Word of the Day
connubial
adjective
of marriage or wedlock; matrimonial; conjugal.
More about connubial
Connubial “of marriage or wedlock” derives from Latin cōnūbiālis, from cōnūbium “wedding,” plus the adjective-forming suffix -ālis. Cōnūbium, in turn, is a compound of com- “together, with” and nūbere “to wed,” and nūbere (stem nupt-) is the source of marriage-related words such as nubile, nuptial, and prenup. Nūbere is of obscure origin, but one theory is that its original definition was “to cover oneself with a veil,” which would suggest a derivation from nūbēs “cloud.”
how is connubial used?
She and Maurice were husband and wife. They loved one another. They would have children. Then let everybody and everything else fade into insignificance outside this connubial felicity.
In fact, by the epilogue it’s dateline Hawaii, where he is on his honeymoon—soft breezes blowing into the connubial bedchamber, his bride frolicking on the beach below—and putting in a wholehearted endorsement for the grand old institution of marriage.
moratorium
noun
a suspension of activity.
More about moratorium
Moratorium “a suspension of activity” comes directly from Late Latin morātōrius “tending to delay,” a derivative of the verb morārī “to delay,” from the noun mora “delay, hindrance, pause.” The ending -ōrius “tending to” is also found as -orium or -ory in English terms for places in which a certain action occurs regularly, such as auditorium, a place where something is heard, and dormitory, a place for sleeping.
how is moratorium used?
Striped bass populations in the Cape Fear River have been dwindling for 50 years …. Preventing the popular sport fish from disappearing altogether has required meticulous human intervention. Passageways have been built into dams and locks to allow the migratory fish to pass through, and a moratorium on fishing the species has been in place since 2008.
Rock stars get sick of signing things and answering fan mail …. And eternal rock stars like the Beatles: well, it’s hard to imagine. That’s why Ringo Starr has called a moratorium on all fan mail and signing ….Starr has instructed fans, “with peace and love,” to cease and desist with all missives and requests after Oct. 20th.
lodestone
noun
something that attracts strongly.
More about lodestone
Lodestone, “a variety of magnetite that possesses magnetic polarity” in its non-figurative sense, is a compound of lode and stone. While lode most often refers to a metal-bearing deposit or, in dialectal English, a waterway, its original meaning in Old English, as lád, was “way, course,” and from there, its definition expanded to indicate something to follow, such as a channel or a vein of ore. Lode is a variant spelling of load, which went in a different semantic direction, shifting from a travel route to the heavy objects to be carried along such a route, likely with influence from the unrelated yet similar-sounding verb lade “to put a load or burden on.”
how is lodestone used?
The Mergui archipelago has been called the “Lost World,” but outsiders have found it … The islands are thought to harbor some of the world’s most important marine biodiversity, and are a lodestone for those eager to experience one of Asia’s last tourism frontiers before, as many fear, it succumbs to the ravages that have befallen many once-pristine seascapes.
The last time fans saw Black Widow in action, in “Avengers: Endgame,” she was fighting her dear friend Hawkeye on planet Vormir to sacrifice her life for the Soul Stone… Chapek says that scene of poignant humanity was a narrative lodestone for “Black Widow.”