Word of the Day
deuteranopia
noun
a defect of vision in which the retina fails to respond to the color green.
More about deuteranopia
Deuteranopia is formed from Ancient Greek deúteros, meaning “second,” and English anopia, “absence of sight.” Red, green, and blue are the three primary colors of light, and deuteranopia gets its name because green is considered the second of these colors. Deuteranopia was first recorded in English at the turn of the 20th century.
EXAMPLE OF DEUTERANOPIA USED IN A SENTENCE
Because of his deuteranopia, the driver had difficulty reading the green dashboard lights.
hyson
noun
a Chinese green tea dried and prepared from twisted leaves, especially of the early crop.
More about hyson
Hyson is an adaptation of Cantonese heiceon, “bright spring.” The hei element, meaning “bright, glorious,” is a cognate of Mandarin xī, while ceon, “spring,” is related to Mandarin chūn. It’s possible that hyson’s unusual spelling is the result of the term passing through Dutch or French on its way to English, in which it first appeared in the 1730s.
EXAMPLE OF HYSON USED IN A SENTENCE
Once the small bag of hyson was placed in the mug, the leaves added a golden tinge to the water.
More about purloin
Purloin comes from Old French porloigner, “to put off, remove.” The por- element comes from Latin prō, “for, in favor of,” while -loigner is ultimately from Latin longus, “long.” Prolong comes from the same sources as purloin, making the two words doublets. Purloin was first recorded in English in the early 14th century.
EXAMPLE OF PURLOIN USED IN A SENTENCE
After halting a man on the street under the pretense of asking directions, the thief purloined the man’s watch.