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Word For The Day, Thursday, July 27, 2006 - jejune In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". je·june Pronunciation: ji-'jün • adjective 1. lacking nutritive value .2. devoid of significance or interest Example sentence: One can find many examples of jejune discourse on DU. Etymology: Latin jejunus empty of food, hungry, Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the Word for the Day in a sentence. The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day. The Review...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". en·nui Pronunciation Key (n-w, nw)• noun 1. Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest2. Boredom Example sentence: “The servants relieved their ennui with gambling and gossip about their masters” .-- John Barth Etymology: French, from Old French enui, from ennuyer, to annoy, bore.Word History: Were they alive today, users of Classical Latin might be surprised to find that centuries later a phrase of theirs still survives, although as a single word. The...

At the invitation of Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Bush traveled to northeastern Germany in advance of his participation in the G-8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Chancellor Merkel hosted President Bush today in the towns of Stralsund and Trinwillershagen, which are in the Chancellor's electoral constituency. The visit, which took place in what had been communist East Germany, underscores our two nations' commitment to advancing freedom and prosperity, and to strengthening the transatlantic partnership.The President and the Chancellor took part in a joint press conference in the Straslund Town Hall, and the President also spoke in the historic market square....

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". languor \LANG-guhr; LANG-uhr\, • noun 1. Mental or physical weariness or fatigue.2. Listless indolence, especially the indolence of one who is satiated by a life of luxury or pleasure. 3. A heaviness or oppressive stillness of the air. Example sentence: Outside the window, New Orleans . . . brooded in a faintly tarnished languor, like an aging yet still beautiful courtesan in a smokefilled room, avid yet weary too of ardent ways.-- Thomas...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". palaver • \puh-LAV-er\ • noun 1 a : a long parley usually between persons of different cultures or levels of sophistication b : conference, discussion2. a : idle talk b : misleading or beguiling speech Example sentence:"Ask folks involved why they opted to make [the movie], and you're not going to get a lot of palaver about high art and noble intentions." (Joshua Rich, Entertainment Weekly, May 19, 2006) Etymology: During the 18th...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". inchoate \in-KOH-it\, adjective1. In an initial or early stage; just begun. 2. Imperfectly formed or formulated. Example sentences: Mildred Spock believed that, at about the age of three, her children's inchoate wills were to be shaped like vines sprouting up a beanpole. -- Thomas Maier, Dr. Spock: An American LifeYou take on a project because of the feeling, perhaps inchoate, that it may in some way contribute to your deeper understanding of the...

> In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". gainsay \gayn-SAY; GAYN-say\, transitive verb1. To deny or dispute; to declare false or invalid. 2. To oppose; to contradict. Example sentences:In our present, imperfectly postmodern world, where most information still takes the potentially embarrassing form of printed matter lurking in archives, liars still must position themselves so that the historical record may not easily gainsay them.-- Thomas M. Disch, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of But, owing to government's cynical policy of...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". transmogrify \trans-MOG-ruh-fy\transitive verb To change into a different shape or to transform, often with bizarre or humorous effect. Example sentences:A washing machine transmogrified into a guitar. -- Adrian Searle, "Come, friendly pigeons", The Guardian, March 16, 2000 For the impulsive sin of turning to look back at the funereal pyre of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife is transmogrified into a pillar of salt as she flees the inferno. -- Elizabeth Wurtzel, Bitch: In...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". discrete \dis-KREET\, adjective 1. Constituting a separate thing; distinct. 2. Consisting of distinct or unconnected parts.3. (Mathematics) Defined for a finite or countable set of values; not continuous. Example sentences: Niels Bohr, working with Rutherford in 1912, was intensely aware... of the need for a radically new approach. This he found in quantum theory, which postulated that electromagnetic energy -- light, radiation -- was not continuous but emitted or absorbed in discrete packets,...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". contumely : kon-TYOO-muh-lee; -TOO-; KON-tyoo-mee-lee; -too-; KON-tum-lee\, noun 1. Rudeness or rough treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt; scornful insolence. 2. An instance of contemptuousness in act or speech. Example sentences: Nothing aggravates tyranny so much as contumely. -- Edmund BurkeFollowing years of police harassment and public contumely, he was arrested and charged with high treason, espionage and "anti-Soviet activity."-- "Know Thyself, Free Thyself", New York Times, June 5, 1988 Etymology: Contumely comes...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". sedulous • \SEJ-uh-luss\ • adjective 1 : involving or accomplished with careful perseverance 2 : diligent in application or pursuit Example sentence:Daphne was a sedulous student whose hard work and determination earned her a number of college scholarships. Etymology: No fooling—the word "sedulous" ultimately comes from the Latin "se dolus," which literally means "without guile." Those two words were eventually melded into one, "sedulo," meaning "sincerely" or "diligently," and from that root developed...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". an·ar·throus (n-ärth-rs)adjective Linguistics. Occurring without an article. Used especially of Greek nouns. Zoology. Lacking joints. Example sentence:Novelist Dan Brown staggered through the formulaic splendour of his opening sentence. I've discussed his anarthrous kickoff with a couple of novelists and they say things like, "It doesn't sound like a novel," and I usually reply that that's the point. If The Da Vinci Code were just a novel, it would just be crummy writing. Etymology:...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". adduce • \uh-DOOSS\ • verb : to offer as example, reason, or proof in discussion or analysis Example sentence:"Leon has made some pretty strong accusations here tonight," said Tim, "but he has adduced no convincing evidence in support of them." Etymology: We won't lead you astray over the history of "adduce"; it is one of a plethora of familiar words that trace to the Latin root "ducere," which means "to lead." Perhaps we...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". nidus • \NYE-dus\ • noun 1 : a nest or breeding place; especially : a place or substance in an animal or plant where bacteria or other organisms lodge and multiply 2 : a place where something originates, develops, or is located Example sentence:The college, with its focus on human ecology, is widely known as a nidus of environmental activism. Etymology: The sciences use "nidus" to refer to a breeding ground, often a...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". meliorism • \MEE-lee-uh-riz-um\ • noun : the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment Example sentence:Jane's resolute meliorism fueled her insistence that both world peace and the worldwide eradication of hunger were indeed attainable within her lifetime. Etymology: In 1877, British novelist George Eliot believed she had coined "meliorist" when she wrote, "I don't know that I ever heard anybody use the word 'meliorist' except myself."...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". seder • \SAY-der\ • noun a Jewish home or community service including a ceremonial dinner held on the first or first and second evenings of the Passover in commemoration of the exodus from Egypt Example sentence:Ari enjoys the stories, songs, and ceremonies that accompany dinner on the night of the seder. Etymology: Order and ritual are very important in the seder, so important that they are even reflected in its name; the English...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". slugabed • \SLUG-uh-bed\ noun : a person who stays in bed after the usual or proper time to get up; broadly : sluggard Example sentence:Rather than be a slugabed for her entire vacation, Jeanne made it a goal to rise at 6:00 AM and go for a jog every morning. Etymology: The first known usage of "slugabed" in English can be found in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1592), when Juliet's nurse attempts to...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". esculent • \ESS-kyuh-lunt\ • adjective : edible Example sentence:Sonia is a chef at The Wild Asparagus, a top-notch restaurant whose claim to fame is that every dish on the menu features an esculent native plant. Etymology: One appealing thing about "esculent" is that this word, which comes from the Latin for food ("esca"), has been around for 375 years. If we give you just one more tidbit of etymology—that "esca" is from Latin...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". crapulous \KRAP-yuh-lus\, adjective1. Suffering the effects of, or derived from, or suggestive of gross intemperance, especially in drinking; as, a crapulous stomach.2. Marked by gross intemperance, especially in drinking; as, a crapulous old reprobate. Example sentence:The new money was spent in so much riotous living, and from end to end there settled on the country a mood of fretful, crapulous irritation.-- Stephen McKenna, Sonia Etymology: Crapulous is from Late Latin crapulosus, from Latin...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". Hobson's choice \HOB-suhnz-CHOIS\, noun: A choice without an alternative; the thing offered or nothing. Example sentence: Fagan's defense revolves around his insistence that he faced a Hobson's choice and had to act.-- Laura Parker, "Discovery of daughters never followed by reunion," USA Today, May 11, 1999 Etymology: The origin of the term Hobson's choice is said to be in the name of one Thomas Hobson (ca. 1544-1631), at Cambridge, England, who kept a...