Word of the Day
collywobbles
noun
a feeling of fear, apprehension, or nervousness.
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Why Dictionary.com chose collywobbles
More about collywobbles
- Collywobbles was first recorded around 1815-25.
- Collywobbles is most likely a coinage based on the words colic and wobble.
- Wobble comes from Low German wabbeln, which is akin to Middle High German wabelen, “to waver.”
- Colic comes from Middle French colique, from Latin colica (passiō), “(suffering) of the colon.”
EXAMPLES OF COLLYWOBBLES
- As the roller coaster climbed higher and higher, a wave of collywobbles washed over her, making her heart race with fear.
- Before going on stage for his first solo performance, the young dancer experienced a case of collywobbles, his stomach fluttering with nervous anticipation.
antepenultimate
adjective
third from the end.
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Why Dictionary.com chose antepenultimate
More about antepenultimate
- Antepenultimate was first recorded in 1670-80.
- It comes from the Latin word antepaenultima, the second (syllable) from the last, or literally “before the penult.”
- The penult is the next-to-last syllable in a word. It comes from a contraction of paene ultima, “almost the last.”
- Taking it to the final step, the ultima is the last syllable in a word and comes from the Latin word ultimus, “farthest.”
EXAMPLES OF ANTEPENULTIMATE
- The antepenultimate episode of the thrilling TV series kept viewers on the edge of their seats.
- As the show was winding down, the antepenultimate firework exploded into a dazzling display of colors in the night sky.
pulchritudinous
adjective
physically beautiful; comely.
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Why Dictionary.com chose pulchritudinous
More about pulchritudinous
- Pulchritudinous comes from the Latin word pulchritūdō, meaning “beauty.”
- Pulchritūdō also gives us pulchritude, meaning “physical beauty,” which was first recorded in the 1400s.
- Pulchritudinous began to appear in the early 1700s and gained popularity in the 1800s with American authors who started using the word because it was humorously long and overly complicated.
- Washington Irving employed it in The Crayon Miscellany (1835) alongside other unnecessarily complex words to make fun of an advertisement for ginger ale.
EXAMPLES OF PULCHRITUDINOUS
- The sunset painted the sky with pulchritudinous hues of pink and gold.
- The ballerina’s graceful movements were enhanced by her pulchritudinous form.
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