Word of the Day
estivate
verb (used without object)
to spend the summer, as at a specific place or in a certain activity.
More about estivate
Estivate has two main senses: 鈥渢o spend the summer at a specific place or in a certain activity鈥� (as at the beach or in the mountains), and a zoological sense, 鈥渢o spend a season in a dormant state, as certain reptiles and small mammals鈥� (the 鈥渙pposite,鈥� as it were, of hibernate). Estivate comes from Latin 补别蝉迟墨惫腻迟耻蝉, the past participle of 补别蝉迟墨惫腻谤别 鈥渢o reside during the summer.鈥� 础别蝉迟墨惫腻谤别 is a derivative of the adjective 补别蝉迟墨惫耻蝉 鈥渙f or relating to summer; summery,鈥� itself a derivative of the noun 补别蝉迟腻蝉 鈥渟ummer.鈥� The Proto-Indo-European root behind the Latin words is ai– 鈥渢o burn,鈥� which is also the source of Latin aestus 鈥渉eat, hot weather, hot season,鈥� 补别诲脓蝉 鈥渄welling place, abode, home鈥� (because it was heated), and aedificium 鈥渁 building鈥� (English edifice). Two other derivatives, 补别诲颈蹿颈肠腻谤别 鈥渢o erect a building,鈥� and 补别诲颈蹿颈肠腻迟颈艒 鈥渢he act or process of erecting a building; the building itself,鈥� in Christian Latin developed the senses 鈥渢o develop spiritually, improve the soul鈥� (and 鈥渟piritual growth鈥� for the noun), in current English edify and edification, which nowadays have nothing at all to do with the building trades. Estivate entered English in the first half of the 17th century.
how is estivate used?
The curious thing is that Long Island, even for those who estivate there, does not have the glamour of a goingaway place. When I ask friends what they are going to do for the summer, some say that they are going to the mountains, or to the country, or to New England. But there is a certain hesitancy about describing the Island.
There are three theories which serve partially鈥攐nly partially鈥攖o explain the remoteness of Dulles International Airport. … The second is that the Kennedy clan, who estivate in or near Middleburg, Va., can come galloping more conveniently over the hills with Caroline to see relatives off.
estivate
nonpareil
noun
a person or thing having no equal.
More about nonpareil
Nonpareil as an adjective means 鈥減eerless, having no equal鈥�; as a noun it means 鈥渁 person or thing having no equal.鈥� Nonpareil comes via the Middle English adjective nonparaille (also spelled nonpareil, nounparalle, nowimparaile) 鈥渦nequaled,鈥� from Old French nonpareil (and other variant spellings) 鈥渦nrivaled, peerless.鈥� French nonpareil is a compound of the negative prefix non– (from Latin 苍艒苍) 鈥渘ot鈥� and the adjective pareil 鈥渆qual,鈥� from Vulgar Latin 辫腻谤颈肠濒耻蝉, Late Latin 辫腻谤颈肠耻濒耻蝉, a diminutive adjective and noun formed from Latin 辫腻谤 (inflectional stem 辫腻谤i– 鈥渕atching, equal, an equal鈥�). Nonpareil entered English in the mid-15th century.
how is nonpareil used?
As a creative titan who straddled the line between science and speculation, Arthur C. Clarke was a nonpareil.
In addition to his merits as a critic of literature, oratory, painting, the theater, and politics, Hazlitt was both the originator and nonpareil of sports reporting.
nonpareil
More about vermilion
Vermilion 鈥渂rilliant scarlet red (color; pigment),鈥� comes from Middle English vermil(i)oun, vermilion(e) (there are nearly 20 spelling variants) 鈥渃innabar, red dye,鈥� from Anglo-French vermeilloun, vermiloun, from Old French verm(e)illon, vermillon 鈥渞ed lead, rouge, cinnabar.鈥� The Old French forms are derivatives of vermeil, vermail, from Late Latin vermiculus 鈥済rub, scarlet worm (a cochineal insect that is the source of red dye), scarlet color,鈥� a diminutive of vermis 鈥渨辞谤尘.鈥� Vermilion entered English in the late 13th century.
how is vermilion used?
They were standing, facing each other, beneath the spreading branches of the lovely flamboyant. The rays of the silver moon shone down upon them through the sea of green and聽vermilion, and revealed the handsome face of the girl upturned to Carl.
The biggest seller is the Southern red velvet cake, which, underneath its creamy, demurely white icing, holds three layers of cake that’s rightfully (if alarmingly) vermilion with a lofty, delicate texture.
vermilion