Skip to content
Sign In Subscribe
General

The BFD Word of the Day

,   and  Peter Andersen
1 min read
word of the day

The word for today is…

prehensile (adj) – 1. Able to seize, grasp, or hold, especially by wrapping around an object.

  1. Having a keen intellect or powerful memory.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : You may be familiar with prehensile from the animal world: monkeys have prehensile tails, elephants have prehensile trunks, giraffes have prehensile tongues, etc. But can you comprehend where this word comes from? Can you apprehend its derivation? The Latin verb prehendere, meaning “to seize or grasp,” is the ancestor of a number of English terms, including comprehend, apprehend, and prehensile. Prehensile came into English in the 18th century via French préhensile, from Latin prehensus, the past participle of prehendere.

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

Related

The Good Oil Word of the Day
General

The Good Oil Word of the Day

The word for today is… sophisticated (adjective) - 1: deprived of native or original simplicity: such as a: highly complicated or developed : complex b: having a refined knowledge of the ways of the world cultivated especially through wide experience 2: devoid of grossness: such as a: finely experienced and aware b:

,   and  David Theobald
Members Public
The Good Oil Word of the Day
General

The Good Oil Word of the Day

The word for today is… fascicle (noun) - 1: a small or slender bundle: such as a: a tight cluster of plant parts (such as leaves or flowers) b: a slender bundle of anatomical fibers (such as muscle or nerve fibers) : fasciculus sense 1 2: one of the divisions of a

,   and  David Theobald
Members Public
Reigning Cats and Dogs
General

Reigning Cats and Dogs

I suppose I could be accused of anthropomorphism, but what I like about having a pet is it won’t criticise me or be sarcastic. No matter how grotesque or smelly I am first thing in the morning, my pet accepts me as I am, and I don’t have to put on airs and graces, or clean pants.

,   and  Reproduced with permission
Members Public
The Good Oil Word of the Day
General

The Good Oil Word of the Day

The word for today is… famish (verb) - transitive verb 1a: to cause to suffer severely from hunger —usually used in passive constructions b: to make very hungry —usually used in passive constructions 2 archaic : to cause to starve to death intransitive verb 1 archaic : starve 2: to suffer for lack

,   and  David Theobald
Members Public

Latest

Quick Hit
Quick Hit

Quick Hit: The Greens’ Plan In Numbers

The Greens promise $3b more for health at each of four budgets, a surplus a year later and $26.6b more debt by 2030/31, paid for with nearly $29b in new taxes. The Taxpayers’ Union says 17 other promises, worth $176.4b, are missing from the plan.

,   and  Political Intelligence
Members Public
Hipkins Wrote The Rule, Then Called It Racism
Analysis

Hipkins Wrote The Rule, Then Called It Racism

Hipkins ruled Greens and Te Pāti Māori out of police and corrections over the Mob pad photos. His own Tāmaki Makaurau candidate quit after a Mob video. Then he called the reaction racist and left her name on the ballot.

,   and  Cam Slater
Members Public