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Post by Stan on Jan 24, 2008 12:08:49 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 24, 2008 is: cabal • \kuh-BAHL\ • noun
*1 : the artifices and intrigues of a group of persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government); also : a group engaged in such artifices and intrigues
2 : club, group
Example Sentence: The journalist uncovered evidence that a cabal of power brokers was plotting to overthrow the government. Did you know? In A Child's History of England, Charles dongens associates the word "cabal" with a group of five ministers in the government of England's King Charles II. The initial letters of the names or titles of those men (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale) spelled "cabal," and dongens dubbed them the "Cabal Ministry." These five men were widely regarded as invidious, secretive plotters and their activities may have encouraged English speakers to associate "cabal" with high-level government intrigue. But their names are not the source of the word "cabal," which was in use decades before Charles II ascended the throne. The term can be traced back through French to "cabbala," the Medieval Latin name for the Kabbalah, a traditional system of esoteric Jewish mysticism.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
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Post by Stan on Jan 28, 2008 9:23:20 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 28, 2008 is: albeit • \awl-BEE-it\ • conjunction : conceding the fact that : even though : although Example Sentence: Troy has finally landed a role in a Broadway play, albeit as a minor character. Did you know? In the middle of the 20th century, several usage commentators observed that the "archaic" word "albeit" was making a comeback. The "archaic" descriptor was not entirely apt. Evidence indicates that "albeit," which was first recorded in English in the 14th century, never really went out of use (although, admittedly, its use did seem to drop off a bit in the 19th century). It is true, however, that use of "albeit" has increased considerably since the 1930s, judging by evidence in Merriam-Webster's files.
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Post by Stan on Jan 29, 2008 8:39:39 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 29, 2008 is: Lucullan • \loo-KULL-un\ • adjective : lavish, luxurious Example Sentence: The banquet guests were treated to a Lucullan feast in the royal dining room. Did you know? "Lucullan" echoes the name of Roman general Lucius Licinius Lucullus. The general had a distinguished military career (including the defeat of Mithradates VI Eupator, king of Pontus, at Cabira in 72 B.C.), but he is best remembered for the splendor of his opulent retirement. Lucullus established a reputation for magnificent banquets, at which he wined and dined the leading poets, artists, and philosophers of his time. His feasts were sufficiently extravagant to establish a lasting place for his name as a synonym of "lavish" in the English lexicon.
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Post by Stan on Jan 31, 2008 12:25:34 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 30, 2008 is: beholden • \bih-HOHL-dun\ • adjective : being under obligation for a favor or gift : indebted Example Sentence: Tom understood that Mrs. Milton disliked being beholden to anyone, so he usually let her give him a dollar or two when he mowed her lawn or shoveled her driveway. Did you know? Have you ever found yourself under obligation to someone else for a gift or favor? It's a common experience, and, not surprisingly, many of the words describing this condition have been part of the English language for centuries. "Beholden" was first recorded in writing in the 14th century, in the poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." "Indebted," which entered English through Anglo-French, is even older, first appearing in the 13th century. English speakers in the 14th century would also have had another synonym of "beholden" to choose from, a now-obsolete sense of "bounden," which today means "made obligatory" or "binding."
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Post by Stan on Jan 31, 2008 12:25:54 GMT -5
The Word of the Day for January 31, 2008 is: jehu • \JEE-hyoo\ • noun : a driver of a coach or cab Example Sentence: The jehu who picked us up from the hotel got us to the airport in plenty of time, but his reckless driving gave us more of an adventure than we would have liked. Did you know? Today's word comes from the name of a notoriously speedy chariot driver. Originally a commander of chariots for Ahab, king of Israel, Jehu later led a revolt against the throne and became king himself. In the Bible, it is noted of Jehu that "he drives furiously" (II Kings 9:20). In the 17th century, English speakers began using "jehu" as a generic term meaning "coachman" or, specifically, "a fast or reckless coachman." Today, we are more likely to use the word in reference to reckless cabdrivers. The phrase "drives like Jehu" is encountered occasionally, too.
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