Word of the Day
More about hauteur
Hauteur “arrogance” is a direct borrowing from French, in which it means “height.” Though hauteur and height resemble each other, they are not related; hauteur, from the French adjective haut “high,” comes from Latin altus, while height is equivalent to high plus -th (as in birth and warmth) in Old English. A close relative of English high in Frankish, another Germanic language, is hōh, and because of the influence of Frankish on the French language, the h from Frankish hōh influenced the spelling of French haut. Hauteur was first recorded in English in the 1620s.
EXAMPLE OF HAUTEUR USED IN A SENTENCE
When around larger canines, miniature dogs often display aggression and hauteur far beyond what their small stature would suggest is possible—or wise.
deglutition
noun
the act or process of swallowing.
Why the Museum of Science chose deglutition
How many times do you think you swallow in a day? To find out, watch this video about deglutition from science communicator, Alex Dainis, PhD.
Learn more fun facts at the Museum of Science.
More about deglutition
Deglutition comes by way of French from the Latin verb glūtīre, “to swallow.” Of a similar origin is glutton, “a person who eats excessively,” while the related Latin noun gula, “throat,” is the source of gullet and perhaps beagle—yes, the breed of dog. Despite the similar spelling, deglutition is not related to gluteus (a muscle), which comes from Greek rather than Latin, or to gluten, which comes from the Latin word for “glue.” Deglutition was first recorded in English in the 1640s.
EXAMPLE OF DEGLUTITION USED IN A SENTENCE
If you don’t drink some water before eating peanut butter, its sticky consistency may make deglutition rather challenging.
androsphinx
noun,
a sphinx with the head of a man.
More about androsphinx
Androsphinx, “a sphinx with the head of a man,” is a compound of andro-, “man,” and sphinx, the mythical riddle-posing creature composed of a woman’s head, a lion’s body, and a bird’s wings. Andro- comes from Ancient Greek anḗr, “man,” which is the source of the names Alexander, Andromeda, and Cassandra. Sphinx comes from Ancient Greek sphínx, which is based on the verb sphíngein, “to hold tight,” perhaps after a sphinx’s storied tendency to strangle the poor souls who could not solve its riddles. The female equivalent of androsphinx should be “gynecosphinx” for etymological reasons, though numerous sources use the not-quite-yet-standardized “gynosphinx” instead. Androsphinx was first recorded in English in the first decade of the 17th century.
EXAMPLE OF ANDROSPHINX USED IN A SENTENCE
Though the sphinx in the Greek myth of Oedipus was a winged female, the Great Sphinx of Giza is a wingless androsphinx.