Word Of The Day

• preterit
• 
• \PRET-uh-rut\

• DEFINITION

noun

: past tense

• EXAMPLES

While the past tense form of "sneak" is traditionally "sneaked," the alternate preterit "snuck" is increasingly common.

"The next chapter introduces Elwin Cross Jr., a professor of linguistics at Marasmus State College…. He's in his 50s, directionless, nearing a point in his life when 'what is becomes what was and all the other verbs defining your existence go slumping into the preterite….'" — From a review of Jonathan Miles' Want Not by Dave Eggers in the New York Times, November 10, 2013

• DID YOU KNOW?

The original form of today's word, which dates to Middle English, has no final "e," but "preterite," as it appears in our second example, is another accepted styling of the word. Like many technical linguistic terms, "preterit" is ultimately Latin in origin: it comes from "praeter," meaning "beyond, past, by." (This meaning is also apparent in the now-archaic adjectival use of "preterit" to mean "bygone" or "former.") Another word from "praeter" is "preternatural," from the Latin phrase "praeter naturam," meaning "beyond nature." That word is typically used to describe what is so unusual or extraordinary as to seem outside of what can be accounted for by nature.

Word Of The Day

• speculate
• 
• \SPEK-yuh-layt\

• DEFINITION

verb

1

a : to meditate on or ponder a subject : reflectb : to think or theorize about something in which evidence is too slight for certainty to be reached

2

: to assume a business risk in hope of gain; especially : to buy or sell in expectation of profiting from market fluctuations

• EXAMPLES

Mia's abrupt firing caused her coworkers to speculate endlessly about what she might have done wrong.

"In fact, he refused to comment when asked whether any negotiations even have been held recently. He also would notspeculate on the odds of a pre-trial settlement."— From an article by Roger Phillips in The Record (Stockton, California), May 1, 2014

• DID YOU KNOW?

"Speculate" was adopted into English in the late 16th century from Latin "speculatus," the past participle of the verb "speculari," which means "to spy out" or "to examine." "Speculari," in turn, derives from "specula," meaning "lookout post," and ultimately from the Latin verb "specere," meaning "to look (at)." Other conspicuous descendants of "specere" are "inspect" and "suspect." Some less obvious descendants are the words "despise," "species," "specimen," and, as you may have speculated, "conspicuous."

Word Of The Day

• offal
• 
• \AW-ful\

• DEFINITION

noun

1

a : the waste or by-product of a process: asb : trimmings of a hidec : the by-products of milling used especially for stock feedsd : the viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal removed in dressing : the edible parts of a slaughter animal other than skeletal muscle

2

: rubbish

• EXAMPLES

The city's offal-strewn alleyways were often a haven for stray dogs and vermin.

"The menu continues to stick to a general theme of upscale bar food, but it has more wild game on it, and offal." — From an article by Sarah Blaskovich in The Dallas Morning News, April 11, 2014

• DID YOU KNOW?

In its original sense, "offal" refers to something that has fallen or been cast away from some process of preparation or manufacture, and it has been used to describe such things as the stalks and dust from tobacco leaves, the less valuable portions of an animal hide, the by-products of milling grain, and the viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal. The word "offal," however, is not an etymological cast-off, but is an English original that arose in the late 14th century as a combination of "of" (the Middle English spelling of "off") and "fall," aptly naming that which "falls off" or is cast aside from something else. Since the late 16th century, "offal" has also been used as a synonym for "trash," "garbage," and "rubbish."

Word Of The Day

• amiable
• 
• \AY-mee-uh-bul\

• DEFINITION

adjective

1

: generally agreeable

2

: being friendly, sociable, and congenial

• EXAMPLES

"Aside from being amiable, Mickey Mouse has no discernible personality of any kind, yet he has captivated the world, appeared in hundreds of films, and sold billions of dollars' worth of merchandise." — R. L. Stine, quoted in The Atlantic, March 19, 2014

"In person, … he was amiable and just plain funny as he discussed everything from the growing appeal of TV for movie actors to playing a character that's 'sort of God and the Devil wrapped into one.'" — From an article by Jeanne Jakle in the San Antonio Express-News, April 13, 2014

• DID YOU KNOW?

"Amiable" derives from the Late Latin adjective "amicabilis," meaning "friendly," which in turn comes from the Latin word for "friend" and can ultimately be traced back to "amare," meaning "to love." When "amiable" was adopted into English in the 14th century, it meant "pleasing" or "admirable," but that sense is now obsolete. The current, familiar senses of "generally agreeable" ("an amiable movie") and "friendly and sociable" came centuries later. "Amare" has also given English speakers such words as "amative" and "amorous" (both meaning "strongly moved by love"), "amour" ("a usually illicit love affair"), and even "amateur" (which originally meant "admirer").

Word Of The Day

• mélange
• 
• \may-LAHNZH\

• DEFINITION

noun

: a mixture often of incongruous elements

• EXAMPLES

We encountered a mélange of architectural styles as we strolled through the neighborhood.

"Crisp and white as a chef’s toque, the newest artwork at the Culinary Institute of America made its debut last month as the perfect backdrop for commencement snapshots. Graduates and family members almost instinctively posed before the mural, a sculptural mélange of food-related words and objects."— From an article by David W. Dunlap in the New York Times, April 15, 2014

• DID YOU KNOW?

"Mélange" was added to the mixture of English back in the 1600s. It derives from the Middle French verb "mesler," which means "to mix." "Mélange" is actually one of several French contributions to the English body of words for miscellaneous mixtures. "Pastiche" (meaning "a composition made up of selections of different works," or broadly, "a disorderly mixture, hodgepodge") is borrowed from French, and "medley" and "potpourri" have roots in French, too. There's also the lesser known "gallimaufry" (meaning "hodgepodge"), which comes from the Middle French "galimafree" (meaning "stew").

Word Of The Day

• sully
• 
• \SUL-ee\

• DEFINITION

adjective

: to make soiled or tarnished : defile

• EXAMPLES

The mayor worried that the latest scandal had hopelessly sulliedhis good name.

"The bank's reputation was sullied when its former chairman … was caught on tape in November discussing an alleged drug purchase." — From an article by Max Colchester in the Wall Street Journal, April 11, 2014

• DID YOU KNOW?

The spelling of today's word has shifted several times since it was "sylian" in Old-English, but its meaning has remained essentially the same: "to soil." If you're looking for other words that mean "to soil," you can try out "befoul," "besmirch," "blacken," "foul," "grime," "stain," or simply "dirty." You might wonder if the English word "sullen" (meaning "gloomy or morose") is a relative of "sully," and the answer is no. "Sullen" traces back by way of Anglo- and Old French to Latin "solus," meaning "alone."

Word Of The Day

• sartorial
• 
• \sahr-TOR-ee-ul\

• DEFINITION

adjective

: of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes; broadly : of or relating to clothes

• EXAMPLES

Since Daniel was well-known for his impeccable sartorial taste, I asked him for help in upgrading my own wardrobe.

"Her truck, specializing in clothes for plus-size women, is one of the mobile fashion retailers—the sartorial cousins to food trucks—that have taken to Washington area streets over the past year and a half." — From an article by Stephanie Merry in The Washington Post, April 16, 2014

• DID YOU KNOW?

It's easy to uncover the root of "sartorial." Just strip off the suffix "-ial" and you discover the Latin noun "sartor," meaning "tailor" (literally, "one who patches or mends"). Sartorial splendor has been the stuff of voguish magazines for years, and even "sartor" itself has occasionally proven fashionable, as it did in 1843, when Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote of "coats whose memory turns the sartor pale," or in the 1870 title The Sartor, or British journal of cutting, clothing, and fashion. "Sartorial" has been in style with English speakers since at least 1823.