Word of the day August 1
 

The Word of the Day for August 1 is:

palimpsest • \PAL-imp-sest\ • (noun) 1. writing material (as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased; 2. something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface

A little more information about today’s word:
In olden days, writing surfaces were so rare that they were often used more than once. "Palimpsest" originally described an early form of recycling in which an old document was erased to make room for a new one when parchment ran short. Fortunately for modern scholars, the erasing process wasn't completely effective, so the original could often be distinguished under the newer writing. De republica, by Roman statesman and orator Cicero, is one of many documents thus recovered from a palimpsest.

My sentence (using definition #1):
The archaeologists discovered that the old parchment was a palimpsest, and they were able to use it to recover an ancient manuscript.

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

TFP is a palimpsest, 4 layers deep.

There have been a number of times on Antiques Roadshow when paintings have been discovered to be palimpsest, with the work of a minor painter over that of a master.

Listen palimpsest all you want, I said I got the tab this time!

His computer's hardrive was a porno palimpsest.

Palimpsests were used because of the expense of parchment in Medieval times.

As the teacher wrote her example on the blackboard,
she noticed faded underwriting of taunts in a certain student's handwriting, just like a palimpsest.

My daughter loves her Magna Doodle because it is a palimpsest.

Using definition 2:

My wife's personality is a rich palimpsest.

He had erased and rewritten the love letter so many times that the page had become nothing more than a palimpsest reflecting his contradictory and confused emotions.

Magna Doodle went to town, riding on a pony, stuck a ball point through a palimpsest, indenting permanent scribbles of "macaroni".

Word of the day August 4
 

The Word of the Day for August 4 is:

respite • \RES-pit\ • (noun) 1. a period of temporary delay; especially reprieve; 2. an interval of rest or relief

A little more information about today’s word:
Originally, beginning in the late 13th century, a respite was a delay or extension asked for or granted for a specific reason—to give someone time to deliberate on a proposal, for example. Such a respite offered an opportunity for the kind of consideration inherent in the word’s etymology. "Respite" traces from the Latin term "respectus," which comes from a verb meaning, both literally and figuratively, "to turn around to look at" or "to regard." By the 14th century, we had granted "respite" the sense we use most often today—"a welcome break."

My sentence (using definition #2):
After a grueling semester, the one-week respite before the start of the summer term didn’t seem quite adequate.

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

When you’re done using that shovel, just respite against the barn over there.

There is no respite for the weary.

I finished summer school last week, and have yet to see a respite from being busy.

The only time I get a respite from my daughter is when she is asleep.

Going to the vending machine to get a Mars bar was the only respite the hacker allowed herself during her 24 hour coding session.

Word of the day August 5
 

The Word of the Day for August 5 is:

struthious • \STROO-thee-uss ("th" as in "thin" or as in "then")\ • (adjective) of or relating to the ostriches and related birds

A little more information about today’s word:
Paleontologists have found ostrich fossils that are 5 million years old, but "struthious" has only been strutting its stuff in English since the 18th century. "Ostrich" is much older. Anglo-French speakers created "ostriz" from Vulgar Latin "avis struthio" ("ostrich bird"); Middle English speakers made it "ostrich" in the 13th century. Scientists seeking a genus word for ostriches turned back to Latin, choosing "struthio." The related adjective "struthious" can be scientific and literal, or it can be figurative with the meaning "ostrich-like," as in our example sentence. The extended use suggests a tendency to bury one’s head in the sand like an ostrich. But do ostriches really do this? No—the bird’s habit of lying down and flattening its neck and head against the ground to escape detection gave rise to the misconception.

My sentence:
"The law is not so struthious as to compel a judge . . . to divorce himself or herself from common sense or to ignore what is perfectly obvious."
-- Hon. Bruce M. Selya, U.S. v. Sklar, U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

Many people are struthious with their financial problems.

The legislators were struthious when it came to considering the long term effect of the laws they were passing.

Struthious is the most fun I’ve had with my clothes on!

After tripping, the man stood in a struthious pose for a few moments, too embarrassed to move.

When my ex-girlfriend passed by I acted as struthious as I could, hoping she wouldn't see me.

Word of the day August 6
 

The Word of the Day for August 6 is:

vespertine • \VESS-per-tyne\ • (adjective) 1. of, relating to, or occurring in the evening; 2. active, flowering, or flourishing in the evening; crepuscular

A little more information about today’s word:
Imagine this vespertine scenario: Hesperus, the Evening Star, shines in a clear sky; little brown bats flutter near the treetops; somewhere in the distance a church bell calls worshipers to the evening service. Can you find three words (other than "vespertine") associated with the Latin root "vesper," which means "evening," hidden in that scene? The evening star was once known as "Vesper" ("Hesperus" is from the Greek for "evening"); "vespertilian" means "batlike" (the Latin for bat is "vespertilio"); and we still call an evening worship service "vespers."

My sentence (using definition #1):
A vespertine fog crept over the farm, concealing the outbuildings and the orchard and stranding the house in an inky ocean of darkness as the evening turned to night.

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

The vespertine attraction I had with my date became more intense as the night went on.

During the long Alaskan winters vespertine activities can begin as early as 4:00 in the afternoon.

Vespertine me up so tight, I won’t have any circulation in my arms, OR legs!

In my college days I was known as Dracula, because it seemed that I only appeared during the vespertine hours and then I mysteriously disappeared again come dawn.

The vespertine hours are always the best times for doing most things.

Word of the day August 7
 

The Word of the Day for August 7 is:

waterloo • \waw-ter-LOO\ • (noun) a decisive or final defeat or setback

A little more information about today’s word:
The Battle of Waterloo, which occurred on June 18, 1815, has given its name to the very notion of final defeat. Why? Maybe because it ended one of the most spectacular military careers in history (Napoleon's), as well as 23 years of recurrent conflict between France and the rest of Europe. In addition, it was Napoleon's second "final defeat." He was defeated and exiled in 1814, but he escaped his confinement, returned to France, and was restored to power for three months before meeting defeat at the hands of the forces allied under the Duke of Wellington near the Belgian village of Waterloo. The word "waterloo" first appeared in casual use the following year, 1816.

My sentence:
The tense chess match between Jim and his father went on for most of the afternoon, until Jim met his waterloo shortly before dinner.

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.

Duh...

Mr Mephisto

PS - Did you change your avatar?! :)

The interception in the fourth was what made the game a waterloo when it came to the teams playoff hopes.

My ex-boss thought he had it under control,
until I triggered his waterloo.
Now he doesn't have a dept. or his management anymore.
Ain't life a bitch.:)

” Waterloo looking at? Are you talking to me? Well, there’s nobody else around. Are you talking to me?" (DeNiro)

Going camping next week should be a wonderful respite before school starts up again in three weeks.

lol mrsandman

A new can of Raid in my hand means those fricking bugs that slither under the front door will meet their waterloo very very soon.

Frank was grimly determined to one day be Earnests' personal waterloo. Earnest, with his eternally creased brow, never ceased to be oblivious.

No respite for the weary

One of ABBA's big hits was Waterloo.

hmmm. nice word.

In the half-light, the vespertine denizens of the village could be seen shuffling blindly out their front doors, clawing at the thin, crisp night.

When I am looking for a good burger or a nice selection of bottled beers, I go eat at Waterloo Restaurant off of Burnet Road.

I see a pattern here.

- so sorry....I shall try to be more thorough in reading the other entries

When the toilet became plugged and overflowed John became quite embarrassed and left the waterloo without telling anyone.

Many flowers only blossom in the vespertine hours.

Waterloo Ice House in Austin is a good place to eat and hang out.

Waterloo village is a great outdoor venue to see a concert in northern New Jersey...

Word of the day August 8
 

The Word of the Day for August 8 is:

Antaean • \an-TEE-un\ • (adjective) 1. mammoth; 2. having superhuman strength

A little more information about today’s word:
In Greek mythology, Antaeus was the gigantic and powerful son of Gaea the Earth goddess and Poseidon the sea god. Antaeus was a wrestler and whenever he touched his mother (the Earth), his strength was renewed, so he always won his battles even if his opponents threw him to the ground. He proved invincible until he challenged Hercules to wrestle. Hercules discovered the source of the giant's strength, lifted him off the ground, and crushed him to death. In 18th century England, the poet William Mason discovered the power of "Antaean" as a descriptive English adjective, when he used it in his Ode to the Hon. William Pitt: If foil'd at first, resume thy course Rise strengthen'd with Antaean force.

My sentence (using definition #2):
In an emergency, an average person can become an Antaean powerhouse, capable even of lifting a car to rescue someone trapped underneath.

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

“Antaean uncle gave me a bicycle for my birthday."

Specter's avatar is Antaean comic book character named Juggernaut.

My avatar at one time was the Antaean hero, "the Hulk".

Sorry red, it just seemed to appropriate after yours.:)

In war, Antaean strength will not always win over well thought out planning or the abilities of well placed spies.

I would like to see a battle between my current and rogue's Antaean avatars.

Word of the day August 11
 

The Word of the Day for August 11 is:

alterity • \awl-TAIR-uh-tee\ • (noun) otherness; specifically the quality or state of being radically alien to the conscious self or a particular cultural orientation

A little more information about today’s word:
You’re probably familiar with the verb "alter," meaning "to make or become different." If so, you already have some insight into the origins of "alterity"—like our "alter," it's from the Latin word "alter," meaning
"other (of two)." (The Latin "alter," in turn, comes from a prehistoric Indo-European word that is also an ancestor of our "alien.") "Alterity" has been used in English as a fancy word for "otherness" ("the state of being other") since at least 1642. It remains less common than "otherness" and tends to turn up most often in the context of literary theory or cultural studies.

My sentence:
"And it is precisely this mix of alterity and swampy familiarity that allows [his] works to elude conceptual summary so successfully."
-- David Kaufmann, Shofar Magazine, Winter 2003

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

The New Yorker tried to live in the Native village but found the alterity too much to take.

The province of Quebec, well, the french-born majority -well, some of that majority- felt that they had a distinctness, a je ne sais quoi, an alterity so tightly woven into their genetic and cultural selves, that they owed it to the world at large to separate from their country (misguided though they were).

At the Golden Age Home, two octogenarians got into a fight and one yelled to the other: “ Alterity right out of your mouth!”

Alterity is one of my favorite role playing games.

The alterity between full-time work & full-time college and the transition is overwhelming for some.

The alterity between a small community college and a large university will be a big change for me.

Word of the day August 12
 

The Word of the Day for August 12 is:

bogart • \BOH-gart\ • (verb) 1. bully, intimidate; 2. to use or consume without sharing

A little more information about today’s word:
The legendary film actor Humphrey Bogart was known for playing a range of tough characters in a series of films throughout the 1940s and 1950s, including The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and The African Queen. The men he portrayed often possessed a cool, hardened exterior that occasionally let forth a suggestion of romantic or idealistic sentimentality. Bogart also had a unique method of smoking cigarettes in these pictures—letting the butt dangle from his mouth without removing it until it was almost entirely consumed. It is believed that this habit inspired the current meaning of "bogart," which was once limited to the phrase "Don’t bogart that joint [marijuana cigarette]," but can now be applied to almost anything, from food to physical space (as on a beach).

My sentence (using definition #2):
"[The dog] lay dazed on her side on the kitchen floor, bogarting a bone, dozens more scattered around her like some dog play set she'd grown bored with."
-- Douglas Bauer, The Boston Globe, July 25, 2001

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

Don't bogart the joint man, pass it to the left hand side.

How about....

Stop bogarting the tv, change the channel. I wanna watch Jerry....

Don't be so bogArt suffer along like the rest of us! :)

I'm not really a fan of Humphrey Bogart movies.

(sorry)

"Dammit Beavis, quit bogarting all the nachos." :)

He says he has to keep trying to make a souffle, because he won't let it become his waterloo.

When I'm with her the feeling of alterity is overwhelming which probably means we are either breaking up or moving in together.

It is hard to sleep with her because she bogarts the bed.

Being raised with a christian doctrine the alterity of other religions is a bit disconcerting.

When I was young I would bogart all my halloween candy and make sure my brother didn't take any.

The alterity of daily life in rural Tennessee almost drove Jane crazy after she moved from New York City.

While people-watching at the mall, I was amused as the kid bogarted the candy.

Bogus! Bubba is Bogarting all the Blueberry Yogurt.... Bastard.

Word of the day August 13
 

The Word of the Day for August 13 is:

peloton • \peh-luh-TAHN\ • (noun) the main body of riders in a bicycle race

A little more information about today’s word:
If you've ever watched the Tour de France on television, you've seen plenty of the peloton, the seemingly endless flow of brightly colored riders making up the central group. You may have also gained some inadvertent insight into the word itself, which as you may have guessed is French in origin. In French, "peloton" literally means "ball," but it is most often used with the meaning "group." It’s frequently used in the bicycling context, just as in English, but it can also refer to a group in a marathon or other sporting event. French "peloton" can also mean "squad" or "platoon," and since we’ve told you that you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that it is also the source of our word "platoon."

My sentence:
Thousands of cycling fans lined the race route, relaxing in lawn chairs as they waited for the peloton to speed by.

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

I put a peloton my palm, and the chicken came and ate it.

Remarkably there were no injuries, as the peloton of the race had a mass of crashes around the sharp bend at the bottom of the hill.

It's rare to see Lance Armstrong in the middle of the peloton.

Unlike Lance Armstrong I tend to be in the back of the peloton.

In some of the towns the peloton rode through, the townspeople thought they should peloton to increase revenues.

Word of the day August 14
 

The Word of the Day for August 14 is:

skulk • \SKULK\ • (verb) 1. to move in a stealthy or furtive manner; 2a. to hide or conceal something (as oneself) often out of cowardice or fear or with sinister intent; 2b. chiefly British; malinger

A little more information about today’s word:
Here's one for the word-puzzle lovers. Can you name three things that the word "skulk" has in common with all of these other words: booth, brink, cog, flit, give, kid, meek, scab, seem, skull, snub, and wing? If you noticed that all of the terms on that list have just one syllable, then you've got the first (easy) similarity, but the next two are likely to prove a little harder to guess. Give up? All of the words listed above are of Scandinavian origin and all were first recorded in English in the 13th century. As for "skulk," its closest Scandinavian relative is Norwegian dialect "skulka," which means "to lie in wait" or "lurk."

My sentence (using definition #1):
"I sometimes met with hounds in my path prowling about the woods, which would skulk out of my way, as if afraid, and stand silent amid the bushes till I had passed."
-- Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

In a pissing contest I, sadly, noted that his skulk was much larger than mine.

Sometime I skulk around at night alone,
I'm called rogue for a reason. ;)

I am the Midnight Skulker who skulks at midnight.

From within the unlit alley, I heard the squeak of rats as they skulked between the dark and concealing shadows.

The theif skulked towards his mark, not realizing that a cop had already noticed him.

Counterfeit art= Bogart


heeha.:)

Incredibly I skulked, behind the the shadows,behind the gray monofilimentated lenses...soon, I said. "Soon"

I want to ride my Pel-a ton
I want to ride my bike.
I want to ride my Pel-a ton
I want to ride it where I Like.

Aleritied States.

I woke, the other day. With the clarity and alerity of one shoved from the womb.

As I skulked through the inner prison walls, I realized I had forgotten to turn off the night light in my cell. About 10 seconds later, I heard the escape alarms go off. I was in deep shit.

Word of the day August 15
 

The Word of the Day for August 15 is:

career • \kuh-REER\ • (verb) to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner

A little more information about today’s word:
The verbs "career" and "careen" both mean "to move at high speed," but they are distinct words with separate histories. A popular medieval contest required horsemen to ride around closely placed barriers while inserting lances through small metal rings—an activity that necessitated short gallops at full speed. Sixteenth-century English speakers used the noun "career" (from Middle French "carrière") to refer to such gallops and the verb "career" to mean "to gallop for a short burst at full speed." By the mid-17th century, the verb had acquired its general "go fast" meaning. "Careen" shares this sense, but it can also mean "to sway from side to side" or "to put (a boat) on a beach to work on the hull"; it traces to a Latin word for "hull."

My sentence:
"He darted onward—straight, headlong—dashing through brier and brake, and leaping gate and fence as madly as his dog, who careered with loud and sounding bark before him."
-- Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist

Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 10th Edition.

Next sentence?

The driver careered, and it looked like an accident was imminent.

Found guilty of doping, the sprinter's career careered towards an abyss.

After slipping on the ice John careered down the mountain.

My older brother loosened his grip on the handles of the grocery cart and it careered into the oncoming traffic.

He looked menacingly at me and since it wasn’t career what his intentions were, I hit him!

Jasper, not paying any attention to those who've come before him in this cybertronic forum just careered ahead and typed out a response he thought was fitting.

As the peloton lie ahead of me in a sweating, gyrating mass, I furiously pumped through a desert of lonliness.

what is this rough shape thatskulks towards Bethlehem?