Word of the Day
chiaroscuro
noun
the distribution of light and shade in a picture.
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Why Dictionary.com chose chiaroscuro
More about chiaroscuro
- Chiaroscuro was first recorded in English between 1680–90.
- Chiaroscuro comes from Italian and is composed of chiaro, meaning “bright,” and oscuro, meaning “dark.”
- From chiaro comes the English word clear, “free from darkness; light,” and from oscuro comes obscure, “not clear” or “lacking in light.”
- Leonardo da Vinci and (Michelangelo Merisi da) Caravaggio famously utilized the technique of chiaroscuro in their works of art.
EXAMPLES OF CHIAROSCURO
- The photograph captured the beautiful chiaroscuro of the sunset, with vibrant hues blending seamlessly into deepening shadows.
- The filmmaker expertly crafted a scene using chiaroscuro to heighten the tension, casting eerie shadows across the dimly lit room.
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Why Dictionary.com chose coriaceous
More about coriaceous
- Coriaceous was first recorded in 1665–75.
- Coriaceous comes from the Late Latin word coriāceus, which means “leathern.”
- The related word corium, used in the fields of anatomy and zoology, means “skin.”
- The –aceous suffix means “resembling, having the nature of” or “made of,” and it occurs in loanwords from Latin such as cretaceous, “resembling or containing chalk,” and herbaceous, “herblike.”
EXAMPLES OF CORIACEOUS
- The book’s binding was made with a coriaceous material, giving it a luxurious leather-like appearance.
- The ancient warriors’ armor was coriaceous, providing them with both protection and the durability of leather.
decision fatigue
[ dih-sizh-uhn fuh-teeg ]
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noun
mental and emotional exhaustion resulting from excessive or relentless decision-making.
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Why Dictionary.com chose decision fatigue
More about decision fatigue
- Decision fatigue was first recorded in the early 2000s and was first used in the fields of psychology and psychiatry.
- The concept is based on the mental and emotional fatigue caused by making on average over 35,000 decisions a day.
- Decision was first recorded in 1425–75 and ultimately comes from the Latin word dēcīsiōn-, which is a stem of dēcīsiō, “a cutting off.”
- Fatigue was first recorded in 1685–95 and comes from the French verb fatiguer, from Latin fatīgāre “to tire.”
EXAMPLES OF DECISION FATIGUE
- After a long and busy day at work, I experienced decision fatigue and found it difficult to choose what to have for dinner.
- The constant bombardment of options and choices in today’s society can lead to decision fatigue, leaving individuals feeling mentally drained.
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