This week’s theme
Wheels

This week’s words
trochilic
rotiform
zodiac
exorbitant
encyclical

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(ZOH-dee-ak)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A circular diagram with 12 parts, each named after a constellation, used in astrology.
2. A circle, circuit, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin zodiacus, from Greek zoidiakos, shortening of zoidiakos kyklos (zodiac circle), from zoion (living being) + kyklos (circle, wheel). Earliest documented use: 1390.

NOTES:

I’m an Aries. I haven’t checked my zodiac reading, but I assume it says “Aries don’t believe in this stuff.” If you like to check your zodiac reading, read this first: Reality or Trickery. Also check out this podcast (7 min.) from Scientific American. Finally, don’t miss this most fascinating article An Astronomer Looks at Astrology (pdf).

USAGE:

“The richest travels are those along the thoroughfares of the mind -- a welcome insight in this era of trips not taken, sights not seen, back streets not explored. Or as the Khan comes to understand: ‘The empire is nothing but a zodiac of the mind’s phantasms.’”
In the Mind’s Eye; The Economist (London, UK); Aug 22, 2020.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: