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Post by Stan on Jan 4, 2008 15:09:25 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 04, 2008 is: googol • \GOO-goll\ • noun
: the figure 1 followed by 100 zeros equal to 10100
Example Sentence: In January 1997, astronomers Fred Adams and Gregory Laughlin predicted that the universe would end in a number of years equal to approximately one googol. Did you know? Around 1930, American mathematician Edward Kasner found himself working with numbers as large as 10 to the 100th power -- that's a one followed by 100 zeroes. While it is possible to write that number using standard scientific notation, Dr. Kasner felt that it deserved a name of its own. According to his own account, Dr. Kasner asked his nine-year-old nephew, Milton Sirotta, to pick a name, promising the boy that he would use the word in the future. Milton made up the word "googol," and so the enormous number was christened. Dr. Kasner kept his promise, and the word has spread and been widely adopted by mathematicians and the general public alike.
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Post by Stan on Jan 5, 2008 8:47:55 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 05, 2008 is: chthonic • \THAH-nik\ • adjective
: of or relating to the underworld : infernal
Example Sentence: Laleh compared entering her brother's basement bedroom to a descent into chthonic regions: it was dark and odd-smelling, and she was a little frightened of what she might find there. Did you know? "Chthonic" might seem a lofty and learned word, but it's actually pretty down-to-earth in its origin and meaning. It comes from "chthōn, "which means "earth" in Greek, and it is associated with things that dwell in or under the earth. It is most commonly used in discussions of mythology, particularly underworld mythology. Hades and Persephone, who reign over the underworld in Greek mythology, might be called "chthonic deities," for example. "Chthonic" has broader applications, too. It can be used to describe something that resembles a mythological underworld (e.g.,"chthonic darkness"), and it is sometimes used to describe earthly or natural things (as opposed to those that are elevated or celestial).
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Post by Stan on Jan 6, 2008 9:58:07 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 06, 2008 is: nettle • \NET-ul\ • verb
1 : to strike or sting with or as if with nettles
*2 : to arouse to sharp but transitory annoyance or anger
Example Sentence: You could tell by his nervous reaction that the town official was nettled by the reporter's probing questions. Did you know? If you've ever brushed against nettles, you know those weeds have sharp bristles that can leave you smarting and itching. The painful and irritating rash that nettles cause can last for days, but at least it is a rash with a linguistic silver lining. The discomfort caused by nettles can serve to remind one that the verb "nettle" is a synonym of "irritate." "Nettle" originated as a plant name that we can trace to the Old English word "netel." Eventually, people likened the nagging itch caused by the plant to the nagging aggravation of being annoyed, and "nettle" became a synonym of "vex," "peeve," and of course "irritate."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
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Post by Stan on Jan 7, 2008 10:27:04 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 07, 2008 is: boycott • \BOY-kaht\ • verb : to engage in a concerted refusal to have dealings with (as a person, store, or organization) usually to express disapproval or to force acceptance of certain conditions Example Sentence: The group boycotted the clothing company to protest its practice of employing sweatshop labor. Did you know? In the 1870s, Irish farmers faced an agricultural crisis that threatened to result in a repeat of the terrible famine and mass evictions of the 1840s. Anticipating financial ruin, they formed a Land League to campaign against the rent increases and evictions landlords were imposing as a result of the crisis. Retired British army captain Charles Boycott had the misfortune to be acting as an agent for an absentee landlord at the time, and when he tried to evict tenant farmers for refusing to pay their rent, he was ostracized by the League and community. His laborers and servants quit, and his crops began to rot. Boycott's fate was soon well known, and his name became a byword for that particular protest strategy.
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Post by Stan on Jan 8, 2008 15:44:44 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 08, 2008 is: cliometrics • \klye-uh-MET-riks\ • noun plural but singular in construction
: the application of methods developed in other fields (as economics, statistics, and data processing) to the study of history
Example Sentence: For his doctoral thesis, Quentin used cliometrics to examine the impact of universal suffrage on economic development. Did you know? "Cliometrics" comes from a combination of "Clio," the name of the Greek Muse of history, and "-metrics," as in "econometrics" ("the application of statistical methods to the study of economic data and problems") or "biometrics" ("the statistical analysis of biological observations and phenomena"). American economists Douglass North and Robert Fogel developed cliometrics, a highly quantitative means for studying the past. In 1993, North and Fogel won the Nobel Prize in Economics for their pioneering work.
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Post by Stan on Jan 9, 2008 17:03:54 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 09, 2008 is: primeval • \prye-MEE-vul\ • adjective
: of or relating to the earliest ages (as of the world or human history) : ancient, primitive
Example Sentence: A small tract of land to the north contains the last remnants of the primeval forest that covered this region a thousand years ago. Did you know? First things first. "Primeval" comes from the Latin words "primus," meaning "first," and "aevum," meaning "age." In Latin, those terms were brought together to form "primaevus," a word that means "of or relating to the earliest ages." Other English words that descend from "primus" include "prime" and "primary," "primordial" (a synonym of "primeval"), and "primitive." "Primus" also gave rise to some terms for folks who are number one in charge, including "prince" and "principal."
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Post by Stan on Jan 10, 2008 20:21:53 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 10, 2008 is: anathematize • \uh-NATH-uh-muh-tyze\ • verb
: curse, denounce
Example Sentence: The biography presents a balanced account of the life of a writer whose work was beloved by the masses and anathematized by critics. Did you know? When 16th-century English speakers needed a verb meaning "to condemn by anathema" (that is, by an official curse from church authority), "anathematize" proved to be just the right word. But "anathematize" didn't originate in English as a combination of the noun "anathema" and the suffix "-ize." Rather, our verb is based on forebears in Late Latin ("anathematizare") and Greek ("anathematizein"). "Anathematize" can still indicate solemn, formal condemnation, but today it can also have milder applications. The same is true of "anathema," which now often means simply "a vigorous denunciation."
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Post by Stan on Jan 13, 2008 11:09:19 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 11, 2008 is: mouthfeel • \MOWTH-feel\ • noun
: the sensation created by food or drink in the mouth
Example Sentence: The excessive carbonation in the beer gives it a prickly mouthfeel that detracts from its otherwise pleasing taste. Did you know? Do you sometimes find yourself trying to describe a concept or phenomenon for which you don't have a word? In such cases, it is not unusual for people to coin neologisms (new words or expressions) to describe such concepts or phenomena -- the pink glow on the underside of gray clouds right before sunset, for example, or the sensation created in the mouth by a particular item of food or drink. Indeed, this latter concept has already been given a name, "mouthfeel," a simple combination of "mouth" and "feel" that can be used to describe the creamy warmth of a mushroom soup or the dry, velvety sensation of a pinot noir. This coinage is relatively new; its earliest known use dates back only to 1951.
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Post by Stan on Jan 13, 2008 11:09:48 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 12, 2008 is: sapient • \SAY-pee-unt\ • adjective
: possessing or expressing great sagacity
Example Sentence: I've found Henrietta's advice to be both sapient and comforting, especially in difficult times. Did you know? Human beings certainly like to think they're wise, and, in fact, the term "Homo sapiens" ("humankind") comes in part from the Latin word "sapiens," meaning "wise" or "intelligent." "Sapiens" in turn comes from the verb "sapere," which means "to be wise" (and which also gave us "sage" and "savant"). "Sapiens" and "sapere" are also ancestors of our adjective "sapient," of course. "Sapient" came to us from Latin by way of Middle French and has been used in English to mean "wise" since the 15th century. In recent times it also has been used in anthropological contexts to mean "characteristic of modern humans."
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Post by Stan on Jan 13, 2008 11:10:23 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 13, 2008 is: biofuel • \bye-oh-FYOOL\ • noun
: a fuel (as wood or ethanol) composed of or produced from biological raw materials
Example Sentence: Many people have begun to push for more research into biofuels, which they say would burn cleaner and be more sustainable than fossil fuel sources. Did you know? Since the early 19th century, "fossil fuel" has been used to refer to fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas which are formed from the remains of plants and animals which have lain in the earth for millions of years. In the 1970s, a new word, "biofuel," began to be used to describe a different kind of fuel, one taken from more contemporary organic matter. These fuels include ethanol, which can be derived from such products as corn and sugarcane, and biodiesel, which can be formed from vegetable oils. These organic sources are reflected in the prefix, "bio-," meaning "life" or "living organisms or tissue." The prefix "bio-" was borrowed from the Greek "bios," meaning "mode of life."
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Post by Stan on Jan 14, 2008 8:29:56 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 14, 2008 is: invidious • \in-VID-ee-us\ • adjective 1 : tending to cause discontent, animosity, or envy 2 : envious 3 a : of an unpleasant or objectionable nature : obnoxious *b : of a kind to cause harm or resentment Example Sentence: "Petty arguments about what counts as serious art and what does not are invidious to the discipline of artistic criticism," wrote the professor. Did you know? Fittingly, "invidious" is a relative of "envy." Both are descendants of "invidia," the Latin word for "envy," which in turn comes from "invidçre," meaning "to look askance at" or "to envy." ("Invidious" descends from "invidia" by way of the Latin adjective "invidiosus," meaning "envious," whereas "envy" comes to English via the Anglo-French noun "envie.") These days, however, "invidious" is rarely used as a synonym for "envious." The preferred uses are primarily pejorative, describing things that are unpleasant (such as "invidious choices" and "invidious tasks") or worthy of scorn ("invidious remarks" or "invidious comparisons").
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
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Post by Stan on Jan 15, 2008 8:22:29 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 15, 2008 is: neoteric • \nee-uh-TAIR-ik\ • adjective : recent in origin : modern Example Sentence: The gallery eschews traditional works of art in favor of more neoteric pieces, such as electric light installations and computer graphic displays. Did you know? An odd thing about "neoteric" is that this word for things that are modern and new is itself rather old. It's been part of English since at least 1596, and its roots go back even further -- to ancient Greek. We adapted the word from Late Latin "neotericus," which also means "recent." "Neotericus" in turn comes from Late Greek "neôterikos" and ultimately from Greek "neos," meaning "new" or "young." As old as its roots are, however, "neoteric" itself entered English later than its synonyms "modern" (which appeared earlier in the 16th century) and "newfangled" (which has been with us since the 15th century).
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Post by Stan on Jan 16, 2008 13:52:45 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 16, 2008 is: shank's mare • \SHANKS-MAIR\ • noun : one's own legs Example Sentence: We were determined to see the ruins, and when we found out the shuttle bus wasn't running that day, we traveled by shank's mare. Did you know? "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" Many travelers in centuries past would have agreed with King Richard's famous lines from Shakespeare's Richard III -- when you needed to travel any distance in the days before automobiles, you definitely wanted a horse. When one wasn't available, you had to rely on your built-in transportation equipment, your feet and legs. The word "shank" has been used to mean "the lower leg" since before the 12th century, and "shank's mare" first appeared in writing in the late 1700s. Another vivid expression connecting people and horses was "horse with ten toes," but that one is now relegated to history.
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Post by Stan on Jan 22, 2008 8:26:13 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 22, 2008 is: adjuvant • \AJ-uh-vunt\ • adjective 1 : serving to aid or contribute : auxiliary *2 : assisting in the prevention, amelioration, or cure of disease Example Sentence: Dr. Browne and his research team are running a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Did you know? Things that are adjuvant rarely get top billing -- they're the supporting players, not the stars. But that doesn't mean they're not important. An adjuvant medicine, for example, can have a powerful healing effect when teamed up with another medicine or curative treatment. "Adjuvant" descends from the Latin verb "adjuvare" ("to aid"), which also gave us our nouns "coadjutor" ("assistant") and "aid." These days, "adjuvant" tends to turn up most often in medical contexts, but it can also be used in the general sense of "serving to aid." Likewise, the noun "adjuvant" can mean "a drug or method that enhances the effectiveness of medical treatment" or simply "one that helps or facilitates."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
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Post by Stan on Jan 23, 2008 8:32:40 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 23, 2008 is: fletcher • \FLETCH-er\ • noun : a maker of arrows Example Sentence: The fletcher presented the village's archery champion with his most recent design, an arrow crafted to travel in a steady course through any headwind. Did you know? "Fletcher" is one of a number of English words that once commonly referred to occupations but are now better known as surnames. "Fletcher" came to English from the Anglo-French noun "fleche," meaning "arrow"; our verb "to fletch" can mean "to furnish (an arrow) with a feather." Other names for occupations that are now commonly used as surnames include "cooper" (a person who makes or repairs wooden casks or tubs), "collier" (a coal miner), "chandler" (a person who make candles), "sawyer" (a person who saws wood), and "wainwright" (a person who makes wagons). And, of course, there are names such as Baker, Carpenter, and Miller whose origins are more or less self-explanatory.
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