Word of the Day
lambent
adjective
running or moving lightly over a surface.
More about lambent
Lambent comes from the Latin verb lambere, “to lick, wash.” Despite the similar spelling, there is no connection between Latin lambere and English lamb, bent, or the name Lambert (literally “bright land,” from Germanic). We do know that Latin lambere is related to English lap, “to wash with a light splashing sound” or “to lick up a liquid.” Lambent was first recorded in English in the 1640s.
EXAMPLE OF LAMBENT USED IN A SENTENCE
The torch produced lambent ripples of warm light along the stone walls.
rasorial
adjective
given to scratching the ground for food, as is the habit of chickens and other gallinaceous birds.
More about rasorial
Rasorial is based on Late Latin rāsōr, “scratcher, scraper,” which is formed from Latin rādere, “to scratch, scrape,” and the suffix -tor. The verb rādere is also the source of erase, rascal, raze, razor, and tabula rasa, and its relative rōdere, “to gnaw,” is the source of corrode, erosion, and rodent. Rasorial was first recorded in English in the 1830s.
EXAMPLE OF RASORIAL USED IN A SENTENCE
After several weeks with no rain, the chickens’ rasorial habits produced small clouds of dust wherever they trod.
in medias res
adverb
in the middle of things.
More about in medias res
In medias res, “in the middle of things,” is a borrowing of Latin in mediās rēs, literally meaning “into middle things.” Latin in is a distant relative of English in and can mean either “into” or “in, on,” depending on context. Mediās is a form of medius, “middle,” which is also the source of medieval, medium, and the Word of the Day mezzaluna. Rēs is the same in its singular and plural forms; compare the Latin-origin words caries, rabies, series, and species. In medias res was first recorded in English in the 1780s.
EXAMPLE OF IN MEDIAS RES USED IN A SENTENCE
The action film began in medias res, with an exciting car chase.