DarkRavie Posted Saturday at 01:07 PM Author Report Share Posted Saturday at 01:07 PM What's the Word: POLLEX pronunciation: [PAH-leks] Part of speech: noun Origin: Latin, 18th century Meaning: 1. The innermost digit of a forelimb, especially the thumb in primates. Examples: "Ernie’s polydactyl cat had an additional pollex." "The shopping bag was light enough that I could carry it with my pollex alone." About Pollex “Pollex” comes directly from the same word in Latin, meaning “thumb” or “big toe.” Did you Know? The English word “pollex” comes directly from Latin, though variations on the word exist in other European languages. In Russian, “palex” means “finger,” “bol′šoj palec” means “thumb,” and “palec nogi” means “toe.” In both Czech and Bulgarian, “palec” means “thumb.” 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted Sunday at 01:47 PM Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 01:47 PM What's the Word: SPOOR pronunciation: [SPOOR] Part of speech: noun Origin: Dutch, 19th century Meaning: 1. The track or scent of an animal. Examples: "We caught the spoor of the moose and followed it into the deep woods." "The only spoor the hunters found was a patch of faint tracks on the hard ground." About Spoor “Spoor” entered English as a loanword from the Dutch. It was also used in other languages: “spoor” in Afrikaans (South African Dutch), “spor” in Old Norse, “speur” in Flemish, and “spar” in Swedish. Did you Know? While “spoor” is mostly used as a noun for animal tracks or scent, the term can sometimes be used as a verb meaning “to track” or “to hunt.” For example, “John heard the call of the ducks landing at the end of the lake, and set off in his boat to spoor them.” 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted Monday at 01:13 PM Author Report Share Posted Monday at 01:13 PM What's the Word: DEASIL pronunciation: [DEH-səl] Part of speech: adverb Origin: Scottish Gaelic, late 18th century Meaning: 1. (Dated, mainly Scottish) In the direction of the sun's apparent course, considered as lucky; clockwise. Examples: "Following the sun, the druids circled Stonehenge deasil." "I circled the lot deasil while seeking a parking spot." About Deasil “Deasil” entered English in the 18th century from the Scots Gaelic “deiseil,” meaning “toward the right.” Did you Know? To move in a deasil direction means to move clockwise, which Celts believed followed the course of the sun in a lucky manner. For this reason, many Scottish and Celtic religious processions and other ceremonial occasions included participants walking deasil around a church or site of worship. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted Tuesday at 12:37 PM Author Report Share Posted Tuesday at 12:37 PM What's the Word: EUDAEMONISM pronunciation: [yoo-DEE-mə-niz-əm] Part of speech: noun Origin: Greek, early 19th century Meaning: 1. A system of ethics that bases moral value on the likelihood of actions producing happiness. Examples: "Janick practiced eudaemonism by planning an enjoyable activity for each weekend." "The teacher encouraged students to explore eudaemonism by doing at least three pleasurable things every day." About Eudaemonism “Eudaemonism” entered English in the 19th century from the Greek “εὐδαιμονία,” meaning “happiness,” with the suffix “-ism” to indicate a system of belief or practice. Did you Know? “Eudaemonism” is based on the Greek term “eudaemonia,” introduced by Aristotle. “Eudaemonia” described the positive condition of doing and living well. It was not exactly a synonym for “happiness,” but as a philosophy it described a greater state of positive existence, which combined wisdom, contemplation, virtue, and other beneficial attributes for personal success. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted 8 hours ago Author Report Share Posted 8 hours ago (edited) What's the Word: GRANDISONANT pronunciation: [gran-DIH-sə-nənt] Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, 17th century Meaning: 1. Stately sounding. Examples: "The mayor gave a grandisonant speech about the contributions of the city’s founders." "The hotel manager offered a grandisonant description of the room service options." About Grandisonant “Grandisonant” is derived from the classical Latin “grandisonus,” meaning “pompous” or “loud sounding.” Both the English word and its Latin source are formed by mixing the Latin roots “grandis” (meaning “large”) and “sonus” (meaning “sound”). Did you Know? “Grandisonant” can be either a compliment or an insult, depending on how it is applied. If the speaker on a very serious occasion gives a grandisonant speech, it may bring a feeling of solemnity to the day. Yet a person orating in a grandisonant tone about trivial things risks sounding pompous. Edited 8 hours ago by DarkRavie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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