Word of the Day
roentgenize
verb (used with object)
to subject to the action of x-rays.
More about roentgenize
Roentgenize, “to subject to the action of X-rays,” is named for Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845–1923), who discovered X-rays in 1895. As we learned from the Word of the Day foehn, oe is an alternative way of representing ö in German when the umlaut (the horizontal pair of dots, also known as a dieresis) is not readily available. The same applies to German ä and ü, which may be written as ae and ue; compare the Word of the Day gemütlich. The surname Röntgen is, unfortunately for us language detectives, of uncertain origin. Roentgenize was first recorded in English in the late 1890s.
EXAMPLE OF ROENTGENIZE USED IN A SENTENCE
After Wilhelm Röngten roentgenized the hand of his wife, Anna, she examined her finger bones in the resulting image and chillingly remarked, “I have seen my death.”
More about mansuetude
Mansuetude, “mildness, gentleness,” comes from Latin mānsuētūdō, which is equivalent to manus, “hand”; suēscere, “to become accustomed”; and -tūdō, a noun-forming suffix similar to English -hood and -ness. Manus is also the source of manacle, manicure, manual, and the Word of the Day mano a mano. Suēscere, which contains the common element -sc-, “to become” (see the Word of the Day opalesce), is related to Ancient Greek êthos, “custom, habit,” as in ethics. Mansuetude was first recorded in English in the late 14th century.
EXAMPLE OF MANSUETUDE USED IN A SENTENCE
Every day on the job, teachers have to balance strictness with mansuetude as they lead their students through lessons.
trothplight
noun
engagement to be married; betrothal.
More about trothplight
Trothplight, “engagement to be married,” is a compound of troth, “faithfulness, truth, promise,” and plight, “pledge.” Troth, which is also found in betroth, “to arrange for the marriage of,” shares an origin with truce, true, truth, and trust and comes from a root meaning “firmness,” both literal and figurative. This literal sense is why the root also appears in words relating to wood, such as English tree as well as Ancient Greek déndron, “tree” (as in rhododendron), and drŷs, “tree, oak” (as in dryad). Trothplight was first recorded in English in the early 14th century.
EXAMPLE OF TROTHPLIGHT USED IN A SENTENCE
After a trothplight of unclear length, Anne Hathaway and William Shakespeare were married in 1582.