Word of the Day
baetyl
noun
a meteorite or stone held sacred or believed to be of divine origin.
More about baetyl
Baetyl, “a sacred meteorite,” comes by way of Latin baetulus from Ancient Greek baítȳlos, “meteoric stone.” Baítȳlos is sometimes hypothesized to be of pre-Greek origin, meaning that it may be a borrowing from a long-lost language of the Mediterranean. However, a far more interesting (and likely) proposal is that baítȳlos comes from a Semitic source such as Hebrew bēth ’ēl (compare bethel) or Phoenician bēt ’l, both of which mean “house of god.” Phoenician bēt, “house,” is the origin of the Ancient Greek letter beta and, by extension, alphabet. Baetyl was first recorded in English in the early 1850s.
EXAMPLE OF BAETYL USED IN A SENTENCE
Though they may look to us simply like old, rugged stones, baetyls served a central purpose in ancient Mediterranean religions.
More about cannikin
Cannikin, “a small can or drinking cup,” is adapted from Middle Dutch cannekijn, “little can,” which is equivalent to Middle Dutch canne, “can,” combined with the diminutive suffix -kijn, “little, small.” Canne and English can may be related to Late Latin canna, “small vessel,” which itself may derive from Latin canna, “reed,” but any potential connections among these four words is controversial. The suffix -kijn is the source of English -kin, as in lambkin, and is related to German -chen, as in Gretchen, “little Margareta.” Cannikin was first recorded in English in the 1560s.
EXAMPLE OF CANNIKIN USED IN A SENTENCE
Minutes after tapping another keg of mead, cannikins and goblets across the dining hall were filled to their brims—and quickly emptied.
calash
noun
a light vehicle pulled by one or two horses, seating two to four passengers, and having two or four wheels, a seat for a driver on a splashboard, and sometimes a folding top.
More about calash
Calash “a light vehicle seating two to four passengers” is an adaptation of French calèche, which is itself a borrowing by way of German from Czech kolesa “carriage,” related to kolo “wheel,” both from an ancient Slavic root meaning “wheel.” Because the Slavic languages constitute a branch of the Indo-European language family, Czech kolesa and kolo have relatives throughout Europe and southern Asia, from English wheel (Old English hwēol) and Ancient Greek kýklos “wheel, circle, ring” (compare English cycle and cyclo-) to Sanskrit cakra “wheel, circle” (borrowed into English as chakra) and Persian charkha (also transliterated as čarxe) “spinning wheel.” Check out the recent Word of the Day bazaar for more. Calash was first recorded in English in the 1660s.
EXAMPLE OF CALASH USED IN A SENTENCE
As the calash clattered over the slick, wet cobblestones, the passengers pulled down the folding top to keep the rain out.