Word of the Day-castigate0 评论
castigate \KAS-tuh-gayt\, transitive verb:
To punish severely; also, to chastise verbally; to rebuke; to criticize severely. It was not good enough to castigate him for his sins.-- Frank Deford, "Knight is too easy a target", Sports Illustrated, May 25, 2000 Out in the world they marvelled that they were found acceptable to others, after years of being castigated as unsatisfactory, disappointing.-- Anita Brookner, Falling Slowly Though castigated by the Catholic Church, illegitimacy was scarcely an unusual feature of Austrian country life.-- Ian Kershaw, Hitler: 1889-1936: Hubris For my lack of missionary zeal, I have been castigated by a few militant atheists, who are irritated by my disinclination to try persuading people to abandon their faith that God exists (while some religious people regard me as a militant atheist intent on promoting worship of unspecified "secular idols").-- Wendy Kaminer, Sleeping With Extra-Terrestrials Word of the Day-captious0 评论
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: [ 'kæp-shês] Definition: (1) Not merely deceptive but designed to (mis)lead you to the wrong conclusion, e.g. a sign, argument, or advertisement; sophistical. (2) Having an ill-natured inclination to find faults and raise objections; caviling, carping. Usage: "Have you stopped beating your husband?" is a captious question in the first sense of the word. That sense also brings to mind advertisements like, "Super Eldopé Extra with BMX-43 helps stop tough headache pain according to studies by a respected east coast research institution." This ad is designed to make you think Eldopé is a wonder drug for stopping headaches. But "BMX-43" could be evaporated water and the studies could have been conducted in the company's own laboratories (not Harvard). People who are captious in the second sense could even find fault with the Word of the Day. We hope none of these ever cross your (or our) path. Suggested Usage: Captious is a well-behaved adjective that belongs to a small family: "captiously" is the adverb and "captiousness" is the noun. Etymology: From Old French captieux, from Latin captisus, the adjective from captio "seizure, sophism," the noun of capere "to seize." Related words from Latin include "capture" and "captain." The English word "catch" comes from Old North French cachier "to chase" from the same Latin word. The original root, *kap, came down to English as "have" (from Old English "habban"; cf. German "haben") and "heavy" (from Old English "hefig"). In German it became Haft "arrest" but also the suffix –haft "like, having," as in lebhaft "lively, spirited" from leb-en "live" + -haft. captious \KAP-shuhs\, adjective: 1. Marked by a disposition to find fault or raise objections. 2. Calculated to entrap or confuse, as in an argument. The most common among those are captious individuals who can find nothing wrong with their own actions but everything wrong with the actions of everybody else.-- "In-Closet Hypocrites", Atlanta Inquirer, August 15, 1998 Mr Bowman had, I think, been keeping Christmas Eve, and was a little inclined to be captious: at least, he was not on foot very early, and to judge from what I could hear, neither men nor maids could do anything to please him.-- M. R. James, The Haunted Dolls' House and Other Stories Most authors would prefer readers such as Roiphe over captious academic critics.-- Steven Moore, "Old Flames", Washington Post, November 26, 2000 With the imperturbablest bland clearness, he, for five hours long, keeps answering the incessant volley of fiery captious questions.-- Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution Word of the Day-capricious0 评论
capricious \kuh-PRISH-us; -PREE-shus\, adjective:
Apt to change suddenly; whimsical; changeable. Molly was a capricious woman. Her moods were unpredictable, her anger petty and vicious.-- Rand Roberts and James Olson, John Wayne: American The Countess was a capricious minx, by turns seductive and aloof.-- Saul David, Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency Mathematics is logical; people are erratic, capricious, and barely comprehensible.-- Bruce Schneier, Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World Word of the Day-carapace0 评论
Part of Speech: noun
Pronunciation: ['kæ-rê-peys] Definition: (1) A hard outer covering or exoskeleton, such as the shell of a turtle or lobster; (2) any protective covering like a turtle shell, literal or figurative. Usage: The word "shell" is so broad in its meaning that it can lead to confusion. In referring to an animal encased in a shell, use today's word with its more focused meaning: "The only evidence of the clambake the night before was a beach strewn with corncobs and empty lobster carapaces." Since this word is associated with turtles, however, it lends itself comfortably to an image of figurative withdrawal, "When life becomes too complicated for Ethylene, she pulls her head into her carapace and shuts out the world." Suggested Usage: "Carapace" comes with a rarely used adjective "carapacial," which automatically entails an adverb, "carapacially." Remember that the accent falls on the first syllable and you will have no trouble with today's word. Etymology: English slipped a copy of today's word out of French, who had it on loan from Spanish, where it was carapacho "tortoise shell." It may be a victim of metathesis (switching places), a reduction of "?carapazon" by metathesis from caparazon "caparison, body-armor or parade trappings of a horse." This word is the augmentative of Medieval Latin capara "a hood coming over the shoulders." This word is an extension of Medieval Latin capa "cape." Unfortunately, we have no evidence of the metathesis. carapace \KAIR-uh-pace\, noun: 1. The thick shell that covers the back of the turtle, the crab, and other animals. 2. Something likened to a shell that serves to protect or isolate from external influence. . . .a gauge for measuring the length of a lobster's carapace from the thorax to the eye socket.-- Richard Adams Carey, Against the Tide Hannah Jelkes, . . . who wears an air of cool reserve like a carapace.-- Howard Taubman, "Theatre: 'Night of the Iguana' Opens", New York Times, December 29, 1961 Desperate to win his father's attention and respect, Kennedy became a hard man for a long while, covering over his sensitivity and capacity for empathy with a carapace of arrogance.-- Evan Thomas, Robert Kennedy: His Life Eisenman, who is Meier's second cousin, was so neurotically insecure about his abilities that he sought to hide them within the dense carapace of arcane theory.-- Martin Filler, "The Spirit of '76", New Republic, July 9, 2001 Almost all the vivid, eyewitness accounts we have . . . date from a quarter of a century later, when Degas, celebrated and successful, had developed a crusty, cantankerous carapace, from which he emerged occasionally to deliver his famously caustic and enigmatic mots.-- Christopher E. G. Benfey, Degas in New Orleans Word of the Day-capitulate0 评论
capitulate \kuh-PICH-uh-layt\, intransitive verb:
To surrender under agreed conditions. Just before peace talks on Kosovo are due to resume, the United States and its allies are sending contradictory signals to Belgrade, making it less likely that President Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia will capitulate on American terms.-- Steven Erlanger, "West's Bosnia Move May Hurt Kosovo Bid", New York Times, March 7, 1999 Word of the Day-capacious0 评论
capacious \kuh-PAY-shuhs\, adjective:
Able to contain much; roomy; spacious. Litter was picked up non stop during the week (mostly by that nice governor with the capacious pockets).-- Faysal Mikdadi, "'Why shouldn't it be like this all the time?'", The Guardian, September 2, 2002 Out of those capacious receptacles he brought forth a small bottle of Scotch whiskey, a lemon, and some lump sugar.-- Ellen M. Calder, "Personal Recollections of Walt Whitman", The Atlantic, June 1907 Is it worth pointing out that the boot seems remarkably capacious for a little car?-- Giles Smith, "Er what's the sixth gear for?", The Guardian, January 8, 2002 Capacious is derived from Latin capax, capac-, "able to hold or contain." Word of the Day-cant0 评论
cant \KANT\, noun:
1. The idioms and peculiarities of speech in any sect, class, or occupation. 2. The use of religious phraseology without understanding or sincerity. 3. Empty, solemn speech, implying what is not felt; insincere talk; hypocrisy. 4. A whining manner of speaking, especially of beggars. Don Juan delighted London gossipmongers with plentiful allusions to the scandal surrounding the poet's divorce from his young wife of one year and his subsequent flight from English "hypocrisy and cant."-- Banite Eisler, Byron: Child of Passion, Fool of Fame Underneath all the grime there was as much sentimental piety and conformist cant.-- Andrew Sarris, "You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet" ...the English major from a working-class family who now and then asks a forthright question that cuts through the literary cant.-- Theodore Solotaroff, "Memoirs for Memorial Day", New York Times, May 29, 1977 Cant ultimately derives from Latin cantus, singing, chanting. Word of the Day-craven0 评论
craven adjective : lacking the least bit of courage : contemptibly fainthearted
Exampled Sentence Lavinia thought it was craven of Alex to cave into pressure and retract his allegations instead of defending his position. Did you know? "Craven" and its synonyms "dastardly" and "pusillanimous" are all basically fancy words for "cowardly." Don't be afraid to use them — here's a little information to help you recognize the subtle distinctions in their connotations. "Craven" suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance. One might speak of "craven yes-men." "Dastardly" often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous, as in this example: "a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians." "Pusillanimous" suggests a contemptible lack of courage (e.g., "After the attack, one editorialist characterized the witnesses as 'the pusillanimous bystanders'"). *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Word of the Day-chaff0 评论
chaff \chaf\, noun, verb:
1. the stiff strawlike part of grains such as wheat, oats, rye 2. to make good-natured fun of someone 3. worthless material; detritus Chaff is separated from the grain by threshing. It's hard to separate the chaff from the wheat sometimes. The kids chaffed the exchange student for her mistakes in grammar. Word of the Day-bulwark0 评论
Definition: (noun) A protective structure of stone or concrete; extends from shore into the water to prevent a beach from washing away.
Synonyms: breakwater, groyne, jetty, seawall, mole Usage: We ran to the end of the bulwark to watch the waves break against the unyielding structure. 1. to defend or protect, serve as a bulwark; shelter 2. a person, thing, or concept that is a defense or protection 3. an embankment of earth or other material used as a defense against a threat; rampart（堡垒） 4. the sides of a ship extending like a fence above the deck level（舷墙） The French eventually prevailed, and Asher and his ally Alex were kicked up north to the town of Siem Reap, where they helped reconstruct the earthquake-damaged Elephant Wall, an infuriatingly complicated Khmer bulwark that had fallen into several hundred pieces some centuries ago. -- Robert Bingham, Lightning on the Sun Originally a set of largely structural guarantees applying only against the federal government, the Bill has become a bulwark of rights against all government conduct. -- Akhil Reed Amar, The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction The country has overwhelming importance to America as a strategic ally in a highly volatile Islamic region; indeed, Washington is counting on it to be a bulwark against the spread of Islamic fundamentalism into Europe. -- Jeffrey E. Garten, The Big Ten: The Big Emerging Markets and How They Will Change Our Lives For Laura's mother the church, in addition to what spiritual significance it possessed, stood out as a bulwark of civilization in the midst of a still forming, rough frontier culture. -- John E. Miller, Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Woman Behind the Legend Today we bulwark an older, liberal-Christian Europe against newer atheistic totalitarian forces. -- Daniel J. Boorstin, We, the People, in Quest of Ourselves, New York Times, 20207 Word of the Day-canny0 评论
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: ['kæn-ni] Definition: Knowing, judicious, prudent; frugal; (Scottish) steady, restrained, and gentle. Usage: Today's word works whenever you wish to characterize something as judicious and steady, "Father Gerhard's canny management of his parish spared it and him the embarrassment suffered in other parishes." Although this is the basic meaning of the word, it has a long association with the judicious control of financial matters, "Luella has a canny sense of exactly how much money her husband can expend over the weekend and arrive at work on time Monday morning—and she dispenses it accordingly." Suggested Usage: Today's word has an odd orphan negative even though it survives with its original meaning unchanged. The negative, "uncanny," has come to mean "weird, of supernatural nature; eerie" and is no longer related semantically to today's word. The comparative forms are "cannier" and "canniest" while the adverb is "cannily" and the noun, "canniness." Etymology: From Old English cunnan "to know how, be able to," also the origin of "cunning" and "couth," now found only in "uncouth," from Old English cuth "well-known, excellent." Another relative is the "kith" of "kith and kin" from Old English cyth "acquaintance, friendship, kinfolk." Old English "cnawan," today's "know," comes from the same ultimate root, *gno-. A descendent of this root is found in Latin cognscere "to come to know, get acquainted with" and ignorare "to not know, to disregard," underlying English "ignore" and "ignorant." With a different suffix, *(g)no-dhli- we get Latin nobilis "knowable, known, famous" and our word "noble." The Greek variants, e.g. gignskein "to know, think," lie behind English "gnome," "(a)gnostic," and "diagnosis." (Our thanks to the uncannily canny Steve Hart or Larchmont, New York for suggesting today's word.) Word of the Day-canine0 评论
canine \KEY-nahyn\
adjective: 1. of or like a dog or member of the dog family 2. pertaining to a canine tooth noun: 1. any animal belonging to a group of meat-eaters including dogs, foxes, and wolves 2. one of the four teeth next to the incisors; cuspid Several police departments with canine squads similar in size to the Prince George's unit reported few -- if any -- cases of dogs biting officers. -- David S. Fallis and Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post, 2001-12-30 First came Netflix and Zipcar. Now comes a company that plans to rent dogs to Bostonians willing to pay steep fees for a canine friend without worry of commitment. -- Sarah Schweitzer, Boston Globe, 2007-12-17 Word of the Day-candor0 评论
candor \KAN-der\, noun:
1. honesty in giving one's view or opinion; frankness and sincerity 2. fairness; impartiality What remains to be seen is whether the candor he offered in his early memoir will be greeted with a new-style acceptance by voters. -- Lois Romano, The Washington Post, 2007-01-03 But we know that real leadership is about candor and judgment and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life(各行各业的人) around a common purpose, a higher purpose. -- The Guardian, 2008-01-27 Word of the Day-candid0 评论
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: ['kæn-did] Definition: White, pure, honest, unbiased, frank or open. Usage: "Candid" still implies a purity, almost a naiveté, that "frank" does not convey, "Candice, I wish you wouldn't be so candid when discussing our age!" For 50 years Allen Funt entertained people with his "candid microphone" on radio followed by “candid camera（用来偷拍的袖珍照相机）" on TV, recording people doing things they would not want recorded on tape or film for others to laugh at. Suggested Usage: The definition above maps the semantic history of today's word: whiteness to purity to honesty, then frankness. The noun is "candor" (British-Australian "candour") and the adverb "candidly," not always the best way to talk. Today’s word is unrelated to "candy," which comes from Arabic qandah "candy," borrowed from Persian qand "sugar." Etymology: The leap from "candid" to "candidate" might seem to require a rocket-powered pogo stick today but Latin candidat-us "clothed in white," the origin of our word "candidate," comes from candidus "white" just as does "candid." The reason? Roman candidates for political office wore a white toga during their campaigns. The verb root (candere) is also found in incendere "to kindle, set afire," the origin of English "incendiary," "incense," and "frankincense." An early source of artificial light, "candle," is also a descendant, and a candle-maker is a chandler (candle+er), of which there must have been many, judging from the number of people still bearing that name today. (Our thanks for Professor Dennis Baumwoll of Bucknell University for today's lexical enlightenment.) Word of the Day-camp0 评论
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: ['kæmp] Definition: Effeminate, homosexual hence ostentatious, theatrical and hence outlandish or vulgar to the point of being amusing. Usage: The term is not flattering, so apply it gingerly, "Oh, do invite Lois; without one of her camp outfits to snip at it won't be a party!" It applies to either sex in its more recent metaphorical sense: "How camp can you get? I saw him driving a pink Cadillac with silver cow horns mounted on the hood." Suggested Usage: The adjective is derived from the noun "camp" which originally referred to exaggerated effeminate behavior of homosexuals or to such homosexuals themselves. Currently the word is used more frequently in reference to anything outlandishly and tastelessly artificial, out of fashion, or otherwise inappropriate. Some speakers add the adjective suffix -y to form, "He may be straight but he sure has a campy walk." In some regions you will encounter a verb: "What are you camping it up for? Don't your clothes attract enough attention?" Etymology: The origin of today's word has been consumed by collective forgetfulness so all we can do is thank Silvia Simon for reminding us of this mysterious lexical oddity. Word of the Day-calumniate0 评论
Calumniate (Verb)
Pronunciation: [kê-'lêm-nee-eyt] Definition: To make malicious statements known to be false in an effort to harm someone's reputation or character. Usage: Our language can damage others in several ways: we may defame (to focus an attack on the victim's reputation), malign (to attack someone's character by speaking badly of him or her), or vilify (to grossly criticize someone to undermine their character and reputation). "Calumniate" implies an attack on character or reputation that is knowingly incorrect. Benjamin Disraeli, a 19th-century British Prime Minister, said that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Calumniating falls under Disraeli's second category. The noun is "calumny." Suggested Usage: Unfortunately, we find this behavior on all levels: "After a period of scandal, politicians sometimes become more careful about calumniating their opponents." "Humans are basically sadistic; watch how toddlers calumniate their siblings, just to watch the spectacle of the punishment." calumny, noun: 1. False accusation of a crime or offense, intended to injure another's reputation. 2. Malicious misrepresentation; slander. They would see to it that every suspicious whisper and outright calumny would be repeated in print, breathing fire into the growing spirit of faction.-- William Safire, Scandalmonger They protest to him against the universal order, and then reward his kind words by calumny and accusations of . . . inhumanity and cruelty.-- Paola Capriolo, Floria Tosca Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny.-- Shakespeare, Hamlet Word of the Day-cajole0 评论
cajole \kuh-JOHL\, transitive verb:To persuade with flattery, repeated appeals, or soothing words; to coax.
If Robert had been an ordinary ten-year-old he would have cajoled and whined, asked and asked and asked until I snapped at him to keep quiet.-- Anna Quindlen, Black and Blue One of Virgil's great accomplishments was his ability to charm, cajole, weasel people out of their bad moods, especially when their bads moods inconvenienced him.-- Anthony Tommasini, Virgil Thomson: Composer on the Aisle Whiz kept to himself and spent long hours every day studying financials and technical charts and reading impenetrable economic publications. Even the warden had tried to cajole him into sharing market tips.-- Belfry Holdings, The Brethren Cajole derives from Early Modern French cajoler, originally, "to chatter like a bird in a cage, to sing; hence, to amuse with idle talk, to flatter," from Old French gaiole, jaiole, "a cage," from Medieval Latin caveola, "a small cage," from Latin cavea, "an enclosure, a den for animals, a bird cage," from cavus, "hollow." It is related to cave, cage and jail (British gaol). Word of the Day-callow0 评论
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: ['kæ-lo] Definition: Immature, inexperienced, having not reached adulthood, as a callow youth. Usage: Edith Wharton pretty much summed up her reasons for relocating to Paris in a letter to a friend after her car broke down in Massachusetts and she was forced to overnight in a hotel less fashionable than she was accustomed to: "Such dreariness, such whining callow women, such utter absence of the amenities, such crass food, crass manners, crass landscape!" So, what happened to the Age of Innocence? Callowness, however, can also be associated with things other than birds and people: "I fear this vintage is wasted on such a callow palate as Freddy's." Suggested Usage: Today's word is used mostly in reference to young birds and people. However, callow foxes might learn a valuable lesson practicing their attack tactics on a porcupine or skunk. The adverb for this word is "callowly" and the noun, "callowness." Etymology: From Middle English calwe "bald" from Old English calu "bald," related to German kahl "bald" and Latin calvus "bald." On the surface, today's word seems self-contradictory. Baldness usually comes with age and experience yet this word has come to roost on young people with hair at its thickest. How come? As the word "bald" pushed "callow" aside, "callow" reoriented itself to the featherless state of unfledged baby birds—a meaning that it retains, by the way. From here the implication of immaturity migrated back to people, leaving an interesting semantic trail if you have a map. (A gracious bow to Lynn Laboriel, who loves lexical mysteries like that hidden in today's word.) callow \KAL-oh\, adjective:Immature; lacking adult perception, experience, or judgment. Those who in later years did me harm I describe as I knew them then, and I beg any reader to remember that, although I was hardly callow, I was not yet wise in the ways of the world.-- Iain Pears, An Instance of the Fingerpost George Black Jr was grateful that during his protracted courtship of Betty, his future father-in-law 'bore my callow unsophistication with benign indulgence'.-- Richard Siklos, Shades of Black They watched in awe as Revere, at first a callow and unambitious youth, began to develop into a serious young man dedicated to books and devoted to his father.-- Sherwin B. Nuland, "The Saint", New Republic, December 13, 1999 Word of the Day-cadge0 评论
cadge \KAJ\
transitive verb:1. To beg or obtain by begging; to sponge. intransitive verb:1. To beg; to sponge. Another . . . complains of the hard work involved in cadging an invitation to a fancy dinner.-- James N. Davidson, Courtesans & Fishcakes Imagine the Tom his fellow students saw at the University of Iowa -- a slovenly, self-absorbed young man with a high, braying laugh, a tendency to cadge money and a habit of blushing -- and you can see why one remembered him as "a rather unpleasant little person" and another later said that he would have bet on "anyone but Tom" to become a successful playwright.-- Benedict Nightingale, "The Bard of Failure", New York Times, November 19, 1995 John D. Rockefeller came to him regularly now to beg for dimes and to cadge free rides.-- William H. Pritchard, "Yossarian Redux", New York Times, September 25, 1994 Word of the Day-callous0 评论
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: ['kæ-lês] Definition: (1) Having calluses hence hardened and thickened. (2) Feeling no emotion or having no sympathy for others. Usage: You might subtly go back to the original source by saying, "I don't mean to be thin skinned, but your constant harping leaves me callous." Then, you might follow it up by saying, "On second thought, I guess I'm being thick skinned because my ears developed a callus from your constant harping." Suggested Usage: Take care not to confuse the adjective callous with the noun, callus "a hard, thickened area on skin or bark." Although not common, both forms can also function as verbs: callous "to make or become callous," and callus "to develop hardened tissue." Etymology: Not surprisingly, both "callous" and "callus" descend from the same source, Middle French calleux, from Latin callosus, in turn, from callus "hard skin." The difference in spelling is attributable to the fact that -ous is typically an adjectival ending.
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