The word for today is… saturnine (adjective): 1: born under or influenced astrologically by the planet Saturn 2a: cold and steady in mood : slow to act or change b: of a gloomy or surly disposition c: having a sardonic aspect Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Saturnine is far—even astronomically far—
The word for today is… etiquette (noun): : the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The French word étiquette means “ticket”; its direct French ancestor also referred to a label attached to something for
The word for today is… blandishment (noun): : something that tends to coax or cajole Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The word was formed from the verb blandish, meaning “to coax with flattery.” Blandish ultimately comes from the Latin adjective blandus, meaning “mild” or “flattering,” source too of our adjective bland, which
The word for today is… excoriate (verb): 1: to wear off the skin of : abrade 2: to censure scathingly Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Excoriate, which first appeared in English in the 15th century, comes from “excoriatus,” the past participle of the Late Latin verb excoriare, meaning “to strip off the
Jane Horan Economic Anthropologist, and contract lecturer University of Auckland New Zealand is home to 28,560 registered charities and some 90,000 not-for-profits without charitable registration. From disability advocacy groups and local theatres to sporting clubs, all do vital work in our communities. Around 89,000 of these are
The word for today is… trenchant (adjective): 1: keen, sharp 2: vigorously effective and articulate 3a: sharply perceptive : penetrating b: clear-cut, distinct Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The word trenchant comes from the Anglo-French verb trencher, meaning “to cut.” Hence, a trenchant sword is one with a keen edge. Nowadays, trenchant
The word for today is… concatenate (adjective, verb): adjective : linked together verb : to link together in a series or chain Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Concatenate is a fancy word for a simple thing: it means “to link together in a series or chain.” It’s Latin in origin, formed from
The word for today is… catastrophe (noun): 1: a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune to utter overthrow or ruin 2: utter failure : fiasco 3a: a violent and sudden change in a feature of the earth b: a violent usually destructive natural event (such as a supernova) 4: the
Contrary to scaremongering and doomsday predictions, US states that have legalised cannabis have seen a 37 per cent decrease in mental health admissions. Wait, what? Recreational marijuana laws (RMLs) continue to grow in popularity, but the effects on mental health treatment are unclear. This paper uses an event-study within a
The word for today is… gist (noun): 1: the ground of a legal action 2: the main point or part : essence Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology:The main point, overarching theme, essence—that’s gist in a nutshell. The gist of gist, if you will. The gist of a conversation, argument,
The word for today is… enthrall (verb): 1: to hold spellbound : charm 2: to hold in or reduce to slavery Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The history of enthrall appeals far less than the word as we use it today might suggest. In Middle English, enthrallen meant “to deprive of privileges;
The word for today is… nemesis (noun): 1 capitalized : the Greek goddess of retributive justice 2 plural nemeses a: one that inflicts retribution or vengeance b: a formidable and usually victorious rival or opponent 3 plural nemeses: an act or effect of retribution Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Nemesis was the
Israel Kalman Israel “Izzy” Kalman – MS, NCSP is a luminary in the field of bullying. Slowly but surely, he has been changing the way the world understands and deals with bullying, exposing the problems with the predominant legalistic approach while promoting a more psychologically valid one. His work has been
The word for today is… sacrosanct (adjective): 1: most sacred or holy : inviolable 2: treated as if holy : immune from criticism or violation Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Contrary to the beliefs of some, language is not sacrosanct; rather, it is subject to constant modification based on the needs, experiences, and
The word for today is… flavedo (noun): : the colored outer layer of the rind of a citrus fruit Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Flavedo comes from the New Latin word flavedo, meaning “yellow color,” the word’s etymology pointing to the shiny yellow rinds of the lemons you see in the
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have been kicked out of an airport in the US – and no, it wasn’t for letting their kids chug some non-alcoholic brewskis. The celebrity couple shared that they dropped US$600 (NZ$973) buying pillows and blankets so their family could crash in Boston
