Word of the Day
extenuate
verb (used with object)
to represent (a fault, offense, etc.) as less serious: to extenuate a crime.
More about extenuate
Extenuate comes from Latin 别虫迟别苍耻腻迟-, the past participle of the verb 别虫迟别苍耻腻谤别 鈥渢o make thin or narrow, whittle down, contract, reduce.鈥� The only common English meaning of extenuate, 鈥渢o represent a fault or offense as less serious,鈥� is an extended meaning of one of the Latin senses 鈥渢o diminish or lessen (in size, quantity, or degree).鈥� The root underlying 别虫迟别苍耻腻谤别 is the Latin adjective tenuis 鈥渢hin,鈥� a derivative of the very common Proto-Indo-European root ten-, tend-, ton-, 迟峁�– (and other variants) 鈥渢o stretch, extend, spin (cloth).鈥� The root appears in Latin 迟别苍脓谤别 鈥渢o hold in the hand, grasp,鈥� tendere 鈥渢o stretch out, offer鈥�; Sanskrit 迟补苍峁搕颈 鈥�(he) stretches, spins,鈥� 迟腻苍补– 鈥渢hread, tone鈥�; Greek 迟别铆苍别颈苍 鈥渢o stretch, pull tight,” and 迟贸苍辞蝉 鈥渢ension, sinew, cord, string, tension (in the voice), tone (of the voice).” The Germanic forms thunw– and thunni– yield the Old English verb thenian (also thennan) 鈥渢o stretch, spread out, bend (a bow),鈥� Old High German dennen 鈥渢o extend, stretch鈥� (German dehnen), the Old English adjective thynne 鈥渢hin,鈥� and German 诲眉苍苍 鈥渢丑颈苍.鈥� Extenuate entered English in the first half of the 16th century.
how is extenuate used?
Revelation of embryonic activity in the sixties does not extenuate crimes of more recent vintage, but they will show us how pervasive and dangerous our unconcern has been.
This was what no reasoning, no appeal to the calmer judgment, could ever, in his inmost thoughts, undo or extenuate.
emporium
noun
a large retail store, especially one selling a great variety of articles.
More about emporium
Emporium with its Latin ending –um still looks foreign. In Latin, emporium means 鈥渢rade center, business district, market town.鈥� The Latin word means something larger and more permanent than the Greek original 别尘辫贸谤颈辞苍 鈥渢rading station, trading post, entrep么t.鈥� 贰尘辫贸谤颈辞苍 is a derivative of 别尘辫辞谤铆补 鈥渃ommerce, trade, business,鈥� itself a derivative of 茅尘辫辞谤辞蝉 鈥減assenger on a ship, traveler, merchant, trade.鈥� The compound noun 茅尘辫辞谤辞蝉 breaks down into em-, a variant of en– 鈥渋n, on,鈥� and 辫贸谤辞蝉 鈥渨ay, passage, journey.鈥� 笔贸谤辞蝉 derives from the Proto-Indo-European root per-, por-, 辫峁�– 鈥渢o lead, pass, pass over.鈥� Per– is the source of English firth and fjord (both from Old Norse 蹿箩谦谤迟丑, inflectional stem firth-, from Germanic ferthuz 鈥渇ord鈥�). The variant por– is the source of Old English faran 鈥渢o go on a journey, get along” (English fare). The suffixed form por–eyo– forms the causative Germanic verb farjan 鈥渢o make go, lead,鈥� which becomes ferian in Old English and ferry in English. The variant 辫艞– forms the Latin nouns porta 鈥渄oor, gate,鈥� portus 鈥減ort, harbor,鈥� and the verb 辫辞谤迟腻谤别 鈥渢o carry, transport.鈥� Emporium entered English in the second half of the 16th century.
how is emporium used?
He sold everything in the emporium, from coffee to collar studs, camisoles to cuckoo clocks, candied sugar to collapsible top hats.
Following a stint as a window dresser at Luisa Via Roma, Florence鈥檚 famous fashion emporium, she relocated to Paris, learning tailoring from the French designer Myr猫ne de Pr茅monville ….
spitzenburg
noun
any of several red or yellow varieties of apple that ripen in the autumn.
More about spitzenburg
A spitzenburg or spitzenberg is a variety of apple from Esopus, New York, a town on the west bank of the Hudson River about 100 miles north of New York City. The full name of the variety of apple is Esopus Spitzenberg, after Esopus, a Lenape (Delaware Indian) word meaning 鈥渉igh banks,鈥� and Dutch spits 鈥減oint鈥� and berg 鈥渕ountain鈥� (a seedling was found on a hill near Esopus). This variety of apple was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, who had several trees of the variety planted at Monticello. Spitzenburg entered English at the end of the 18th century.
how is spitzenburg used?
… the old gentleman turned in his tracks, looked at me severely, and said, “Young man, the Spitzenburg聽is the best apple God ever invented.”
Biting into a Spitzenburg produces an explosion of flavor; the yellow flesh is crisp, firm, tender, juicy with an extremely rich, aromatic flavor: the ultimate gourmet apple.