Word of the Day-pernicious0 评论
Pernicious (adjective)
Pronunciation: [pêr-'ni-shês] Definition: Very harmful, destructive or threatening harm or destruction. Usage: The word should not be used in the sense of "wicked, evil". Suggested Usage: This is a good word to express extreme threat of harm or destruction. You would more likely meet a harmful remark but a pernicious virus. Of course, any remark that is likely to do severe damage to someone else or an enterprise would be pernicious. Word of the Day-quantal0 评论
quantal \adjective\ adjective
Meaning *1 : of, relating to, or having only two experimental alternatives (as dead or alive, all or none)（数量性状） 2 : of or relating to a quantum Example Sentence The experiment with the herbicide will generate a quantal response — either the plant to which it is applied will survive, or it will die. Did you know? In Latin, "quantum" is the neuter form of "quantus," meaning "how much?" Both of these forms played a role in the development of "quantal." The first sense of "quantal," used in scientific experimentation to refer to cases in which only one of two possible results occurs, derived from "quanti," the plural of "quantus." ("Quantus" is also an ancestor of our noun "quantity.") The second sense of "quantal" is more directly related to Latin "quantum" and the English noun "quantum," which refers to the smallest possible unit of a form of energy (such as light). Word of the Day-incursion0 评论
incursion \in-KUR-zhuhn; -shuhn\, noun:
1. a sudden attack; invasion, raid 2. a running or flowing in Jerina's bulwarks failed to protect Bosnia from the last great incursion against Europe from the East, the invasions of Ottoman Turk armies into the southeastern corner of the continent beginning in the fourteenth century. -- Chuck Sudetic, Blood and Vengeance incursion和invasion有区别么？ Word of the Day-valediction0 评论
valediction \val-uh-DIK-shuhn\, noun:
the action of bidding farewell; a farewell The playing of taps was a special moment in the ceremony, a final, haunting valediction for the men who had made the supreme sacrifice. -- John Glenn, John Glenn: A Memoir Few careers have such self-appointed endings, and his speech was a fine valediction. -- Howard's dignified end, Daily Telegraph, 37170 At the end, they sobbed farewell to an old friend who gives a beautiful valediction. -- Richard Corliss, Martial Masterpiece, Time Asia, 35255 Word of the Day-hermetic0 评论
hermetic \hur-MET-ik\, adjective:
1. closed tightly; airtight 2. obscure; magical French control of the border in barring foreign volunteers is so hermetic that Mrs. Stattelman, a former Red Cross nurse who served with the French Army during the World War and is a Swiss citizen, 60 years old, was refused a passport into Spain both at Toulouse and Bordeaux. -- Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway Finds France is Neutral, New York Times, March 17, 1937 Even the famous obscurity of some of his poetry seems driven by this desire always to be seen setting forth; what is a hermetic idiom but(除了。。。外) the sign of a new language getting itself under way? -- Nicholas Jenkins, A Life of Beginnings, New York Times, January 4, 1998 by 1663, "completely sealed," also (1637) "dealing with occult science or alchemy," from Latin hermeticus, from Greek Hermes, god of science and art, among other things, identified by Neoplatonists, mystics, and alchemists with the Egyptian god Thoth as Hermes Trismegistos "Thrice-Great Hermes," who supposedly invented the process of making a glass tube airtight (a process in alchemy) using a secret seal. Word of the Day-kinesics0 评论
kinesics \kuh-NEE-siks\ noun
Meaning : a systematic study of the relationship between nonlinguistic body motions (as blushes, shrugs, or eye movement) and communication Example Sentence Marianne has enrolled in a class in kinesics this semester to fulfill a requirement for her theater major. Did you know? Anthropologists began to take serious interest in nonverbal communication through gestures, postures, and facial expressions in the 1940s. It is believed, however, that the publication of Ray Birdwhistell’s 1952 book Introduction to Kinesics marked the beginning of formal research into what we know familiarly as "body language." Over 50 years later, the results of kinesics are deeply entrenched in our culture, giving us a whole new language with which to interpret everyday encounters and interaction. kinetic kinetics dynamics Word of the Day-unreconstructed0 评论
unreconstructed \un-ree-kun-STRUK-tud\ adjective
Meaning : not reconciled to some political, economic, or social change; also : holding stubbornly to a particular belief, view, place, or style Example Sentence My uncle, a self-designated unreconstructed liberal who wrote frequent letters to the editor, was never one to keep his opinions to himself. Did you know? The reorganization and reestablishment of the seceded states in the Union after the American Civil War is referred to as the Reconstruction. In 1867 a writer for Harper's Weekly came up with the word "unreconstructed" for political candidates not reconciled to the outcome of the War and the changes enacted during the Reconstruction. The word immediately caught on with readers and has been used to refer to intransigent or dyed-in-the-wool partisans ever since. The word has also been used outside of political and social contexts. For instance, a person might be "an unreconstructed rocker" or "an unreconstructed romantic." obdurate Word of the Day-aghast0 评论
Aghast (adjective)
Pronunciation: [ê-'gæst] Definition: Shocked by horror, fright; more recently, just deeply shocked. Usage: "Aghast" belongs to one of the least investigated classes of adjectives, one which I call “anomalous adjectives" because its members cannot be used before nouns but only in predicate position, and have no noun or adverb form. That is, you may say, "The masseuse was aghast at the mouse" but you can NOT speak of "the aghast masseuse" or "the aghastness of the masseuse." Others in this class include "awake," "adrift," and "abloom." Suggested Usage: Shakespeare could still use the verb, "gast," when he wrote 'King Lear' (1605), for in act II, scene 1 we find, "Or whether gasted by the noyse [noise] I made, Full sodainely [suddenly] he fled." Remember that the base meaning of today's word refers to fright, "Everyone in the neighborhood was aghast with terror at the gang of dogs that plied the streets at night." However, "deeply shocked" may have already displaced that sense, "I was aghast to see Madge pour red wine in the white wine glasses!" Word of the Day-connotation0 评论
Connotation (noun)
Pronunciation: [kah-nê-'tey-shên] Definition: Not the exact meaning but the implications of a word. The antonym of today's word is "denotation," which means "the specific meaning of a word." For example, the denotation of "caviar" is simply "sturgeon eggs" but it connotes wealth and indulgence. Usage: Shakespeare wrote that "[n]othing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so," and that's a good way to consider the meaning of today's word. For example, words like "hog" and "cow" are perfectly acceptable when talking about the livestock on the farm but their connotations discourage applying them to the farmer or his wife. Suggested Usage: "Connotation" doesn't have to be reserved for discussion of the meaning of words; in fact, it begs wider usage. "I wouldn't talk about the Caribbean with Miodrag—after he went on that trip for singles last year, cruises have a humiliating connotation to him." The verb is "connote," and it should see more play, too: "Geoff didn't mean to connote anything negative in calling Otto a daft bugger; that's just Geoff's peculiar way of showing affection." Word of the Day-squash0 评论
Squash (noun)
Pronunciation: [skwahsh] Definition: (1) A vine or plant of the genus Cucurbita whose fruit has leathery, bumpy outer coat, a fleshy inner layer than is edible, and seeds that are sometimes baked and eaten as nuts. Usage: At the time the first English settlers came to New England, the word "pompion" was a general term for that whole assortment of vegetables we now call "squash" (see our word "pumpkin"). When settlers first encountered pumpkins, they were just considered another variety of pompion. The name for what we now call "pumpkin" was borrowed from the Narragansett or Wampanoag word "askútasquash." Somehow, over time, the words flipped and what had been "pompion" became "squash" and what had been "askútasquash" became "pumpkin." Suggested Usage: Today's word is actually a reduction of "squanter-squash," the original attempt by European settlers at the Narragansett word. The orange-yellow (winter) squash are rich in Vitamins A & C and fiber. The most unusual squash may be spaghetti squash, with flesh comprised of long, soft fibers resembling spaghetti. If we were to say, "Mommy, Darren squashed the squash with his squash racket," are we repeating ourselves? As the etymology shows, we wouldn't be. Word of the Day-transpose0 评论
Transpose (verb)
Pronunciation: [trænz-'poz] Definition: To switch places, to interchange, to put A in B's position and B in A's position; (mathematics) to move a term from one side of an equation to the other（移项）; (music) to convert a musical piece to another key（变调）. Usage: Today's word is the progenitor of a large family of derivatives. There is an active and passive adjective, transpositive "can transpose, transposes" and transposable "can be transposed." Someone, say, a musician, who transposes is a transposer and the act or result of transposing is a transposition. So after the transposition of a piece of music from C major to A major, the version in A major is a transposition (of the version in C major). The noun, "transposition," has its own adjective, "transpositional" and an adverb, "transpositionally." Suggested Usage: Many languages permit the transposition of words. In German, for instance, you create questions by transposing the subject and verb of the equivalent positive statement: Sie geht ins Kino "She is going to the movies" becomes a question if you transpose the first two words: Geht sie ins kino? "Is she going to the movies?" English learners often accidentally transpose the middle [e] and [i] when writing "receive." Word of the Day-latent0 评论
Latent (adjective)
Pronunciation: ['leyt-nt] Definition: In a hidden or dormant state, potential but not actual. Usage: The antonym of today's word is "patent" ['peyt-nt], not to be confused with patent ['pæt-nt] "license of ownership." The noun is "latency." The latent-patent pair resembles the implicit-explicit pair. Implicit means "implied, not stated" while explicit means "clearly expressed." "If you touch my garlic bread you'll be sorry," is an implicit threat while "If you touch my garlic bread I'll pour this spaghetti on your head," is an explicit threat. The threat in either case may or may not be real. A latent talent, however, is a real but hidden potential, while a patent talent is real talent that is clearly detectable. Suggested Usage: Today's word is used to express hidden facets of personalities, "Look how creatively Mikey has pushed his vegetables around his plate; this child has a latent artistic talent." This word is also useful outside the home: in the financial world, "If Clifford invested $1,000 in Malodoras Cosmetics, he is either a patent fool or a latent financial genius," in music, "The way he plays the piano suggests there may be a latent prize-fighter lurking inside Baldwin," to mention only two. Word of the Day-lucubrate0 评论
Lucubrate (verb)
Pronunciation: ['lu-kyê-breyt] Definition: To study long and laboriously, especially at night by lamplight. Usage: The activity is lucubration (action noun), carried out by a lucubrator (agent noun), who works in lucubratory (adjective) fashion. To emphasize study at night work by lamplight, add the prefix e-: "elucubrate." Suggested Usage: Today's term is very comfortable in the university, "Buffy has an existentialism exam tomorrow; she faces a long night of concentrated lucubration." Here is an elementary tongue-twister exemplifying today's word: "Alphonse would be graduating this year had he lubricated his late-night lucubrations less." Applications in the business world should not be overlooked: "Building a new business from the bottom up（从上到下） requires frequent lucubration into the wee hours（凌晨） of the morning." Etymology: Latin lucubrare "work at night by lamplight." The PIE root, *leuk- is behind English "light," Latin lux, lucis "light" and luna "moon," Russian luch' "ray," and Greek leukos "clear, white" and lukhnos "lamp." Of course, all words with luc- referring to light share the same source: "lucid," "elucidate," and with an -m suffix, "illuminate" and "luminary." Lucifer is based on Latin luci- + fer "light-bearer," originally referring to the morning star. "Lynx" comes from Greek lunx, in reference to the animal's shining eyes. "Lunatic" is based on Latin "luna" from the ancient notion that insanity derives from looking at the moon. Word of the Day-declivity0 评论
noun.
Pronunciation: [dê-'kli-vê-tee] Definition: A downward slope. Usage: Several adjectives are related to today's noun; the two most common are "declivous" [dê-'kLI-vês] and "declivitous" [dê-'kli-vê-tês], currently the more popular of the pair. The antonym is acclivity "upward slope," whose adjective is "acclivitous." Suggested Usage: Today's word plays a major role in geological descriptions, "Truman lived and died on the Eastern declivity of Mount St. Helens." However, other types of descriptions can often accommodate it, too, "Their relationship has been in a declivitous state since the evening he lifted her cat from the couch by its tail." 复习一下前面学过的一个单词：precipitous Word of the Day-gainsay0 评论
noun.
Pronunciation: ['geyn-sey] Definition: To contradict, oppose or deny. Usage: This word sounds a tad archaic but still has its place in the language. Suggested Usage: If you want to delay an announcement, tell the reporters pestering you "I cannot gainsay the rumor that we are filing for bankruptcy." If none are yourDictionary regulars, they will need to consult a dictionary, gaining you a short delay. Know someone who contradicts you all the time? Try "I daresay don't gainsay all I say". Etymology: From Old English ge(a)n (from Old Norse gegn- "against, opposite") + secgan "to say"; Middle English gain "opposite" + sayen "say." "Gain" is also found in "again", "against" and "ungainly". It derives from the same Germanic root as German gegen "against." It is not related to the verb "gain." Word of the Day-nocuous0 评论
nocuous \NOK-yoo-uhs\, adjective:
very hurtful; noxious The most important conclusions are that the bile of nocuous or venomous serpents is the most powerful antidote to venom. -- Nature, May-October 1898 "Let us take for example a nocuous stimulus, such as a strong electric current or wounding or cauterization of the skin." -- Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, Conditioned Reflexes noxious obnoxious OPP: innocuous Word of the Day-ellipsis0 评论
ellipsis \i-LIP-sis\, noun:
three dots used to show an omission in writing or printing; the omission of a word or words in text These efforts are to no avail, however, because the author can't leave anything unsaid, any ellipsis gaping: sooner or later someone will say what everything means, and maybe more than once. -- Frank Rich, Arthur Miller's 'Danger: Memory!', New York Times, February 9, 1987 Mr. Gabler postulates the skip of an eye from one ellipsis to another, leading to the omission of several lines -- the longest omission in the book. -- Richard Ellmann, Finally, the Last Word on 'Ulysses': The Ideal Text, and Portable Too, New York Times, June 15, 1986 by 1570, from Latin ellipsis, from Greek elleipsis "a falling short, defect, ellipse," from elleipein "to fall short, leave out," from en- "in" + leipein "to leave." Grammatical sense first recorded 1612. eclipse Word of the Day-crepuscular0 评论
Pronunciation: [krê-'pês-kyu-lê(r)]
Definition: Pertaining to crepuscule, twilight; dim or weak in terms of visibility. Usage: Today's word is an adjective more appealing than the noun (crepuscule) it is derived from. "Twilight" certainly is a more beautiful way to describe the light at dusk than "crepuscule" but "crepuscular" has its charms. Suggested Usage: Today's word should come to mind in any situation characterized by dimness: "I'm afraid that reading the fine print of this contract demands too much of my crepuscular vision." The term fits many other legal situations, too, "Your honor, in the crepuscular light of the bar, it was easy to mistake my wallet for the wallet of the guy sitting next to me." The judge's vision would have to be crepuscular for him to not see through that excuse. Word of the Day-scintilla0 评论
Pronunciation: [sin-'ti-lê]
Definition: The faintest trace of anything. Usage: Look out for the silent "c" in this word, as well as the double "l". Suggested Usage: This word has the intensified sense of "trace": "I don't want a scintilla of vanilla in my shake" or "she didn't leave the scintilla of a doubt about her intentions". Here is something few people know: the diminutive of "scintilla" is "scintillula", i.e. a small scintilla. Amaze your teen-age peers with expressions like this: "Not even a scintillula of this conversation is to get back to my dad!" You may start the next word craze. Word of the Day-careen0 评论
Careen (verb)
Pronunciation: [kê-'reen] Definition: To lean to one side or cause a vehicle to lean to one side; originally, to lay a boat on its side to clean the keel. Usage: Today's verb is often confused with the verb "career." "Career"（疾驰，飞奔） means to race ahead at full speed. Neither verb means "bounce off of" as either is often used (that is "carom"), though people seem to understand you if you use it in that sense. Suggested Usage: "Mavis careened out of the pub" means that she exited leaning to one side, nothing more. If she bounced off the wall outside, you should add that: "Mavis careened out of the pub and caromed off the wall outside." If she careered out the pub it is probably because she didn't find her husband in that one and is on the way to the next. Cars may careen around a corner if they are careering ahead too fast—but no bouncing is implied. Word of the Day-allay0 评论
Allay (verb)
Pronunciation: [ê-'ley] Definition: To reduce the intensity or severity of something, as to allay a pain or allay fears. Usage: Today's word comes with two nouns, allayer "someone who allays" and allaying "the process of allaying." The intransitive correlate of "allay" is "abate." If something allays your fears, your fears abate. Suggested Usage: Though most dictionaries list several meanings of today' s word, all can be reduced to the single concept we offer today under Definition. Whether to allay an up-rising, a pain, or the tempo of work, the basic idea is a material reduction in intensity, potentially to nil: "Gee, mom, I need a high-speed computer connection to allay the impact of a week's grounding on（搁浅在。。。） my social life." Word of the Day-mollify0 评论
mollify \MAH-luh-fye\ verb
*1 : to soothe in temper or disposition : appease 2 : to reduce the rigidity of : soften 3 : to reduce in intensity : assuage, temper Example sentence: The clerk tried his best to mollify the irate customer. Did you know? “Mollify,” “pacify,” “appease,” and “placate” all mean “to ease the anger or disturbance of,” although each implies a slightly different way of pouring oil on troubled waters. “Pacify” suggests the restoration of a calm or peaceful state, while “appease” implies the quieting of insistent demands by making concessions; you can appease appetites and desires as well as persons. “Placate” is similar to “appease,” but it often indicates a more complete transformation of bitterness to goodwill. “Mollify,” with its root in Latin “mollis,” meaning “soft,” implies soothing hurt feelings or anger. Word of the Day-emollient0 评论
Emollient (adjective)
Pronunciation: [ê-'mahl-yênt or ee-'mahl-yênt] Definition: Softening, soothing; making less harsh or abrasive. Usage: There is an ancient verb, "emolliate," which apparently was replaced over the years by mollify "soften, allay, reduce tension." "Mollify" does share an origin with today's word but not emolument "compensation," which comes from Latin emolere "to grind out." "Emollient" may be used as a noun referring to an agent that softens, as to apply an emollient to one's hands. Suggested Usage: The basic thrust of today's word is to indicate a softening of the skin: "Lucinda often slipped emollient bath oils into Teddy's bath without his knowledge, but they had no effect on his crusty hide." However, there are few (if any) restrictions on the kinds of softening it applies to: "After storming out of the meeting, Molly returned with a few emollient words to settle the feathers she had ruffled." Word of the Day-fenestration0 评论
Fenestration (noun)
Pronunciation: [fe-nê-'strey-shên] Definition: (1) The arrangement and design of windows and doors in a building; (2) any opening in a surface such as a wall or membrane. Usage: This is usually an architectural term referring to the disposition or addition of windows in a building or building design. Suggested Usage: The term may be used to refer to making any sort of opening in any surface: The wall had been (re)fenestrated by the night's shelling." Like all other words, it is susceptible to metaphor: "It was a dense presentation fenestrated only by quips from the audience." Word of the Day-abstinent0 评论
abstinent \AB-stuh-nuhnt\, adjective:
abstaining, especially from self-indulgence The main reason I am abstinent is I don't want to become pregnant. That would be the worst thing. I wouldn't be able to finish school. -- Tia Whipple, Time, 2006-09-15 It's not enough to just talk about abstinence. You have to be willing to talk to them about protection if they choose not to be abstinent. -- Denver Post, 2007-10-15 衍生 abstinence Word of the Day-abstemious0 评论
noun.
Pronunciation: [æb-'ste-mi-ês] Definition: Temperate in consumption of food and drink; sparse or sparing in general（节俭的）. Usage: This word answers the question, "Can you name an English word that contains all the vowels in their correct order?" (abstemious, I guess) What about "y"? The adverb is "abstemiously." There are several others such as "aerious," "facetious," and "parecious". The noun is "abstemiousness." Suggested Usage: First and foremost this word is used in reference to temperance in food and drink, "Kirsten dines abstemiously throughout the week in order to gorge on the weekends." Another near synonym of today's word is "spartan": "Felix's apartment is modern and abstemious in its furnishings." Extending the metaphor, we might get, "Raymond leads a puritanically abstemious life resistant to most earthly pleasures." abstinent abstinence Word of the day-beseech0 评论
beseech \bi-SEECH\, verb; （beseech, besought or beseeched, beseeching: ）
to ask earnestly; implore In this purgatory, the narrator feels threatened by more recent emigres who beseech him for help and force him to face the hard fact of his own displacement. -- Laura Winters, Moscow on the Thames, New York Times, January 5, 1997 "Spare your poor children these vulgarities, I beseech you," his wife might protest, to hone her point that he was not a gentleman. -- Peter Matthiessen, Bone by Bone Word of the Day-eminent0 评论
eminent \EM-uh-nuhnt\, adjective:
1. high in station, rank, or repute; prominent, distinguished 2. conspicuous; noteworthy 3. high; lofty 4. standing out above other things; prominent Several others of the most eminent artists of our country had urgently requested Mr. Dickens to sit to them for his picture and bust, but, having consented to do so to Alexander and Dexter, he was obliged to refuse all others for want of time. -- G.W. Putnam, The Atlantic, October 1, 1870 Children who are to become eminent do not like schools or schoolteachers. Many famed men found their own homes more stimulating, preferred to skip school and read books omnivorously. Today's "regimented schools" would not consider them college material. -- Victor Goertzel, The Gifted Child Quarterly, December 1, 1960 Word of the Day-eminence grise0 评论
eminence grise \ay-mee-nahn(t)s-GREEZ\, noun:
a person who wields power or exerts influence behind the scenes Some might hypothesize that Mr. Kissinger's（基辛格） perpetual re-emergence as eminence grise reflects the tendency of presidents to change their views after taking office and gradually move in Mr. Kissinger's direction. -- James Mann, The Ghost of the Oval Office, New York Times, October 4, 2002 Considerably less known in the West than his comrades, he prefers the role of eminence grise. -- They Made a Revolution, Time, November 5, 1968 As his detractors tell it, Bolland is an eminence grise--a postmodern Richelieu or Rasputin, conniving behind the throne. -- Ginanne Brownell, By What Mysterious Alchemy Do You Turn The 'Harry Pothead' Scandal Into A Public-Relations Master Coup?, Newsweek, January 27, 1998 by 1838, French for "gray eminence"; originally used in French for Pere Joseph, a monk who was Cardinal Richelieu's confidential agent, for the gray habit he wore, in contrast to the Cardinal's red habit 神经发育一地理标志：外侧节隆起(Lateral ganglionic eminences,LGE) Word of the Day-prelude0 评论
Definition: (noun) Something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows.
Synonyms: overture, preliminary Usage: Cornelius was very uneasy about it, but it was after all only a prelude to greater anxieties. Word of the Day-emolument0 评论
Emolument (Noun)
Pronunciation: [ê-'mah-lyê-mênt or ee-'mah-lyê-mênt] Definition: Compensation or perquisites received for employment. Usage: The Irish philosopher Edmund Burke (1729-1797) once wrote "Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never can willingly abandon it." The adjective, "emolumental," is rarely used. Suggested Usage: This is a rather flighty term that might be used to refer to any type of compensation, for example, "I could accept the offer if the emoluments were attractive", especially if unorthodox: "The chiropracter next door is an additional emolument for the job." Word of the Day-eschew0 评论
Eschew (verb)
Pronunciation: [e-'shu] Definition: Shun, avoid, shy away from. Usage: We were reminded of this word when "obfuscation" was our Word of the Day. Several readers mentioned having seen "Eschew obfuscation(avoid confusion)" at various intervals in their lives. While the sign is intended as a self-contradiction, no one at any point misunderstood it. Neither "eschew" nor "obfuscation" is an obfuscating vocabulary item; rather, both enrich any sensitive vocabulary. "Eschewal" is the noun and the one who eschews something is an eschewer. Suggested Usage: This is a word with hundreds of uses around the house, for example, "No, actually I'm not ready. I eschew association with men who pick up their dates with a six-pack in each hand." It also is handy around the workplace: "I would ask Pinkerton to do it but he eschews work of any kind when the sun is shining." Word of the Day-ramble0 评论
ramble \RAM-buhl\, verb, noun:
1. to wander about 2. a walk for pleasure without predetermined destination 3. to talk or write about one thing and then another without useful connection As you ramble along them, it is difficult not to feel something of a peeping-tom; this is Surrey at its most intimate, with arches over garden gates framing views of tile-hanging and leaded lights. -- Clive Aslet, Telegraph.co.uk, 11/17/2008 Pierce and Carmen were on a northward walk markedly better organized than our own: having rambled throughout Europe, they had entrusted a local company to plan their trip. -- Gregory Dicum, New York Times, 2/3/2008 Word of the Day-meander0 评论
Meander (noun, verb)
Pronunciation: [mee-'æn-dê(r)] Definition: A loop in a river or stream or a series of such loops; a winding, convolute course or path. v. 蜿蜒而流; 漫步 Usage: The interesting aspect of today's lovely word is that the verb "to meander" is derived from the noun. That may surprise many, since the verb is used far more frequently today than the noun, e.g. a meandering brook or the boy meandered aimlessly through the woods. The adjective is meandrous "full of meanders," as a meandrous path leading to the river. Suggested Usage: The shortest distance between two points is a straight line but the most interesting route must include meanders: "What she called a 'road' was a string of meanders strewn carelessly down the mountainside." Fortunately, we live in a wondrously meandrous world: "The rain had left her hair a tangle of disconnected meanders leading nowhere." Etymology: Today's word comes from Latin "maeander," borrowed from Greek Maiandros, the name of the river that flowed a winding course between Lydia and Caria, through Ionia and Phrygia, now western Turkey, and emptied into the Aegean Sea near Miletus. It is now known as the Menderes. Verb 1. (of a river, road, etc.) to follow a winding course 2. to wander without definite aim or direction (Synonyms: wander) Noun 1. a curve or bend, as in a river [Greek Maiandros the River Maeander] 2. an aimless amble on a winding course (Synonyms: ramble) Word of the Day-fustian0 评论
Fustian (Noun)
Pronunciation: ['fês-chên] Definition: (1) Originally today's word referred to a course, heavy material made of cotton and flax but today it refers to a cotton material with a short nap, like corduroy and velveteen; (2) pompous, turgid, bombastic language or speech. Usage: The only interesting note on the usage of today's word is that it may be used freely as an adjective or noun: a fustian jacket or a jacket of fustian—makes no difference. The same applies to the other meaning of the word: a fustian tirade or a tirade of pure fustian. Suggested Usage: We seldom talk about the cloth, fustian, but it is still there to be applied judiciously, "Rusty Bell's fustian clothes go well with his soft-spoken personality." Most often today's word comes up in conversations about bombastic speech: "The points he makes in his speeches are usually couched（表达） in such fustian as to make them difficult to find." Etymology: Today's word comes to us Old French "fustaigne," a word inherited from Medieval Latin "fustianum," possibly from El Fustat, a section of Cairo, Egypt, where the material is though to have been originally manufactured. The connection between cloth and pomposity is also reflected in "bombast," which comes from Old French bombace "cotton wadding," i.e. stuffing. Word of the Day-inchoate0 评论
Inchoate (Adjective)
Pronunciation: [in-'ko-êt ('in-kê-wêt British)] Definition: Incipient, in an initial, incomplete, imperfect state. Usage: The verb is also inchoate [in-'ko-weyt] "to begin" and the action of beginning is "inchoation." Another adjective, "inchoative," refers mostly to a verb form of certain languages which indicates the beginning of an action, such as Russian zarabotat' "begin working, start (engine)" from za- (inchoative) + rabotat' "work." Suggested Usage: Walter Lippmann liked to write about the "inchoate mass" (us), "In really hard times the rules of the game are altered. The inchoate mass begins to stir. It becomes potent, and when it strikes... it strikes with incredible emphasis" (New York Herald Tribune, December 8, 1931). Today's word offers a way to spice up that common phrase, "I haven't any idea:" "I haven't an inchoate idea of what to do with three bushels of kumquats." That means, you haven't even a the beginning of an inkling. Word of the Day-lexicon0 评论
Lexicon (noun)
Pronunciation: ['lek-sê-kahn] Definition: A dictionary or vocabulary, a special set of words (medical lexicon) or the set of words used by all the speakers of a given language (mental lexicon). Usage: The word today is used more and more frequently to refer to the dictionary we all carry in our heads as well as the entire vocabulary of a language. The adjective is "lexical" and the verb, "lexicalize," means to add a word to the lexicon, as "ism" and "burger" have been recently lexicalized from pieces of words. Suggested Usage: Examples of this useful word abound: "Margery's lexicon has grown leaps and bounds since she subscribed to YourDictionary.com's Word of the Day" or "The word 'raise' isn't in the lexicon of this company." One more: "The English lexicon not only accepts words from every language on earth, it waylays languages for their lexical treasure." Word of the Day-yahoo0 评论
Yahoo (noun)
Pronunciation: ['yah-hu] Definition: The original word was a proper noun which was "commonized", i.e. converted into a common noun. The common noun refers to any boorish, crass person. Usage: Used in the first instance among students of 18th-century British literature. More recently it has been usurped by a successful Internet company. Despite the company's success, it's a rather unfortunate choice for a name, don't you think? Suggested Usage: Usage: We should work to prevent this word's becoming a trademark. "She came in late and didn't hear the lecture, but still attacked him during the question period. What a yahoo." It is particularly important to impress the original meaning on young people: "Wash your hands before you eat; we aren't raising a yahoo." Word of the Day-troupe0 评论
Definition: (noun) A company or group, especially of touring actors, singers, or dancers.
Synonyms: company Usage: That gentleman was a sort of Barnum, the director of a troupe of mountebanks, jugglers, clowns, acrobats, equilibrists, and gymnasts. troop Word of the Day-smarmy0 评论
Pronunciation: ['smah[r]-mi]
Definition: Extremely though insincerely polite and solicitous; ingratiating if not unctuous; transparently currying favor (or favour, if you are British). Usage: This word is widely used in Britain but does not occur in US or most Australian dialects. Suggested Usage: This is a good word to refer to feigned sophistication for self-benefit. "He has a smarmy charm that some women find alluring." It also works toward avoidance of commonplace terms like "brown-nose" or clichés like "curry favor:" "He always gets a bit smarmy when the boss walks in." 常说英美人难见 "炊烟"，可他们的词汇用语与饮食有关的可真不少。今天我们来讲讲curry favor，当然，curry在这里已与"咖喱"毫无半点联系，curry favor 就是我们常说的"讨好某人"，通俗一点可说成"拍马屁"。 Curry在这里是动词，原意为梳理马的皮毛，这一动作能与"讨好"相联系则是源于14世纪法国诗人维特里的政治寓言《褐马传奇》。书中的褐色老马Fauvel聪明、狡猾、颇具权威，人们为了私利常梳理Fauvel的皮毛，示意讨好，久而久之， to curry Fauvel就成了"阿谀奉承"的代名词。随着时间的推移，关于老马的传说慢慢被大众所遗忘, "拍马屁"也由 to curry Fauvel衍变成了to curry favor。 讲了这么多, 你会不会来一句"It's so kind of you to share knowledge with us!" 呵呵，千万不敢说出口, 否则我要怀疑 "You are currying favor with me" 。 Word of the Day-poltroon, dastard0 评论
Pronunciation: [pêl-'trun]
Definition: An abject coward. Usage: The noun is "poltroonery" and the adjective, "poltroonish." Sometimes we need a way to dull the edge of an offensive term; other times, we need a whet to sharpen it. "Poltroon" makes a deeper cut than mere "coward," though its effect is undermined by its funny sound. Suggested Usage: U.S. football enthusiasts might say, spraying the TV with pretzel bits, "What a gaggle of poltroons those line-backers are! Won't they ever charge the line?" But poltroonery is no more appalling on the playing field than in the workplace: "Don't you think calling five rounds of lay-offs 'right-sizing' a bit poltroonish? Wouldn't 'results of managerial fallibility' be more manly?" Dastard (Noun) Pronunciation: ['dæs-têrd] Definition: Originally this word referred to a dullard, dimwit or sot but in the 16th century it began to be used to mean "despicable coward," where it stands today. Usage: The adjective "dastardly" is used most frequently today. The quality of a dastard is "dastardliness." Suggested Usage: Guess which inappropriate word today's can replace in your anger vocabulary? "The rotten dastard introduced his new girlfriend to Selma as his cousin, rather than tell Selma he had broken off with her. Next, the dastardly rapscallion slipped out the back door when the two women began talking to each other." (Believe it or not, "rapscallion" comes from "rascal" via obsolete "rascallion" and not vice versa.) Just remember a dastard is a coward, not merely a scoundrel. Word of the Day-tendentious0 评论
Pronunciation: [ten-'den-chês]
Definition: Exhibiting a strong tendency or point of view, overbearingly didactic or partisan. Usage: Not to be confused with "tendential" which means simply "relating to a tendency." "Tendential ideas" are those with a decided point of view but not an overbearing one. "Tendentious ideas" so strongly support a tendency as to become repulsive. Suggested Usage: Remember that today's word is pejorative and use it with care: "I find Rodney tendentious in his ideas and I have long since desisted in discussing politics with him." This does not mean it lacks household uses, "I find your reasoning for not cleaning out the garage tendentious and would prefer pursuing the matter no further. Do it!" Word of the Day-declaim0 评论
declaim \di-KLEYM\, verb:
to orate; to speak in a loud and emotional manner What is the clue to understanding a country rife with despair and disrepair, which nonetheless moved a Mughal emperor to declaim, "If on earth there be paradise of bliss, it is this, it is this, it is this ...?" -- Shashi Tharoor, India: From Midnight to Millennium The heavies declaim prolix monologues on evil in a godless universe. -- Robert Polito, Trackers, New York Times, March 29, 1998 同根词: proclaim ( 宣传) ; acclaim ( 欢呼) Word of the Day-hidebound0 评论
hidebound \HAHYD-bound\, adjective:
narrow-minded and stubborn In recent years, there has been another voice on the scene -- one that has infused this hidebound, somewhat predictable genre with an unsettling energy-- Daphne Merkin, Retirement Benefits, New York Times, December 17, 2000 They were class-bound, hidebound and incapable of expressing their emotions-- Jeremy Paxman, The English Word of the Day-defalcate0 评论
defalcate \di-FAL-keyt\, verb:
to steal or misuse money or property entrusted to one's care The stockbroker defalcated millions from investment clients. c 1540, from Latin defalcere, from de- + falx/falcem "sickle, scythe" Word of the Day-peculate0 评论
peculate \PEK-yuh-leyt\, verb:
to steal money or goods entrusted to one; embezzle Not surprisingly, they use their positions to demand bribes and peculate public funds.-- Christian Parenti, Taliban Rising, The Nation, December 10, 2006 Word of the Day-cloy0 评论
Pronunciation: ['kloy]
Definition: (1) To oversatiate with rich food, to overfeed, to cause nausea by overfeeding with delicious, rich food; (2) to oversatiate with anything otherwise pleasant to point it becomes unpleasant. Usage: We meet today's word often as "a cloying odor" in our reading, indicating an odor that is slightly nauseous. "Jade" is another verb indicating displeasure at a surfeit, but this verb suggests boredom (not nausea) from repetition of a trivial task. The adjective is "cloying" and the adverb, "cloyingly." Suggested Usage: Begin by using today's word to refer to that discomfort brought on by overeating, "Mother dear, the meal was delicious but please do not cloy me with yet another serving." Then move on to metaphorical flights like, "Alicia, you cannot cloy me with your presence; can I see you again tomorrow?" Do not forget the implication of nausea associated with this word, "The speech of our 22-million-dollar-a-year president was cloyed with insincere references to the work force and its importance to the company." Word of the Day-malapropism0 评论
Malapropism (Noun)
Pronunciation: ['mæ-lê-prahp-iz-êm] Listen Definition: The unintentional use of one word that sounds a bit like another (almost homophones), but which is completely and hilariously wrong in context. Usage: Like another recent Word of the Day, "spoonerism," a malapropism is a type of speech error that happens to be funny. A "malapropist" is someone noted for their malapropisms and the adjective is "malapropian." However, "malaprop" may be used by itself as a noun, verb, or adjective: "Her malaprops will keep her from the top" or "Her malaprop speech undermined her career" or "He could have been a contender but he malapropped once too often in a top-level meeting." Suggested Usage: Comedian Norm Crosby, king of the malaprops, always speaks from his diagram and drinks only decapitated coffee. Still, we don't suggest you malaprop but simply enjoy the malapropisms you hear around you: "This restaurant has quite a lovely ambulance!" "Such an attractive man—he's got a very appalling way about him." "A missile defense shield could start a new clear war." Enough already! To paraphrase Mrs. Malaprop, lead the way out of here and we'll precede. Etymology: A commonization (conversion from proper to common noun) circa 1849 from Mrs. Malaprop, a character noted for her misuse of words in Richard Sheridan's comedy "The Rivals" (1775)（爱尔兰喜剧《情敌》中的人物马勒普太太）. Sheridan created her name from the French phrase mal à propos "inappropriate." Mrs. Malaprop thus is the eponym of "malapropism." Word of the Day-Machiavellian0 评论
Machiavellian (adjective)
Pronunciation: [mak-ee-ê-'vel-ee-ên] Definition: (1) Characterized by unscrupulous cunning, deception, or expediency; (2) manipulative, resorting to exploiting and misleading others in pursuit of one's personal goals. Usage: Today's word is the adjective that expresses the conviction that the ends justify any means, including unethical and immoral ones. It is not used as an adverb but the noun is "Machiavellianism." Since the word's eponym persists as a topic of conversation itself, we continue to capitalize it, even though it is used as a common adjective. Suggested Usage: As mentioned above, this term originally referred to political behavior: "The United States has historically employed Machiavellian principles in defending its interests in Central and South America." Its wider application was quickly noted, however, "Burnham Goode quickly rose to the presidency of the university by resorting to Machiavellian tactics that left him friendless for the entirety of his term." Etymology: Taken from the surname of Niccolò de Bernardo Machiavelli (1469-1527), an Italian political philosopher who advocated political expediency above morality in his monograph, 'The Prince.' Machiavelli's surname, then, is the eponym of today's word. It was originally used by the French as a simple derogatory epithet for Italians in general but the meaning was refined when borrowed into English. Word of the Day-obstreperous0 评论
Obstreperous (Adj.)
Pronunciation: [ahb-'stre-pê-rês] Listen Definition: Uncontrollably loud hence unruly, uncontrollable. Also boisterously defiant. Suggested Usage: Impress your buddies at the poker game by substituting this expressive adjective for clichés like 'raise hell', 'raise Cain': If you guys get any more obstreperous, you'll have to leave. I wonder why the bartender seldom says things like: If things get any more obstreperous, I'll have to bring out me baseball bat? Wouldn't it add to the local pub's atmosphere? Word of the Day-sequacious0 评论
sequacious \sih-KWAY-shuhs\, adjective:
1. proceeding smoothly and regularly 2. disposed to follow, especially slavishly In a world peopled with limp critics and sequacious art historians the ruthlessness with which he used the battering ram（(古代)攻城(木或铁的)槌） of talent invariably earned my admiration and almost invariably my support. -- John Pope-Hennessy, Learning to Look By which she did not mean a sequacious helpmeet to the Man of the House, picking up his dirty underwear and serving him Budweisers during commercials. -- Bill Kauffman, The Way of Love, Whole Earth, July 2000 Reminds one of the liberal journalist who was shocked Richard Nixon got elected because she didn't know anyone who had voted for him. That's what you get when you surround yourself with sequacious lefties. -- Thomas Mitchell, Gore's new testament of liberal gobbledygook, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6/3/2007 Sequacious (Adjective) Pronunciation: [see-'kwey-shês] Definition: (1) Inclined to follow rather than lead, conformist, following others in thought and behavior; (2) continuing in a consistent direction, as a line of reasoning. Usage: Since "sequacity" is too close to a sound a duck might produce, most writers today prefer "sequaciousness" as the noun for this adjective. "Sequaciously" is the adverb, available to modify verbs, as to think sequaciously. Suggested Usage: "Sequacious" is a much lovelier and more descriptive word than "conformist," making it the perfect substitute, "The tattoo business thrives on sequacious youth." Sequacious politicians always toe their party's line（听从命令）. But don't forget that this word also refers to following a consistent thread or path: "Bipsy's behavior is not at all sequacious—one minute she is bubbly, the next she is moping, then she is happy again." Word of the Day-terpsichorean0 评论
Terpsichorean (Adj.)
Pronunciation: [têrp-sê-'kor-ee-yên] Definition: Pertaining to dance. Usage: "Terpsichorean" may also be used as a high-style noun meaning "dancer." Today "terpsichore" refers more often to the art of dancing than to the Greek goddess (see Etymology). However, you may refer to the muse that inspires your dancing as "Terpsichore." (May she fill your days with dance and song—without any song and dance（不着边际的废话，大肆宣扬）). Suggested Usage: "Terpsichorean" sounds a bit haughty, even humorous, in ordinary contexts today, "My son's terpsichorean studies seem to have strengthened his drive to the basket on the basketball team." But today's is such a lilting word, it would serve as an elegant euphemism, "By 'terpsichorean circumvention' are you referring to the song and dance she did at the press conference today?" Word of the Day-indubitable0 评论
Indubitable (Adjective)
Pronunciation: [in-'du-bi-tê-bêl] Definition: Doubtless, without doubt, unquestioned; unquestionable. Usage: Both "doubtless" and "indubitable" may be used as adverbs but you must add -ly to the latter: "Indubitably/Doubtless he left early." Both may be used in the predicate: "His wisdom is indubitable/doubtless." Only "indubitable" may be used attributively: "His indubitable wisdom failed him." "Doubtless" does not work here. Suggested Usage: Use this adjective where you would want to say "undoubtable" (?): There has been indubitable failure of communication here," or "I think it indubitable that you misspoke yourself just now." (This word was suggested by YDC friend Dave Rosenzweig.) Word of the Day-interminable0 评论
interminable \in-TUR-muh-nuh-buhl\, adjective:
so long as to seem endless; never stopping The mother-in-law's/mentor's talking was interminable. Word of the Day-tautology0 评论
Tautology (Noun)
Pronunciation: [ta-'tah-lê-ji or taw-] Definition: Redundant word or phrase, a pleonasm; (in philosophy) a statement comprising two clauses that make the statement necessarily true whether either of the two statements is true or false, e.g. "Philosophy will either drive me crazy or it won't drive me crazy." Usage: The classical tautology as "an unmarried bachelor." This phrase is tautological (the adjective) because "unmarried" is part of the meaning of "bachelor" and hence does not have to be repeated. The colloquial meaning of today's word makes it a synonym of another recent Word of the Day, "pleonasm" (for which see our Archives). Suggested Usage: "That is tautological" is one of the better punch lines for your armory of witticisms. Try using it when you hear people utter phrases like "devious politician," "greedy Enron executive," "the stock market is risky," or "sneaky lobbyist." If you give advance warning of a dangerous terrorist attack, you have wasted two words squeezing two tautologies into one utterance. Word of the Day-tautological0 评论
tautological \taw-TOL-uh-guh-kuhl\, adjective:
unnecessarily or uselessly repetitive Perhaps the very term novel of ideas is tautological, for what novel is barren of ideas, unshaped by ideas? -- Joyce Carol Oates, Loving the Illusions, New York Times, July 17, 1983 It may sound tautological to suggest that he wrote historically, because that was the way his culture had taught him to think, but that is the case nonetheless. -- Donald Harman Akenson, Surpassing Wonder Word of the Day-germane0 评论
Pronunciation: [jêr-'meyn]
Definition: Closely related, relevant, pertinent, apposite. Usage: Today's word is related to English german "having the same parents or grand-parents," as in "brother-german," "sister-german," "cousin-german." A sister-german is the contrary of a step-sister. The current meaning of the word with the final [e] is but a short hop from the meaning of "most closely related by kinship." Suggested Usage: Today's word refers to a stronger relation than does "pertinent" or "relevant." Raising pigs for their skin might be pertinent to a discussion of US football since footballs are made from pigskin but hardly germane. Quarterbacks, field goals, and end runs are, however, quite germane to any discussion of football. So, would a discussion of the word "German" be germane here? Apparently, not. The English name for the Germans apparently comes from an accidentally similar Latin word, perhaps itself borrowed from Celtic. Word of the Day-desultory0 评论
Pronunciation: ['de-zêl-to-ree]
Definition: Moving disconnectedly without focus; lacking enthusiam, sluggish. Usage: Today's word is an adjective that has moved out on its own and left its mother behind. It originally meant "like a desultor," a desultor being an equestrian performer in a circus who leaps back and forth between loping steeds. The adverb is the regular "desultorily" and the noun, "desultoriness." Suggested Usage: As I write this, I am watching desultory leaves falling from the sugar maple in my back yard. You might think they were choosing a spot to land, seeing the brilliant carpet they are weaving across the lawn. People, on the other hand, work better in focus, "Logan's desultory work habits make it highly unlikely that he will finish a job." Did you ever meet someone whose desultory attempts at conversation made it clear they did not want to talk to you? Me, neither. Word of the Day-ravel0 评论
THIS IS SUCH AN ANOMALY. BE CAREFUL.
Pronunciation: ['ræ-vêl] Definition: To unweave, to disentangle, to unwind or untwist; to fray. Usage: Here is another word we have bungled. Because raveling knitwear is undoing something previously done, we feel we need the prefix un- on this verb but the meaning of that suffix is built into the meaning of "ravel." The error is similar to the one which led us to remove the in- from "inflammable," thinking that it means "un-" when in fact it means "begin." Inflame means "to ignite," so inflammable means "ignitable." Well, guess what: unravel means "to reweave" that is, to un-unweave. The British like to double the [L] with suffixes: "ravelling," "ravelled," while North Americans prefer hobbling along on one: "raveling," "raveled." Both are correct. Suggested Usage: Sweaters are not the only things that go raveling: "As Germaine explained her situation, Percy could see his plans for a quiet domestic life with her raveling before his ears." Things ravel outside the head, too: "Celeste could feel her new hair-do raveling in the wind and mist of Foggy Bottom." Harsh winters can ravel poorly maintained roads and the nerves of those who drive over them. Randy Lauer wrote: I recently discovered that the words ravel and unravel mean the same thing. How can this be? It's worse than you think. Not only can ravel and unravel mean the same thing, 'to disentangle; unweave; disentwine; come apart' (as the threads of a cloth or the plans of a conspiracy), but ravel itself can mean its own opposite! That is, it also means 'to tangle or entangle'. Threads that were previously neat (aligned, coiled, etc.) can become raveled--i.e., twisted and knotted. It is easy to see how the ambiguity could arise, since as fabric frays the loose threads become at the same time disentangled from the fabric and entangled with each other. This potential confusion appears to have existed from the beginning; the word comes from the Dutch rafelen or ravelen, said to mean 'to unweave; fray; tangle' (from rafel or ravel 'a thread'). But to explain why we have both ravel and unravel, we have to examine the prefix un-. When affixed to verbs, its most common purpose is to reverse their meanings, a function it has had since Old English. Middle English saw such formations as unbend, uncover, unhasp, still in use today. In fact un- in this sense is so productive that it lends itself to spontaneous formations, some of them "nonce" or one-time-only verbs. It can be attached to virtually any verb representing an action that can be undone: "You hired that person? Well, go unhire him!" Far more rarely, the prefix is not reversive but redundant. From Middle English we have unloose, and Modern English (16th century) added unthaw, which essentially mean the same thing as the verbs loose and thaw. Redundant un- has taken on the function of intensifying the force of the verb. With unravel, however, it is difficult to determine whether we have un- reversing the 'tangle' sense of ravel or intensifying the 'untangle' sense. Centuries of usage of ravel would seem to point to the latter. Almost without exception, a search for ravel through old and new writings yielded the sense that is synonymous with unravel. From University Reform: an Address to the Alumni of Harvard, at Their Triennial Festival, July 19, 1866, a literal use: "And before new armies in hostile encounter on American soil shall unfurl new banners to the breeze, may every thread and thrum of their texture ravel and rot and resolve itself into dust!" From an 1875 issue of Scribners Monthly, the metaphorical sense of untangling: "Then the General retired, went to his house and found his carriage waiting, and, in less than an hour, was absorbed in raveling the snarled affairs connected with his recent disastrous speculation" (J. G. Holland, "The Story of Sevenoaks"). I found only one citation, in a recent book review, that used ravel in the 'tangle' sense. "In 'Speak You Also', which is eloquently translated from the French by Linda Coverdale with Bill Ford, Steinberg cryptically ravels and unravels his past" (Susan Shapiro, The New York Times). On the other hand, un- is so rarely the redundant (or intensifying) prefix that we tend overwhelmingly to perceive it as the reversive one. That is why you were perplexed enough to ask your question and why the rest of us still wonder at such anomalies as unloose and unthaw. And the very earliest citations in the OED for ravel (1585-1600) are for the now rare sense of 'entangle', with unravel appearing shortly thereafter (1603), just barely before the first known occurrence of the 'disentangle' sense of ravel (1606). Consequently, most major dictionaries have concluded that what we have in unravel is the un- that reverses. That would mean that the prefix serves to reverse the less common, or 'entangle', sense of ravel. Unravel that if you can. http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010302 Both words have variant spellings when adding affixes: (un)raveled or (un)ravelled, (un)raveling or (un)ravelling. Once ravel meant “to entangle and so to confuse,” but now it means “to come unwound, unknit, or separated into strands”: The sleeve of my sweater has begun to ravel. But the likely confusion between tangling and untangling (even though a raveling or ravelling is “a separated single thread or strand”) has been enough to give us an even more frequently used verb, unravel, which makes certain the undoing, the unmaking, the reducing to ravelings that we intend. So in Standard English your sleeve can fray and begin to ravel, but it is even more likely to be reported as fraying and beginning to unravel. Figuratively, unravel means “disentangle or solve,” and ravel rarely occurs in that sense: He thought he could unravel the mystery. Compare LOOSE; UNLOOSE. http://www.bartleby.com/68/86/4986.html 现在总结一下这些变态的意思相同但貌似相反的单词： ravel unravel (和它们意思相同/相近的还有：unweave, unwind, untwist, disentangle, fray) loose unloose thaw unthaw flammable inflammable by the way, the opposite of flammable is 'non-flammable' or 'non-inflammable'. 还有一组反义词："tangle entangle" 和 "untangle disentangle" Word of the Day-contemn0 评论
Contemn (verb)
Pronunciation: [kên-'tem] Definition: To view with contempt; despise. Usage: An endangered verb used far less widely than the noun, contempt, derived from it. Suggested Usage: Give "hate" and "despise" a rest and try "I contemn everything he stands for," carefully articulating the "t". "Mary contemns the way her neighbors reduplicate her garden in theirs." Word of the Day-countenance0 评论
Countenance (verb)
Pronunciation: ['kæwn-tê-nêns] Definition: Tolerate; sanction (positively), put up with, favor. Usage: It is odd that the verb "countenance" means "tolerate" while the noun means "expression on the face." However, at one time "to keep one's countenance" meant to remain normal or neutral in behavior, not to show any emotional response. So both terms originally referred to the control of behavior (as expressed by the face), then the verb's meaning developed into remaining neutral and from there, by a short hop, to showing toleration or favor. Even the noun "countenance" when used alone implies a positive expression on the face. There is a negative verb, discountenance "to disfavor, not tolerate." Suggested Usage: It would seem that most of the world has decided that we should no longer countenance terrorism. Let us hope acts of terrorism and the factors motivating them may be obviated. But here is a word that works as well around the kitchen as in the halls of government, "Talking back to parents will no longer be countenanced in this house!" No doubt we could all countenance more respect inside and outside the kitchen. Word of the Day-monomania0 评论
Pronunciation: [mah-nê-'mey-niyê]
Definition: Fixation on or obsession with a single object or idea. Usage: People with a single-minded obsession are monomaniacs and they behave monomaniacally. Suggested Usage: Here is a variant of "obsessive" that can be applied to any kind of single-minded obsession. "He is a football monomaniac and never watches anything else on TV" or "The media's monomaniacal focus on the election results is driving ME crazy." Word of the Day-opus0 评论
Opus (Noun)Pronunciation: ['o-pês]
Definition: (Erudite) A creative work, such as a novel, musical piece, or painting. Usage: The plural of "opus" is "opera," so the question arises, how is it possible to pluralize "opera," too ("operas")? Italian took the final [a] of the unusual Latin plural as the feminine singular ending found in many Italian nouns, such as la casa "the house," mia mamma "my mother," and began using the plural form as a discrete (separate) word. English borrowed "opus" from Latin but "opera," from Italian, the dominant language of the opera at the time. A major work is often called an "opus magnum" (Latin word order) or "magnum opus" (English word order). For a minor work, use the diminutive, "opuscule." Suggested Usage: Today's word is an erudite synonym for "work," so use it seriously only in an intellectually charged context, "Brendan's latest opus contains a modicum of verisimilitude conveyed with fatuous periphrasis." Of course, if you are not being serious, anything goes, "Winnie has a growing heap of unpublished opera." Don't forget the diminutive! "Actually, I think she did publish an opuscule or two in her youth." Word of the Day-peccable0 评论
Peccable (Adjective)Pronunciation: ['pek-ê-bêl]
Definition: Sinful, capable of sin, wrong-doing, or error—imperfect. Usage: Orphan negatives are the negatives of words fallen out of use, such as "hapless," "inane," "insipid," "immaculate," "impromptu," "nonchalant." An unlucky person is hapless but a lucky person is doesn't have much hap. You're very clean if you’re immaculate but not maculate if you’re very dirty and, if you don't care, you’re indifferent, but if you do, it shouldn't make you all that different. However, if you’re not impeccable, "sinless and incapable of sin," you will be peccable for "impeccable" is a false orphan negative. The stem, "peccable," still lurks around the edge of language, still a part of language though not of speech, our use of language. Suggested Usage: Today's word is a specialized term for one sense of "imperfect," "Miss Deeds led a peccable but overall agreeable life." Do allow for the double takes（心不在焉后突然注意而恍然大悟） of those listening to you when you use it, though: "Weems may be too peccable to keep the company books." Word of the Day-peccadillo0 评论
Pronunciation: [pek-ê-'di-lo]
Definition: A teeny-tiny, barely discernable sin or fault. Usage: The plural is "peccadillos" and there is no adjective. Notice English-speakers have doubled the "c" in the spelling of the word, no doubt, to solve the problem of remembering which internal consonant is doubled. (A spelling convenience in English! Will wonders never cease?) Suggested Usage: This is a useful term to have on your side when minimizing your shortcomings: "Mom! So I drove the car through the garage wall. Why do you allow my petty peccadillos roil you so?" It always understates events in the economic or political worlds: "Even his supporters are vexed by Clinton's frequent peccadillos." Word of the Day-quisling0 评论
Quisling (Noun)
Pronunciation: ['kwiz-ling] Definition: A traitor who turns against his or her own country to serve an invader. Usage: This is a relatively new word so far without lexical offspring. The adjective would be "quislingly" which sounds odd. Better use the compound "quisling-like." It sounds queer as a verb, too, though its meaning lends itself readily to verbalization in the sense of "betray to an invader." Suggested Usage: For those of us who remember World War II, today's word is a powerful condemnation in its literal sense, "The French partisans were always at risk of betrayal by quislings in their area." But as time scrapes on, "quisling" will no doubt take on a more general, diluted sense, "I knew the issue was dead when the new manager and his gang of quislings entered the conference room." Etymology: A commonization of the last name of Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945), head of Norway's government during the Nazi occupation of World War II. Of all the heads of European states who chose to subserve the Nazi regime in World War II, Quisling was the misfortunate one commemorated for his weakness throughout the European languages. quisling one who commits treason : collaborator The country is ruled by a puppet government composed of quislings. Did you know? Vidkun Quisling was a Norwegian army officer who in 1933 founded Norway's fascist party. In December 1939, he met with Adolf Hitler and urged him to occupy Norway. Following the German invasion of April 1940, Quisling served as a figurehead in the puppet government set up by the German occupation forces, and his linguistic fate was sealed. Before the end of 1940, "quisling" was being used generically in English to refer to any traitor. Winston Churchill, George Orwell, and H. G. Wells used it in their wartime writings. Quisling lived to see his name thus immortalized, but not much longer. He was executed for treason soon after the liberation of Norway in 1945. traitor, collaborator, treason Word of the Day-labile0 评论
Pronunciation: ['ley-bIl or 'ley-bêl]
Definition: Changeable, unstable; apt to slip away. Usage: When used to describe personalities, today's word replaces "temperamental" or "moody," as in, "Birgitta was a labile lass with a personality hard to calculate." It also refers to unstable chemical and electrical changes. The noun is lability [lê-'bi-lê-tee]. Suggested Usage: Today's proffering works in discussions of international politics: "Don't talk to me about lability in the Middle East. We've reconsidered 3 vacations in the past 2 years over it." With its two 'liquid' sounds (L's in this case), the word is euphonic (nice-sounding) enough for poetic or romantic expression, "The sunny, labile days of that spring were hard to pin down in his memory; she was the constant that held that year together in his mind." Word of the Day-gambit0 评论
Pronunciation: ['gæm-bit]
Definition: A daring opening move in chess that sacrifices a piece for a future advantage. Usage: Applied first and foremost to the game of chess. Suggested Usage: Of course, it can be applied to any daring opening move, such as a provocative statement to open a conversation or a risky business maneuver that promises long-term gains. "Buying so much of the flood plain was a risky gambit that could pay off if fish-farming becomes profitable." Word of the Day-sedulous0 评论
Pronunciation: ['se-jê-lês] (US) or British ['se-dyu-lês]
Definition: Diligent, assiduous, zealous; applying oneself unflaggingly to a task. Usage: This is a qualitative adjective, which means it can compare, "more sedulous, most sedulous", form an adverb, "sedulously," and a noun, "sedulity" [sê-'ju-lê-tee] or [sê-'dyu-lê-tee]. Suggested Usage: Today's is another general purpose word, "If you do your homework sedulously this week, I'll take you to see the Red Sox play this weekend" is a good way for Bostonians to encourage good study habits. Use it outside the home, too: "If Ferenc were as sedulous in his work as he is in his golf, he would have dodged this last round of lay-offs." industrious diligent Word of the Day-assiduous0 评论
Assiduous (adjective)
Pronunciation: [ê-'sid-ju-wês] Definition: Persistently diligent and attentive at some activity; ardent. Usage: This word implies a stronger application of oneself to a job or task than does "diligent." It might also imply applying oneself overdiligently. "John was assiduous in pleasing his mother-in-law." The adverb, "assiduously," is probably used more than the adjective. The noun is "assiduity." Suggested Usage: Use this word where "diligent" does not seem strong enough: "Had Roger worked as assiduously on his homework as he did on his roller blades, he would be in Harvard now" or "Unfortunately, Felix can be quite assiduous when it comes to hacking security systems." 同根：insidious Word of the Day-extirpate0 评论
Pronunciation: ['ek-stêr-peyt]
Definition 1: To completely remove surgically. Usage 1: Extirpation (action noun), extirpative (adjective), extirpator (agentive noun). Definition 2: To annihilate, exterminate, destroy completely, especially by rooting out. Suggested Usage: The close definition is "to eradicate by rooting out," so the verb is best used along these lines: "We are going to extirpate every single source of drugs in the city," or "When we extirpate the last trace of political corruption from society, the development of other forms will be greatly expedited." Word of the Day-apposite0 评论
Pronunciation: ['æ-pê-zit]
Definition: Strikingly appropriate, applicable, or fitting; well put. Usage: Today's adjective has abandoned its family and gone out into the world on its own. The underlying verb, "appose," now means "to place on, apply" or "place in proximity," as in the case of appositive nouns. A noun in apposition to another is a noun referring to the same object added immediately following the first noun, as in, "His new financial advisor, Boesky, (made him feel a bit uneasy"). So "appose" and "apposition," oddly enough, have nothing semantically to do with today's word. Suggested Usage: "Apposite" is a prejudicial word that takes sides on questions of right and wrong, "I thought it very apposite of our group to bombard the committee with water balloons in protest of their decision to sell water rights to outsiders." It also takes sides on issues of social etiquette, "Yes, but do you think that, 'I just loved your sister to death,' was the apposite phrase to use at her funeral?" Word of the Day-lascivious0 评论
Lascivious (adjective)
Pronunciation: [læ-'si-vi-yês] Definition: Lustful, lewd, wanton; eliciting or expressing carnal desire. Usage: From an older word "lascivy" = "lasciviousness," this word seems to have run amok, accumulating several suffixes only to return full circle semantically to its original meaning. The adverb is "lasciviously" and the current noun is "lasciviousness." The verb is lasciviate "to behave lewdly." Avoid such behavior at all costs but enjoy the word when criticizing others. Suggested Usage: Here is the perfect substitute for the overworked metaphorical sense of "dirty" as in, "The lascivious jokes told by the fraternity brothers made Chastity uncomfortable all weekend." But we have to rue the unwarranted oversight of the verbal counterpart of today's word: "Our old friend, Tucker Doubt, lasciviates evenings in the red light district of our fair city." Word of the Day-harangue0 评论
Harangue (verb)
Pronunciation: [hê-'ræng] Definition: Verbal harassment, a tirade; a ranting uncontrolled preachment or piece of writing focused on a subject of interest only to the speaker or author. Usage: Today's noun serves equally well as a verb; one can harangue one's neighbors about petty grievances or harangue one's children about whom they associate with (though, of course, one shouldn't). Don't forget the "ue" on the end of today's word—a remnant of its French heritage. Someone who harangues is a haranguer. Suggested Usage: Harangues are a natural part of politics: "C-SPAN, the federal television network, brings the political harangues of both houses of Congress right into our living rooms." You do, more than occasionally, encounter them in other arenas, though, "After her long harangue about how he does nothing around the house, Ida Claire noticed through the window that her hubby had mown the lawn and weeded the flower beds while she napped."
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