Kathryn Sampeck University of Reading Advent calendars with hidden chocolatey treats, huge tins of Quality Street and steaming cups of hot chocolate festooned with whipped cream and marshmallows are all much-loved wintry staples at Christmastime. But how many of us stop to think about where chocolate actually comes from and
The word for today is… augur (noun, verb): noun 1: an official diviner of ancient Rome 2: one held to foretell events by omens verb 1: to foretell especially from omens 2: to give promise of : presage Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :In ancient Rome, augurs were official diviners whose function
The word for today is… magnaminous (adjective): 1: showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit 2: showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :When you see anima, animus, or a similar formation in a word, it’s often an indicator of something
Duggan Flanakin cfact.org Duggan Flanakin is the Director of Policy Research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow. A former Senior Fellow with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Mr. Flanakin authored definitive works on the creation of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and on environmental education in Texas.
The word for today is… crucible (noun): 1: a vessel of a very refractory material (such as porcelain) used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat 2: a severe test 3: a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence
The word for today is… intoxicate (verb): 1a: to excite or stupefy by alcohol or a drug especially to the point where physical and mental control is markedly diminished b: to excite or elate to the point of enthusiasm or frenzy 2: poison Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :From scents to
The word for today is… doughty (adjective): : marked by fearless resolution Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :There’s no doubt that doughty has persevered in the English language—it’s traceable all the way back to the Old English word dohtig—but how to pronounce it? One might assume that doughty
The word for today is… bilious (adjective): 1a biology : of or relating to a yellow or greenish fluid that is secreted by the liver and that aids especially in the emulsification and absorption of fats : of or relating to bile b biology : marked by or suffering from liver dysfunction and
The word for today is… supine (adjective, noun): adjective 1a: lying on the back or with the face upward b: marked by supination 2: exhibiting indolent or apathetic inertia or passivity especially : mentally or morally slack 3 archaic : leaning or sloping backward noun 1: a Latin verbal noun having an
The word for today is… encapsulate (verb): 1: to enclose in or as if in a capsule 2: epitomize, summarize Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Encapsulate and its related noun, capsule, come to us from capsula, a diminutive form of the Latin noun capsa, meaning “box.” (Capsa also gave us the
The word for today is… thespian (noun, adjective): noun :actor adjective often capitalized [from the tradition that Thespis was the originator of the actor’s role] : relating to the drama Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Greek drama was originally entirely performed by choruses. According to tradition, the Greek dramatist Thespis, of
The word for today is… serendipity (noun): : the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Serendipity is a noun, coined in the middle of the 18th century by author Horace Walpole (he took it from the Persian fairy tale The Three
The word for today is… collate (verb): 1a: to compare critically b: to collect, compare carefully in order to verify, and often to integrate or arrange in order 2a: to assemble in proper order b: to verify the order of (printed sheets) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :In terms of printing
The word for today is… gauche (adjective): 1a: lacking social experience or grace b: crudely made or done 2: not planar – e.g.gauche conformation of molecules Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Although it doesn’t mean anything sinister, gauche is one of several words (including sinister) with ties to old
The word for today is… monopoly (noun): 1: exclusive ownership through legal privilege, command of supply, or concerted action 2: exclusive possession or control 3: a commodity controlled by one party 4: one that has a monopoly Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :You’re probably familiar with the word monopoly, but
Margaret Somerville Margaret Somerville AM, DSG, FRSC, FRSN, DCL is Professor of Bioethics at the University of Notre Dame Australia School of Medicine (Sydney campus). She is also Samuel Gale Professor of Law Emerita, Professor Emerita in the Faculty of Medicine, and Founding Director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics
