Word of the Day
artiodactyl
adjective
having an even number of toes or digits on each foot.
More about artiodactyl
Artiodactyl is a compound of artio-, meaning “even number,” and -dactyl, meaning “finger, toe.” Artio- comes from Ancient Greek ártios, “even, fitting, perfect,” while -dactyl comes from dáktylos, which also referred to the fruit of the date palm tree. Artiodactyl was first recorded in English in the 1840s.
EXAMPLE OF ARTIODACTYL USED IN A SENTENCE
Among the zoo’s longtime residents were alpacas, giraffes, goats, and various other artiodactyl animals.
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.