Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

Word of the Day

Word of the day

forbearance

[ fawr-bair-uhns ]

noun

forbearing conduct or quality; patient endurance; self-control.

learn about the english language

More about forbearance

Forbearance was originally a legal term “intentional delay in collection of a debt or enforcement of a contract, the expectation being that the other party will pay the debt or fulfill the contract.” The word very quickly acquired the meaning “patience, restraint.” Forbearance is a derivative of the verb forbear, which descends from the Old English verb forberan “to endure, bear, submit to; abstain from, miss, neglect.” The root verb beran “to bear, carry” comes from the same very common Proto-Indo-European root bher- “carry, bear” as Latin ferre, Greek phérein, Slavic (Polish) bierać, all meaning “to carry.” The prefix for- is a Germanic development of the very complicated Proto-Indo-European prefix per, whose basic meaning is “through, forward, in front of,” as in Latin per “through” and Greek perí “around.” Forbearance entered English in the 16th century.

how is forbearance used?

I had no right to be so angry with you. There should be no limit to a mother’s forbearance.

Anthony Trollope, Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite, 1871

We rarely think about forbearance in politics, and yet democracy cannot work without it. Consider what American presidents could legally do under the Constitution. They could pardon anyone they want, whenever they want, undercutting congressional and judicial oversight.

Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, "How Wobbly Is Our Democracy?" New York Times, January 27, 2018
quiz icon
WHAT'S YOUR WORD IQ?
Think you're a word wizard? Try our word quiz, and prove it!
TAKE THE QUIZ
arrows pointing up and down
SYNONYM OF THE DAY
Double your word knowledge with the Synonym of the Day!
SEE TODAY'S SYNONYM
Word of the Day Calendar

Word of the day

andragogy

[ an-druh-goh-jee, -goj-ee ]

noun

the methods or techniques used to teach adults: Many educators believe that the principles of andragogy, as advanced by Malcolm Knowles, have great relevance to adult education; others are not so certain.

learn about the english language

More about andragogy

English andragogy is modeled upon pedagogy, which ultimately comes from Greek paidagōgía “the function of a paidagōgós,” by extension “education.” A paidagōgós, literally “child guide,” was a slave who walked a child to and from school. Paidagōgós is a compound formed from paid-, inflectional stem of paîs ”child,” and agōgós “guide,” a derivative of the verb ágein “to lead, take away, carry.” The combining form andr- of andragogy is one of the stems of the Greek noun anḗr (aner-, andr-) “man” (as opposed to a woman or child). Greek anḗr comes from Proto-Indo-European ner-, ǝner-, source of Sanskrit nár “man, human,” and the Latin proper name Nerō. According to Roman grammarians, nero among the Sabines, a rural people that lived northeast of Rome, meant fortis ac strenuus “brave and energetic.” In Celtic (Welsh) Proto-Indo-European ner- becomes ner “hero.” Andragogy entered English in the 20th century.

how is andragogy used?

… in the technology of andragogy there is decreasing emphasis on the transmittal techniques of traditional teaching and increasing emphasis on experimental techniques which tap the experience of the learners and involve them in analyzing their experience.

Malcolm Knowles, The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species, 1973

We focus on adults and so prefer to use the term “andragogy.” We’ve found that adults have their own specific challenges in the learning journey, and we’ve specifically set up to address them.

Michael Horn, "What the Closure of Bootcamps Means for the Industry's Future," Forbes, August 3, 2017
Word of the Day Calendar

Word of the day

dreamboat

[ dreem-boht ]

noun

Slang. a highly attractive or desirable person.

learn about the english language

More about dreamboat

If you associate dreamboat, a.k.a. heartthrob, with the movies that Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney made in the late ‘30s and early ‘40s, you are correct on the date of origin and datedness of the word. Guy Lombardo, the Canadian-American bandleader (1902-1977), popularized dreamboat in his song When My Dream Boat Comes Home (1936).

how is dreamboat used?

Hunter was a studio player at Warner Brothers: a blond, blue-eyed dreamboat, whom the studio was selling—quite successfully—as the quintessential boy next door.

Michael Schulman, "Tab Hunter's Secrets," The New Yorker, October 16, 2015

A tall dreamboat of a pilot in a grey uniform was chatting with a group of four people.

Raymond Chandler, The Long Good-bye, 1953
Word of the Day Calendar
Word of the Day Calendar