Behemoth

The Word of the Day for January 7 th

behemoth \bih-HEE-muth\ noun

1 often capitalized : a mighty animal described in Job 40:15-24 as an example of the power of God
*2 : something of monstrous size, power, or appearance

Example sentence:
Suddenly a behemoth of a truck, honking madly and going at least 80 mph, bore down on me from out of the blue.

Did you know?
The original "behemoth" was biblical; it designated a mysterious river-dwelling beast in the Book of Job. Based on that description, scholars have concluded that the biblical behemoth was probably inspired by a hippopotamus, but details about the creature's exact nature were vague. The word first passed from the Hebrew into Late Latin, where, according to English poet and monk John Lydgate, writing in 1430, it "playne expresse[d] a beast rude full of cursednesse." In English, "behemoth" was eventually applied more generally to anything large and powerful.

Tin-pot

The Word of the Day for January 06 is:

tin-pot \TIN-POT\ adjective

: two-bit, small-time

Example sentence: Petty despots and tin-pot dictators often pay lip service to democratic ideals to give their regimes an aura of legitimacy.

Did you know? Tin has never commanded as much respect as some other metals. As a reflection of this, its name has long been used in terms denoting the tawdry or petty. "Tin-pot" has been used for minor or insignificant things or people since the early 1800s. "Tinhorn" has named fakes or frauds (especially gamblers) since the 1880s, and "tin lizzie" has been a nickname for an inexpensive car since Ford introduced the Model T. Another example is "tin pan" (as in "Tin Pan Alley"), which referred to the tinny sound of pianos pounded furiously by musicians plugging tunes to producers.

Emeritus

Emeritus \ih-MEH-ruh-tus\ adjective


: retired with an honorary title from an office or position


Example sentence: Although he is retiring from the newspaper, Mr. Richardson will remain as editor emeritus, and his name will still appear on the masthead.

Did you know? In Latin, "emeritus" was used to describe soldiers who had completed their duty. It is the past participle of the verb "emereri," meaning "to serve out one's term," from the prefix "e-" (meaning "out") and "merēre" ("to earn, deserve, or serve"). ("Merēre" also gives us our English word "merit.") Beginning in the late 18th century, English speakers began using "emeritus" as an adjective to refer to professors who had retired from office. The word eventually became applied to other professions where a retired member may continue to hold a title in an honorary capacity. In many titles, "emeritus" is used postpositively, which means that it comes after the noun it modifies instead of before it, as in our example sentence.

Woebegone

The Word of the Day for Jun 14 is:

woebegone \WOH-bih-gahn\ adjective

1 : strongly afflicted with woe : woeful
*2 : exhibiting great woe, sorrow, or misery
3 : being in a sorry state

Example sentence:
Jerry's face had the woebegone expression of a man who had just lost a beloved pet.

Did you know?
At first glance, "woebegone" looks like a word that has its meaning backwards; after all, if "begone" means "go away," shouldn't "woebegone" mean "devoid of woe," or "happy"? Not exactly. The word derives from the Middle English phrase "wo begon." The "wo" in this phrase simply means "woe," but "begon" (deriving from Old English "begān") is a past participle meaning "beset." Someone who is "woebegone," therefore, is literally beset with woe. Since the early 19th century, the word has also been used to describe things that appear to express sadness, as in "a woebegone face."

Allege

The Word of the Day for Jun 13 is:

allege \uh-LEJ\ verb

*1 : to assert without proof or before proving
2 : to bring forward as a reason or excuse

Example sentence:
Several employees alleged that the company had engaged in discriminatory practices, and claimed to have evidence to support their allegations.

Did you know?
These days, someone "alleges" something before presenting the evidence to prove it (or perhaps without evidence at all), but the word actually derives from the Middle English verb "alleggen," meaning "to submit (something) in evidence or as justification." "Alleggen," in turn, traces back to Anglo-French and probably ultimately to Latin "allegare," meaning "to send as a representative" or "to offer as proof in support of a plea." Indeed, "allege" once referred to the actions of someone who came forward to testify in court; this sense isn't used anymore, but it led to the development of the current "assert without proof" sense.

Epigram

The Word of the Day for Jun 12 is:

epigram \EP-ih-gram\ noun

1 : a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event and often ending with an ingenious turn of thought
*2 : a terse, sage, or witty and often paradoxical saying
3 : epigrammatic expression


Example sentence:
Ever the master of insightful epigram, Oscar Wilde once observed: "In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."

Did you know?
Ancient Greeks and Romans used the word "epigramma" (from Greek "epigraphein," meaning "to write on") to refer to a concise, witty, and often satirical verse. The Roman poet Martial (who published eleven books of these "epigrammata," or epigrams, between the years 86 and 98 AD) was a master of the form: "You puff the poets of other days, / the living you deplore. / Spare me the accolade: your praise / Is not worth dying for." English speakers adopted the "verse" sense of the word when we first used "epigram" in the 15th century. In the late 18th century, we began using "epigram" for concise, witty sayings, even if they didn't rhyme.

Scion

The Word of the Day for Jun 11 is:

scion \SYE-un\ noun

1 : a detached living portion of a plant (as a bud or shoot) joined to a stock in grafting and usually supplying solely aerial parts to a graft
*2 : descendant, child; especially : a descendant of a wealthy, aristocratic, or influential family
3 : heir

Example sentence:
The scion of a family of legendary actors, Fiona was well groomed for her own show business career.

Did you know?
"Scion" derives from the Middle English "sioun" and Old French "cion," and is related to the Old English "cīth" and the Old High German "kīdi" ("sprout" or "shoot"). When it first sprouted in English in the 13th century, "scion" meant "a shoot or twig." That sense withered in horticultural contexts, but the word branched out, adding the grafting-related meaning we know today. The figurative sense, "descendant," blossomed in the 19th century, with particular reference to those who were descendants of notable families.