Word of the Day
repine
verb
to be fretfully discontented; fret; complain.
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Why Dictionary.com chose repine
More about repine
- First recorded in 1520–30.
- Constituted of re-, “in the case of,” and pine, “to yearn deeply.”
- The slightly more common related word, unrepining means “not complaining.”
EXAMPLES OF REPINE
- The disgruntled customer seemed to always repine about the service at the restaurant.
- It’s hard to be around people who constantly repine without taking any action to improve their situation.
engram
noun
a presumed encoding in neural tissue that provides a physical basis for the persistence of memory; a memory trace.
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Why Dictionary.com chose engram
More about engram
- First recorded in 1905–10.
- Comes from the Greek combining forms en-, “to cause to be in,” and –gram, “something written.”
- Introduced by German researcher Richard Semon, while studying the formation of memory.
EXAMPLES OF ENGRAM
- Studies suggest that the formation of an engram involves complex processes within the neural network.
- Through advanced imaging techniques, researchers hoped to locate the precise engram responsible for a particular memory.
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Why Dictionary.com chose acumen
More about acumen
- First recorded in 1525–35.
- Comes from the Latin word acūmen, meaning “sharpness.”
- Acūmen comes from the stem of acuere, “to sharpen,” as does the English word acute, “sharp or severe.”
EXAMPLES OF ACUMEN
- Her acumen in identifying profitable investments impressed everyone at the meeting.
- With his financial acumen, he was able to grow his small startup into a successful business empire.
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