Word of the Day
germinant
adjective
beginning to grow or develop.
Why the Museum of Science chose germinant
To find out, watch this video about germinant from science communicator, Alex Dainis, PhD.
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More about germinant
Germinant, “beginning to grow or develop,” comes from the Latin verb germināre, “to bud, sprout,” which comes from the noun germen, “shoot, sprout.” Germen is also the source of germ, which originally referred to a bud or seed and later came to refer to microorganisms as well. Despite the similar spelling, germen is not related to the name of the country Germany, which is of uncertain ultimate origin. Germinant was first recorded in English around the year 1600.
EXAMPLE OF GERMINANT USED IN A SENTENCE
A small cluster of germinant dandelions sprouted underneath the downspout.
eristic
adjective
pertaining to controversy or disputation; controversial.
More about eristic
Eristic, “pertaining to controversy,” ultimately comes from Ancient Greek éris, “strife, discord,” which is also the origin of Eris, the Greek goddess of discord who instigated the Trojan War. In keeping with the tradition of naming astronomical bodies after mythological figures, the International Astronomical Union recognized Eris as the name of a dwarf planet first discovered on January 5, 2005. The noun éris is of unknown origin, and appropriate enough, there is ample controversy over the several proposals to link it to other Indo-European terms. Eristic was first recorded in English in the 1630s.
EXAMPLE OF ERISTIC USED IN A SENTENCE
By claiming that he disliked last year’s widely beloved Best Picture winner, the film critic brought an eristic perspective to the conversation.
acmesthesia
noun
awareness of sharp points through the sense of touch without experiencing pain.
More about acmesthesia
Acmesthesia, “awareness of sharp points through touch without pain,” is based on Ancient Greek akmḗ, “point, highest point,” and aísthēsis, “sensation, perception.” Akmḗ comes from a family of words related to sharpness, whether literally or figuratively, both within and beyond Ancient Greek. For literal sharpness, compare English edge; Latin acus, “needle” (as in acupuncture and acute); and Ancient Greek oxýs, “sharp” (as in oxygen). For figurative sharpness, compare Latin ācer, “bitter” (as in acrid and acrimony); Latin acerbus, “sour, unripe” (as in exacerbate); Latin acidus, “sour” (as in acid); and Ancient Greek ákros, “topmost” (as in acrobat). Acmesthesia was first recorded in English circa 1910.
EXAMPLE OF ACMESTHESIA USED IN A SENTENCE
During the acupuncture session, she experienced acmesthesia and felt only minimal discomfort from the pinpricks.