Word of the Day
Word of the day
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Why Dictionary.com chose farrow
More about farrow
- First recorded before 900.
- From the Middle English farwen, meaning “to give birth to a litter of pigs.”
EXAMPLES OF FARROW
- The pig is expected to farrow this week, so the farmers are preparing the barn for the new piglets.
- The farmer told us the pig farrowed more piglets than usual this season.
prehensile
adjective
adapted for seizing, grasping, or taking hold of something
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Why Dictionary.com chose prehensile
More about prehensile
- First recorded in 1781–85.
- Borrowed directly from French and ultimately from the Latin prehensus, meaning “to grasp or seize.”
EXAMPLES OF PREHENSILE
- The elephant used its prehensile trunk to pick bananas from the tree.
- The monkey used its prehensile tail to grip the branches and swing through the trees.
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Why Dictionary.com chose gelid
More about gelid
- First used in 1600–10.
- From the Latin gelidus, “icy cold,” equivalent to gel(um), “frost, cold” + –idus, see -id4, suffix meaning “pertaining to.”
EXAMPLES OF GELID
- The hikers shivered in the gelid air as they climbed higher up the mountain.
- A gelid breeze swept through the city, signaling the arrival of winter.
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