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Word – Calumniate
Calumniate – Word of the Day Meaning: [Verb]: make false and defamatory statements about. History: History dates back to the mid15th century. Debated of Latin origin From Latin calumniatus; past participle of calumniari; From calumnia Usage: 1. Verb examples – Calumniate: 1. The politician was calumniated by his rival. 2. The opposition has been calumniating the ruling party for long. 3. The journalist was warned for calumniating the actor. 4. The company was calumniated by the agitated union. 5. There is ample evidence that the lawyer was not calumniated, but was rightly attacked for his misdeeds. 6. Some people take...
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Word – Ruminate
Ruminate – Word of the Day Meaning: To think deeply about something To chew for a long time/chew the cud(for a grass-eating animal) Origin: This word was first used in the mid 16th century, and originates from the Latin word ruminare, which means to “chew the cud”. The root word is rumen, which is the first stomach of a grass-eating animal. Usage: I have ruminated for months about whether to tell him about my pregnancy. I suggest the committee ruminate over the implications of its decision to permit fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Our ethics class had us ruminating on...
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Word – Garrulous
Garrulous – Word of the day Meaning: [adj]: excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters. History: Dates back to the 1600s. Has Latin origin. Greek origin and Irish origin are also suspected. From Latin garrulus, Greek Gerys and Irish Gairm. Usage: Adverb examples – Garrulously: 1. The TV host won many viewers by talking garrulously. 2. She diverted the focus by garrulously explaining some other things. 3. He was always a centre of attention in the party because he spoke garrulously. 4. The criminal was given an injection after which he talked garrulously. 5. The young man was shrewd but talked...
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Word – Fetid
Fetid – Word of the day Meaning: [adj]: smelling extremely unpleasant. History: Dates back to the early 15th century. Has Latin origin. From Latin fetidus. Usage: Noun examples – Fetidity, Fetidness: 1. Due to the fetidness of the water in the swimming pool, children stopped coming. 2. Fetidity in river water is an indication of disease. 3. The maids placed a lot of fragrant potpourris which removed the fetidity of the room. 4. The waste from the factories is the main cause for the fetidity of the water. 5. The fetidness of the sofa covers caused the guests to scowl....
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Word – Demure
Demure – Word of the day Meaning: [ adj] : reserved, modest, and shy (typically used of a woman). : (of clothing) giving a modest appearance. History: Dates back to the late 14th century. The word needs to be split into de + mure to trace the origins. Mure – Can be linked to Anglo French, French and Latin origin. From French meur and Latin maturus De- Origin debated between two french words – demore and de (bon) murs Usage: Noun examples – demureness: 1. She attracted everyone with her demureness. 2. The camera stormed at the actress as she...
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Word – Evince
Evince – Word of the day Meaning : reveal the presence of (a quality or feeling); indicate. History: History dates back to the late 18th century. Debated of French and Latin origin. From French evincer and Latin evincere. Usage: Verb examples – evince: 1. She evinced great happiness on seeing the golden watch. 2. The magician entertained the children. But they evinced no excitement. 3. The policeman evinced great compassion on the thief who admitted his crime. 4. Much to the disappointment of the teacher, the students evinced no interest in learning. 5. The scientist designed many experiments to evince...
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Word – Burnish
Burnish – Word of the day Meaning: [verb] : polish (something, especially metal) by rubbing. [noun] : the shine on a highly polished surface. History: History dates back to the early 14th century. Mostly of French origin. From French word burniss. Also suspected of German influence. Usage: Verb examples – burnish: 1. The party was soon approaching. So Ken burnished his utensils. 2. Kate was charged with bribery and arrested. But she tried to burnish her esteem because she wanted to contest the elections. 3. “ Please burnish these gold earrings. I need them for the occasion”. 4. The movie...
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Word – Abjure
Abjure – Word of the day Meaning: solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim). History: History dates back to the early 15th century. Debated of French and Latin origin. From French word abjurer and Latin word abiurare Usage: Verb examples – abjure: 1. Gautam abjured his materialistic desires. 2. Under proper guidance, the convicts abjured their tendencies of crime. 3. Mr.X abjured his Sir title for the sake of the nation. 4. Robert was conferred the Royal status. But he abjured it very soon. 5. The new activist abjured from protests after he received a threat of life. Adjective examples...
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Word – Wraith
Wraith – Word of the Day Meaning: The ghostlike image of someone, seen around the time of their death. Usually used to refer to someone of something that is pale and/or thin. Also, a barely visible form or substance. Origin: This word first appeared in a 1513 English translation of Virgil’s “The Aeneid”. Examples: Noun examples: Heart attacks had reduced his mother to a wraith. I saw a wraith of my deceased father one night. I couldn’t sleep a wink after that. Legend has it, the wraith of the murdered princess roams the fortress every year on the night of...
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Word – Rhapsodic
Rhapsodic – Word of the Day Meaning: Extravagantly enthusiastic/ecstatic Origin: Rhapsodic comes from the word rhapsody, which in turn comes from the Greek word rhapsoidos, which translates to, “a reciter of epic poetry”. Examples: People in love tend to wax rhapsodic about their new partners. William gets a little too rhapsodic after having a few glasses of wine. It was weird when I waxed rhapsodic about my new boat, right? European tourists in America wax way too rhapsodic about the healthcare back home. I hate it when parents get all rhapsodic about their kid’s achievements.
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Word – Beguile
Beguile – Word of the day Meaning: : charm or enchant (someone), often in a deceptive way. : help (time) pass pleasantly. History: Dates back to 13th century. The word “Guile” seems to be of French origin. Usage: Verb examples – beguile: 1. The politician beguiled the public with his innocent looks. 2. Rita cleverly beguiled Seema to do her homework. 3. The columnist of the paper beguiled his readers into thinking that they have known everything about the movie. Adjective examples – beguile: 1. The saree is decorated with a beguiling golden threadwork. 2. The police did not get...
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Word – Sonder
Sonder – Word of the Day Meaning: The profound realisation that every random passer-by has a life as vivid and complex as your own. Origin: This word was coined by John Koenig in 2012 in his book, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. The goal of this project was to describe emotions that didn’t have words assigned to them. Sonder is inspired by the German prefix sonder-, meaning “special”, and the French word sonder, meaning “to probe”. Usage: Hey man, I just had a sonder. I realised that the girl sitting next to me on the plane could have a mind-blowing...
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Word – Perfunctory
Perfunctory – Word of the Day Meaning: Lacking in interest or effort Superficial or routine Origin: Perfunctory is a word whose origins can be found entirely in Latin. The word first appeared in English in the late 16th century, and comes from the Late Latin word perfunctorius, meaning “done in a careless or superficial manner,”. Another possible origin is the Latin word perfungi, meaning “to accomplish” or “to get through with.” That word is formed by combining the prefix per-, meaning “through,” with the verb fungi, meaning “to perform.” Usage: He hugged his wife, although only perfunctorily. The receptionist flashed...
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Word – Besotted
Besotted – Word of the Day Meaning: Deeply infatuated Drunk Origin: The word was first used in the late 16th century. Then, it meant “stupid” and “infatuated”. Examples: He was so besotted with her that he never realised how badly she treated him. The king was completely besotted with the idea of building a tower that rose till the heavens. Ross and Rachel were initially besotted with each other before Rachel started working with Mark. The lovers are always besotted with each other in the honeymoon phase of the relationship. John is so clearly besotted with Irene that he can’t...
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Word – Dystopia
Dystopia – Word of the Day Meaning: (noun) An imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic. Adjective: dystopian Origin: The English philosopher John Stuart Mill coined the word ‘Dystopia’, meaning ‘bad place’, in 1868 as he was denouncing the government’s Irish land policy. Examples: Orwell’s 1984 is the perfect example of a dystopian society. North Korea is probably the only dystopia we know in the real world. A lot of science-fiction novels in the 19th and 20th centuries, have been set in dystopias. The new legislations brought in...
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Word – Physiognomy
Physiognomy – Word of the Day Meaning: (noun) A person’s facial features or expression, especially when regarded as indicative of character or ethnic origin. (noun) Physiognomy is the practice of determining a person’s character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. (noun) The general form or appearance of something. Fun fact: Sometimes, physiognomy can also be referred to as anthroposcopy, though the expression was more common in the 19th century when the word originated. Origin: Physiognomy comes from the Greek word physiognomia, which means “the judging of a person’s nature by his features”. Examples: Dan and his father have...
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Word – Fecund
Fecund – Word of the Day Meaning: Highly fertile/capable of bearing children Capable of producing many new ideas Origin: Fecund was first used in the 15th century. Some say it originated from the French word fécond, meaning “fruitful”. Others believe that it came from the Latin word fecundus, meaning fertile. Usage: a fecund breed of sheep. We owe the entire fantasy genre to J.R.R. Tolkien’s fecund imagination. These tomatoes are from Janine’s fecund garden on her rooftop. Almost all of my grain comes from the fecund farms in the North. The 1970s was a fecund decade for Bollywood. I wish...
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Word – Paraphernalia
Paraphernalia – Word of the Day Meaning: (noun) Miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed for a particular activity. (noun) Trappings associated with a particular institution or activity that are regarded as superfluous. Origin: Paraphernalia came to English, via Medieval Latin, from Greek parapherna, meaning “bride’s property beyond her dowry” (from para-, meaning “beyond,” and phernē, meaning “dowry”). Examples: Go to the hardware store down the corner, it has all the drills, screws, saws and other paraphernalia you need for home improvements. We just need to get some of the paraphernalia needed for the experiment, the lab will procure the really...
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Word – Necromancy
Necromancy – Word of the Day Meaning: The practice of communicating with the spirits of dead people, especially to predict the future, or for nefarious purposes. Origin: The word necromancy originates from the Late Latin word necromantia, which in turn comes from the post-classical greek word nekromanteía, which is a compound of two words nekros(“dead body”) and manteía(“divination by means of”). Usage: When Daniella’s husband died, a psychic she ran into, told her that she can use necromancy to communicate with him. Through the art of necromancy, I could communicate with my deceased grandfather. Tales abound about the Shadow Lands...
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Word – Bellicose
Bellicose – Word of the Day Meaning: Showing aggression and willingness to fight. Origin: Bellicose first appears in Late Middle English. The word comes from the Laitn bellicus, which means “warlike”. The root word of bellicus is bellum, which means “war”. Usage: The England fans were overly bellicose at the FIFA World Cup finals this year. The party candidate’s speech was less policy-oriented, and more bellicose rhetoric. You can’t be bellicose like that in a workplace meeting. The rugby team was feared not because of the skill of its players, but because of its bellicose posturing. Cameron can behave in...
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