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Sep 11, 2024
This week’s theme
Words with all the vowels

This week’s words
elocutionary
commensurability
vituperatory
equivocacy
perfunctionary

vituperatory
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

vituperatory

PRONUNCIATION:
(vy-TOO/TYOO-pruh-tor-ee)

MEANING:
adjective: Criticizing bitterly, scathing, abusive.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin vituperare (to blame), from vitium (fault) + parare (to make or prepare). Earliest documented use: 1586.

USAGE:
“The loose-cannon ‘undiplomat’ [John Bolton] best known for his vituperatory anti-UN mouthings and unbridled arrogance.”
J.A. Lopez; Own Worst Enemies; San Gabriel Valley Tribune (West Covina, California); Jun 1, 2005.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows. -O. Henry, short-story writer (11 Sep 1862-1910)

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