WON Word A Day- February 23rd- DRUTHERS

druthers  (DRUTH-uhrz) noun: One's own way; preference.

Did you know? Plural of druther, contraction of ’d rather, as in "I/he/etc. would rather ..." Earliest documented use: 1895. The word is mostly used in the form "If I had my druthers ..." i.e. "If I had my way, I'd rather ..."

 

WON Word A Day- February 22nd- MISONEISM

misoneism (mis-uh-NEE-izm) noun: A hatred or fear of change or innovation.

Did you know? From Italian misoneismo, from Greek miso- (hate) + neos (new). Ultimately from the Indo-European root newo- (new) that also gave us new, neo-, neon, novice, novel, novelty, innovate, and renovate.

 

WON Word A Day- February 21st- LOQUACIOUS

loquacious  (lo-KWAY-shuhs) adjective: Talkative; wordy.

Did you know? From Latin loqui (to speak). The word loquacious has a negative sense, but a positive word to come out of the same Latin root is eloquent.

 

WON Word A Day- February 20th- FUGACIOUS

f

Fugacious (fyoo-GAY-shuhs) adjective: Lasting a very short time.

Did you know? From Latin fugere (to flee) which also gave us other words such as fugitive, centrifugal, refuge, and subterfuge.

 

WON Word A Day- February 19th- TENDERFOOT

tenderfoot (TEN-duhr-foot) A newcomer or a beginner at something, one not used to hardships.

Did you know? Originally the term was applied to newcomers to ranching and mining districts in the western US. A tenderfoot is quite different from a tenderloin.

WON Word A Day- February 18th- AMBISINISTER

ambisinister (am-bi-SIN-uh-stuhr) adjective: Clumsy with both hands. (Literally, with two left hands.)

Did you know? From Latin ambi- (both) + sinister (on the left side).

 

WON Word A Day- February 17th- SKEDADDLE

skedaddle  (ski-DAD-l) verb intr.: To leave hurriedly.

Did you know? First noticed during the American Civil War in 1861. Perhaps from northern England dialect.

WON Word A Day – February 16th- PABULUM

pabulum (PAB-yuh-luhm) noun: Bland intellectual fare: insipid or simplistic ideas, entertainment, writing, etc.

Did you know? From Latin pabulum (food, fuel, fodder), from pascere (to feed). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pa- (to protect or feed), which also gave us food, foster, fodder, forage, pasture, pantry, and companion. Earliest documented use: 1661.

 

WON Word A Day – February 15th- OBSEQUIOUS

Obsequious (ob-SEE-kwee-uhs, uhb-) adjective: Behaving in an ingratiating or servile manner.

Did you know? Earlier the word meant obedient or dutiful, with no connotations of fawning. Over time it has taken a negative turn. From Latin obsequiosus (compliant), from obsequi (to comply), from ob- (to) + sequi (follow), which also gave us obsequy. Earliest documented use: 1447.

 

WON Word A Day – February 14th – QUIXOTIC

Quixotic \kwik-SAH-tik\ adjective 1: foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals

2: capricious, unpredictable

EXAMPLES Pauline characterized her Halloween decorating plans as ambitious, but she secretly feared that "quixotic" was a more apt descriptor.

"David Smith has chased for at least 15 years what seemed aquixotic challenge—finding a way to harness the energy remaining in discarded batteries which could represent at least 50 percent of their power capacity." — Richard Craver, Winston-Salem Journal (North Carolina), September 28, 2014

DID YOU KNOW? If you guessed that quixotic has something to do with Don Quixote, you're absolutely right. The hero of the 17th-century Spanish novel El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (by Miguel de Cervantes) didn't change the world by tilting at windmills, but he did leave a linguistic legacy in English. The adjective quixotic is based on his name and has been used to describe unrealistic idealists since at least the early 18th century. The novel has given English other words as well.Dulcinea, the name of Quixote's beloved, has come to mean "mistress" or "sweetheart," and rosinante, which is sometimes used to refer to an old, broken-down horse, comes from the name of the hero's less-than-gallant steed, Rocinante.

WON Word A Day – February 13th – SEMPITERNAL

Sempiternal \sem-pih-TER-nul\ adjective : of never-ending duration : eternal

EXAMPLES No matter how much we try to analyze it, the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, will be a matter of sempiternaldebate.

"But by Page 10, I knew I'd never read 'Moby-Dick.' The novel— if you can call such an idiosyncratic book by any generic name—hit me like a storm out of nowhere. It contained a wild deluge of thoughts and ideas and sempiternal images." — Amy Wilentz,Los Angeles Times, May 1, 2011

DID YOU KNOW? Despite their similarities, sempiternal and eternal come from different roots. Sempiternal is derived from the Late Latinsempiternalis and ultimately from semper, Latin for "always." (You may recognize semper as a key element in the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps: semper fidelis, meaning "always faithful.")Eternal, on the other hand, is derived by way of Middle French and Middle English from the Late Latin aeternalis and ultimately from aevum, Latin for "age" or "eternity." Sempiternal is much less common than eternal, but some writers have found it useful. Ralph Waldo Emerson, for example, wrote, "The one thing which we seek with insatiable desire is to forget ourselves, … to lose our sempiternal memory, and to do something without knowing how or why…."

WON Word A Day – February 12th – HOMAGE

homage \AH-mij\ noun 1: something done or given as an acknowledgement of a vassal's duty to his lord 2a : respect b : tribute

EXAMPLES One scene in the movie was clearly the director's homage to his mentor and idol.

"Click through the slideshow to preview Fili’s homage to Italian typography, including elegant signs for trattorias, … cinemas, and more." — Erica Schwiegershausen, New York Magazine, September 17, 2014

DID YOU KNOW? The root of homage is homo-, the Latin root meaning "man." In medieval times, a king's male subject could officially become the king's "man" by publicly announcing allegiance to the monarch in a formal ceremony. In that ritual, known as homage, the subject knelt and placed his hands between those of his lord, symbolically surrendering himself and putting himself at the lord's disposal and under his jurisdiction. A bond was thus forged between the two; the vassal's part was to revere and serve his lord, and the lord's role was to protect the vassal and his family. Over time, homage was extended from the ceremony to the acts of duty and respect done for the lord, and eventually to any respectful act or tribute.

WON Word A Day – February 11th – MAUNDER

Maunder \MAWN-der\   Verb 1: chiefly British : grumble 2: to wander slowly and idly 3: to speak indistinctly or disconnectedly

EXAMPLES Chelsea left a nearly incoherent message on my voicemail,maundering on for several minutes without ever getting around to her reason for calling.

"Some of Tyler's students lag behind to chat, maundering along at their own pace." — Cody Winchester, Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), May 14, 2011

DID YOU KNOW? Maunder looks a lot like meander, and that's not all the two words have in common—both mean "to wander aimlessly," either physically or in speech. Some critics have suggested that while meander can describe a person's verbal and physical rambling, in addition to the wanderings of things like paths and streams, maunder should be limited to wandering words. The problem with that reasoning is that maunder has been used of the physical movements of people since at least 1775, whereasmeander didn't acquire that use until around 1831. These days,meander tends to be the more common choice, althoughmaunder does continue to turn up in both applications.

WON Word A Day – February 10th – LYRIC

lyric \LEER-ik\ Adjective 1: suitable for singing : melodic 2: expressing direct usually intense personal emotion

EXAMPLES 

The critics are praising Jessica's debut novel as a lyric masterpiece that bravely lays out the emotional tensions experienced by its young protagonist. 

"Virtually all of Big Jim’s lyric digressions were on writers. When Big Jim talked about Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman or whomever, he spoke and we listened and learned." — Frank Clancy, Savannah Morning News, September 23, 2014

DID YOU KNOW? To the ancient Greeks, anything lyrikos was appropriate to the lyre. That elegant stringed instrument was highly regarded by the Greeks and was used to accompany intensely personal poetry that revealed the thoughts and feelings of the poet. When the adjective lyric, a descendant of lyrikos, was adopted into English in the 1500s, it too referred to things pertaining or adapted to the lyre. Initially, it was applied to poetic forms (such as elegies, odes, or sonnets) that expressed strong emotion, to poets who wrote such works, or to things that were meant to be sung; over time, it was extended to anything musical or rhapsodic. Nowadays, lyric is also used as a noun naming either a type of poem or the words of a song.

WON Word A Day – February 9th – FORSWEAR

forswear • \for-SWAIR\  • verb 1 : to make a liar of (oneself) under or as if under oath 2 a : to reject, deny, or renounce under oath b : to renounce earnestly

Examples: 

Tina forswore flying after the latest airline mishap left her stranded in Chicago for eighteen hours.

"… the film finds Cotillard playing an ordinary woman who, shortly after recovering from a period of depression, finds herself being laid off in unusual circumstances. If she can persuade a majority of her colleagues to forswear their annual bonuses then she can keep her job." — Donald Clarke, The Irish Times, August 22, 2014

Did you know? Forswear (which is also sometimes spelled foreswear) is the modern English equivalent of the Old English forswerian. It can suggest denial ("[Thou] would'st forswear thy own hand and seal" — John Arbuthnot, John Bull) or perjury ("Is it the interest of any man … to lie, forswear himself, indulge hatred, seek desperate revenge, or do murder?" — Charles Dickens, American Notes). But in current use, it most often has to do with giving something up, as in "the warring parties agreed to forswear violence" and "she refused to forswear her principles." The word abjure is often used as a synonym of forswear, though with less emphasis on the suggestion of perjury or betrayal of the beliefs that one holds dear.

WON Word A Day – February 8th - BUCKET SHOP

bucket shop • \BUK-ut-SHAHP\  • noun 1 : a gambling establishment that formerly used market fluctuations (as in commodities) as a basis for gaming 2 : a dishonest brokerage firm

Examples: 

"Today … the SEC is able to intervene more quickly to shut down frauds, like boiler rooms or bucket shops pushing bogus stocks…." — The Orange County Register, October 15, 2001

"As a result, dozens of operations have sprouted up on the Caymans to supply directors, from one-man bucket shops to powerhouse law firms." — Azam Ahmed, The New York Times, July 2, 2012

Did you know? In the 1870s, a bucket shop was a lowly saloon that sold beer and other cheap hooch in buckets. How did the term make the jump from watering hole to Wall Street? No one is really sure. Some speculate that it may have been because of the small-time gambling that took place at the original bucket shops, while others claim it derives from the bucket elevator used to transport things between the Chicago Board of Trade and a market for small investors housed directly below it. By the 1880s, bucket shop was being used for pseudo "investment houses" where gamblers bid on the rise and fall of stock prices. These days the term is used for any business that sells cut-price goods, especially airline tickets.

WON Word A Day – February 7th – DOCTRINAIRE

doctrinaire • \dahk-truh-NAIR\  • adjective : attempting to put into effect an abstract doctrine or theory with little or no regard for practical difficulties

Examples: 

"As doctrinaire as I may be about players being ready to play every day," Coach said, "they are also human beings; I need to accept they are going to need breaks once in a while."

"We use endorsement interviews to see how candidates interact with their opponents, how politically daring (or doctrinaire) they are and whether they’re thinking more about the public’s good or their own campaigns." — Elizabeth Sullivan, Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), September 21, 2014

Did you know? Doctrinaire didn't start out as a critical word. In post-revolutionary France, a group who favored constitutional monarchy called themselves Doctrinaires. Doctrine in French, as in English, is a word for the principles on which a government is based; it is ultimately from Latin doctrina, meaning "teaching" or "instruction." But both ultraroyalists and revolutionists strongly derided any doctrine of reconciling royalty and representation as utterly impracticable, and they resented the Doctrinaires' influence over Louis XVIII. So when doctrinaire became an adjective, "there adhered to it some indescribable tincture of unpopularity which was totally indelible" (Blanc's History of Ten Years 1830-40, translated by Walter K. Kelly in 1848).

WON Word A Day – February 6th – JUDGMENT

judgment • \JUJ-munt\  • noun 1 : a formal utterance of an authoritative opinion 2 : a formal decision given by a court 3 : the capacity for judging or the exercise of this capacity

Examples: 

Theresa showed good judgment by clearing her family out of the house as soon as she smelled gas.

"Christenson said he'll reserve judgment on the larger iPhone 6 until he holds one in his hand." — Neil Nisperos, Redlands Daily Facts (California), September 10, 2014

Did you know? Judgment can also be spelled "judgement," and usage experts have long disagreed over which spelling is the preferred one. Henry Fowler asserted, "The OED [Oxford English Dictionary] prefers the older and more reasonable spelling. 'Judgement' is therefore here recommended." William Safire held an opposite opinion, writing, "My judgment is that Fowler is not to be followed." "Judgement" is in fact the older spelling, but it dropped from favor and for centuries "judgment" was the only spelling to appear in dictionaries. That changed when the OED (Fowler's source) was published showing "judgement" as an equal variant. Today, "judgment" is more popular in the U.S., whereas both spellings make a good showing in Britain.

WON Word A Day – February 5th – POSTHASTE

posthaste • \POHST-HAYST\  • adverb : with all possible speed

Examples: 

"You must leave posthaste," Virginia theatrically admonished her guests, "or you'll miss your ferry!"

"Yes, West Palm Beach commissioners should green-light the chief’s efforts to address the issue posthaste." — Palm Beach Post, September 3, 2014

Did you know? In the 16th century, the phrase "haste, post, haste" was used to inform "posts," as couriers were then called, that a letter was urgent and must be hastily delivered. Posts would then speedily gallop along a route, with a series of places at which to get a fresh horse or to relay the letter to a fresh messenger. Shakespeare was one of the first to use a version of the phrase adverbially in Richard II. "Old John of Gaunt ... hath sent post haste / To entreat your Majesty to visit him," the Bard versified. He also used the phrase as an adjective (a use that is now obsolete) in Othello: "The Duke ... requires your haste-post-haste appearance," Lieutenant Cassio reports to the play's namesake. Today, the word still possesses a literary flair attributable to the Bard.

WON Word A Day – February 4th – DEVISE

devise \dih-VYZE\ verb 1a : to form in the mind by new combinations or applications of ideas or principles : invent b : to plan to obtain or bring about : plot 2: to give (real estate) by will

EXAMPLES The author's childhood home was devised to the city and the Historical Commission will turn it into a museum devoted to her life.

"Students at the Ilead Charter School devised three ways to bash pumpkins into pieces. One method used rubber surgical tubing to create an Angry Birds-style slingshot to propel the squash through the air. A more direct device crushed the pumpkins with a weight and a bowling ball." — Kevin Lillard,Juneau County Star-Times (Wisconsin), October 15, 2014

DID YOU KNOW? There's something inventive about devise, a word that stems from Latin dividere, meaning "to divide." By the time deviseappeared in English in the 1200s, its Anglo-French forebeardeviser had accumulated an array of senses, including "to divide," "distribute," "arrange," "array," "digest," "order," "plan," "invent," "contrive," and "assign by will." English adopted most of these and added some new senses over the course of time: "to imagine," "guess," "pretend," and "describe." In modern use, we've disposed of a lot of the old meanings, but we kept the one that applies to wills. Devise traditionally referred to the transfer of real property (land), and bequeath to personal property; these days, however, devise is often recognized as applying generally to all the property in a person's estate.

WON Word A Day – February 3rd – DEROGATE

derogate • \DAIR-uh-gayt\  • verb 1 : to cause to seem inferior : disparage 2 : to take away a part so as to impair : detract 3 : to act beneath one's position or character

Examples: 

It is easy to derogate the prom committee for its lackluster theme now, but nobody came forward with any better ideas while it was being discussed.

"In two national elections, American voters definitively entrusted that man with the job. That man represents the presidency…. Politicians who publicly disrespect the man who holds that office derogate their own profession." — Laura Washington, Chicago Sun-Times, June 23, 2014

Did you know? You're probably familiar with derogatory, the adjective meaning "expressing a low opinion," but you may not be as well-acquainted with the less common verb, derogate. Both words can be traced back to the Late Latin word derogatus, which is the past participle of the verb derogare, meaning "to detract" or "to annul (a law)." Derogare, in turn, derives from the Latin word for "ask," rogare. Derogate first appeared in English in the 15th century. Derogatory was adopted in the early 16th century, and has become much more popular than the verb. Other derogate relatives include derogative, derogation, and derogatorily.

WON Word A Day – February 2nd – CLERISY

clerisy • \KLAIR-uh-see\  • noun: intellectuals who form an artistic, social, or political vanguard or elite: intelligentsia

Examples:

The book's author claims that a successful society must have both a strong commitment to democratic ideals and a well-established clerisy.

"The situation was so dire that it required nothing less than scientific experts freed from constitutional strictures to run the government and the elevation of intellectuals and artists to the status of a new cultural clerisy." — Daniel DiSalvo, The Washington Times, February 18, 2014

Did you know? English philosopher-poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) believed that if humanity was to flourish, it was necessary to create a secular organization of learned individuals, "whether poets, or philosophers, or scholars" to "diffuse through the whole community … that quantity and quality of knowledge which was indispensable." Coleridge named this hypothetical group the clerisy, a term he adapted from Klerisei, a German word for clergy (in preference, it seems, to the Russian term intelligentsia which we borrowed later, in the early 1900s). Coleridge may have equated clerisy with an old sense of clergy meaning "learning" or "knowledge," which by his time was used only in the proverb "an ounce of mother wit is worth a pound of clergy."

WON Word A Day – February 1st – INFINITESIMAL

infinitesimal • \in-fin-ih-TESS-uh-mul\  • adjective 1 : taking on values arbitrarily close to but greater than zero 2 : immeasurably or incalculably small

Examples: 

Stella includes a lottery ticket in every birthday card she sends despite the infinitesimal chances that it will be a winning one.

"Across the nation, voters in the magic age range of 18 to 29 … have been coming out in this year’s primaries at a rate 20 percent less than their mostly oblivious elders, a rate which in South Florida would put their impact on the election somewhere between sparse and infinitesimal." — Fred Grimm, The Miami Herald, August 27, 2014

Did you know? Infinite, as you probably know, means "endless" or "extending indefinitely." It is ultimately from Latin infinitus, the opposite of finitus, meaning "finite." The notion of smallness in infinitesimal derives from the mathematical concept that a quantity can be divided endlessly; no matter how small, it can be subdivided into yet smaller fractions, or "infinitesimals." The concept was still in its infancy in 1710 when Irish philosopher George Berkeley observed that some people "assert there are infinitesimals of infinitesimals of infinitesimals, etc., without ever coming to an end." He used the adjective in a mathematical sense, too, referring to "infinitesimal parts of finite lines." Less than a quarter century later, the adjective had acquired a general sense applicable to anything too small to be measured.