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This week's theme Yours to discover This week's words orotund draggle trunnel pinnate lability Follow us on Discuss Feedback RSS/XML A.Word.A.Day--orotund orotund (OR-uh-tund) adjective 1. Strong, clear, rich (as in voice or speech). 2. Pompous, bombastic. [Contraction of Latin ore rotundo (with a round mouth), from ore, from os (mouth) + rotundo, from rotundus (round), from Indo-European root ret- (to run or roll). Other words derived from the same root are rodeo, roll, rotary, rotate, rotund, roulette, and round.] "No one today even tries to emulate the orotund, Latinate manner of Dr Johnson or Burke, except perhaps as a comic affectation." Edward Said; Living in Arabic; Al-Ahram Weekly (Cairo, Egypt); Feb 12, 2004. "Beaming his broad smile, Geoffrey Holder sets a few baby lettuce leaves and a slice of tomato on a plate. 'You must take chances, ad lib, im-pro-viiiisse,' he says, his orotund voice caressing the last word." Dana Jacobi; Harmony in the Kitchen; Vegetarian Times (Glen Allen, Virginia); Jun 1, 2001. It's human nature to find patterns in things - whether in the shape of clouds, the arrangement of sand, a chain of events, or the digits of pi. Or in a list of words. Is there a pattern in this week's words? Your challenge is to recognize the common theme in the words featured during these five days. If you think you have the answer, send it to words AT wordsmith.org. Only one solution per person, please. There are no prizes, but we'll tell you the answer at the end of the week. -Anu Garg X-Bonus There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. -Dalai Lama

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