Word of the Day
pluvial
adjective
of or relating to rain, especially much rain; rainy.
Why the Museum of Science chose pluvial
To find out, watch this video about pluvial from science communicator Alex Dainis, PhD.
Learn more at the Museum of Science.
More about pluvial
Pluvial comes from the Latin pluvia, “rain.” Another word for “rain” in Latin is imber, but while pluvia is the source of many modern Romance words for “rain” (such as French pluie, Italian pioggia, and Spanish lluvia), imber has barely any related words today. Pluvial was first recorded in English in the 1650s.
EXAMPLE OF PLUVIAL USED IN A SENTENCE
The burst of pluvial weather left mud and puddles in its wake.
prolegomenon
noun
a preliminary discussion; introductory essay; a prologue.
More about prolegomenon
Prolegomenon comes from the Ancient Greek prolegómenon, literally “being said beforehand.” The -legómenon element is closely related to several stems in English pertaining to counting, speech, and words, such as lect- (as in dialect), lex- (lexicon), and log- (catalog). Prolegomenon was first recorded in English around 1650.
EXAMPLE OF PROLEGOMENON USED IN A SENTENCE
A prolegomenon in The Fellowship of the Ring introduces readers to the nature and customs of hobbits.
More about clarsach
Clarsach is an adaptation of either the Irish Gaelic cláirseach or the Scottish Gaelic clàrsach, both meaning “harp.” These two words likely come from the Old Irish clár, which variously means “board, plank” or “table, tablet.” Clarsach may be related through Ancient Greek to clergy, cleric, clerk, and the name Clark. Clarsach was first recorded in English around 1805.
EXAMPLE OF CLARSACH USED IN A SENTENCE
The golden clarsach shines against a dark green background on the flag of Leinster.