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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
bumptious
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 29, 2008 is: bumptious • \BUMP-shus\ • adjective : presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive : obtrusive Example sentence: "I wish the DJs on this station weren't so bumptious," said Andrea. "I'd prefer to just listen to the music." Did you know? Etymologists believe that "bumptious" was probably coined, perhaps playfully, from the noun "bump" plus "-tious." When "bumptious" was first used around 1800, it meant "self-conceited." Charles Dickens used it that way in David Copperfield: "His hair was very smooth and wavy; but I was informed . . . that it was a wig . . . and that he needn't be so 'bounceable' -- somebody else said 'bumptious' -- about it, because his own red hair was very plainly to be seen behind."
refractory
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2008 is: refractory • \rih-FRAK-tuh-ree\ • adjective *1 : resisting control or authority : stubborn, unmanageable 2 a : resistant to treatment or cureb : unresponsive to stimulusc : immune, insusceptible 3 : difficult to fuse, corrode, or draw out; especially : capable of enduring high temperature Example sentence: Refractory students may be disciplined, suspended, or expelled, depending on the seriousness of their offense. Did you know? "Refractory" is from the Latin word "refractarius." During the 17th century, it was sometimes spelled as "refractary," but that spelling, though more in keeping with its Latin parent, had fallen out of use by the century's end. "Refractarius," like "refractory," is the result of a slight variation in spelling. It stems from the Latin verb "refragari," meaning "to oppose." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
pejorative
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 27, 2008 is: pejorative • \pih-JOR-uh-tiv\ • adjective : having negative connotations; especially : tending to disparage or belittle : depreciatory Example sentence: The team's star player has come under fire for making pejorative remarks about women during a magazine interview. Did you know? "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Moms have given that good advice for years, but unfortunately many people haven't heeded it. The word "pejorative" makes it clear that both English and Latin speakers have long known that disparaging words can make a bad situation worse. "Pejorative" derives from the Late Latin adjective "pejoratus," which in turn comes from the Latin verb "pejorare," meaning "to make or become worse." Although pejorative words have probably always been part of English, the adjective "pejorative" has only been found in English texts since the late 1880s. Before then, English speakers could rely on older synonyms of "pejorative" such as "derogatory" and "uncomplimentary" to describe disparaging words.
sophistry
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 26, 2008 is: sophistry • \SAH-fuh-stree\ • noun *1 : subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation 2 : an argument apparently correct in form but actually invalid; especially : such an argument used to deceive Example sentence: The senatorial candidate argued that his opponent was using sophistry in an effort to distort his plan for education reform. Did you know? The original Sophists were ancient Greek teachers of rhetoric and philosophy prominent in the 5th century B.C. In their heyday, these philosophers were considered adroit in their reasoning, but later philosophers (particularly Plato) described them as sham philosophers, out for money and willing to say anything to win an argument. Thus "sophist" (which comes from Greek "sophistēs," meaning "wise man" or "expert") earned a negative connotation as "a captious or fallacious reasoner." "Sophistry" is reasoning that seems plausible on a superficial level but is actually unsound, or reasoning that is used to deceive. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
dilapidate
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 25, 2008 is: dilapidate • \dih-LAP-uh-dayt\ • verb *1 : to bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin 2 : to become decayed or partially ruined Example sentence: Although years of abandonment had dilapidated the old warehouse, Stuart still thought it could be salvaged and remade into an apartment building. Did you know? Something that is dilapidated may not have been literally pummeled with stones, but it might look that way. "Dilapidate" derives from the past participle of the Latin verb "dilapidare," meaning "to squander or destroy." That verb was formed by combining "dis-" with another verb, "lapidare," meaning "to pelt with stones." From there it's just a stone's throw to some other English relatives of "dilapidate." You might, for example, notice a resemblance between "lapidare" and our word for a person who cuts or polishes precious stones, "lapidary." That's because both words share as a root the Latin noun "lapis," meaning "stone." We also find "lapis" in the name "lapis lazuli," a bright blue semiprecious stone. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
aggregate
Sun, 24 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 24, 2008 is: aggregate • \AG-rih-gut\ • noun 1 : a mass or body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another *2 : the whole sum or amount : sum total Example sentence: "The aggregate of incriminating details unmistakably points towards a conviction," said the prosecuting attorney. Did you know? We added "aggregate" to our flock of Latin borrowings in the 15th century. It descends from "aggregare" ("to add to"), a Latin verb made up of the prefix "ad-" (which means "to," and which usually changes to "ag-" before a "g") and "greg-" or "grex" (meaning "flock"). "Greg-" also gave us "congregate," "gregarious," and "segregate." "Aggregate" is commonly employed in the phrase "in the aggregate," which means "considered as a whole" (as in the sentence "In the aggregate, the student's various achievements were sufficiently impressive to merit a scholarship"). "Aggregate" also has some specialized senses. For example, it is used for a mass of minerals formed into a rock and for a material, such as sand or gravel, used to form concrete, mortar, or plaster. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
MedTerms Word of the Day
Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome: An autoimmune disease characterized by weakness and fatigue of the proximal muscles (those near the trunk), particularly the muscles of the pelvic girdle (the pelvis and hips) and the thighs, with relative sparing of eye and respiratory muscles. Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is associated in 40% of cases with cancer, most often with small cell cancer of the lung and less often with other tumors. The neuromuscular defect in LEMS is due to insufficient release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine by nerve cells. LEMS has been treated with pyridostigmine bromide (Mestinon) to increase the transmission of acetylcholine across the neuromuscular junction, a drug called diaminopyridine (DAP) and immunosuppressants (the steroid prednisone, azathioprine, cyclosporine). Plasma exchange provides improvement in some patients with LEMS, as may intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). Patients over 50 with a history of long-term smoking are most likely to have an associated tumor. If the tumor is cured, the LEMS may vanish. LEMS is a "myasthenic syndrome" because the muscle weakness in LEMS is reminiscent of that in myasthenia gravis. Unlike myasthenia gravis, as muscle contractions continue, strength increases in LEMS. The disease is named for Lambert and Eaton who (together with Rooke) described it in 1966. The disease had actually been reported by Anderson and coworkers in 1953 in a man with oat cell cancer of the lung.MedTerms (TM) is the Medical Dictionary of MedicineNet.com.We Bring Doctors' Knowledge To You
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