Category: Word of the Day

Word of the Day

fore·shad·ow
[fôrˈSHadō]

Definition of foreshadow
transitive verb
: to represent, indicate, or typify beforehand : prefigure
The hero’s predicament is foreshadowed in the first chapter.

VERB
foreshadows (third person present) · foreshadowed (past tense) · foreshadowed (past participle) · foreshadowing (present participle)
be a warning or indication of (a future event).
“it foreshadowed my preoccupation with jazz”
synonyms:
augur · presage · portend · prognosticate · foreshow · foretell · indicate · suggest · signal · herald · forewarn · warn of · promise · point to · anticipate · forebode · foretoken · betoken · harbinger · prefigure

Word of the day

Word of the Day :

ambivalent

adjective am-BIV-uh-lu
Definition
: having or showing simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward something : characterized by ambivalence

Did You Know?
The words ambivalent and ambivalence entered English during the early 20th century in the field of psychology. They came to us through the International Scientific Vocabulary, a set of words common to people of science who speak different languages. The prefix ambi- means “both,” and the -valent and -valence parts ultimately derive from the Latin verb valēre, meaning “to be strong.” Not surprisingly, an ambivalent person is someone who has strong feelings on more than one side of a question or issue.

 

Examples
Bianca was ambivalent about starting her first year away at college—excited for the new opportunities that awaited but sad to leave her friends and family back home.
“A new study from LinkedIn found that many people feel ambivalent in their careers—wondering if they should stay in the same job or take time to invest in learning new skills or even change to a new path altogether.” — Shelcy V. Joseph, Forbes, 3 Sept. 2018

Word of the day

orange rope wrapped brown wood log
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in·fran·gi·ble
[inˈfranjəbəl]

ADJECTIVE
formal
unbreakable; inviolable.
“there is no infrangible genetic prescription of human behavior”
synonyms:
unbreakable · shatterproof · nonbreakable · toughened · sturdy · stout · hardwearing · heavy-duty · resistant · durable · lasting · made to last · enduring · everlasting · perennial · deathless · undying · immortal · endless · inextinguishable · imperishable · ineradicable · long-lasting · adamantine · infrangible
antonyms:
fragile · ephemeral

ORIGIN
late 16th century: from French, or from medieval Latin infrangibilis, from in- ‘not’ + frangibilis ( see frangible).

Word of the day

addiction aid bottle capsule
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lenitive

len·i·tive
[ˈlenədiv]

ADJECTIVE
(of a medicine) laxative.
synonyms:
soothing · alleviating · sedative · calmative · calming · alleviative · alleviatory · lenitive · demulcent · assuasive · mitigatory · mitigative · paregoric
NOUN
lenitives (plural noun)
a laxative.
synonyms:
painkiller · analgesic · pain reliever · sedative · tranquilizer · anodyne · calmative · opiate · bromide · lenitive · demulcent · mitigative · paregoric

ORIGIN
late Middle English: from medieval Latin lenitivus, from lenit- ‘softened’, from the verb lenire.

Word Of The Day

sa·lu·bri·ous
[səˈlo͞obrēəs]

ADJECTIVE
health-giving; healthy.
“salubrious weather”
synonyms:
healthy · health-giving · healthful · beneficial · good for one’s health · wholesome · salutary
antonyms:
unhealthy
(of a place) pleasant; not run-down.
synonyms:
pleasant · agreeable · nice · select · upmarket · high-class · leafy · fashionable · expensive · luxurious · grand · fancy · posh · swanky · plushy · classy · glitzy · swish · swank
antonyms:
unpleasant · downmarket

ORIGIN
mid 16th century: from Latin salubris (from salus ‘health’) + -ous.

Word of the day

brown head beauty close
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ser·pen·tine
[ˈsərpənˌtēn, ˈsərpənˌtīn]

ADJECTIVE
of or like a serpent or snake.
“serpentine coils”
winding and twisting like a snake.
“serpentine country lanes”

 
synonyms
winding · windy · zigzag · zigzagging · twisting · twisty · turning · meandering · curving · sinuous · snaking · snaky · tortuous · anfractuous · flexuous · meandrous · serpentiform
antonyms:
straight
complex, cunning, or treacherous.
“his charm was too subtle and serpentine for me”
synonyms:
complicated · intricate · complex · involved · tortuous · convoluted · tangled · elaborate · knotty · confusing · bewildering · baffling · inextricable · entangled · impenetrable · Byzantine · Daedalian · Gordian · involute · involuted
antonyms:
straightforward · simple
NOUN
a dark green mineral consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate, sometimes mottled or spotted like a snake’s skin.
a riding exercise consisting of a series of half-circles made alternately to right and left.
historical
a kind of cannon, used especially in the 15th and 16th centuries.
VERB
serpentines (third person present) · serpentined (past tense) · serpentined (past participle) · serpentining (present participle)
move or lie in a winding path or line.
“fresh tire tracks serpentined back toward the hopper”

ORIGIN
late Middle English: via Old French from late Latin serpentinus ( see serpent).

Word of the day

quip

noun

Definition
1 a : a clever usually taunting remark : gibe
b : a witty or funny observation or response usually made on the spur of the moment
2 : quibble, equivocation
3 : something strange, droll, curious, or eccentric : oddity

Did You Know?
Quip is an abbreviation of quippy, a noun that is no longer in use. Etymologists believe that quippyderived from the Latin quippe, a word meaning “indeed” or “to be sure” that was often used ironically. The earliest sense of quip, referring to a cutting or sarcastic remark, was common for approximately a century after it first appeared in print in the early 1500s. It then fell out of use until the beginning of the 19th century, when it underwent a revival that continues to the present day.
Examples
To almost every comment I made, Adam responded with a quip and a smile.
“The cancellation of the CW network’s ‘Veronica Mars’ after three precious, ratings-starved seasons was a TV tragedy. Viewers reluctantly moved on, but we did not forget the girl who was quick with a quip, and perhaps even quicker with a taser.” — Karla Peterson, The San Diego Union Tribune, 25 Aug. 2018

Word of the day

Word of the Day : October 9, 2018

ambivalent

adjective am-BIV-uh-lunt
Definition
: having or showing simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward something : characterized by ambivalence

Did You Know?
The words ambivalent and ambivalence entered English during the early 20th century in the field of psychology. They came to us through the International Scientific Vocabulary, a set of words common to people of science who speak different languages. The prefix ambi- means “both,” and the -valent and -valence parts ultimately derive from the Latin verb valēre, meaning “to be strong.” Not surprisingly, an ambivalent person is someone who has strong feelings on more than one side of a question or issue.

 

Examples
Bianca was ambivalent about starting her first year away at college—excited for the new opportunities that awaited but sad to leave her friends and family back home.
“A new study from LinkedIn found that many people feel ambivalent in their careers—wondering if they should stay in the same job or take time to invest in learning new skills or even change to a new path altogether.” — Shelcy V. Joseph, Forbes, 3 Sept. 2018