Word of the Day
rampart
noun
a broad elevation or mound of earth raised as a fortification around a place and usually capped with a stone or earth parapet.
More about rampart
Rampart comes from Middle French remparer, “to take back possession of,” which derives from re-, meaning “again, back,” and emparer, “to take possession of.” Emparer is ultimately formed from Latin ante, “before,” plus parāre, “to prepare.” Rampart was first recorded in English around 1580.
EXAMPLE OF RAMPART USED IN A SENTENCE
A rolling series of ramparts protected the palace from the besieging army.
noctilucent
adjective
(of high-altitude clouds) visible during the short night of the summer.
More about noctilucent
In noctilucent, the nocti- element comes from Latin nox, meaning “night.” Meanwhile, -lucent derives from Latin lucēre, “to shine,” from lux, meaning “light.” In this way, anything noctilucent is literally a night-light. Noctilucent was first recorded in English in the early 1690s, originally referring generally to things that shone in the dark.
EXAMPLE OF NOCTILUCENT USED IN A SENTENCE
A thin, threadlike patch of noctilucent clouds slowly came into view as the sun set behind the mountains.
More about Stygian
Stygian originally referred to Styx, one of the mythological rivers of the underworld. Ancient Greek Stýx likely shares an origin with several words relating to hatred, and the Greeks once believed that swearing on the river’s name created an unbreakable vow. Stygian was first recorded in English in the 1560s.
EXAMPLE OF STYGIAN USED IN A SENTENCE
The basement was a windowless, Stygian space, with only a single flickering fluorescent providing the weakest of light.