كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

**soubiri** · 10-31-2006, 05:49 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

**soubiri** · 11-03-2006, 03:01 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Attenuate (Verb) Pronunciation: [ê-'ten-yu-weyt]Definition 1: To make thinner—narrower, rarer, or weaker; to reduce in strength, force, effect; to weaken. Usage 1: This verb has fathered a healthy family of related words. The noun is "attenuation" and something that attenuates is an attenuator. There are two adjectives: attenuative means "tending to attenuate" while "attenuate" [ê-'ten-yu-êt] means "thin or having been made thin."Suggested usage: The basic meaning of today's word is to make thinner in girth, "The month of wandering the desert had noticeably attenuated <place w:st="on">Fatima</place>." This applies to both senses of the word "thin," as we see here: "Finding the kumquat smoothie a bit too thick for her taste, Portia attenuated it with a half cup of gin." The other meaning is to reduce the power or intensity of something, "Boomer, would you mind attenuating the music until I am off the telephone?"Etymology: Latin attenuare, attenuat-: ad- "to" + tenuare "to make thin" (from tenuis "thin"). The root *ten- with the suffix -d shows up in many words borrowed from Latin, including tender "to offer," "tendon" (Greek "tenon" from teinein "to stretch"). Greek has a partially reduplicated form with the root repeated: tetanos "rigid" which gave us "tetanus" via Latin. In Latin, the root turns up in tenere "to hold" and from there found its way into tenant "lease holder" and tenor "course or drift of a discourse." As you can see in the pairs Latin pater : English father, Latin mater : English mother, the PIE [t] became [th] in English so we get the expected "thin" from the same root in English.

**soubiri** · 11-08-2006, 02:43 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Frolic (Verb) Pronunciation: ['frah-lik]Definition 1: To make merry, to gambol, to romp or caper about worry-free. Usage 1: Don't forget to add the [k] to today's word when extending it with suffixes like "frolicker," "frolicked," or "frolicking" (compare: traffic : trafficker, picnic : picnicker). A person in the mood to frolic is "frolicsome." I hope you know many frolicsome people. Suggested usage: Like "gambol," today's word is usually associated with children and animals: "Serafina and Giorgio sat on the porch, watching the children and squirrels frolicking together on the front lawn." Of course, it may be used figuratively to simply refer to a mirthful time, "I heard that Phil Anders and Emma Chisit frolicked the weekend away in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Las Vegas</place></city>." Etymology: From Dutch vrolijk "merry" from Middle Dutch vro "happy" + -lijc "-ly, like." Akin to German fröhlich "happy." The suffix here comes from the Old English ancestor of "like," which reduced itself to –ly in Modern English. However, "like" is now making a comeback in such words as "lady-like," "bell-like," "fern-like." These words are currently compound nouns comprising some word plus the regular word, "like," but 300 years from now "like" will again reduce to affix, either merging with the current suffix –ly or assuming a similar form.

**soubiri** · 11-23-2006, 03:29 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

**soubiri** · 12-01-2006, 03:23 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Beatific (Adjective)
Pronunciation: [bee-ê-'tif-ik]
Definition 1: Exhibiting ultimate serenity, imparting or experiencing a state of utmost bliss (beatitude), usually associated with a religious experience.
Usage 1: This word family is used almost exclusively in a religious sense. The Christian "beatific vision" is the bliss aroused by the direct contact with God enjoyed by angels and other souls in heaven. "Beatific smiles" reflect that serenity and contentedness. The noun, beatitude, is associated with the list of blessings in Christ's Sermon on the Mount, commonly referred to as "The Beatitudes."
Suggested usage: There is no reason why religion should usurp the services of this word family. There are secular situations where it might be used in the sense of a serene self-confidence like that of a religious faith. For example, "Louella entered the room with a beatific air that inspired confidence in every word she uttered," suggests the serene self-confidence inspired by the knowledge that the gods are watching over her. The noun is subject to similar application, "Manfred's attitude suggested beatitude more than mere self-confidence."
Etymology: Latin beatificus "making happy" from beatus "happy" (past participle of beare "to bless") + -fic (from fac-ere "make, do") + case ending -us. The ultimate root also underlies Latin bonus "good," bene "well" found in "benefit," "benevolent," and "benign," not to mention bellus "beautiful" from which we get "beauty" and "belle (of the ball)."

**soubiri** · 12-06-2006, 04:22 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Steganography (Noun) <shapetype id="_x0000_t75" stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" o

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**soubiri** · 12-13-2006, 05:38 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

**soubiri** · 01-01-2007, 05:27 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Oxymoron (Noun) Pronunciation: [ahk-see-'mo-rahn]Definition 1: A phrase comprising two mutually contradictory words. Usage 1: We often understand phrases that, when interpreted logically, actually contradict themselves! What do you think passes through the mind of an English-learner when they first hear: "a long brief," "the living dead," or "freezer burn?" A shot fired at me was a "near miss;" does this mean I was partially hit? What could "old news" possibly mean? An old story cannot be news of any kind. Suggested usage: Now, see how many you can find in this paragraph: "It was a pretty ugly situation: we were alone together with a pitcher of beer almost exactly half full listening to soft rock. I was half naked in a pair of tight slacks and Lucy wore a pair of slack tights. Suddenly we had an urge for some jumbo shrimp but when I put on my plastic glasses to look for them, we found our car keys missing." Other candidates are a matter of interpretation. What do you think: bureaucratic efficiencies, British cuisine, American taste, Russian political organization, golf fashion, holy war, Microsoft Works, political science, rap music? <span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa; mso-bidi-font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "times new roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us">Etymology:<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa; mso-bidi-font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "times new roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us"> From Greek oxus "sharp" and moros "dull, stupid." Greek "oxus" is also found in "oxygen" and shares an origin with Latin acus "needle" underlying "acuity," "acid," "acupuncture," and "acute." In Germanic it became *agjo which developed into Old Norse eggja, "to incite, egg on," borrowed later by English "egg (on)" which thus has nothing to do with the avian reproductive system. The same Germanic stem developed into English "edge."

**soubiri** · 01-05-2007, 04:48 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Pot (Noun) <shapetype id="_x0000_t75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f" o

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**soubiri** · 01-08-2007, 11:36 AM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

**soubiri** · 01-10-2007, 01:25 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Voracity (Noun)<shapetype id="_x0000_t75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f" o

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**soubiri** · 01-11-2007, 05:25 PM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Labile (Adjective) Pronunciation: ['ley-bIl or 'ley-bêl]Definition 1: Changeable, unstable; apt to slip away.Usage 1: 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 <place w:st="on" />Middle East</place />. 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." Etymology: Latin labilis "slippery, apt to slip" via Old French "labile." Related to labor and lapsare both of which mean "to slip, stumble, fall." The past participle of "labor" is "lapsus," the origin of English "lapse." The stem here is probably related to labium "lip" and English "lip" which all seem to come from the same root, *leb-.

**soubiri** · 03-10-2007, 09:33 AM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Gambit (Noun)Pronunciation: ['gæm-bit]Definition 1: A daring opening move in chess that sacrifices a piece for a future advantage.Usage 1: 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."Etymology: Italian gambetto "gambit", originally "tripping (up)" from gamba "leg". The same PIE root devolved into Greek kampê "bend, twist" and Lithuanian kampas "corner".

**soubiri** · 03-11-2007, 09:47 AM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Pyrrhic (Adjective) <shapetype id="_x0000_t75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f" o

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**soubiri** · 03-12-2007, 09:03 AM

_MD_RE: كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

Sanction (Noun)Pronunciation: ['sængk-shên]Definition 1: This word has two contradictory meanings: approval for or prohibition against doing something. It also may refer to a specific law prohibiting something or the penalty for violating such a law. Usage 1: When you sanction the use of something you either approve of it or effectively prohibit it. The meanings are distinguished by the prepositions used with the word: sanction to (approval) versus sanction against (prohibition). "Sanction" is also a verb but the prepositional distinction is not maintained with the verb: "Mom sanctioned milk and cookies after school" could mean she approved of them or prohibited them. Suggested usage: This is a word that can be used everywhere from the home to international relations: "We need Mom and Dad's sanction (approval) to pull stumps in the back yard with the Volvo" but "The US established sanctions against non-essential exports to Cuba in the 1960."Etymology: Latin sanctio "establishing as inviolable" from sancire "to make holy." The Proto-Indo-European root, sak-, which was rendered "sanc-" when nasalized, also underlies "saint" (sank-t-) with the "t" suffix and simplification of the consonant cluster (loss of the "k" sound). Unnasalized, it produced "sacred." Read "How is a Hippopotamus like a Feather" in the yourDictionary library for more on Proto-Indo-European.

كلمة اليوم Word of the Day

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