The ratio of daylight to darkness in the spring is an important zeitgeber [ˈzaɪtˌɡeɪbər] that affects the activity of some migrating birds.zeitgeber [ˈzaɪtˌɡeɪbər]
noun
Zeitgeber refers to an environmental agent or event (such as the occurrence of light or dark) that provides the stimulus which sets or resets an organism’s biological clock.
Zeitgebers are alarm clocks—both biologically and etymologically. The word zeitgeber comes from a combination of two German terms: Zeit, meaning “time,” and Geber, which means “giver.” English Feb 4, 2024, 8:50 AM cowpoke
"The film casts a cynical side-eye at the acquisitive [əˈkwɪz.ɪ.tɪv] ethos of the Reagan '80s, told with a hypnotic sense of style." — Mark Olsen, The Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2023acquisitive [əˈkwɪz.ɪ.tɪv]
adj
Someone or something described as acquisitive is characterized by a strong desire to own or acquire more things.
ultimate source the Latin word acquīrere, meaning "to acquire." While acquire and acquisition have both been in use since the 15th century, acquisitive is a bit younger. English Feb 3, 2024, 8:31 AM cowpoke
“What-ifs are almost always registered as negative. We prognosticate [prɑˈɡnɑstɪˌkeɪt] the worst-case scenarios probably as a means to be prepared for the worst. ‘Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst’ is a well-known adage [ˈædɪdʒ] that programs negative thinking.” — Bruce Wilson, Psychology Today, 7 May 2023prognosticate [prɑˈɡnɑstɪˌkeɪt]
verb
To prognosticate is to predict or foreshadow something.
ultimately traces back to the Greek word prognōstikos (“knowing beforehand, prescient”), first appears in English during the 15th century.
adage [ˈædɪdʒ]
noun
a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth English Feb 2, 2024, 9:59 AM cowpoke
The old chair was upholstered in a blue silk damask [ˈdæm.əsk] which was now faded and threadbare.damask [ˈdæm.əsk]
noun
Refers to a usually shiny, thick fabric made with patterns. Also can be used as a synonym of Damascus steel, or for a grayish red color.
the city of Damascus - the city’s Arabic name comes from Dimašqa, a word so ancient that it suggests the origins of the city predate recorded history. The Medieval Latin name for the fabric famously associated with the “pearl of the East,” damascus, first entered Middle English as damaske in the 1300s and was later shortened English Feb 1, 2024, 8:02 AM cowpoke
The article offers suggestions on how to gamify quotidian [kwoʊˈtɪd.i.ən] tasks.quotidian [kwoʊˈtɪd.i.ən]
adj
Something described as quotidian occurs every day or occurs routinely or typically. More broadly, quotidian is used as a synonym of commonplace and ordinary.
from a Latin word, quotidie, which means "every day." English Jan 31, 2024, 8:47 AM cowpoke
Fundraising events are his bailiwick [ˈbeɪlɪwɪk].bailiwick [ˈbeɪlɪwɪk]
noun
Bailiwick refers to the domain or sphere in which someone has superior knowledge or authority.
The first half of the word bailiwick, baili... utimately from the Medieval Latin verb bajulare, meaning "to care for" or "to support."
The second half of bailiwick comes from wik, a Middle English word for "dwelling place" or "village," which ultimately hails from the Latin word vicus, meaning "village." English Jan 30, 2024, 7:43 AM cowpoke
"An entity that feigns human emotions is arguably a worse object of affection than a cold, computational device that doesn't emote [ɪˈmoʊt] at all." — Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 26 Sept. 2023emote [ɪˈmoʊt]
verb
To emote is to express emotion in a very dramatic or obvious way.
Emote is an example of what linguists call a back-formation—that is, a word formed by trimming down an existing word. In this case, the parent word is emotion, which came to English by way of Middle French from the Latin verb emovēre, meaning "to remove or displace" (making the "removal" of the suffix -ion to form emote quite fitting). English Jan 29, 2024, 8:04 AM cowpoke
"Vanilla is earthy. It’s ethereal. It’s exotic. It’s indispensable in some recipes and, when added to others on a whim, seems essential. … The ne plus ultra [ˌneɪ ˌplʌs ˈʌltrə] of flavoring." — Dorie Greenspan, Food52.com, 25 Feb. 2022ne plus ultra [ˌneɪ ˌplʌs ˈʌltrə]
noun
Ne plus ultra refers to the highest point of development or success that something may achieve; it is a synonym of acme.
It is the height, the zenith, the ultimate, the crown, the pinnacle. It is the peak, the summit, the crest, the high-water mark. All these expressions, of course, mean "the highest point attainable."
The New Latin version ne plus ultra, meaning "(go) no more beyond," found its way into English in the early 16... English Jan 28, 2024, 9:49 AM cowpoke
Though the professor feared a rowdy incoming class, he found that his new students were docile [ˈdɑsaɪl] and eager to learn.docile [ˈdɑsaɪl]
adj
Docile is used to describe those who are easily taught, led, or managed.
Today calling students "docile" indicates that they aren't trouble-makers, but there's more than just good behavior connecting docility to teachability. Docile comes from the Latin verb docēre, which means "to teach." English Jan 27, 2024, 10:04 AM cowpoke
The biographer has been given unfettered [ʌnˈfɛtərd] access to the family's collection of personal correspondence.unfettered [ʌnˈfɛtərd]
adj
Unfettered describes what is not controlled or restricted. It is a synonym of both free and unrestrained.
A fetter is a chain or shackle for the feet (such as the kind sometimes used on a prisoner), or, more broadly, anything that confines or restrains.
Fetter and unfetter both function as verbs in English with contrasting literal meanings having to do with the putting on of and freeing from fetters; English Jan 23, 2024, 7:14 AM cowpoke
Be careful not to conflate [kənˈfleɪt] gossip with real news.conflate [kənˈfleɪt]
verb
Two closely related meanings of the verb conflate are “to confuse,” i.e. “to fail to differentiate,” and “to blend or bring together.”
from conflatus, a form of the Latin verb conflare (“to blow together, to fuse”), which was formed by combining the prefix com-, meaning “with” or “together,” with the Latin verb flare, meaning “to blow.” English Jan 21, 2024, 8:52 AM cowpoke
I believe she and I are kindred [ˈkɪn.drɪd] spirits.kindred [ˈkɪn.drɪd]
adj
To say that two people or things are kindred is to say that they are of a similar nature or character, or that they have the same ancestry.
Family—both ancestral and in spirit—is what puts the “kin” in kindred. This word comes from the Old English noun for “kinship,” cynrǣden, which combines cynn (meaning “kin”) and ræden, meaning “condition.”
Other words akin to kin include kinfolk (and kinsfolk), kinship, kinsman, and kinswoman. English Jan 20, 2024, 9:32 AM cowpoke
“‘You’re better off’ is a hard pill when you’re grieving a breakup. But it’s axiomatic [ˌæk.siˈəˈmæt.ɪk]: Someone who doesn’t want you as-is isn’t the person you want.” — Carolyn Hax, The Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2023axiomatic [ˌæk.siˈəˈmæt.ɪk]
adj
Formal adj - describes something—usually a statement—that is understood as obviously true, such that it is or should be taken for granted.
An axiom is a principle widely accepted for its intrinsic merit, or one regarded as self-evidently true.
Axiomatic from the New Latin word axiōmaticus, and like axiom, it comes ultimately from the Greek word axíōma, meaning (among other things) “that which is reasonable (though not demonstrated to be true). English Jan 18, 2024, 7:30 AM cowpoke
Everyone at the pub was whinging [wɪndʒ] about the television not working.whinge [wɪndʒ]
verb
Whinge is a verb used especially in British English to mean "to complain fretfully [ˈfrɛtfəli - feeling or expressing distress or irritation]."
Whinge, on the other hand, comes from a different Old English verb, hwinsian, meaning "to wail or moan discontentedly."
English language is the nuance it exhibits when called upon to supply words for every possible kind of whining and complaining. We English users vent, we lament, we fuss and grouse and... English Jan 17, 2024, 7:07 AM cowpoke
As usual, the politician let out a load of bunkum [ˈbʌŋkəm] during his speech.bunkum [ˈbʌŋkəm]
noun
Bunkum is an old-fashioned and informal word that refers to foolish or insincere talk or ideas.
From s story: Back in 1820, Felix Walker, who represented North Carolina's Buncombe County in the U.S. House of Representatives English Jan 16, 2024, 7:00 AM cowpoke
"The poem operates by a kind of fairy logic: mesmerizing, oneiric [oˈnɪərɪk], enchanted, with language that surprises and clauses that seem to magnetically adhere." — Verity Spott, The New York Times, 13 Apr. 2023oneiric [oˈnɪərɪk]
adj
an adj meaning "of or relating to dreams."
The notion of using the Greek noun oneiros (meaning "dream") to form the English adjective oneiric wasn't dreamed up until the mid-19th century.
In the 17th century, English speakers also melded Greek oneiros with the combining form -mancy ("divination") to create oneiromancy, meaning "divination by means of dreams." English Jan 15, 2024, 8:03 AM cowpoke
Some of the exchange students were creeped out by all the gargoyles [ˈɡɑrˌɡɔɪl] they passed during their walking tour of the old European town.gargoyle [ˈɡɑrˌɡɔɪl]
noun
A gargoyle is a strange or grotesque human or animal figure that sticks out from the roof of a building (such as a church) and is used to cause rainwater to flow away from the building's sides.
came to Middle English from the Old French word gargoule English Jan 13, 2024, 10:02 AM cowpoke
"The secret to its longevity, then and now, is a steadfast commitment to the idea of dolce far niente ([ˈdɔl.tʃe far njen.te] in Italian - pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness), the elysian [ɪˈlɪʒən] pleasantness of doing absolutely nothing except enjoying yourself." — Spencer Bailey, Town & Country, 28 Mar. 2021Elysian [ɪˈlɪʒən]
adj
Something described as elysian is blissful or delightful in a way that evokes something otherworldly. Elysian is also used to mean "of or relating to Elysium"—that is, an eternal paradise for the souls of the heroic and pure in classical mythology.
In classical mythology, Elysium, also known as the Elysian Fields, was the paradise reserved for the heroes immortalized by the gods. English Jan 12, 2024, 9:20 AM cowpoke
Half-remembering a joke from her favorite sitcom, Ally mangled [ˈmæŋɡəl] the punch line, but honestly this made it even funnier.mangle [ˈmæŋɡəl]
verb
To mangle something is to ruin it due to carelessness or a lack of skill. Mangle can also mean “to injure or damage something or someone severely by cutting, tearing, or crushing.
This meaning comes from Anglo-French.
This other meaning: noun mangle (“a machine for ironing laundry by passing it between heated rollers”) or its related verb (“to press or smooth with a mangle”) English Jan 11, 2024, 7:59 AM cowpoke
