The word for today is… docile (adj) – 1. Ready and willing to be taught; teachable. 2. Yielding to supervision, direction, or management; tractable. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Docile students can make teaching a lot easier. Nowadays, calling students “docile” indicates they aren’t trouble-makers; however, there’s more than
The word for today is… cronyism (noun) – Favouritism shown to old friends without regard for their qualifications, as in political appointments to office. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : “Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him” (Ecclesiasticus 9:10). Practitioners of cronyism would probably agree.
This series is designed to help people to understand modern technology, and become more confident in using computing devices. It is not designed to educate experts. The author is involved in tutoring older students at SeniorNet, a New Zealand wide organisation. SeniorNet hopes that students will feel more confident in
The word for today is… colloquial (adj) – Not formal or literary; belonging to or typical of ordinary or familiar language. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : The noun colloquy was first used in English to refer to a conversation or dialogue, and when the adjective colloquial was formed from colloquy it
This series is designed to help people to understand modern technology, and become more confident in using computing devices. It is not designed to educate experts. The author is involved in tutoring older students at SeniorNet, a New Zealand wide organisation. SeniorNet hopes that students will feel more confident in
The word for today is… cadge (verb) – To beg or get by begging. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : As long ago as the 1400s, peddlers traveled the British countryside, each with a packhorse or a horse and cart—first carrying produce from rural farms to town markets, then returning with
The word for today is… bunkum (noun) – Empty or insincere talk; claptrap. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Some words in the English language have more colourful histories than others, but in the case of bunkum, you could almost say it was an act of Congress that brought the word into
The word for today is… boycott (verb) – To abstain from or act together in abstaining from using, buying, dealing with, or participating in as an expression of protest or disfavor or as a means of coercion: boycott a business. (noun) – The act or an instance of boycotting. Source : The Free
This series is designed to help people to understand modern technology, and become more confident in using computing devices. It is not designed to educate experts. The author is involved in tutoring older students at SeniorNet, a New Zealand wide organisation. SeniorNet hopes that students will feel more confident in
The word for today is… besot (verb) – To muddle or stupefy, as with alcoholic liquor or infatuation. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : “Affect with a foolish manifestation,” 1570s, from be- + sot. If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends.
This series is designed to help people to understand modern technology, and become more confident in using computing devices. It is not designed to educate experts. The author is involved in tutoring older students at SeniorNet, a New Zealand wide organisation. SeniorNet hopes that students will feel more confident in
The word for today is… asunder (adverb) – 1. Into separate parts or pieces. 2. Apart from each other either in position or in direction. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Asunder can be traced back to the Old English word sundor, meaning “apart.” It is a relative of the verb sunder,
The word for today is… allusion (noun) – 1. The act of alluding; indirect reference. 2. An instance of indirect reference. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Allusion was borrowed into English in the 16th century. It derives from the Latin verb alludere, meaning “to play with,” “to jest,” or “to refer
The word for today is… testimonial (noun) – 1. A statement in support of a particular truth, fact, or claim. 2. A written affirmation of another’s character or worth; a personal recommendation. 3. Something given in appreciation of a person’s service or achievement; a tribute. Source : The Free Dictionary
The word for today is… ostracize (also ostracise – mainly British usage) (verb) – 1. To exclude from a group or society. 2. To banish by ostracism, as in ancient Greece. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : “Exile by ostracism, banish by popular vote,” also in a figurative sense, “to exclude from society
The word for today is… culture (noun) – 1. (a) The arts, beliefs, customs, institutions, and other products of human work and thought considered as a unit, especially with regard to a particular time or social group. (b) These arts, beliefs, and other products considered with respect to a particular subject
