Word of the Day
More about ipse dixit
In Latin, ipse dīxit means “he himself said.” The feminine equivalent, “she herself said,” is ipsa dīxit. The plural versions, both meaning “they themselves said,” are ipsī dīxērunt for a group of men or a mixed-gender group and ipsae dīxērunt for a group of women. Ipse dixit was first recorded in English in the late 15th century.
EXAMPLE OF IPSE DIXIT USED IN A SENTENCE
The protester claimed that aliens were responsible for recent unexplained events, but these ipse dixits all lacked even a shred of evidence.
quincunx
noun
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
More about quincunx
Quincunx literally means “five-twelfths” in Latin and is formed from quīnque, “five,” and uncia, “twelfth.” Quīnque is the source of numerous modern Romance words for “five,” such as French cinq and Spanish cinco. Uncia, meanwhile, is the source of both inch and ounce. Quincunx was first recorded in English in the 1640s.
EXAMPLE OF QUINCUNX USED IN A SENTENCE
Each area of the park featured four bushes arranged in a square, with a bench in the middle to complete the quincunxes.
orrery
noun
an apparatus for representing the positions, motions, and phases of the planets, satellites, etc., in the solar system.
Why the Museum of Science chose orrery
To find out, watch this video from science communicator Alex Dainis, PhD.
Learn more at the Museum of Science.
More about orrery
Orrery is the namesake of Charles Boyle, Earl of Orrery. Orrery is the anglicized version of the Irish place name (or toponym) Orbhraighe, in which Orbh is an Irish name and -raighe is a common suffix roughly meaning “people of.” Orrery was first recorded in English around 1710.
EXAMPLE OF ORRERY USED IN A SENTENCE
The astronaut turned the old orrery’s crank to determine when the next eclipse would occur.
