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Word of the day

copacetic

[ koh-puh-set-ik ] [ ˌkoʊ pəˈsɛt ɪk ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

fine; completely satisfactory; OK.

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Why Dictionary.com chose copacetic

More about copacetic

  • Copacetic is an Americanism that was first attested in Irving Bacheller’s 1919 book about Abraham Lincoln, A Man for the Ages.
  • Copacetic is also spelled copasetic and is of obscure origin.
  • Proposed languages of origin include Chinook, Italian, Louisiana French, and Hebrew, but none of the origin stories are particularly convincing.
  • Copacetic further entered the public consciousness through the Prohibition-era song “At the New Jump Steady Ball,” whose lyrics include the line “Copasetic was the password for one and all, at the new jump steady ball.”

EXAMPLES OF COPACETIC

  • The dinner party was a success, with delicious food, great company, and a copacetic atmosphere.
  • Despite some initial concerns, the project’s progress has been copacetic and is moving forward smoothly.
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zeitgeber

[ tsahyt-gey-ber ] [ ˈtsaɪtˌgeɪ bər ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

an environmental cue, as the length of daylight or the degree of temperature, that helps to regulate the cycles of an organism's biological clock.

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Why Dictionary.com chose zeitgeber

More about zeitgeber

  • Zeitgeber was first recorded in English in 1970–75.
  • Zeitgeber comes from German, in which it was coined by J. Aschoff in 1954.
  • Zeitgeber means literally, “time-giver,” on the model of the German word Taktgeber, “electronic synchronization device, timer, metronome.”

EXAMPLES OF ZEITGEBER

  • In the absence of external zeitgebers, such as clocks or natural light, some individuals may struggle to maintain regular sleep patterns.
  • The sunrise served as a powerful zeitgeber for the birds, signaling the start of their daily singing rituals.
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phub

[ fuhb ] [ fʌb ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

verb

to ignore a person or one's surroundings when in a social situation by busying oneself with a phone or other mobile device.

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Why Dictionary.com chose phub

More about phub

  • Phub was first recorded in 2010–15.
  • Phub was a result of a linguistic experiment by a group of lexicographers, authors, and poets to coin a word to describe the behavior, and is a combination of the words phone and snub.
  • Phone is a shortening of telephone, which combines the Greek forms Greek têle-, “far,” and – phōnḗ, “voice.”
  • Snub, first recorded in the 14th century, comes from the Old Norse word snubba, “to scold, reprimand.”

EXAMPLES OF PHUB

  • The couple’s romantic dinner was marred by their constant need to phub each other, diverting their attention to their phones rather than enjoying each other’s company.
  • As the speaker passionately delivered his presentation, he noticed several audience members phubbing him, their focus shifted to their screens rather than paying attention.
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