Friends and family of Jarreth Colquhoun have expressed their sadness and shock at his death after jumping into Wellington harbour on Friday. Brief messages posted on Facebook by relatives from Colquhoun’s home town of Wairoa express love for him and his parents. Colquhoun, 33, died after jumping from the
The word for today is… abnegate (verb): 1 formal : deny, renounce 2 formal : surrender, relinquish Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : There’s no denying that the Latin root negare, meaning “to deny,” has given English some useful words, among them abnegate, which is used in formal settings to mean “to deny
The word for today is… nebbish (noun): : a timid, meek, or ineffectual person Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Nebbish comes from the Yiddish word nebekh, meaning “poor” or “unfortunate.” In keeping with the term’s semantic timidity, its journey from Yiddish to English wasn’t accomplished in a single bold leap.
Consumer NZ, Lawyers for Climate Action NZ and the Environmental Law Initiative have gone to the High Court to accuse Z Energy of greenwashing about its attempts to decarbonise. The energy company reports the second-highest emissions of any New Zealand company, but says it’s trying to diversify away
The word for today is… tranche (noun): : a division or portion of a pool or whole Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In French, tranche means “slice.” Cutting deeper into the word’s etymology, we find the Old French word trancer, meaning “to cut.” Tranche emerged in the English language in the
Marica S Tacconi Penn State theconversation.com Imagine Lady Gaga or Elton John teaching at an orphanage or homeless shelter, offering daily music lessons. That’s what took place at Venice’s four Ospedali Grandi, which were charitable institutions that took in the needy – including orphaned and foundling girls – from
Professor James J Bell, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington; Alberto Rovellini, University of Washington; Matteo Collina, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, and Miriam Pierotti, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington Measuring the impact of different events, such as marine heatwaves, on the abundance of marine
The word for today is… scrumptious (adjective): :delightful, excellent, delicious Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : First appearing in English in the early 1800s, scrumptious is a mouth-watering word that is used to describe things delightful and delectable. It may have originated as an alteration of sumptuous, carrying the elegant connotations
The word for today is… ransack (verb): 1: to look through thoroughly in often a rough way 2: to search through and steal from in a forceful and damaging way Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Ransack carries the image of a house being roughly disarranged, as might happen when you are
The word for today is… laissez-faire (noun): 1: a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary for the maintenance of peace and property rights 2: a philosophy or practice characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with individual freedom of choice
The word for today is… inordinate (adjective): 1: exceeding reasonable limits : immoderate 2 archaic : disorderly, unregulated Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Although today it describes something that exceeds reasonable limits, inordinate used to be applied to what does not conform to the expected or desired order of things. That sense, synonymous
The word for today is… disabuse (verb): : to free from error, misconception, or fallacy Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Taken as a product of its parts, one might assume that disabuse means “to not abuse.” While the usage has changed over the years, that assumption isn’t entirely wrong. We know
The word for today is… vermin (noun): 1a: small common harmful or objectionable animals (such as lice or fleas) that are difficult to control b: birds and mammals that prey on game c: animals that at a particular time and place compete (as for food) with humans or domestic animals
The word for today is… doge (noun): : the chief magistrate in the republics of Venice and Genoa Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Italian dialect, from Latin duc-, dux leader. First known use was in 1549 If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends
The word for today is… hallmark (noun, verb): noun 1a: an official mark stamped on gold and silver articles in England to attest their purity b: a mark or device placed or stamped on an article of trade to indicate origin, purity, or genuineness 2: a distinguishing characteristic, trait, or
The word for today is… woebegone (adjective): 1: strongly affected with woe : woeful 2a: exhibiting great woe, sorrow, or misery b: being in a sorry state Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : At first glance, woebegone looks like a word that has its meaning backwards; after all, if begone means “go away,
