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Pavlovian

[ pav-loh-vee-uhn ] [ pævˈloʊ vi ən ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Pavlov or his work, especially of experiments in which he elicited predictable responses from laboratory animals.

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Why Dictionary.com chose Pavlovian

More about Pavlovian

  • Pavlovian was first recorded in 1925–30.
  • Pavlovian comes from the name of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849–1936), a Russian physiologist who won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1904.
  • Pavlov conducted experiments that conditioned animals to associate an arbitrary signal with an event, such as the ringing of a bell and food being served, that brought about an instinctive response, such as salivating when hearing the bell in anticipation of the food.

EXAMPLES OF PAVLOVIAN

  • The students’ Pavlovian response to the school bell ringing was to pack up their belongings and head to the next class.
  • The Pavlovian nature of addiction was evident as the individual’s cravings were triggered by certain environmental cues.
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Word of the day

modicum

[ mod-i-kuhm ] [ ˈmɒd ɪ kəm ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

a moderate or small amount.

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Why Dictionary.com chose modicum

More about modicum

  • Modicum was first recorded in 1375–1425.
  • Modicum comes via late Middle English from a noun form of the Latin word modicus, meaning “moderate.”
  • The root of modicus is modus, which means “measured amount; limit,” from which mode, the most frequently repeated value in a set of values, comes as well.

EXAMPLES OF MODICUM

  • The team was disappointed when their efforts resulted in only a modicum of progress towards their goal.
  • Even on the busiest of days, he always made sure to maintain at least a modicum of calm.
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Word of the day

garrulous

[ gar-uh-luhs ] [ ˈgær ə ləs ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters.

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Why Dictionary.com chose garrulous

More about garrulous

  • Garrulous was first recorded in 1605–15.
  • Garrulous comes from the Latin word garrulus, meaning “talkative, garrulous,” which is similar to the Latin verb garr(īre), meaning “to chatter.”
  • Garrulity is the quality of being garrulous, just like loquacity is the quality of being loquacious, a synonym of garrulous.

EXAMPLES OF GARRULOUS

  • My neighbor’s garrulous nature proved to be quite challenging whenever I tried to have a quick conversation with him, as he would incessantly digress and meander through various unrelated anecdotes.
  • Despite her advanced age, the garrulous woman never ran out of stories to tell, often rambling on for hours about mundane topics.
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