Word of the Day
andiron
noun
one of a pair of metal stands, usually of iron or brass, for holding logs in a fireplace.
More about andiron
Andiron “one of a pair of metal stands for holding logs in a fireplace” may be a common noun, but its history is anything but typical. Andiron derives by way of Anglo-French from Old French andier, with a change in spelling and pronunciation because of an association with the unrelated English noun iron. Prior to Old French, the history of andiron is unclear; the most frequently appearing hypothesis is a derivation from Gaulish anderos “young animal,” after the use of decorative animal heads on andirons, but this connection remains unproven. If the link is valid, andiron is a distant cognate with the words for “bull” and “heifer” in several modern Celtic languages, such as Breton and Welsh. Andiron was first recorded in English in the late 13th century.
how is andiron used?
But the things that … Tom liked the most, were two great brazen Andirons that stood in the fireplace. To Tom these Andirons, though up to the night when our story begins he had never seen them move, seemed almost to live. They had big, round, good-natured faces, that shone like so much gold. Their necks were slight and graceful, but as they developed downward toward their handsome feet the Andirons grew more portly, until finally they came to look very much like a pair of amiable sea serpents without much length. Tom’s uncle said they looked like cats, with sunflowers for heads, swan necks for bodies, and very little of the cat about them save the claws.
avouch
verb (used with object)
to make frank acknowledgment or affirmation of; declare or assert with positiveness.
More about avouch
Avouch “to make frank acknowledgment of” is derived by way of Middle French avouchier from Latin advocāre “to call to one’s aid.” Advocāre is also the source of advocate (as well as French avocat and Spanish abogado, both meaning “lawyer”) and comes from Latin vōx “voice.” Two doublets of avouch are the similar-sounding avow “to declare frankly and openly” and vouch “to support as being true,” both of which are also derived from advocāre, but even more surprising is that vow “to pledge or resolve solemnly to do” is not related to this family of verbs. Instead, vow comes from Latin vovēre (stem vōt-) “to vow,” which is also the source of vote. Avouch was first recorded in English in the late 14th century.
how is avouch used?
Sophronia, after eying the one and the other somewhat despitefully, fell a-weeping bitterly, complaining of Gisippus his deceit; then, rather than make any words of this in his house, she repaired to that of her father and there acquainted him and her mother with the cheat that had been put upon her and them by Gisippus, avouching herself to be the wife of Titus and not of Gisippus, as they believed.
With Arjun Radhakrishnan as Kalam a casting can’t be more accurate than this. And I avouch that as he brilliantly holds his own against a slightly more seasoned star cast.
bipartisan
adjective
representing, characterized by, or including members from two parties or factions.
More about bipartisan
Bipartisan “representing members from two parties” is a compound of the combining form bi- “twice, two” and the adjective partisan “partial to a specific party.” Partisan comes by way of Middle French from dialectal northern Italian parteźan, which corresponds to standard Italian partigiano and is formed from the noun parte “faction, part” and the suffix -eźan (also -esano, -isano), an adjectival suffix that appears in standard Italian as -igiano. The element -igiano, which appears in nouns of occupation and adjectives of location, often becomes -esan or -isan in words borrowed into English by way of French; just as artisan derives from Italian artigiano, so does courtesan from Italian cortigiana, and for fans of Italian cuisine, this pattern explains how Italian parmigiano “from Parma” has become parmesan in English. Bipartisan was first recorded in English in the first decade of the 20th century.
how is bipartisan used?
Thanks to the Clean Air Act of 1970, air across the United States has gotten 77 percent cleaner—even as the population, the economy, and the number of cars on the road have grown. That improvement has lengthened millions of lives, saved trillions of dollars, and made the country a global air pollution success story. The landmark law was a bipartisan achievement, winning unanimous Senate approval and passing the House of Representatives with just one “no” vote. Its success stems from its focus on scientific evidence, accountability, and ambitious, health-based goals.
The actions and arguments of opponents … help to explain why achieving youth voting rights took three decades. Just as support was bipartisan, so too was the opposition. It also spanned the same demographic and geographic spectrum. Opponents could be found across the country, among young Americans, educators, women, journalists, and public figures. They opposed campaigns at both the state and national levels during the 1940s and 1950s. As a result, proponents could claim few victories in these years.