Word of the Day
schadenfreude
noun
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
More about schadenfreude
Schadenfreude is a direct borrowing from German. In German Schadenfreude is a compound noun made up of the nouns Schaden “harm, injury, damage” and Freude “joy.” Schaden is related to English scathe (via Old Norse). Freude is a derivative of the adjective froh “happy,” and is related to English frolic, which comes from Dutch vrolijk “cheerful, gay.” Schadenfreude entered English in the late 19th century.
how is schadenfreude used?
Social media exploded with gleeful Schadenfreude.
It also let Peggy see the sagging flesh under Blanche’s chin. Since her own jawline was still pretty good, she soaked up some Schadenfreude on that score.
tump
noun
British Dialect. a small mound, hill, or rise of ground.
More about tump
The noun tump has an obscure etymology. It is a dialect word used mostly in the British West Country (Somerset, Cornwall) and the West Midlands (around Birmingham). Tump may come from the Welsh noun twmp “round mass, hillock,” unless the Welsh word comes from English. Tump entered English in the 16th century.
how is tump used?
Despite the fine afternoon sunlight all around, the tump itself seemed steeped in perpetual shadow, brooding and ominous.
They buried the coffin in their garden. No cross marked it, just a brown tump in the bleak landscape.
notionate
adjective
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. strong-willed or stubborn.
More about notionate
Notionate, an adjective from the noun notion and the adjective suffix -ate, is a dialect word used mostly used in the Midland and Southern U.S., Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Notionate entered English in the 19th century.
how is notionate used?
He wouldn’t let me give a direction. He’s fussy sometimes and notionate.
In Saturday’s stretch run, Alysheba turned rank, or sour, refusing to run in a straight line, his head twisted in the manner of notionate colts, and he came out to sideswipe second-place Cryptoclearance.