New Game: What's the Word?

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What's the Word: DISSERTATION

pronunciation: [dis-ər-TEY-shən]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A long essay on a particular subject, especially one written as a requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree.

 

Example:

"The architecture professor wrote her dissertation on medieval castle engineering."

"It takes years to earn a Ph.D., and at least a few of those years will be spent writing a dissertation."

 

About Dissertation

“Dissertation” is taken directly from the Latin “dissertātiōn,” meaning “discourse” or “disquisition.” It is closely related to the Latin “dissertāre,” meaning “dispute” or “discuss.”

 

Did You Know?

In its earliest appearances in English, “dissertation” referred to pointed conversation and debate, as implied by its Latin root meaning “discourse” and “disquisition.” As time passed, “dissertation” no longer referred to a debate between two or many people in person, or even in print, but it specifically meant a long and detailed written argument, usually by a single author. The modern “dissertation” is generally a book-length piece of research and argument presented by a Ph.D. candidate at the end of their degree as a summary of the whole of their learning. In most cases, a Ph.D. candidate must “defend” their dissertation before a panel of professors, a process that recollects to the dispute and discussion meanings of the word.

 

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What's the Word: INFRACANINOPHILE

pronunciation: [in-fra-ka-NI-no-file]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: American English, 20th century

 

Meaning: 

1. One who loves and roots for underdogs (competitors at a disadvantage)

 

Example:

"Irma’s such an infracaninophile that she changes her favorite baseball team every year to whoever’s lowest in the standings."

"The infracaninophile in me always wants to see the end of the game to find out if the loser turns it around."

 

About Infracaninophile

“Infracaninophile” combines the Latin prefix “infrā,” meaning “underneath,” with “canin,” referring to the Latin “canīnus,” meaning “dog.” Together these create a Latin improvisation of the U.S. slang term “underdog” (coined in the late 19th century), meaning “the competitor at a disadvantage or expected to lose.” The suffix “-phile” comes from Greek, meaning “dear” or “beloved.” Thus, “infracaninophile” is one for whom the underdog is dear or beloved.

 

Did You Know?

“Infracaninophile” was coined in the first half of the 20th century by American humorist, journalist, poet, novelist, and essayist Christopher Morley. In a preface to Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Complete Sherlock Holmes,” Morley wrote of Holmes that “he was always also the infracaninophile — the helper of the underdog." Morley likely knew the word “underdog” was a recent American invention; he saw the humor of rephrasing a modern slang word in ancient-sounding Latin.

 

Edited September 14, 2022 by DarkRavie

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What's the Word: ZEAL

pronunciation: [zeel]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Late Middle English, 15th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.

 

Example:

"Tiffany had an incredible zeal for knitting socks to give as Christmas presents."

"I tackled my messy closet with zeal so I could get it as organized as the Instagram posts I saved."

 

About Zeal

“Zeal” appeared first in Middle English as “zele.” This was based on the Latin “zēlus” and the Ancient Greek “ζῆλος,” or “zêlos,” meaning “jealousy.”

 

Did You Know?

“Zeal” shares the same root as the word “jealousy,” and there are parallels between the two. Zeal is a state of passionate enthusiasm for a project or cause that can run to extremes, while jealousy is a state of extreme insecurity. While jealousy is often destructive, a person with zeal can do good things and have intense devotion to worthy causes. However, a “zealot” can take passionate convictions into extremism and negative ends. As such, "zeal" is a measure of the intensity of the feeling, not of the direction it takes a person.

 

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What's the Word: EFFECTUATE

pronunciation: [ə-FEK-tyoo-eyt]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Put into force or operation.

 

Example:

"The new highway law effectuated updates to all driver’s licenses."

"The arrival of the rainy season effectuated a wave of growth across the jungle canopy."

 

About Effectuate

“Effectuate” comes from medieval Latin “effectuat-” (caused to happen), from the Latin “effectus.”

 

Did You Know?

“Effectuate” is a transitive verb, meaning an action that a subject does to an object. Often “effectuate” describes a secondary action that occurs as a consequence of other things happening, such as changes to policies or circumstances. Some shifts are deliberately effectuated, such as new legislation. Other times, changes may be effectuated due to shifts in technology or society. For example, advances in DNA sequencing continue to effectuate the evolution of cancer treatments.

 

Edited September 17, 2022 by DarkRavie

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What's the Word: GALVANIZE

pronunciation: [GAL-və-niyz]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: French, early 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Shock or excite (someone) into taking action.

2. Coat (iron or steel) with a protective layer of zinc.

 

Example:

"Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard galvanized Canada into basketball fandom."

"The strength Eleanor needed to lift her grandchildren surprised her, and galvanized her to start going to the gym."

 

About Galvanize

“Galvanize” comes from the French “galvaniser,” meaning “stimulate by electricity,” named for Italian physician Luigi Galvani.

 

Did You Know?

In 1792, Italian physician and physicist Luigi Galvani helped develop the idea of “bioelectromechanics,” the relationship between magnetic/electrical forces and biological subjects like cells and tissues. Galvani gave his name to “galvanism,” the process of generating electricity from chemical sources. This electrical connection is the basis of the modern definitions of “galvanize.” The word can refer to both the literal and figurative human experience of being shocked or excited into taking action, as well as to the chemical practice of using an electric charge to coat metal with a thin layer of protective zinc.

 

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What's the Word: SUPERSEDENCE

pronunciation: [soo-pər-SEED-ns]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The act of taking the place of (a person or thing previously in authority or use), or supplanting.

 

Example:

"Gasoline-powered cars face supersedence by the rising popularity of electric vehicles."

"Since the 1990s, the supersedence of hip-hop and pop music over rock 'n' roll on the charts has been clear."

 

About Supersedence

“Supersedence” is formed out of the verb “supercede,” from the Latin “supersedere,” meaning “be superior to.” The current sense of supplanting a previous version dates from the mid 17th century.

 

Did You Know?

Consumer electronics is a market of supersedence. Manufacturers offer updated models every year, which they hope will supersede last year’s model in the eyes of consumers. Supersedence isn’t built into the market of every consumer product, however. Many simple items, like tools or cooking utensils, hardly change at all, allowing for very little change from year to year. Automobile manufacturers have relied on a degree of supersedence with the release of each year’s models of cars and trucks. However, car and truck makers are rarely ever able to offer the kinds of continual technological upgrades that smartphone, tablet, and computer makers tout as the hallmarks of each new product they release.

 

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What's the Word: UTOPIAN

pronunciation: [yoo-TOH-pee-ən]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Ancient Greek, mid 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Modeled on or aiming for a state in which everything is perfect; idealistic.

 

Example:

"Jay believed in vegan utopian ideas and wished everyone would follow a plant-based diet."

"Many of Silicon Valley’s early utopian ideas didn’t ultimately work as foundations for successful tech companies."

 

About Utopian

“Utopian” is based on the name for an ideal world coined by Sir Thomas More in his 1516 work “Utopia.” More created the word “Utopia” by combining the Ancient Greek οὐ (“ou”), meaning “not,” and “τόπος (“tópos”), meaning “place, region.”Utopia was an imagined world that was not a real place. Within forty years of the publication of More’s “Utopia,” the adjective “utopian” had become an expression for ideas that aimed to create the idealized world of More’s book.

 

Did You Know?

Around the world, there are organized communities aiming to improve the standard of living through fresh ideas about housing and social interactions. These communities could all be called “utopian,” though their range is wide, extending from hippie communes to social housing to collective condominium developments. In the past, many communal living experiments were driven by purely utopian ideas and the challenge of trying to live in the most satisfying way. However, most modern projects are now tightly connected with environmental goals. They may still be called “utopian,” but they pair dreams of a perfect world with tangible goals of reducing waste and generating sustainable energy.

 

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What's the Word: HABITUATE

pronunciation: [hə-biCH-ə-weyt]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, late 15th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Make or become accustomed or used to something.

 

Example:

"At the beginning of every winter, it takes me a few weeks to habituate myself to the cold."

"Paul thought having to habituate himself to nighttime noise was the hardest part of moving to the city."

 

About Habituate

“Habituate” is from the late Latin “habituat-” (accustomed) from the verb “habituare.” The Latin “habitus” describes a condition.

 

Did You Know?

While it’s impossible to turn off the body’s awareness of cold, it’s perfectly possible for people to habituate themselves to different temperature extremes. Why endure such discomfort? Some researchers believe human metabolisms have been short-circuited by modern climate control and propose exposure to cold as a means to jolt the immune system. Such exposure can remind the body of the winters we no longer experience as acutely as our ancestors. This can be done with daily exposures to cold showers, or by deliberately dressing lightly in cold weather.

 

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What's the Word: EXEMPLAR

pronunciation: [ig-ZEM-plahr]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Old French, 14th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A person or thing serving as a typical example or excellent model.

 

Example:

"Journey’s hit single “Don’t Stop Believin’” is an exemplar of the 1980s rock anthem."

"The “Impossible Burger” is an exemplar of a vegetarian product aimed at traditional meat eaters."

 

About Exemplar

“Exemplar” is based on the Old French “exemplaire,” meaning “copy” or “facsimile.” That word was based on the Latin “exemplar,” meaning “pattern” or “model.”

 

Did You Know?

In its earliest form, “exemplar” referred to a model, pattern, or prototype from which other things could be built. It also referred to the original form of a text from which copies could be made. Within 100 years of the word’s entry into English in the 14th century, however, “exemplar” had also come to mean “a strong example” of something, or an example that proves something. The modern definition of the word is based on this later definition. An “exemplar” refers to a person or thing standing as a typical example or an excellent model.

 

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What's the Word: KEYSTONE

pronunciation: [KEE-stohn]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Old French, 14th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together.

2. The central principle or part of a policy, system, etc., on which all else depends.

 

Example:

"The last year’s monthly profits were the keystone of the CEO’s argument for a new sales approach."

"The health of some species, such as elephants, is considered the keystone of an entire ecosystem."

 

About Keystone

“Keystone” is an architectural and building term formed in English by fusing the noun “key,” meaning both an object to open and close a lock and also a crucial step, with the noun “stone.”

 

Did You Know?

In order to complete the building of a stone arch, traditional masons place a final stone at the peak of the arch to connect all the other pieces while redistributing their weight. This is called a “keystone,” both because it is crucial to the integrity of the structure, and because without it, the arch cannot be locked together. Without a keystone, a traditional stone arch will collapse under its own weight. In modern English, a “keystone” refers to any central idea or value upon which other things are based. For example, fighting climate change is a keystone of most environmental policies.

 

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What's the Word: CONGRUOUS

pronunciation: [kahNG-roo-us]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. In agreement or harmony.

 

Example:

"The noise from the hotel bar was congruous with its reputation as an all-night party spot."

"City officials paired a redesign of the park with a congruous set of new community programs."

 

About Congruous

“Congruous” is based directly on the Latin “congruous,” meaning “coinciding with.”

 

Did You Know?

In order to complete the building of a stone arch, traditional masons place a final stone at the peak of the arch to connect all the other pieces while redistributing their weight. This is called a “keystone,” both because it is crucial to the integrity of the structure, and because without it, the arch cannot be locked together.Though “incongruous” is a common word today, “congruous,” on which it's based, is lesser known. “Congruent” is a geometric term meaning identical in form, but “congruous” applies to things being in harmony, but not exactly the same. For example, a theater’s lighting setup is often designed to be congruous with its sound system in order to deliver a cohesive experience. Without a keystone, a traditional stone arch will collapse under its own weight. In modern English, a “keystone” refers to any central idea or value upon which other things are based. For example, fighting climate change is a keystone of most environmental policies.

 

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What's the Word: LABILITY

pronunciation: [lə-BIL-ə-dee]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Middle French, 14th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Liability to change; ease of alteration.

 

Example:

"The lability of children’s moods makes planning their birthday parties a challenge."

"Chloe has been surprised by the lability of her musical tastes over the years."

 

About Lability

“Lability” is derived from the Middle French term “labilité,” itself based on the Latin “lābilis,” meaning “apt to slip.”

 

Did You Know?

In its original form at the beginning of the Renaissance, the word “lability” didn’t just mean the potential for a person or thing to change. Instead, in the 16th century, “lability” measured a person’s likelihood of slipping into error, sin, irrationality, or bad behavior. By the 1700s, the term had come to mean simply “instability.” The neutral definition of “lability” (referring to transience or changeability) won out in the ensuing centuries. Today, “lability” is most often used in psychology as a term for emotional fluctuation and responsiveness.

 

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What's the Word: OSMOSE

pronunciation: [ahz-MOZ]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: English, 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Pass by or as if by osmosis.

 

Example:

"When the good cherries are in season, news of their arrival osmoses through the neighborhood."

"I don’t follow the news because I know the big stories will osmose their way to me eventually."

 

About Osmose

“Osmose” is a back-formation, created out of the word “osmosis.” “Osmosis” itself is from the Greek “ὠσμός” (“ōsmós”), meaning “push.”

 

Did You Know?

Osmosis, the process by which water and other solvents pass through membranes, was first documented in the mid-1700s by French scientists, and by the 1800s, the word had moved into English. While this was an exciting new scientific idea, the notion that one thing could pass into another simply through contact with it made a great metaphor for the way knowledge moves among people. By 1900, “osmosis” was being used to describe the state of absorbing ideas and knowledge we don’t notice ourselves taking in. Within a few decades, the verb “osmose” had been created to describe the action of absorbing ideas in that way.

 

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What's the Word: RIFACIMENTO

pronunciation: [ri-fah-chi-MEN-toh]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Italian, 18th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A literary work or musical composition recast to adapt it to a change in the circumstances of the time.

 

Example:

"Both the 1964 musical “My Fair Lady” and the 1999 teen comedy “She’s All That” are rifacimentos of George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play “Pygmalion.”"

"James Joyce’s 1922 novel “Ulysses” is a rifacimento of “The Odyssey,” set among the regular people of Dublin."

 

About Rifacimento

“Rifacimento” is taken from the same word in Italian. It combines “rifare,” meaning “re-do” or “re-make” with the suffix “-mento” (like “-ment” in English), making a noun of the action of redoing.

 

Did You Know?

While Shakespeare’s works are a popular source for modern rifacimentos, many of the plays were themselves reworkings of old stories, newer works, and details of history. “King Lear” is a rifacimento of the anonymous 1594 comedy “The True Chronicle History of King Leir,” which told the story of the early King Leir of Britain. Even “Romeo and Juliet” was a rifacimento of Arthur Brooke’s 1562 poem “The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet” (itself a rifacimento of an Italian story). In these cases, Shakespeare chose to emphasize elements of his own choosing — to develop and elevate characters that were perhaps marginal in the original text and to invent characters that didn’t previously exist.

 

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What's the Word: ACCREDITATION

pronunciation: [ə-kred-ə-TEY-shən]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: English, 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The action or process of officially recognizing someone as having a particular status or being qualified to perform a particular activity.

2. Official certification that a school or course has met standards set by external regulators.

 

Example:

"Even the oldest colleges in the U.S. have their accreditation reviewed every few years."

"John received his accreditation shortly after graduation and immediately found a job."

 

About Accreditation

“Accreditation” was based on the English word “accredit,” meaning “to give [someone or something] credit” or “to confirm as credible.” That word is based on the French “accréditer,” which is derived from the Latin “accreditare,” meaning “to entrust.”

 

Did You Know?

Historically, “accreditation” was the business of renowned organizations confirming that people or organizations rose to their standards, but it’s no longer just professional societies offering accreditation. Today, a person in nearly any field can seek out and gain an accreditation relevant to their interests. For example, computer science experts can receive expensive accreditations confirming expertise in particular technologies and systems. There are also cheaper courses and exams available online for those who want to receive accreditation as a beer judge (less than $50), a baby shower planner (roughly $150), or a Pokémon “Professor” ($500 or less).

 

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What's the Word: THRALL

pronunciation: [thrahl]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Old English, 10th century

 

Meaning: 

1. The state of being in someone's power or having great power over someone.

 

Example:

"My aunt loved gadgets and was in the thrall of late-night infomercials."

"YouTubers have thrall over my prankster brother, always giving him a new idea for mayhem in our house."

 

About Thrall

An extremely old word in English, “thrall” is based on the Old English word “þrǣl” and the Old Norse “þræll,” both meaning “slave.”

 

Did You Know?

Though the earliest roots of this very old word (first noted in the 10th century) refer to the state of being a slave, in modern terms, “thrall” refers to the condition of being held captive by something invisible, such as an idea, a tradition, a set of values, a mood, or a charismatic person. A shy person acting boldly because they were caught up in the thrall of a crowd was not forced to act as they did, but allowed themselves to be influenced by the enthusiasm of others. Likewise, a gleeful child meeting a movie hero at a comic convention is in the thrall of celebrity. The modern usage of “thrall” has lost the connotation of being held captive, but, instead, there's an element of being swept along with excitement.

 

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What's the Word: SYNOPSIZE

pronunciation: [sə-NAHP-siyz]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: American English, 19th century

 

Meaning: 

1. Give a brief summary or general survey of (something)

 

Example:

"Sydney used the commercial breaks of the Dodgers game to synopsize the at-bats for her husband who was grilling dinner outside."

"I find it difficult to synopsize movies when people ask me."

 

About Synopsize

The verb “synopsize” is an American addition to English, formed out of the noun “synopsis.” That word entered English in the 17th century from the Latin “synopsis” and the Greek “σύνοψις” (“súnopsis”), both meaning “whole view.” In the 19th century, American speakers added the suffix “-ize,” making a verb of the noun.

 

Did You Know?

Students around the world have taken advantage of CliffsNotes, which synopsize literary works into easy-to-digest summaries and study guides. But the business model was started in 1948 with Coles Notes, produced by Canadian bookstore Coles. In 1958, Nebraskan Clifton Hillegass licensed the U.S. rights to the idea and launched CliffsNotes, synopsizing in simple language 16 Shakespearean plays, before going on to synopsize hundreds of works of literature and academic subjects. Today, CliffsNotes have been challenged by the rise of websites that offer free versions of similar services.

 

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What's the Word: LAUDABLE

pronunciation: [LAW-də-bəl]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning: 

1. (of an action, idea, or goal) deserving praise and commendation.

 

Example:

"The neighbors commended my teenage son’s laudable efforts to clean up the local park."

"Despite a laudable effort to tie the game in the ninth inning, the visiting team was defeated."

 

About Laudable

“Laudable” is based on the Latin “laudābilis,” which means “worthy of being praised.”

 

Did You Know?

Many celebrities are beloved because of their laudable acts. We don’t just love Dolly Parton because she’s a talented singer and songwriter, but also because she gives generously to medical, educational, and social causes while staying humble. Lizzo is likewise an excellent singer, songwriter, and performer, but her devoted fan base is often just as excited about the laudable efforts she’s made to make people feel better about loving their bodies as they are. Public figures who do such laudable things with their money and influence are inspiring because they offer an example of how to live well, and their audiences tend to reward them with adoration.

 

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What's the Word: VIBRISSAE

pronunciation: [viy-BRIS-uh]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning: 

1. (Zoology) Long stiff hairs growing around the mouth or elsewhere on the face of many mammals, used as organs of touch; whiskers.

2. (Ornithology) Coarse bristle-like feathers growing around the gape of certain insectivorous birds that catch insects in flight.

 

Example:

"Cats use their vibrissae to hunt but also to sense the area around their faces."

"The vibrissae on seals, walruses, and other pinnipeds are much more sensitive than the whiskers of land animals."

 

About Vibrissae

“Vibrissae” is taken directly from the Latin, meaning literally “nostril hairs.”

 

Did You Know?

Many mammals have vibrissae — stiffer, thicker hairs around the face that they use as sense organs, the way some insects use antennae. Vibrissae grow from different follicles than regular hairs, and their roots are closely connected with facial nerves in order to allow them to deliver sense information. Long whiskers (“macrovibrassae”) can be moved, while short whiskers (“microvibrassae”) are stationary — though both deliver information about spaces and objects the animal encounters. Some 800,000 years ago humans lost the DNA for whiskers, which were replaced by the somatosensory cortex of the brain. Though the word “vibrissae” translates literally as “nostril hairs,” human hairs do not serve even remotely as complex a function as do cat, rat, or seal whiskers.

 

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What's the Word: QUAGMIRE

pronunciation: [KWAG-mahy-ər]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: English, 16th century

 

Meaning: 

1. A soft boggy area of land that gives way underfoot.

2. An awkward, complex, or hazardous situation.

 

Example:

"A quagmire on the east end of the town prevented the community from building in that area."

"Shawn hoped his case would be simple, but it became clear he was facing a legal quagmire."

 

About Quagmire

“Quagmire” was formed by fusing two English words, “quag,” meaning “marsh” or “bog,” and “mire,” meaning “area of mud or spongy earth.”

 

Did You Know?

“Quagmire” is a combination of two words in English that both basically mean “swamp,” but the two have completely different origins. “Quag” is a variation on the Middle English “quabbe” (meaning “a marsh”) and the Old English “cwabba” (meaning “soft thing”). “Mire” is also Middle English, but its roots are early Scandinavian, such as the Old Icelandic “mýrr,” and the Norwegian, Old Swedish, and Danish “myr.” Both “quag” and “mire” still exist independently in English, but “quagmire” is more widely used than either.