Word of the Day
farraginous
adjective
heterogeneous; mixed.
More about farraginous
The adjective farraginous 鈥渉eterogeneous; mixed鈥� ultimately comes from the Latin noun 蹿补谤谤腻驳艒 (inflectional stem 蹿补谤谤腻驳颈苍-) 鈥渕ixed grains” (used for animal feed). 贵补谤谤腻驳辞 is a compound of far (inflectional stem farr-) 鈥渉usked wheat, emmer鈥� and the noun-forming suffix –腻驳艒 (stem 腻驳颈苍-). Other derivatives of far include 蹿补谤墨苍补 鈥渕eal, flour鈥� (English farina) and its adjective 蹿补谤墨苍腻肠别耻蝉 (English farinaceous). Far comes from the Proto-Indo-European root bhers– or bhares– 鈥渂arley,鈥� source of Old Icelandic barr 鈥済rain, barley鈥� and Old English bere, which forms the first syllable of modern English barley. Farraginous entered English in the first half of the 17th century.
how is farraginous used?
In general we suspect that the simpler the pasta dish, the more successful it is likely to be. … But fancier linguine alla grana (whole wheat pasta) was a disaster, a farraginous mound with bits of filet mignon and mushrooms in a fatty brown sauce.
For being a confusion of knaves and fools, and a farraginous concurrence of all conditions, tempers, sexes, and ages, it is but natural if their determinations be monstrous and many ways inconsistent with truth.
farraginous
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