A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Wed Jul 1 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ramble X-Bonus: It is almost impossible to carry the torch of truth through a crowd without singeing somebody's beard. -Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, scientist and philosopher (1 Jul 1742-1799) This week's theme: What's a letter here or there between friends? ramble (RAM-buhl) verb intr.: 1. To talk in an aimless manner. 2. To walk in an aimless manner. noun: A leisurely, sometimes lengthy walk. [Probably from Middle Dutch rammelen (to wander about in heat, used of animals). Earliest documented use: 1443.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ramble "Are you under the impression that I have time to listen to you ramble?" Rajnar Vajra; The Triple Sun: A Golden Age Tale; Analog Science Fiction & Fact (New York); Jul/Aug 2014. "Amateur landlords often ramble up to fix the heating days after a fault is reported." Housing the "Rentysomethings"; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 22, 2012. -------- Date: Thu Jul 2 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fardel X-Bonus: Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched. They ascribe to the men of the preceding age a wisdom more than human, and suppose what they did to be beyond amendment. I knew that age well; I belonged to it, and labored with it. It deserved well of its country. It was very like the present, but without the experience of the present; and forty years of experience in government is worth a century of book-reading; and this they would say themselves, were they to rise from the dead. I am certainly not an advocate for frequent and untried changes in laws and constitutions. I think moderate imperfections had better be borne with; because, when once known, we accommodate ourselves to them, and find practical means of correcting their ill effects. But I know also, that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors. -Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President (1743-1826) This week's theme: What's a letter here or there between friends? fardel (FAHR-dl) noun 1. A bundle. 2. A burden. [From Old French fardel, diminutive of farde (package, burden), from Arabic farda (piece, pack). Earliest documented use: 1300.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/fardel "He could be seen on the first night of every full moon, looking down with a fardel of twigs strapped with vines to his back." McDonald Dixon; Saints of Little Paradise; Xlibris; 2012. "It was selfish of me to link you with so much wretchedness, and join you with me in bearing the fardel of neverending anxiety and suspense." Frederick Marryat; The Phantom Ship; E.L. Carey & A. Hart; 1839. -------- Date: Fri Jul 3 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--maunder X-Bonus: A book must be an axe for the frozen sea inside of us. -Franz Kafka, novelist (3 Jul 1883-1924) This week's theme: What's a letter here or there between friends? maunder (MON-duhr) verb intr. 1. To talk aimlessly. 2. To walk aimlessly. [Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1622.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/maunder "Literary prizes in recent generations seem to go to maundering monuments to intentional obscurity, such as James Joyce's 'Ulysses' or Lawrence Durrell's tour de force of labyrinthine inscrutability, the seemingly endless 'Alexandrine Quartets'." Thomas P. Lowry; Owen Parry is Master of the Short Story; The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Virginia); Nov 27, 2004. "Last year Goran Ivanisevic maundered around the world, winning only 14 matches." Stephen Bierley; Genial Ivanisevic Takes a Walk on the Wild Side; The Guardian (London, UK); Jul 9, 2001. -------- Date: Mon Jul 6 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--accidence X-Bonus: In an earlier stage of our development most human groups held to a tribal ethic. Members of the tribe were protected, but people of other tribes could be robbed or killed as one pleased. Gradually the circle of protection expanded, but as recently as 150 years ago we did not include blacks. So African human beings could be captured, shipped to America, and sold. In Australia white settlers regarded Aborigines as a pest and hunted them down, much as kangaroos are hunted down today. Just as we have progressed beyond the blatantly racist ethic of the era of slavery and colonialism, so we must now progress beyond the speciesist ethic of the era of factory farming, of the use of animals as mere research tools, of whaling, seal hunting, kangaroo slaughter, and the destruction of wilderness. We must take the final step in expanding the circle of ethics. -Peter Singer, philosopher and professor of bioethics (b. 6 Jul 1946) A sword used for beheading is called a heading sword. Sodalite is not another word for Diet Coke, nor is it a member of a sodality https://wordsmith.org/words/sodality.html -- it's a mineral. Strawberry isn't a berry, but a banana is. A language never complains however you use it or misuse it. Who said language was meant to communicate and words were supposed to tell you what they mean from their spellings? This week we'll feature words that aren't what they seem to be. accidence (AK-si-dens) noun 1. The fundamentals of any subject. 2. The branch of grammar dealing with inflections of words. 3. A book of fundamentals of a subject. [From Latin accidentia (from Latin accidens), from accidere (to happen), from ad- (toward) + cadere (to fall). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kad- (to fall), which is also the source of cadence, cascade, casualty, cadaver, chance, chute, accident, occident, decay, recidivism https://wordsmith.org/words/recidivism.html , perchance https://wordsmith.org/words/perchance.html , casuistry https://wordsmith.org/words/casuistry.html . Earliest documented use: 1434.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/accidence "He flicked through the accidence, and closed it with a smile of accomplishment." Geraldine Brooks; Caleb's Crossing; Viking; 2011. -------- Date: Tue Jul 7 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--livelong X-Bonus: Sin lies only in hurting others unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. -Robert A. Heinlein, science-fiction author (7 Jul 1907-1988) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be livelong (LIV-long) adjective Whole or entire (referring to time). [From Old English leof (dear, used as an intensifier) + lang (long). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leubh- (to love or to care), which also gave us love, belief, leave (permission), and lief https://wordsmith.org/words/lief.html . Earliest documented use: 1450.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/livelong "Life goes on in their little yellow bubble, where everyone merrily agrees with each other, all the livelong day." Emma Cowing; Nicola in a Spin That is Turning Her Head; Daily Mail (London, UK); May 2, 2015. -------- Date: Wed Jul 8 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bespoke X-Bonus: Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings. -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, psychiatrist and author (8 Jul 1926-2004) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be bespoke (bi-SPOHK) adjective 1. Custom-made. 2. Relating to custom-made products. [Shortening of bespoken, past participle of bespeak (to speak for, to arrange), from Old English besprecan (to speak about). Earliest documented use: 1755.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bespoke "Book in for an eye test, as it's much better for your eyes to get a pair that are bespoke to your needs, rather than just picking up a pair in the supermarket." Keep Eye Health in Your Sights; Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland); Jun 28, 2015. -------- Date: Thu Jul 9 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--limpid X-Bonus: We now know that memories are not fixed or frozen, like Proust's jars of preserves in a larder, but are transformed, disassembled, reassembled, and recategorized with every act of recollection. -Oliver Sacks, neurologist and writer (b. 9 Jul 1933) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be limpid (LIM-pid) adjective 1. Clear; transparent. 2. Easily comprehensible; clear. 3. Calm; serene. [From Latin limpidus (clear). Earliest documented use: 1609.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/limpid "Simon Thacker could build sounds into dense textures that were at once complex and yet limpid." World Famous Guitarist opens Music in Quiet Places Concert Series; Stamford Mercury (UK); Jun 17, 2015. -------- Date: Fri Jul 10 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tribology X-Bonus: Wise sayings often fall on barren ground; but a kind word is never thrown away. -Arthur Helps, writer (10 Jul 1813-1875) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be tribology (try-BOL-uh-jee, tri-) noun The study of interacting surfaces in relative motion and associated issues, such as friction, lubrication, and wear. [From Greek tribos (rubbing), from tribein (to rub). Earliest documented use: 1966.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tribology NOTES: Usually words are coined on the streets of language, but here is one instance where a word may be considered to have been synthesized in a lab, if there could be such a thing as a word lab. In 1965, a group of lubrication engineers decided they needed a name for what they did and contacted the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary for help. Out of this came the word tribology, suggested by one C.G. Hardie of Magdalen College. So even though it looks like the perfect word for it, tribology is not the study of tribes. A related term is triboelectricity: electricity generated by friction. "As in the later case of the frayed shoelace, what I wanted here was tribology: detailed knowledge of the interaction between the surfaces inflicting the wear and the surfaces receiving it." Nicholson Baker; Mezzanine; Weidenfeld and Nicholson; 1988. -------- Date: Mon Jul 13 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--longhair X-Bonus: If life had a second edition, how I would correct the proofs. -John Clare, poet (13 Jul 1793-1864) Someone good with gardening is said to have a green thumb. One clumsy at dancing has two left feet. A person known as a big mouth loves to talk and can't keep a secret. A nosy person is too curious about others. From head to toe, our language is full of metaphors related to the body. This week we'll present five words related to the body parts that are used to describe people. longhair (LONG-hair) noun 1. An intellectual. 2. One having a deep interest in the arts, especially in classical music. 3. A male with long hair, especially a hippie. 4. A cat having long hair. [From Old English lang + haer. Earliest documented use: 1893.] "With the largest cast in LA Opera history (41 soloists), it delivers pure kitsch, complete with pratfalls, pie-in-the-face ... It is shamelessly slapstick, but the diehard longhairs loved it anyway." Patt Diroll; Party Circuit Heats Up; Pasadena Star-News (California); Feb 15, 2015. "Ever wonder what longhairs listen to when they let their hair down? Once upon a time, when conductors were regarded as remote intellectual titans, no one would have thought to ask." Rick Schultz; Roll over, Beethoven; Los Angeles Times (California); Jan 6, 2013. "Edinburgh's student longhairs had managed to rouse themselves for an anti-apartheid protest." Aidan Smith; My Murrayfield of Dreams; Scotland on Sunday (Edinburgh); Jan 29, 2012. -------- Date: Tue Jul 14 00:01:05 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--blackleg X-Bonus: Literature encourages tolerance -- bigots and fanatics seldom have any use for the arts, because they're so preoccupied with their beliefs and actions that they can't see them also as possibilities. -Northrop Frye, writer and critic (14 Jul 1912-1991) This week's theme: Words to describe people blackleg (BLAK-leg) noun 1. One who works while other workers are on strike. 2. A swindler, especially in games such as gambling. 3. One of various diseases of plants or cattle. [It's unclear how the term came to be employed for a strikebreaker. Earliest documented use: 1722.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/blackleg "Derek McGrath never crossed any picket line but he was regarded as a blackleg nonetheless." Two Guilty Parties as U-21 Final Row Rages; Irish Examiner (Cork, Ireland); May 5, 2015. -------- Date: Wed Jul 15 00:01:07 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--double-dome X-Bonus: Choose only one master -- Nature. -Rembrandt, painter and etcher (15 Jul 1606-1669) This week's theme: Words to describe people double-dome (DUHB-uhl-dohm) noun An intellectual. [From double + dome (slang for head). Earliest documented use: 1938.] "George has the double-dome's knack for using twice as many words as necessary to express simple concepts." Nick Pinkerton; Most Important Election of Their Lifetime; Village Voice (New York); Oct 15, 2008. -------- Date: Thu Jul 16 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--white-livered X-Bonus: Every student needs someone who says, simply, "You mean something. You count." -Tony Kushner, playwright (b. 16 Jul 1956) This week's theme: Words to describe people white-livered (hwyt-LIV-uhrd) adjective Cowardly. [From the former belief that a lack of vigor or courage was from a deficiency of bile which showed in a light-colored liver. Earliest documented use: 1546. Also known as lily-livered.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/white-livered "Fillmore jumped on a fence post, straddled a rail, and shouted at the Confederates, 'Surrender, you white-livered sons of guns!'" Eric Wittenberg, et al; One Continuous Fight; Savas Beatie; 2008. -------- Date: Fri Jul 17 01:13:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dittohead X-Bonus: Never underestimate the determination of a kid who is time rich and cash poor. -Cory Doctorow, author and journalist (b. 17 Jul 1971) This week's theme: Words to describe people dittohead (DIT-oh-head) noun One who mindlessly agrees with an idea or opinion. [After callers on the talk radio program Rush Limbaugh Show who often unquestioningly agree with the radio host. The word began as a term to describe listeners to the show who would agree with the previous caller's effusive praise of Limbaugh with the word "ditto". From ditto (same, likewise), from Italian (Tuscan dialect ditto) detto (said, above-mentioned), from Latin dictus (said), from dicere (to say). Ultimately from the Indo-European root deik- (to show, to pronounce solemnly), which also gave us judge, verdict, vendetta, revenge, indicate, dictate, paradigm, diktat https://wordsmith.org/words/diktat.html , fatidic https://wordsmith.org/words/fatidic.html , hoosegow https://wordsmith.org/words/hoosegow.html , interdict https://wordsmith.org/words/interdict.html , retrodiction https://wordsmith.org/words/retrodiction.html . Earliest documented use: 1989.] "Wade Lawlor and all his dittoheads are implicating her in the murder of the colleague she never met." Breakdown; Kirkus Reviews (New York); Dec 1, 2011. -------- Date: Mon Jul 20 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--plutonian X-Bonus: It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. -Edmund Hillary, mountaineer and explorer (20 Jul 1919-2008) The New Horizons probe did a flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto last week. The spacecraft traveled some three billion miles to reach there. That's enough frequent flier miles for an upgrade to any higher class. While Pluto has been demoted to a dwarf planet, it lives on in a special place in many people's hearts. Ask any child (and many adults). Pluto and its five moons (Hydra, Kerberos, Nix, Styx, and Charon) have been named after characters in Greco-Roman mythology. These characters have also become words in the English language. This week we'll feature words related to them. plutonian (ploo-TOH-nee-uhn) adjective 1. Relating to the dwarf planet Pluto. 2. Relating to Pluto, the god of the underworld in the Roman mythology. 3. Relating to the underworld. [Via Latin from Greek Plouton (Pluto, the god of the underworld). Earliest documented use: 1604.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/plutonian Pluto and its moons https://wordsmith.org/words/images/plutonian_large.jpg Image: NASA Also see: Words that appear to be related to the dwarf planet, but aren't: plutolatry https://wordsmith.org/words/plutolatry.html plutocracy https://wordsmith.org/words/plutocracy.html plutomania https://wordsmith.org/words/plutomania.html "The turbines are ready to be put in place and a large crew is busy in the Plutonian regions way down below." Looking Back on October 4; Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine); Oct 4, 2013. "'Be that word our sign of parting, bird, or fiend!' I shrieked, upstarting 'Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!'" Edgar Allan Poe; The Raven; 1845. "No one wants to hear you reallocating your 401(k) distribution with some drone on the phone. But if you are switching funds around, go for the gusto -- plutonian junk bonds!" Kevin Amorim and Nedra Rhone; Cool 2 Know; Newsday (New York); Sep 20, 2006. -------- Date: Tue Jul 21 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hydra X-Bonus: Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. Ask the infantry and ask the dead. -Ernest Hemingway, author and journalist, Nobel laureate (21 Jul 1899-1961) This week's theme: Words related to Pluto and its moons hydra (HY-druh) noun A persistent or multifaceted problem that presents a new obstacle when a part of it is solved. [After the many-headed monster Hydra in Greek mythology. When its one head was cut off, it sprouted two more. It was ultimately slain by Hercules. From Latin Hydra, from Greek Hudra (water snake). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wed- (water, wet), which also gave us water, wash, winter, hydrant, redundant, otter, and vodka. Earliest documented use: 1374.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hydra Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hydra_large.jpg Art: Gustave Moreau "Roosevelt's ships and men were drowning in the Pacific, fighting a hydra that formed and reformed in successive island jungles." Francine Mathews; Too Bad to Die; Riverhead Books; 2015. "The FSA ceases to exist today. It is a hydra, however. Two will spring up in its place." Dominic O'Connell; Perverse Pru Fine Sends FSA Out on Low Note; Sunday Times (London, UK); Mar 31, 2013. -------- Date: Wed Jul 22 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cerberus X-Bonus: What's done to children, they will do to society. -Karl A. Menninger, psychiatrist (22 Jul 1893-1990) This week's theme: Words related to Pluto and its moons Cerberus (SUHR-buhr-uhs) noun A powerful, hostile guard. [From Latin, from Greek Kerberos. Earliest documented use: 1386.] NOTES: Cerberus (also Kerberos) was the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to Hades, the infernal region in classical mythology. Ancient Greeks and Romans used to put a slice of cake in the hands of their dead to help pacify Cerberus on the way. This custom gave rise to the idiom "to give a sop to Cerberus" meaning to give a bribe to quiet a troublesome person. Cancerbero (from Spanish can: dog) is one of the Spanish terms for a goalkeeper in fútbol (football). Kerberos is the name given to an authentication protocol for computer networks. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cerberus Hercules and Cerberus https://wordsmith.org/words/images/cerberus_large.jpg Art: Peter Paul Rubens "Some of the composer's oldest friends grumbled among themselves that they no longer had direct access to him but were constantly running up against this young Cerberus, who answered the phone, read all Stravinsky's letters, and organized his diary." Stephen Walsh; Stravinsky: The Second Exile; Knopf; 2010. -------- Date: Thu Jul 23 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nocturnal X-Bonus: There are two kinds of truth: the truth that lights the way and the truth that warms the heart. The first of these is science, and the second is art. Neither is independent of the other or more important than the other. Without art, science would be as useless as a pair of high forceps in the hands of a plumber. Without science, art would become a crude mess of folklore and emotional quackery. The truth of art keeps science from becoming inhuman, and the truth of science keeps art from becoming ridiculous. -Raymond Thornton Chandler, writer (23 Jul 1888-1959) This week's theme: Words related to Pluto and its moons nocturnal (nok-TUHR-nuhl) adjective Relating to, happening, or active at night. [From Latin nocturnalis (of the night), from nox (night). Earliest documented use: 1485.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nocturnal NOTES: Pluto's moon Nix is named after Nyx, the ancient Greek goddess personifying night. In Roman mythology she's known as Nox. The Latin word for night, nox, also appears in such words as equinox (equal day and night) and noctambulation (sleepwalking). Gray slender loris, a nocturnal animal: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nocturnal_large.jpg Photo: Wikimedia "Getting around London late at night used to be expensive or time-consuming. Nocturnal groundlings can now get home more cheaply and reliably." After Dark; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 4, 2014. -------- Date: Fri Jul 24 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stygian X-Bonus: Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things. -Amelia Earhart, aviator (24 Jul 1897-1937) This week's theme: Words related to Pluto and its moons stygian (STIJ-ee-uhn) adjective 1. Dark or gloomy. 2. Hellish. 3. Unbreakable or completely binding (said of an oath). 4. Relating to the river Styx. [In Greek mythology Styx was a river in the underworld over which souls of the dead were ferried by Charon https://wordsmith.org/words/charon.html (after whom Pluto's largest moon is named). Styx was also the river by which oaths were sworn that even gods were afraid to break. The word is from Latin Stygius, from Greek Stygios, from Styx (the hateful). Earliest documented use: 1566.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/stygian Stygian waters https://wordsmith.org/words/images/stygian_large.jpg Etching: Gustave Doré (1832-1883) "And forget about walking into the stygian darkness of the basement." Joseph Xavier Martin; Dad's Spooky Stories Brought Chills, Thrills; Buffalo News (New York); Jul 1, 2015. "They laboured in Stygian conditions, which would not be tolerated now." Gay Byrne; Voices from the Old Schoolyard; Sunday Business Post (Cork, Ireland); Apr 5, 2015. -------- Date: Mon Jul 27 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tohubohu X-Bonus: Euphemism is a euphemism for lying. -Bobbie Gentry, singer and songwriter (b. 27 Jul 1944) A language revival is rare in history, but if you are determined anything is possible. The Hebrew language had ceased to be a spoken language and then revived between the 19th & 20th centuries. Today there are some nine million speakers of the language. Hebrew is not your typical language. It has 22 letters, all consonants. No vowels. No capital letters. And it's written from right to left. There are many everyday words in the English language that are borrowed from Hebrew, for example, cider, jubilee, and amen. There are also words that have come to English from Hebrew with a stopover in Yiddish, for example, maven https://wordsmith.org/words/maven.html , kosher https://wordsmith.org/words/kosher.html , and schmooze https://wordsmith.org/words/schmooze.html . Over the last 21 years in A.Word.A.Day, we have featured words borrowed from Hebrew from time to time, but never a whole week of them. This week it's all Hebrew. tohubohu (TOH-hoo-BO-hoo) noun Chaos; confusion. [From Hebrew tohu wa-bhohu, from tohu (formlessness) and bhohu (emptiness). Earliest documented use: 1619.] "Our problem is tohubohu. Our industry is drowning in it. But somehow, even with all the confusion and disorder, we manage to develop systems." Jerrold Grochow; Take a Little Tohubohu Off the Top; Software Magazine (Englewood, Colorado); Nov 1995. -------- Date: Tue Jul 28 00:01:02 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--behemoth X-Bonus: I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste. -Marcel Duchamp, artist (28 Jul 1887-1968) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Hebrew behemoth (bi-HEE-muth, BEE-uh-) noun 1. A huge or monstrous creature. 2. Something large and powerful, as an organization. [From Hebrew behemoth, plural of behemah (beast). Earliest documented use: 1382. Behemoth is a huge beast mentioned in the Book of Job 40:15-24.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/behemoth "The fears were plenty: that customers would end up paying more for declining service; that the industry behemoth would use its heft to stifle competition." Emily Steel, et al; Comcast Is Said to Abandon Bid for Major Rival; The New York Times; Apr 24, 2015. -------- Date: Wed Jul 29 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--leviathan X-Bonus: A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. -Robert Quillen, journalist and cartoonist (1887-1948) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Hebrew leviathan (li-VY-uh-thuhn) noun Something large and powerful. [Via Latin from Hebrew liwyathan (whale). Earliest documented use: 1382.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/leviathan Behemoth and Leviathan https://wordsmith.org/words/images/leviathan_large.jpg Art: William Blake (1757-1827) "A merger between the two firms, which both belong to London's Magic Circle of top five law firms, would have created a legal leviathan with 950 partners and more than 10,000 staff." Liz Chong; Partners Quit; The Times (London, UK); Aug 1, 2006. -------- Date: Thu Jul 30 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--manna X-Bonus: A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. -Henry Ford, industrialist (30 Jul 1863-1947) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Hebrew manna (MAN-uh) noun An unexpected help, benefit, or advantage. [Via Latin and Greek from Hebrew man (manna). In the Bible manna was the food supplied to the Israelites by the heavens during their wandering in the desert. Earliest documented use: mid 5th century.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/manna "The people, also, must accept this new mantra and not expect manna to fall from the tables of their representatives in the government." Are Nigerians Ready for the Real 'Change'?; The Sun (Lagos, Nigeria); Apr 22, 2015. -------- Date: Fri Jul 31 00:01:03 EDT 2015 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gehenna X-Bonus: Trust is the first step to love. -Munshi Premchand, novelist and poet (31 Jul 1880-1936) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Hebrew Gehenna (gi-HEN-uh) noun 1. Hell. 2. Any place of extreme torture or suffering. [From Latin gehenna, from Greek Geenna, from Hebrew ge-hinnom (hell), literally, the valley of Hinnom, or from ge ben Hinnom (valley of the son of Hinnom). It's not clear who this Hinnom fellow was. In the Bible, the valley was known as a place of child sacrifice. Ultimately, this word is from the same Semitic root that gave Arabic jahannam (hell) which, in Hindi, became jahannum. Earliest documented use: 1594.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/gehenna "We lived peacefully and happily, but now our house has turned into a Gehenna." Isaac Metzker; A Bintel Brief; Doubleday; 1971. "Just as I was preparing to set the back deck on fire to get some warmth in the house, all Gehenna broke loose on the news." Today's Advice; Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine); Feb 9, 2013.