cosmeticize • \kahz-MET-uh-syze\ • verb
: to make (something unpleasant or ugly) superficially attractive
Example Sentence:
The authors of the legislation have cosmeticized it with tax breaks and tax cuts.
Did you know?"Cosmeticize" first appeared in print in the early 19th century as a descendant of the noun "cosmetic." Originally, its use was often literal, with the meaning "to apply a cosmetic to," but today it is often used figuratively. "Cosmeticize" does occasionally draw criticism; usage commentators are sometimes irritated by verbs coined using "-ize" as they can sound like silly, nonce words. "Cosmeticize" is fairly well-established, however, in contrast with the two other, rarer verbs that have been derived from "cosmetic": "cosmetize," which often turns up in the literal sense ("cosmetize the face"), and "cosmetic," which can be literal or figurative ("cosmeticked with bright rouge"; "embellished and cosmeticked").
Courtesy of: www.merriam-webster.com
Showing posts with label Word of the Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Word of the Day. Show all posts
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Monday, August 10, 2009
*Word of the Day*
dernier cri • \dairn-yay-KREE\ • noun
: the newest fashion
Example Sentence:When it came to shopping for a new wardrobe for school, Jacqueline tended to ignore the dernier cri and would instead pick clothes that suited her own tastes.
Did you know?Paris has long been the last word in fashion, but hot designer clothes from the city's renowned runways aren’t the only stylish French exports. Words, too, sometimes come with a French label. "Dernier cri," literally "last cry," is one such chic French borrowing. The word is no trendy fad, however. More than a century has passed since "dernier cri" was the latest thing on the English language scene (and cut-steel jewelry was declared the dernier cri by the Westminster Gazette of December 10, 1896), but the term (unlike cut-steel) remains as modish as ever. Other fashionable French words have walked the runways of the English language since then: "blouson" (1904); "couture" (1908); "culotte" (1911); "lamé" (a clothing fabric, 1922); and "bikini" (1947), to name a few.
Courtesy of: http://www.merriam-webster.com/
: the newest fashion
Example Sentence:When it came to shopping for a new wardrobe for school, Jacqueline tended to ignore the dernier cri and would instead pick clothes that suited her own tastes.
Did you know?Paris has long been the last word in fashion, but hot designer clothes from the city's renowned runways aren’t the only stylish French exports. Words, too, sometimes come with a French label. "Dernier cri," literally "last cry," is one such chic French borrowing. The word is no trendy fad, however. More than a century has passed since "dernier cri" was the latest thing on the English language scene (and cut-steel jewelry was declared the dernier cri by the Westminster Gazette of December 10, 1896), but the term (unlike cut-steel) remains as modish as ever. Other fashionable French words have walked the runways of the English language since then: "blouson" (1904); "couture" (1908); "culotte" (1911); "lamé" (a clothing fabric, 1922); and "bikini" (1947), to name a few.
Courtesy of: http://www.merriam-webster.com/
Thursday, August 6, 2009
*Word of the Day*
The Word of the Day for August 06, 2009 is:
demean • \dih-MEEN\ • verb
: to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner
Example Sentence:Sylvia was proud of the polite way her young children demeaned themselves in front of the dinner guests.
Did you know?There are two words spelled "demean" in English. The more familiar "demean" -- "to lower in character, status, or reputation" -- comes straight from "mean," the adjective that means "spiteful." Today's featured word, on the other hand, comes from the Anglo-French verb "demener" ("to conduct"), which in turn comes from Latin "minare," meaning "to drive." This verb has been with us since the 14th century and is generally used in contexts specifying a type of behavior: "he demeaned himself in a most unfriendly manner"; "she demeaned herself as befitting her station in life"; "they knew not how to demean themselves in the king's presence." As you may have already guessed, the noun "demeanor," meaning "behavior," comes from this "demean."
demean • \dih-MEEN\ • verb
: to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner
Example Sentence:Sylvia was proud of the polite way her young children demeaned themselves in front of the dinner guests.
Did you know?There are two words spelled "demean" in English. The more familiar "demean" -- "to lower in character, status, or reputation" -- comes straight from "mean," the adjective that means "spiteful." Today's featured word, on the other hand, comes from the Anglo-French verb "demener" ("to conduct"), which in turn comes from Latin "minare," meaning "to drive." This verb has been with us since the 14th century and is generally used in contexts specifying a type of behavior: "he demeaned himself in a most unfriendly manner"; "she demeaned herself as befitting her station in life"; "they knew not how to demean themselves in the king's presence." As you may have already guessed, the noun "demeanor," meaning "behavior," comes from this "demean."
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
*Word of the Day*
The Word of the Day for August 05, 2009 is:
jingoism • \JING-goh-is-uhm\ • noun
: extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy
Example Sentence:Albert Einstein was a pacifist who found German jingoism, with its ultra-nationalistic ideology and militaristic policy, so objectionable that he left his homeland in 1933, never to return.
Did you know?
"Jingoism" originated during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, when many British citizens were hostile toward Russia and felt Britain should intervene in the conflict. Supporters of the cause expressed their sentiments in a music-hall ditty with this refrain:
"We don't want to fight, yet by jingo if we do,
We've got the ships,
we've got the men,
We've got the money, too!"
Someone holding the attitude implied in the song became known as a "jingo" or "jingoist," and the attitude itself was dubbed "jingoism." The "jingo" in the tune is probably a euphemism for "Jesus."
Courtesy of: www.merriam-webster.com
jingoism • \JING-goh-is-uhm\ • noun
: extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy
Example Sentence:Albert Einstein was a pacifist who found German jingoism, with its ultra-nationalistic ideology and militaristic policy, so objectionable that he left his homeland in 1933, never to return.
Did you know?
"Jingoism" originated during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, when many British citizens were hostile toward Russia and felt Britain should intervene in the conflict. Supporters of the cause expressed their sentiments in a music-hall ditty with this refrain:
"We don't want to fight, yet by jingo if we do,
We've got the ships,
we've got the men,
We've got the money, too!"
Someone holding the attitude implied in the song became known as a "jingo" or "jingoist," and the attitude itself was dubbed "jingoism." The "jingo" in the tune is probably a euphemism for "Jesus."
Courtesy of: www.merriam-webster.com
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
*Word of the Day*
The Word of the Day for August 04, 2009 is:
tantivy • \tan-TIV-ee\ • adverb
: in a headlong dash : at a gallop
Example Sentence:Once the school bell sounded signaling dismissal, the children rose from their desks and headed tantivy for the exits.
Did you know?"Tantivy" is also a noun meaning "a rapid gallop" or "an impetuous rush." Although its precise origin isn't known, one theory has it that "tantivy" represents the sound of a galloping horse's hooves. The noun does double duty as a word meaning "the blare of a trumpet or horn." The second use probably evolved from confusion with "tantara," a word for the sound of a trumpet that came about as an imitation of that sound. Both "tantivy" and "tantara" were used during foxhunts; in the heat of the chase people may have jumbled the two.
Courtesy of: www.Merriam-Webster.com
tantivy • \tan-TIV-ee\ • adverb
: in a headlong dash : at a gallop
Example Sentence:Once the school bell sounded signaling dismissal, the children rose from their desks and headed tantivy for the exits.
Did you know?"Tantivy" is also a noun meaning "a rapid gallop" or "an impetuous rush." Although its precise origin isn't known, one theory has it that "tantivy" represents the sound of a galloping horse's hooves. The noun does double duty as a word meaning "the blare of a trumpet or horn." The second use probably evolved from confusion with "tantara," a word for the sound of a trumpet that came about as an imitation of that sound. Both "tantivy" and "tantara" were used during foxhunts; in the heat of the chase people may have jumbled the two.
Courtesy of: www.Merriam-Webster.com
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