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New Game: What's the Word?


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What's the Word? - VULGATE

pronunciation: [VUHL-geyt]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 4th century

 

Meaning

1. A commonly recognized text or edition, as of the Iliad.

2. Common or colloquial speech.

 

Example:

"The professor instructed his class to purchase the vulgate of “Romeo and Juliet” so that they could all read the same text."

"While I use flowery words on the stage, I prefer vulgate with my friends."

 

About Vulgate

This word originated from the Latin words “vulgata” (a written edition for the general public) and “vulgus” (a word meaning “common people”).

 

Did You Know?

Lexicographers, or people who compile and edit dictionaries, choose words by both examining those in widespread use and evaluating the probability of the word remaining in use for a significant period of time. Some words that develop in vulgate but are widely used enough can be added to the dictionary, including slang or playful combinations like “hangry.”

 

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What's the Word? - FETTLE

pronunciation: [fedl]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Late Middle English, 1300s

 

Meaning

1. Condition.

2. Make or repair (something).

 

Example:

"Despite being over a decade old, the biplane remained in fine fettle."

"Since Mark had experience with repairing manual vehicles, he was put in charge of fettling the old Chevy."

 

About Fettle

While the word fettle developed as a verb meaning “to prepare oneself or get ready” in Late Middle English, it originated from the Old English word “fetel” (strip of material) and the Germanic word “fessel” (chain, band).

 

Did You Know?

Old vehicles displayed in museums and in classic shows seem to naturally remain in fine fettle, but a lot of care goes into maintaining their condition. Vehicles are often already donated or loaned in relatively pristine conditions, and staff determine whether it should be cleaned or kept in its original state. Workers also follow meticulous instructions from experts to keep cars gleaming.

 

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What's the Word? - STACCATO

pronunciation: [stə-KA-doh]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Italian, 1715

 

Meaning

1. Consisting of a series of sounds that are each sharply separated from the others.

2. A series of short, sharply separated sounds or words.

 

Example:

"It was hard to work with the staccato of the nail gun in the background."

"Kim’s heels made a sharp staccato against the tile as she hurried down the hallway."

 

About Staccato

This word evolved from Italian, where it translates to “disconnected.”

 

Did You Know?

Staccato also exists in the world of music. Staccato notes have spaces between them for silence, which creates the sharply separated sounds the music is known for. Its opposite is legato, notes that are connected and played with no silence or pauses between them.

 

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What's the Word? - INOSCULATE

pronunciation: [in-AHS-kə-layt]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, late 17th century

 

Meaning

1. Join by intertwining or fitting closely together.

 

Example:

"The two trees had grown so closely together that they were inosculated."

"The toymakers shaped the product so that the pieces would inosculate while stored."

 

About Inosculate

Inosculate developed from a combination of the words “into” and the Latin word “osculare,” which means “to provide with a mouth or outlet.”

 

Did You Know?

Many living creatures inosculate in a symbiotic relationship, depending on each other to survive and thrive. For example, remora fish share a symbiotic relationship with sharks and some whales; they attach themselves onto the larger animal, helping to keep them clean and seeking shelter from predators.

 

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What's the Word? - SYNECDOCHE

pronunciation: [sə-NEK-də-kee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Late Middle English, 1350s

 

Meaning

1. A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.

 

Example:

"The team’s full name is the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they are often referred to by the synecdoche, “Jaguars.”"

"The brand manager decided that the maple leaf logo could serve as a synecdoche for the tourism committee."

 

About Synecdoche

While synecdoche became widely used through Late Middle English, it originated from the Greek word “sunekdokhē”— a combination of the words “sun” (together) and “ekdekhesthai” (to take up).

 

Did You Know?

Despite the complicated spelling of the word, synecdoche is used quite commonly. Some examples are saying America when referring to the United States, saying a statement has been put out by the company when one means a spokesperson, and referring to sports teams by their nicknames.

 

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What's the Word? - HEURISTIC

pronunciation: [hyoo-RIS-tik]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Greek, early 19th century

 

Meaning

1. Enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves.

2. A heuristic process or method.

 

Example:

"The pottery professor’s heuristic technique helped students discover their own sculpting style."

"This heuristic will help interested parties become better writers."

 

About Heuristic

Heuristic developed from the Greek word “heuriskein,” or “find.”

 

Did You Know?

Self-education doesn’t have to be difficult. People attempting to self-educate themselves benefit from a heuristic method, which includes action items like goal-setting, committing to consistency, and minimizing distractions to maximize focus.

 

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What's the Word? - SOCKDOLAGER

pronunciation: [sahk-DOL-e-jər]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: American English, mid 19th century

 

Meaning

1. An exceptional person or thing.

2. A forceful blow.

 

Example:

"All of the nominees tonight are well-accomplished sockdolagers."

"The car door hit Randy with a sockdolager that knocked the wind out of him."

 

About Sockdolager

It is believed that sockdolager developed as a fanciful formation from “sock.” How the word became associated with an exceptional person or a forceful blow is unknown.

 

Did You Know?

To find a sockdolager, you need not look much further than the Nobel Prizes. People and companies who qualify for nomination are exceptional in their actions and impact, and have often found a way to contribute to humanity’s progress in a particular field. Some notable recipients include activist Malala Yousafzai, writer Ernest Hemingway, and scientist Albert Einstein.

 

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What's the Word? - WINKLE

pronunciation: [WINK-əl]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: British, late 16th century

 

Meaning

1. Extract or obtain something with difficulty.

2. (Noun) A small herbivorous shore-dwelling mollusk with a spiral shell.

 

Example:

"The interrogator was used to winkling confessions out of the most hard boiled subjects."

"The dock and side of the boat was freckled with winkles and barnacles."

 

About Winkle

This word originated from a shortening of the word “periwinkle” — a mollusk with a spiral shell usually found along shores and beaches.

 

Did You Know?

Ever considered singing “Winkle, winkle, little star”? Winkle’s other less-known meaning as a verb is something that “gleams or glows,” which means the substitution would work, as odd as it might sound!

 

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What's the Word? - ESCULENT

pronunciation: [ES-kyəl-ənt]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning

1. Fit to be eaten; edible.

2. A thing, especially a vegetable, which is fit to be eaten.

 

Example:

"The puppy sniffed the food to determine whether it was esculent."

"The community garden grew eggplants, stringbeans, and an assortment of other esculents."

 

About Esculent

Esculent developed from the Latin word “esculentus,” which is derived from the words “esca” (food) and “esse” (eat).

 

Did You Know?

If you’re interested in finding your own food in the forests and wild places near your home, it may be time to join a foraging group. Foraging groups meet everywhere from local neighborhood parks to Central Park, and focus on finding esculent berries, mushrooms, and plant life.

 

 

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What's the Word? - VOLUTE

pronunciation: [vəl-YOOT]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, mid 16th century

 

Meaning

1. A spiral scroll characteristic of Ionic capitals and also used in Corinthian and composite capitals.

2. Forming a spiral curve or curves.

 

Example:

"Many Greek buildings are easily recognizable by the volute on the top of columns."

"Both sea and land snails often have similarly volute shells."

 

About Volute

While volute developed in French, it originated from the Latin words “voluta” and “volvere” (which mean “to roll”).

 

Did You Know?

The decorative spiral scrolls recognizable on Ionic and Corinthian Greek buildings are known as volutes. For United States citizens, these might be closer than one would expect. Many state capitol buildings employ this design, including the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

 

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What's the Word? - TAXONOMY

pronunciation: [tak-SAH-nə-mee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, 19th century

 

Meaning

1. The branch of science concerned with classification, especially of organisms; systematics.

2. The classification of something, especially organisms.

 

Example:

"Animal taxonomy moves from general to specific characteristics."

"In order to pass her botany examination, Kelly had to have familiarity with plant taxonomy."

 

About Taxonomy

Taxonomy came into French use via Greek — specifically, a combination of the Greek words “taxis” (arrangement) + “nomia” (distribution).

 

Did You Know?

While taxonomy can be used to describe the general classification of something, it is most often used to describe living organisms. Biologists classify these groups into Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species, with each subsequent classification growing more specific. For example, a dog can be classified as Eukarya, Animalia, Chordata, Mammalia, Carnivora, Canidae, Canis, and Lupus.

 

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What's the Word? - CONFRERE

pronunciation: [KAN-frehr]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, mid 18th century

 

Meaning

1. A fellow member of a profession; a colleague

 

Example:

"Since I don’t know the answer to that question, I’ll refer you to my confrere."

"The meetup was the perfect opportunity for Reyna to meet confreres in her field."

 

About Confrere

This noun was introduced into French via the medieval Latin word “confrater,” a combination of the words “con” (together with) and “frater” (brother).

 

Did You Know?

Taking time to rub shoulders with your confreres is important not just for the sake of making friends — a recent study found that around 80% of jobs are gained through networking. Building connections can be a vital way to transition into a new career.

 

 

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What's the Word? - HYALINE

pronunciation: [HI-ə-line]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, mid 17th century

 

Meaning

1. (Zoology) Having a glassy, translucent appearance.

2. (Literary) A thing that is clear and translucent like glass, especially a smooth sea or a clear sky.

 

Example:

"Thanks to the glass frog’s hyaline skin, we could easily see its organs at work."

"The airplane dipped, spun, and soared through the hyaline."

 

About Hyaline

Hyaline developed from the Latin words “hyalinus” and “hyalin,” which come from the Greek words “hualinos” or “hualos” (glass).

 

Did You Know?

Jellyfish, possibly one of the world’s most recognizably hyaline organisms, are not fish. Instead, they are very simple invertebrates that are not only 95% water, but lack internal organs beyond a “nerve net” nervous system. These attributes help give jellyfish their ethereal, translucent appearance.

 

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What's the Word? - DIGERATI

pronunciation: [dih-jə-RAH-dee]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, mid 17th century

 

Meaning

1. People with expertise or professional involvement in information technology.

 

Example:

"Betty had complete faith that if she couldn’t fix her computer, the company’s digerati could."

"It was hard to pick one candidate out of the many qualified digerati who applied."

 

About Digerati

This word developed from a 1990s mash-up of the words “digital” and “literati” (well-educated people who are interested in literature).

 

Did You Know?

Not everything that digerati are good at is efficient. The QWERTY keyboard, for example, is as inefficient as technology gets — mostly because it was designed that way. Designers originally created the QWERTY keyboard to slow down typists using mechanical keyboards prone to jamming. Nowadays, QWERTY continues to exist only because of its widespread use.

 

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What's the Word? - GRUNTLED

pronunciation: [GRUHNT-ld]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Unknown, 1930s

 

Meaning

1. (Humorous) Pleased, satisfied, and contented.

 

Example:

"Despite Tom Sawyer continually annoying those around him, he always managed to keep his guardians gruntled."

"Mr. Robinson was appropriately gruntled after several cookies."

 

About Gruntled

It is thought that “gruntled” developed from a 1930s back-formation (when a word is formed from an existing word) of the word “disgruntled” (to be angry or dissatisfied).

 

Did You Know?

While it can sometimes be hard to be satisfied with a decision as an indecisive person, psychologists have some suggestions for feeling gruntled. Justifying your decision and focusing on not changing your mind about a particular choice you’ve just made help you practice sticking by your decisions — and may just help you feel content about the choices you’ve made.

 

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What's the Word? - NUMISMATIC

pronunciation: [noo-məz-MAD-ik]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: French, late 18th century

 

Meaning

1. Relating to or consisting of coins, paper currency, and medals.

 

Example:

"Mei’s extensive numismatic collection included several rare forms of Chinese currency."

"The numismatic exhibit features coins from around the world."

 

About Numismatic

Numismatic has roots in French, Latin, and Greek. The French word “numismatique” developed via Latin from the Greek word “nomisma.” “Nomisma” in turn developed from the words “nomismat” (current coin) and nomizein (to use).

 

Did You Know?

Numismatic enthusiasts might be disappointed to learn that Olympians don’t go for the gold...more like the mostly silver. The original Olympic gold medals were created out of 92% silver and a required 6 grams of gold — a tradition that continues into the modern day, with present gold medals being solid silver with gold plating.

 

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What's the Word? - SYNCRETISM

pronunciation: [SING-krə-TIZ-əm]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, early 17th century

 

Meaning

1. The amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.

2. (Linguistics) The merging of different inflectional varieties of a word during the development of a language.

 

Example:

"The food festival was the perfect opportunity for syncretism of Martha’s Jamaican and French heritages."

"The lexicographer’s paper explored the syncretism of the English language in different countries."

 

About Syncretism

This word found prominence in Latin, but syncretism originally has Greek roots. It is thought that this word developed from the Greek word “sunkrētismos” and “sunkrētizein” (which both mean “to unite against a third-party”), which has the root words “sun” (together) and “krēs” (a word thought to reference the ancient Cretan community).

 

Did You Know?

If you’ve ever enjoyed a sushi burrito or fantasized about a particularly delicious banh mi, you already have familiarity with syncretism in the culinary world. Fusion foods involve combining flavors and ingredients from different cultures into one dish. Banh mi, for example, are delicious Vietnamese sandwiches created using French baguettes and traditional Vietnamese ingredients.

 

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What's the Word? - POLYCHROMY

pronunciation: [PA-lee-KRO-mee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, mid 1800s

 

Meaning

1. The art of painting in several colors, especially as applied to ancient pottery, sculpture, and architecture.

 

Example:

"The artist’s use of vivid polychromy is what makes his sculptures so unique."

"The ruins featured faint traces of their original polychromy."

 

About Polychromy

The word polychromy originated from the combination of the word “polychrome” with the letter “y”. While polychrome came into prominence through French, it originally came from the Greek word polukhrōmos, which comes from the combination of the words “polu” (many) + “khroma” (color).

 

Did You Know?

While Greco-Roman buildings and sculptures are famously depicted in flawless white marble, the ancient world was actually much more colorful than you would assume. Ancient artists used polychromy to decorate their creations in bright, vivid colors. Many of these colors either faded due to the environment or were scrubbed off over time.

 

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What's the Word? - ENTELECHY

pronunciation: [en-TEL-ə-kee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Late Middle English, late 1500s

 

Meaning

1. (Philosophy) The realization of potential.

2. The supposed vital principle that guides the development and functioning of an organism or other system or organization.

 

Example:

"The instructor intended to guide all students to discover their own entelechy."

"The entelechy of a tadpole is to develop into a frog."

 

About Entelechy

This word developed trifold through Late Middle English, Latin, and, originally, Greek. The Greek word “entelekheia,” notably used by philosopher Aristotle, was the first iteration of entelechy, and came from a combination of the words “en” (within), “telos” (end, perfection), and “ekhein” (be in a certain state).

 

Did You Know?

Animals that go through metamorphosis undergo multiple stages of development in order to reach entelechy. Frogs, for example, hatch as tadpoles and use a long flagellate tail to move around. As they metamorphosize, however, tadpoles eventually develop legs and realize their full potential as an adult frog.

 

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What's the Word? - CRYPTONYM

pronunciation: [en-TEL-ə-kee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, late 19th century

 

Meaning

1. A code name.

 

Example:

"Entrants’ names were replaced with cryptonyms to prevent any possible bias."

"The news referred to the member of the jury by a cryptonym to preserve anonymity."

 

About Cryptonym

Cryptonym developed from the combination of the Latin word “crypto” (hidden) + the word root “onym.”

 

Did You Know?

Some of the most recognizable code names are found in the White House. While code names were originally meant to keep the movements of important figures confidential, today these cryptonyms are used simply for tradition. Some notable code names from Presidents past include “Lancer” for President John F. Kennedy (a reference to Camelot and King Arthur’s court) and “Deacon” for President Jimmy Carter (a reference to his commitment to the Christian faith).

 

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