Word of the Day
retcon
verb
to later revise an established element of a fictional story.
More about retcon
Retcon, “to later revise (an established element of a fictional story),” is a shortening based on the first syllables in retroactive continuity. This type of shortening is called syllabic abbreviation, and other common examples in English include fro-yo (from frozen yogurt), hazmat (from hazardous material), and sitcom (from situation comedy). Ultimately, retroactive is from Latin retrō, “back, backward,” combined with agere (past participle stem āct-), “to do,” while continuity is formed from Latin con-, “with, together,” combined with tenēre (combining stem tin-), “to hold.” Retcon was first recorded in the early 1980s.
EXAMPLE OF RETCON USED IN A SENTENCE
Though the first season showed the doctor naming the family spaceship after her favorite Norse god, later seasons retconned this and gave all the ships that same name.
rangoli
noun
a traditional Hindu decoration on a floor or other flat surface usually made of powder, such as colored or dyed sand, chalk, crushed limestone, or rice flour.
More about rangoli
Rangoli, “a traditional Hindu decoration made of powder produced on a flat surface,” is adapted from rãgoḷī in Marathi, a language native to central and western India with over 90 million speakers. Numerous languages of the Indian subcontinent inherit much of their vocabulary from the classical language Sanskrit, and Marathi is no exception. In this way, rãgoḷī comes from Sanskrit raṅga “color” combined with āvali “line.” Rangoli was first recorded in English in the early 1880s.
EXAMPLE OF RANGOLI USED IN A SENTENCE
The community came together to create a vibrant rangoli on the stone floor of the library’s lobby.
pandiculation
noun
the act of stretching oneself, especially on waking.
Why the Museum of Science chose pandiculation
Pandiculation has been observed in most vertebrates, cold and warm-blooded. To find out more about pandiculation, watch this video from science communicator Maynard Okereke, better known as the Hip Hop M.D.
Learn more fun facts at the Museum of Science.
More about pandiculation
Pandiculation, “the act of stretching oneself,” comes from the Latin verb pandiculārī, “to stretch, grimace,” which derives from pandere, “to spread out, extend.” Pandere has three stems in English: pand-, pans-, and pass-. We can find pand- and pans- in expand and expansion, while pass- appears in compass and passport. Unfortunately, pandiculation is not related to panda, which was borrowed from one of the languages spoken in Nepal. Pandiculation entered English in the early 17th century.
EXAMPLE OF PANDICULATION USED IN A SENTENCE
After a long session of pandiculation, the bleary-eyed panda rose and set off in search of breakfast.