Skip to content

Table of Contents

The word for today is…

broadside (noun, adjective, adverb, verb):

noun

1a(1) : a sizable sheet of paper printed on one side
(2) : a sheet printed on one or both sides and folded
b : something (such as a ballad) printed on a broadside
2 archaic : the side of a ship above the waterline
3a : all the guns on one side of a ship also : their simultaneous discharge
b : a volley of abuse or denunciation
4 : a broad or unbroken surface

adjective
: directed or placed broadside

adverb
1 a: with the side forward or toward a given point : sideways
b : directly from the side
2 : in one volley
3 : at random

verb
: to hit broadside

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology :Nautical language is fascinating but not all ship-related words sail over to landlubber vocabulary. Broadside is one that has. It originally referred to the side of a ship above the water, then later to the guns arrayed along that side. The further use of broadside to refer to the firing of all those guns at once eventually led to the figurative “volley of abuse” sense—a strongly worded attack intended to shiver one’s timbers. The printing-related uses of broadside, referring originally to sheets of paper, and then to matter printed on such paper, arose independently.

If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest

The Good Oil Word of the Day

The Good Oil Word of the Day

The word for today is… rhetorical (adjective) - 1a: of, relating to, or concerned with the art of speaking or writing formally and effectively especially as a way to persuade or influence people b: employed for rhetorical effect 2a: given to rhetoric : grandiloquent b: verbal Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Rhetorical has

Members Public