Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ



Jan 29, 2013
This week's theme
There's a word for it

This week's words
overmorrow
filipendulous
paresthesia
armscye
onomastics

Surprise me!
Get a random word from A.Word.A.Day archives
Discuss
Feedback
RSS/XML
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

filipendulous

PRONUNCIATION:
(fi-li-PEN-juh-luhs, -PEN-dyoo-)

MEANING:
adjective: Hanging by a thread.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin filum (thread) + pendere (to hang). Ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)pen- (to draw, to spin), which is also the source of pendulum, spider, pound, pansy, pendant, ponder, appendix, penthouse, depend, and spontaneous. Earliest documented use: 1864.

USAGE:
"A group of filipendulous constructions that evoke Brobdingnagian hornets' nests."
The New Yorker; Sep 25, 1989.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Mistakes are part of the dues that one pays for a full life. -Sophia Loren, actress (b. 1934)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith