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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
palmary
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 15, 2008 is: palmary • \PAL-muh-ree\ • adj : outstanding, best Example sentence: Louis Pasteur is best known for originating pasteurization, but he also made palmary contributions in the field of immunology, including finding a vaccination for anthrax. Did you know? English speakers have been using "palmary" since the 1600s, and its history stretches back even further than that. It was the ancient Romans who first used their “palmarius” to describe someone or something extraordinary. “Palmarius” literally translates as "deserving the palm." But what does that mean exactly? Was it inspired by palms of hands coming together in applause? That would be a good guess, but the direct inspiration for “palmarius” was the palm leaf given to a victor in a sports competition. That other palm, the one on the hand, is loosely related. The Romans thought the palm tree's leaves resembled an outstretched palm of the hand; they thus used their word “palma” for both meanings, just as we do with "palm" in English.
facetious
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 14, 2008 is: facetious • \fuh-SEE-shuss\ • adjective *1 : joking or jesting often inappropriately : waggish 2 : meant to be humorous or funny : not serious Example sentence: Gwen was being facetious when she used the word "classy" to describe Bill's brightly colored necktie. Did you know? "Facetious" came to English from the Middle French word "facetieux," which traces to the Latin word "facetia," meaning "jest." "Facetia" seems to have made only one other lasting contribution to the English language: "facetiae," meaning "witty or humorous writings or sayings." "Facetiae," which comes from the plural of "facetia" and is pronounced fuh-SEE-shee-ee or fuh-SEE-shee-eye, is a far less common word than "facetious," but it does show up occasionally. For example, in a letter to the editor published in the Seattle Times, August 26, 1995, a reader used the following words to describe a column written by the humorist Dave Barry: "Hey, it's a HUMOR column, based entirely upon facetiae." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
koine
Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 13, 2008 is: koine • \koy-NAY\ • noun 1 : the Greek language commonly spoken and written in eastern Mediterranean countries in the Hellenistic and Roman periods *2 : a dialect or language of a region that has become the common or standard language of a larger area Example sentence: Koines inevitably developed in the early British colonies as different dialects converged. Did you know? Koine, which means "common" or "shared" in Greek, was the language spoken in the eastern Mediterranean countries from the 4th century B.C. until the time of the Byzantine emperor Justinian (mid-6th century A.D.). In linguistics, the word "koine" is applied to a language developed from contact between dialects of the same language over a large region. Basically, a koine adopts those grammatical and lexical elements from the dialects of the region that are easily recognized by most area speakers and dispenses with those that are not. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
divulge
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 12, 2008 is: divulge • \duh-VULJ\ • verb : to make known (as a confidence or secret) Example sentence: Sarah promised not to divulge the news of her friend's promotion until it was official. Did you know? It isn't vulgar to make known the roots of "divulge" -- and that sentence contains two hints about the word's origin. "Divulge" was borrowed into Middle English in the 15th century from Latin "divulgare," a word that combines the prefix "dis-," which meant "apart" or "in different directions" in Latin, with "vulgare," meaning "to make known." "Vulgare," in turn, derives from the Latin noun "vulgus," meaning "mob” or “common people." As you have no doubt guessed, English "vulgar" is another word which can be traced back to "vulgus”; it came into use about a century before "divulge.”
hypocorism
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 11, 2008 is: hypocorism • \hye-PAH-kuh-riz-um\ • noun *1 : a pet name 2 : the use of pet names Example sentence: Darren started calling Sheila by her hypocorism, “Bubbles,” when they were juniors in high school. Did you know? In Late Latin and Greek, the words “hypocorisma” and “hypokorisma” had the same meaning as “hypocorism” does in English today. They in turn evolved from the Greek verb “hypokorizesthai” (“to call by pet names”), which itself comes from “korizesthai” (“to caress”). “Hypocorism” joined the English language in the mid-19th century and was once briefly a buzzword among linguists, who used it rather broadly to mean “adult baby talk,” that is, the altered speech adults use when supposedly imitating babies. Once the baby talk issue faded, “hypocorism” settled back into being just a fancy word for a pet name. Pet names can be diminutives like our “Johnny” for “John,” endearing terms such as “honey-bunch,” or, yes, names from baby talk, like “Nana” for “Grandma.” *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
posse
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 10, 2008 is: posse • \PAH-see\ • noun *1 : a large group often with a common interest 2 : a body of persons summoned by a sheriff to assist in preserving the public peace usually in an emergency 3 : a group of people temporarily organized to make a search (as for a lost child) 4 : one’s attendants or associates Example sentence: "On the Saturday morning we used to watch anxiously for the usual signs of activity and when we saw a large barrel of beer being escorted up the streets by a posse of small boys, we knew that all was well." (Edmund Barber, Country Life, October 12, 1951) Did you know? "Posse" started out as a technical term in law, part of the term "posse comitatus," which in Medieval Latin meant "power or authority of the county." As such, it referred to a group of citizens summoned by a sheriff to preserve the public peace as allowed for by law. "Preserving the public peace" so often meant hunting down a supposed criminal that "posse" eventually came to mean any group organized to make a search or embark on a mission. In even broader use it can refer to any group, period. Sometimes nowadays that group is a gang or a rock band but it can as easily be any group -- of politicians, models, architects, tourists, children, or what have you -- acting in concert. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
MedTerms Word of the Day
Deep vein thrombosis
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Deep vein thrombosis: A blood clot (thrombus) in a deep vein in the thigh or leg. The clot can break off as an embolus and make its way to the lung, where it can cause respiratory distress and respiratory failure. Deep vein thrombosis is sometimes called the "economy-class syndrome." Even in young, healthy travelers, long stretches of time spent immobilized in the cramped seat of an aircraft with very low humidity sets the stage for formation of a blood clot in the leg. Abbreviated as DVT. MedTerms (TM) is the Medical Dictionary of MedicineNet.com.We Bring Doctors' Knowledge To You
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