Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



May 9, 2016
This week’s theme
Forgotten positives

This week’s words
licit
peccable
clement
effable
scrutable

“Language is a city to the building of which every human being brought a stone.” ~Emerson
Invite friends & family
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

Last month, a North Carolina judge sentenced a veteran to 24 hours in jail, then joined him behind bars. See The Washington Post (permalink).

What a positive, heartwarming story, different from the typical mayhem that appears in the news!

Well, in the language also, there’s much that’s negative, but this week we’ll look at the positive words that don’t get much circulation. This week we dedicate to forgotten positives.

licit

PRONUNCIATION:
(LIS-it)

MEANING:
adjective: Legal or legitimate.

ETYMOLOGY:
From licere (to be allowed), which also gave us license and leisure. Earliest documented use: 1483.

USAGE:
“Many officials in governance and administration have undergone an accelerated improvement in lifestyle based on no visible, or licit, revenue streams.”
Lifestyle Audits Will Sniff Out Corruption; The Star (Nairobi, Kenya); Nov 17, 2015.

See more usage examples of licit in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. -James Matthew Barrie, author (9 May 1860-1937)

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