)

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