Tag: Word of the Day

Guerdon, a reward

Word of the Day: Guerdon

October 3, 2016

Guerdon, a rewardWord of the Day: Guerdon

Guerdon

noun : GUR-dun

Definition

: reward, recompense

Examples

“The big hurdle … was early promotion to captain. … This early promotion, this small dry irrevocable statistic in the record, was his guerdon for a quarter of a century of getting things done.” — Herman Wouk, The Winds of War, 1971

“The guerdon in attending a repertory company’s concert is being able to savor the variety of work on display.” — Juan Michael Porter II, Broadway World, 7 June 2016

Did you Know?

Guerdon dates back to the 14th century, when Geoffrey Chaucer used it in The Romaunt of the Rose (ca. 1366): “He quitte him wel his guerdon there.” It derives from Anglo-French and is thought to be related to the Old High German widarlōn, meaning “reward.” Shakespeare used guerdon a couple of times in his plays. In Love’s Labour’s Lost, for example, Berowne, attendant to King Ferdinand, sends the clown Costard to deliver a letter to Rosaline, attendant to the princess of France, handing him a shilling with the line, “There’s thy guerdon; go.” Guerdon is a rare word today, but contemporary writers do use it on occasion for poetic effect.

My Take

Ok, I admit, this is a tough one. I have never heard the word before, or I had, I promptly forgot about it. It’s not a common term, and one that I doubt will make it to my vocabulary.

To gain insight into the word, I Googled it. Good ol’ Google. Don’t you love it? Sorry, I digress. When I went looking for images related to the word, I thought that I wouldn’t find much. Surprise! Wrong again. It seems that many companies use the word in their businesses and products. Now that I understand the meaning of the word, it makes sense to me.

Who knew? Guerdon.

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deliquesce

Word of the Day: Deliquesce

October 2, 2016
deliquesce
Photo Source: http://victoriousvocabulary.tumblr.com

Word of the Day: Deliquesce

Definition

Deliquesce

1 : to dissolve or melt away

2 : to become soft or liquid with age or maturity—used of some fungal structures (as the gills of a mushroom); to become liquid by absorbing moisture from the air

Examples

“‘Number Nine,’ a 16-minute bonbon of a ballet …, keeps its yellow-clad ensemble and four principal couples wheeling through kaleidoscopic patterns that surprise as they smoothly crystallize and deliquesce, sometimes matching the musical rhythms, sometimes working against them.” — Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2012

“But wait. If you have the brisket, will there be room for the beef rib? There’d better be, because it is a triumph. The salt-and-pepper-coated smoked meat and fat deliquesce into a sort of beef confit.” — Mark Vamos, The Dallas Morning News, 25 Dec. 2015

Did You Know?

Deliquesce derives from the prefix de- (“from, down, away”) and a form of the Latin verbliquēre, meaning “to be fluid.” Things that deliquesce, it could be said, turn to mush in more ways than one. In scientific contexts, a substance that deliquesces absorbs moisture from the atmosphere until it dissolves in the absorbed water and forms a solution. When plants and fungi deliquesce, they lose rigidity as they age. When deliquesce is used in non-scientific contexts, it is often in a figurative or humorous way to suggest the act of “melting away” under exhaustion, heat, or idleness, as in “teenagers deliquescing in 90-degree temperatures.”

My Take

An engaging word, and I like it. I also found one other definition of the word, which, I added to this post. In searching for related images, I found several, which surprised me. Of course, the one I wanted to use, I could not. It included naked tits which FB frowns on, despite the fact that it was a work of art rather than a photograph. Alternatively, I included one that is sure to depict the meaning of the word.

The trouble is, I don’t know how I would use it in everyday life or my writings. As I write this post, I have figured out some possible uses. I’ll work on it. How would you use it? Perhaps you can give me some ideas.

p.s. To see the photo I wanted to use, share this page using the Twitter icons on this page. Ain’t life great?

Word of the Day brought to you by Merriam-Webster.

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Word of the Day: Empyreal

October 1, 2016

Word of the Day: Empyreal

Empyreal Lord
Empyreal Lord – PathfinderWiki

Definition

Empyreal

1: of or relating to the heavens or firmament : celestial
2: sublime

Examples

Night after night, the comet shone brightly against the empyreal tapestry of the sky.
“A jar made in Iraq, Syria or Iran, its shape is nothing special, but its color—an empyreal sapphire blue, a version of which will later adorn the domes of Safavid mosques—is out of this world.” — Holland Cotter, The New York Times, 24 Dec. 2004

Did You Know?

Empyreal can be traced back to the Greek word for “fiery,” empyros, which was formed from the prefix em– (“in,” “within,” or “inside”) and –pyros, from pyr, the Greek word for “fire.” When empyreal entered the English language—via the Late Latin empyreus or empyrius—in the 15th century, it specifically referred to things related to the empyrean, the highest heaven or outermost heavenly sphere of ancient and medieval cosmology, which was often thought to contain or be composed of the element of fire. In the works of Christian writers—such as Dante’s Divine Comedy and John Milton’s Paradise Lost—this outermost heavenly sphere was associated with the Christian paradise. Empyreal is now also used more broadly in the senses of “celestial” and “sublime.”

My Take

Noticing that Merriam Webster’s Word of the Day was Empyreal, impressed my soul. It’s a great word, one that I haven’t used in a very long time. I should. To me, it is an elegant word, conveying a kind of sexiness in its meaning.

I have got to figure out a way to incorporate it into one of my stories. Perhaps have Mona gaze at the night sky and appreciate its celestial beauty. Since I am a person, who relishes the star-filled the sky, imagining traveling up there, between stars, meeting new civilizations, and just appreciating what the heavens offer, as far back as I can remember, I travel the stars in awe of their beauty and danger.

Of course, when I did a Google image lookup, I wasn’t surprised on how many images it returned related to the word. Cool, eh?

Conclusion

What do you think about the word? What does it mean to you?

I may just look up the M-W word of the day on a regular basis and share it with you. Until next time, this is Richard Verry, bringing you the latest.

Word of the Day brought to you by Merriam-Webster.

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