Word of the Day
lenity
noun
the quality or state of being mild or gentle, as toward others.
More about lenity
The English noun lenity is a borrowing of Old French lenité or Latin lēnitat-, the stem of lēnitās “softness, smoothness, gentleness,” a derivative of the adjective lēnis, from which English has lenient and lenition. Lenity entered English in the mid-16th century.
how is lenity used?
He confined the knowledge of governing within very narrow bounds, to common sense and reason, to justice and lenity, to the speedy determination of civil and criminal causes …
… I have relaxed, as I believe I may depend on her observing the rules I have laid down for their discourse. But do not imagine that with all this lenity I have for a moment given up my plan of her marriage …
cerebrate
verb
to use the mind; think or think about.
More about cerebrate
The verb cerebrate is a back formation from the noun cerebration, which is a derivative of the Latin noun cerebrum “brain, understanding.” Cerebrum is a derivative of a very widespread, very complicated Proto-Indo-European root ker- “uppermost part of the body, head, horn, nail (of the finger or toe).” This root has many variant forms and is related to the Latin noun crābro “hornet” (English hornet comes from the same root), Greek kár “head” and kéras “horn,” and German Hirn “brain.” Cerebrate entered English in the 19th century.
how is cerebrate used?
To think, then, is to cerebrate. To worry is to cerebrate intensely.
If you simply retire to your own room, shove your backside into an excessively sprung easy chair, and there grimly cerebrate, the chances are that you will eventually do no more than crawl into bed — to wake up six to eight hours later with an unsolved conundrum and a filthy headache.
crump
verb
to make a crunching sound, as in walking over snow, or as snow when trodden on.
More about crump
Crump was first recorded in 1640-50. It is imitative of the sound of something crunching underfoot.
how is crump used?
With the new snow flattening sounds he felt almost deaf or dreaming. His boots crumped down into it.
The horses’ hooves crunched in the snow, the wagon wheels creaked through it and, behind, the march of several hundred feet crump–crumped along.