Word of the Day
nainsook
noun
a fine, soft-finished cotton fabric, usually white, used for lingerie and infants' wear.
More about nainsook
Nainsook, “a cotton fabric used in delicate clothing,” comes from Hindi nainsukh, literally meaning “eye’s pleasure.” The nain- element means “eye” and comes from a Sanskrit verb meaning “to lead.” Meanwhile, the -sukh component means “pleasure” and comes from Sanskrit sukha-, “pleasant” or “running easily,” the latter in reference to carts and chariots. To delve a bit deeper, sukha- may be a compound of su-, “good,” and kha-, “axle-hole,” and su- is a distant relative of Ancient Greek eús, “good,” as in euphemism, euphony, and Word of the Day euxinia. Nainsook was first recorded in English in the 1780s.
EXAMPLE OF NAINSOOK USED IN A SENTENCE
The tailor selected the nainsook with the vivid embroidery for the dressing gown.
dithyrambic
adjective
of, relating to, or of the nature of an impassioned oration.
More about dithyrambic
Dithyrambic, “of or relating to an impassioned oration,” describes a dithyramb, which refers to a wild Greek choral song or, more broadly, to an enthusiastic speech. Dithyramb comes from Ancient Greek dīthýrambos, which belongs to a small family of words related to song or rhythm, including íambos, “iamb.” Alas, these words are likely of mysterious pre-Greek origin, coming from a lost language spoken in the eastern Mediterranean. For more examples of pre-Greek words, check out the Words of the Day obelize and pharyngeal. Dithyrambic was first recorded in English at the turn of the 17th century.
EXAMPLE OF DITHYRAMBIC USED IN A SENTENCE
The teacher was known for dithyrambic declarations, praising all her students for their exceptional performance.
More about welkin
The roots of welkin, “the sky,” run rather deep in English history. Welkin’s earliest recorded form is Old English wolcen, “cloud, sky,” the plural of which is wolcnu. Wolcen belongs to a class of nouns in Old English that added a final -u when they became plural. Other such words include æcern, “acorn”; cnēow, “knee”; and scip, “ship,” all of which simply add -s today in the plural. Outside the British Isles, welkin appears to have relatives in other West Germanic languages, such as Dutch wolk and German Wolke, both “cloud,” but no clear connections beyond that branch. Welkin was first recorded in English before 900 CE.
EXAMPLE OF WELKIN USED IN A SENTENCE
As they drove through the night, the North Star arose in the darkened welkin, guiding them home.