A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Thu Nov 1 00:01:04 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--amatorculist X-Bonus: Who is content with nothing possesses all things. -Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux, poet (1 Nov 1636-1711) This week's theme: There's a word for it amatorculist (uh-ma-TOR-kyuh-list) noun A pretend or insignificant lover. [From Latin amatorculus (a little lover), diminutive of amator (lover), from amor (love). Earliest documented use: 1731.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/amatorculist_large.jpg Photo: https://pixabay.com/en/duck-bird-water-lake-nature-3321147/ "The titles all start with where he painted them ... The format is Location-Number-Quick-description ... Considering the whole title is 'Thessaloniki-I-Winsome Amatorculist' ... he is guessing it's a painting of his one-night stand." Luchia Dertien; Gnomon; DSP Publications; 2015. -------- Date: Fri Nov 2 00:01:04 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--abnegation X-Bonus: We have probed the earth, excavated it, burned it, ripped things from it, buried things in it, chopped down its forests, leveled its hills, muddied its waters, and dirtied its air. That does not fit my definition of a good tenant. If we were here on a month-to-month basis, we would have been evicted long ago. -Rose Bird, Chief Justice of California Supreme Court (2 Nov 1936-1999) This week's theme: There's a word for it abnegation (ab-ni-GAY-shuhn) noun Self-denial. [From Latin abnegation, from ab- (away, off) + negare (to deny), from nec (not). Earliest documented use: 1398.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/abnegation "In the 1980s, [Roy Walford] wrote 'The 120 Year Diet' and then followed it up with even more misery and abnegation in 'Beyond the 120 Year Diet'." Pagan Kennedy; The Secret to a Longer Life? Don't Ask These Dead Longevity Researchers; The New York Times; March 9, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/09/opinion/sunday/longevity-pritikin-atkins.html -------- Date: Mon Nov 5 00:01:02 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--trumped-up X-Bonus: There is no great invention, from fire to flying, which has not been hailed as an insult to some god. -J.B.S. Haldane, scientist (5 Nov 1892-1964) Typically, we feature words that are organized around a theme each week. Words borrowed from Spanish https://wordsmith.org/words/camarilla.html , or words with all vowels https://wordsmith.org/words/abstentious.html , or words from mythology https://wordsmith.org/words/autolycan.html, for instance. Random times call for random words. Once in a while, we just close our eyes and open the dictionary. Then we point a finger somewhere on the page. We did this five times and these words popped up. What are the odds? trumped-up (trumpt-up) adjective Faked or fraudulent. [A corruption of the word triumph, from Old French triumphe, from Latin triumphus (triumph), from Greek thriambos (hymn to Dionysus https://wordsmith.org/words/dionysian.html ). Also see, trumpery https://wordsmith.org/words/trumpery.html . Earliest documented use: 1728.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/trumped-up "Hell, my reputation was born of grassroots journalism; never was I ever guilty of cheap trumped-up sensationalism!" Ian Way; Envoys from the Stars; Balboa Press; 2015. -------- Date: Tue Nov 6 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stormy petrel X-Bonus: I don't think that combat has ever been written about truthfully; it has always been described in terms of bravery and cowardice. I won't even accept these words as terms of human reference any more. And anyway, hell, they don't even apply to what, in actual fact, modern warfare has become. -James Jones, novelist (6 Nov 1921-1977) This week's theme: Random words stormy petrel (STOR-mee PE-truhl) noun 1. One who brings trouble or whose appearance is a sign of coming trouble. 2. Any of various small sea birds of the family Hydrobatidae having dark feathers and lighter underparts, also known as Mother Carey's Chicken. [The birds got the name storm petrel or stormy petrel because old-time sailors believed their appearance foreshadowed a storm. It's not certain why the bird is named petrel. One unsubstantiated theory is that it is named after St. Peter who walked on water in the Gospel of Matthew. The petrel's habit of flying low over water with legs extended gives the appearance that it's walking on the water. Earliest documented use: 1776.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/stormy%20petrel https://wordsmith.org/words/images/stormy_petrel_large.jpg Art: Robert Havell, from the book "Birds of America" (1827) by John James Audubon "To some, Walker was a stormy petrel as he spoke his mind and did not hesitate to fight for what he thought was right, even at the risk of his career and delaying his knighthood by several years." Lai Soon Ang; Old Soldier Fades Away; New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); Aug 27, 2001. -------- Date: Wed Nov 7 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--melancholia X-Bonus: The cardinal doctrine of a fanatic's creed is that his enemies are the enemies of God. -Andrew Dickson White, diplomat, author, co-founder and president of Cornell University (7 Nov 1832-1918) This week's theme: Random words melancholia (mel-uhn-KOH-lee-uh) noun A feeling of deep sadness; depression. [From Latin melancholia, from Greek melancholia (the condition of having an excess of black bile), from melan- (black) + chole (bile). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghel- (to shine), which is also the source of words such as yellow, gold, glimmer, gloaming, glimpse, glass, arsenic, and cholera. Earliest documented use: 1398.] NOTES: In earlier times it was believed that four humors controlled human behavior and an imbalance resulted in disease. According to this thinking, an excess of black bile secreted by the spleen resulted in melancholia or ill humor. Four temperaments in smileys, depicted by the tilt of the eyes and the turn of the mouth: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/melancholic.jpg Top row: Phlegmatic, choleric, Bottom row: sanguine, melancholic. [Graphic: Noe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Noe ] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/melancholia "The mood, inevitably, tends towards melancholia, but there are moments of brightness." Barry Divola, et al.; Music Reviews; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Oct 13, 2018. -------- Date: Thu Nov 8 00:01:04 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pensive X-Bonus: Your voice dries up if you don't use it. -Patti Page, singer (8 Nov 1927-2013) This week's theme: Random words pensive (PEN-siv) adjective Sadly thoughtful; wistful. [From Old French pensif (pensive), from penser (to think), from Latin pensare (ponder), frequentative of pendere (to weigh). Ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)pen- (to draw, to spin), which also gave us pendulum, spider, pound, pansy, pendant, ponder, appendix, penthouse, depend, spontaneous, vilipend https://wordsmith.org/words/vilipend.html , pendulous https://wordsmith.org/words/pendulous.html , ponderous https://wordsmith.org/words/ponderous.html , filipendulous https://wordsmith.org/words/filipendulous.html , equipoise https://wordsmith.org/words/equipoise.html , prepend, and perpend https://wordsmith.org/words/perpend.html . Earliest documented use: 1393.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pensive "When we met last spring, I expected the Belfast-born investor ... to be elated. Instead I found him to be pensive and almost post-traumatic." Dearbhail McDonald; 'Nama Nearly Destroyed Me' -- Top London Hotelier; Sunday Independent (Dublin, Ireland); Sep 18, 2016. -------- Date: Fri Nov 9 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--huckster X-Bonus: One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It's simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we've been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (9 Nov 1934-1996) This week's theme: Random words huckster (HUHK-stuhr) noun: 1. One who sells things of questionable value in an aggressive or dishonest manner. 2. An advertising copywriter, especially for radio or television. verb tr.: To sell something of questionable value aggressively or dishonestly. verb intr.: To haggle. [From Middle Dutch word hokester (peddler), from hoeken (to peddle). Earliest documented use: 1200s.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/huckster "Mostly they're just plain, old-fashioned carnival hucksters, picking the pockets of gullible people they play for rubes." Jeff Hester; 'Miracle' Work; Astronomy (Milwaukee, Wisconsin); Nov 2018. -------- Date: Mon Nov 12 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--metagrobolize X-Bonus: Patience is also a form of action. -Auguste Rodin, sculptor (12 Nov 1840-1917) "Did you just make that up?" you might ask on seeing any of the words this week. Sure, they are all made-up words, but we didn't coin them. Someone did, though we don't know who, when, or where. We know why or at least we can guess it: they coined a word to fill a gap in the language or just to have fun. The words featured this week may sound funny, even ridiculous. They may even have an unusual spelling or pronunciation, but don't let that stop you from using them. They are all real words -- they have been part of the English language for hundreds of years. metagrobolize (me-tuh-GRAHB-uh-lyz) verb tr. To puzzle or to mystify. [From Middle French matagraboliser. Earliest documented use: 1635.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/metagrobolized "Can you bottle anti-commercial sentiment for commercial purposes? Should you? These are questions the Professor might call completely metagrobolizing." Jeff Belle; ODP Shakes Up; EContent (Wilton, Connecticut); Feb/Mar 2001. -------- Date: Tue Nov 13 00:01:04 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quaquaversal X-Bonus: If your morals make you dreary, depend upon it they are wrong. -Robert Louis Stevenson, novelist, essayist, and poet (13 Nov 1850-1894) This week's theme: Ridiculous words quaquaversal (kwah-kwuh-VUR-sal) adjective Sloping downward from a center in all directions. [From Latin quaquaversus, from quaqua (in all directions), from qua (in what direction) + versus (towards), from vertere (to turn). Earliest documented use: 1691.] Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral https://wordsmith.org/words/images/quaquaversal_large.jpg Photo: Michael Garnett https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikepaws/7057534653/ "In geological terms, the miners have scattered quaquaversal -- madly off in all directions -- to places like the pulp mill in Pine Falls; the potash mine in Esterhazy Sask; the gold mine in Red Lake, Ont.; and the gold mine in Lupin, NWT." Bill Redekop; A Rocky Future for Mining Town; Free Press (Winnipeg, Canada); Sep 15, 2001. -------- Date: Wed Nov 14 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--whigmaleerie X-Bonus: Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit. It is never a narrowing of the mind or a restriction of the human spirit or the country's spirit. -Jawaharlal Nehru, freedom fighter and the first Prime Minister of India (14 Nov 1889-1964) This week's theme: Ridiculous words whigmaleerie or whigmaleery (hwig-muh-LIR-ee) noun 1. A whim. 2. A fanciful contrivance. [It's a Scots term, but we know little about it beyond that. Earliest documented use: 1730.] "There was nothing of the wispy character of the whigmaleerie about Granny Gilmour when she opened her neat front door to us." Jane Duncan; My Friend Madame Zora; Macmillan; 1963. -------- Date: Thu Nov 15 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bamboozle X-Bonus: He who, when called upon to speak a disagreeable truth, tells it boldly and has done, is both bolder and milder than he who nibbles in a low voice and never ceases nibbling. -Johann Kaspar Lavater, poet, writer, philosopher (15 Nov 1741-1801) This week's theme: Ridiculous words bamboozle (bam-BOO-zuhl) verb tr. 1. To deceive. 2. To confuse. [Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1703.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bamboozle "Vietnam began the game with a short passing game using one-touch tactics to bamboozle the Cameroonians and negate their physical size advantage." Vu Duc; Olympic Finland Win BV Cup; The Saigon Times (Vietnam); Nov 20, 2006. -------- Date: Fri Nov 16 00:01:02 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--flapdoodle X-Bonus: The world is like a Mask dancing. If you want to see it well, you do not stand in one place. -Chinua Achebe, writer and professor (16 Nov 1930-2013) This week's theme: Ridiculous words flapdoodle (FLAP-doo-duhl) noun Nonsense. [Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1834.] "[An] overuse of technique does not represent expertise and boldness, but an escape into flummery and flapdoodle." Harlan Ellison; Harlan Ellison's Watching; Open Road Media; 2015. https://wordsmith.org/words/flummery.html -------- Date: Mon Nov 19 00:01:04 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fiddlestick X-Bonus: Destroying species is like tearing pages out of an unread book, written in a language humans hardly know how to read, about the place where they live. -Holmes Rolston III, professor of philosophy (b. 19 Nov 1932) I came across this news item last month: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45724710 https://web.archive.org/web/20181012114226/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45724710 A court in Saudi Arabia has decided that a woman can't marry a man because his lute-playing makes him "religiously incompatible". To which I say: Fiddlesticks! You can't say there hasn't been any progress though. It's the 21st century and women in some places have just earned the right to drive a car. Check back in the next century and they may be eligible to marry a person of their choosing. Until then, let's take solace in music. This week we'll feature five words that have musical origins. Go ahead, make use of these musical words. And make music -- you have the right. Drive a car -- you have that right too. Just don't try to make music *while* driving. At least, not until Google has finished testing their self-driving cars. fiddlestick (FI-duhl-stik) noun: 1. The bow with which the fiddle is played. 2. Something insignificant. interjection: Nonsense. (typically used as a plural) [From fiddle, from Old English fithele + stick, from Old English sticca. Earliest documented use: 1400s.] NOTES: The use of the word to refer to something of little value may be related to the fact that the verb fiddle has a contemptuous meaning: to fiddle is to do something frivolous, to do something aimlessly. How did the bow of a violin end up being a synonym for nonsense? No one knows, but any comedian would tell you that words ending in a K sound are funny. And when you have a word starting with F and ending in K, well, it would be a crime not to employ it as an interjection. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/fiddlestick https://wordsmith.org/words/images/fiddlestick_large.jpg Image: AnnArtshock https://www.deviantart.com/annartshock/art/Violin-with-Bow-540853544 "There is no attitude, nor the slightest trace of imperial snobbery. Empress? Fiddlesticks!" Lawrence Money; Lunch with Lady Primrose Potter Philanthropist; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Jun 20, 2015. -------- Date: Tue Nov 20 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--upbeat X-Bonus: The truth isn't always beauty, but the hunger for it is. -Nadine Gordimer, novelist, Nobel laureate (20 Nov 1923-2014) This week's theme: Words from music upbeat (UHP-beet) noun: An unaccented beat before the first beat of a measure. adjective: Cheerful; optimistic. [From up + Old English beatan (beat). Earliest documented use: 1869.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/upbeat Beginning of Bach's BWV 736, with upbeat in red https://wordsmith.org/words/images/upbeat_large.png Image: Kwantus/Wikimedia "As John Spangenberg of Damascus was readying his blooms for the show, he remained upbeat despite it all. 'I probably lost a quarter of my garden in the spring,' he said." Adrian Higgins; The Photogenic Dahlia Stages a Comeback, and Steals the Show; The Washington Post; Oct 11, 2018. -------- Date: Wed Nov 21 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--orchestrate X-Bonus: Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do. -Voltaire, philosopher (21 Nov 1694-1778) This week's theme: Words from music orchestrate (OR-kuhs-strayt) verb tr. 1. To compose or arrange music for performance by an orchestra. 2. To arrange elements of a situation to achieve a desired result. [From Latin orchestra, from Greek orkhestra, from orkheisthai (to dance). Earliest documented use: 1858.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/orchestrate "Nonetheless, the fact remains that a deception took place; Rebecca orchestrated it and Jacob perpetrated it." Shlomo Riskin; Human Accident, Divine Plan; Jerusalem Post (Israel); Nov 12, 1999. -------- Date: Thu Nov 22 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--concert pitch X-Bonus: Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first. -Charles de Gaulle, French president (22 Nov 1890-1970) This week's theme: Words from music concert pitch (KAHN-suhrt pich) noun 1. A tuning standard for musical instruments in which the note A above middle C is assigned a frequency of 440 cycles per second. Also known as international pitch. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/concert_pitch_440hz.mp3 2. A state of being tensely alert or ready. [From concert, from French concerter, from Italian concertare (harmonize) + pitch, probably from Old English pic. Earliest documented use: 1735.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/concert%20pitch "England did not bowl their best, apart from Stuart Broad, who was roused to concert pitch." Scyld Berry; Hope Springs Eternal for West Indies; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Aug 30, 2017. -------- Date: Fri Nov 23 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--trombenik X-Bonus: To seek understanding before taking action, yet to trust my instincts when action is called for. Never to avoid danger from fear, never to seek out danger for its own sake. Never to conform to fashion from fear of eccentricity, never to be eccentric from fear of conformity. -Steven Brust, novelist (b. 23 Nov 1955) This week's theme: Words from music trombenik or trombenick (TROM-buh-nik) noun A lazy or a boastful person. [From Yiddish tromba (trumpet, horn) + -nik (suffix denoting a person associated with a particular quality, group, etc.). The English equivalent is a person tooting one's own horn. Earliest documented use: 1931.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/trombenik_large.jpg Image: Martha Plousos https://www.flickr.com/photos/80874895@N08/39221747884/ "Her children, the big trombenik who was good-for-nothing and the little pisher who knows nothing about anything, were destroying her life." Floyd Skloot; 1957; Sewanee Review (Baltimore, Maryland); Winter 2005. https://wordsmith.org/words/pisher.html -------- Date: Mon Nov 26 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--actuate X-Bonus: The best theology is probably no theology; just love one another. -Charles Schulz, cartoonist (26 Nov 1922-2000) The poet Lauris Edmond (1924-2000) once wrote: It's true you can't live here by chance, you have to do and be, not simply watch or even describe. This is the city of action, the world headquarters of the verb. Edmond lived in Wellington, NZ, but any place can be your own headquarters of the verb. It has to be. There's no other choice -- life is not about being a spectator but a participator. To be. To do. Do be do! With that in mind, this week we feature verbs. actuate (AK-choo-ayt) verb tr. To put into motion or action; to activate; to motivate. [From Latin actuare (to actualize), from actus (act), past participle of agere (to drive or do). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ag- (to drive, draw, or move), which also gave us act, agent, agitate, litigate, synagogue, ambassador, agonistes https://wordsmith.org/words/agonistes.html , ambage https://wordsmith.org/words/ambage.html , axiomatic https://wordsmith.org/words/axiomatic.html , cogent https://wordsmith.org/words/cogent.html , incogitant https://wordsmith.org/words/incogitant.html , exigent https://wordsmith.org/words/exigent.html , exiguous https://wordsmith.org/words/exiguous.html , and intransigent https://wordsmith.org/words/agonistes.html . Earliest documented use: 1594.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/actuate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/actuate.jpg Image: Kleem https://www.kleeminc.com./show_subcat.php?subcatid=6&catid=4 "'President Buhari is actuated by nothing else than love for motherland.' he said." Taiwo Adediran; The Presidency Called on Nigerians to Be Wary of Fake News; Royal Times (Nigeria); May 9, 2018. -------- Date: Tue Nov 27 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--parley X-Bonus: Use only that which works and take it from any place you can find it. -Bruce Lee, martial artist and actor (27 Nov 1940-1973) This week's theme: Verbs parley (PAR-lee) verb intr.: To have a discussion, especially with an opposing party. noun: A discussion, especially between opposing groups. [Apparently from French parler (to talk), from Latin parabolare (to speak or talk), from parabola (speech). Earliest documented use: 1490.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/parley Parley aboard the "Black Pearl" (still from the film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl") https://wordsmith.org/words/images/parley_large.jpg Photo: http://pirates.wikia.com/wiki/Parley PotC Wiki "The removal of lead from all petrol, then, should usher in a Golden Age. In America, since the ban of 1996, researchers estimate that IQ scores have risen by several points and 58m crimes have been avoided. The spread of peace to some of the world's more benighted countries may happen not because leaders parley or Western troops leave, but because the element of wickedness has been taken out of their cars." A Toxin in Your Tank; The Economist (London, UK); Nov 21, 2012. -------- Date: Wed Nov 28 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--impignorate X-Bonus: The reward for conformity was that everyone liked you except yourself. -Rita Mae Brown, writer (b. 28 Nov 1944) This week's theme: Verbs impignorate (im-PIG-nuh-rayt) verb tr. To pledge, pawn, or mortgage. [From Latin impignorare/impignerare (to pledge), from pignus (pledge, pawn, mortgage). Earliest documented use: 1639.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/impignorate_large.jpg Photo: Thomas Hawk https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/14831592067/ "First Cash Financial Services is a pawn shop. Yep, a good, old-fashioned pawn shop that makes small loans to folks willing to impignorate family heirlooms, silver, firearms, rings, musical instruments, construction tools, and other tangible personal property." Malcolm Berko; Pawn Shops Offer Sound Investments; Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach); Feb 18, 2010. -------- Date: Thu Nov 29 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--declaim X-Bonus: Write on my gravestone: "Infidel, Traitor" -- infidel to every church that compromises with wrong; traitor to every government that oppresses the people. -Wendell Phillips, human rights activist and attorney (29 Nov 1811-1884) This week's theme: Verbs declaim (di/dee-KLAYM) verb intr.: 1. To speak rhetorically. 2. To speak in a pompous manner. verb tr.: 1. To recite with eloquence. 2. To state with passion. [From Latin declamare, from de- (intensive prefix) + clamare (to shout). Earliest documented use: 1374.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/declaim Roberto Bolle, American Ballet Theatre, Romeo and Juliet https://wordsmith.org/words/images/declaim_large.jpg Photo: Kent G Becker https://www.flickr.com/photos/notmydayjobphotography/8086368935 "Will Self makes frequent appearances in the Guardian to declaim the Death of the Novel, only to persist in writing novels that presumably not even he can be bothered to read." Rob Doyle; The Novel Isn't Dead -- It Just Smells Funny; Irish Times (Dublin); Nov 15, 2018. -------- Date: Fri Nov 30 00:01:03 EST 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--divaricate X-Bonus: It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (30 Nov 1835-1910) This week's theme: Verbs divaricate (dy-VAR-uh-kayt, -kit for adjective) verb intr.: To branch off or diverge. adjective: Branched off or diverging widely. [From Latin divaricare, from dis- (apart) + varicare (to straddle), from varicus (straddling). Earliest documented use: 1623.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/divaricate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/divaricate_large.jpg Photo: manhhai https://www.flickr.com/photos/13476480@N07/15880676340/ "After a 3,000-mile journey across five national borders, [Mekong], the mother of rivers divaricates into a complex delta network." Ben Mauk; The Floating World; The New York Times Magazine; Apr 1, 2018.