Word of the Day
schadenfreude
noun
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
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Why Dictionary.com chose schadenfreude
More about schadenfreude
- Schadenfreude entered English around 1890-95.
- Schadenfreude comes from German. It’s formed from the words Schaden, “harm,” and Freude, “joy.”
- Schaden is related to the English word scathe, meaning “to hurt, harm, or injure.”
- Freude and the English word frolic, meaning “to have fun,” share the same root as well.
EXAMPLES OF SCHADENFREUDE
- Whenever her annoying neighbor’s car got a flat tire, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of schadenfreude.
- Watching his rival slip and fall on the ice brought him a sense of schadenfreude.
vicissitude
noun
a change or variation occurring in the course of something.
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Why Dictionary.com chose vicissitude
More about vicissitude
- Often used in the plural, vicissitude was first recorded in 1560-70.
- Vicissitude comes via Middle French from Latin vicissitūdō, “in turn.”
- The first part of vicissitude is from the same root as vice, “in the place of,” as in vice president.
- The middle part comes from the Latin word cessim, “giving way,” and the last part from –tūdō, which indicates state or condition, as in attitude.
EXAMPLES OF VICISSITUDE
- Life is full of vicissitudes, with unexpected twists and turns that shape our journey.
- The relationship went through many vicissitudes as their feelings for each other grew and evolved over time.
quetzal
noun
any of several large Central and South American birds of the trogon family, having golden-green and scarlet plumage.
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Why Dictionary.com chose quetzal
More about quetzal
- Quetzal was first recorded in English around 1820-30.
- Quetzal comes via Latin American Spanish from the Nahuatl word quetzalli, meaning “plumage of the quetzal bird.”
- While now endangered, the quetzal was revered as a sacred bird by the Maya and Aztec peoples, who used the tailfeathers in ceremonial dress as symbols of freedom and wealth.
- Today, the resplendent quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala, even featured as their monetary unit, also called the quetzal.
EXAMPLES OF QUETZAL
- The quetzal, with its vibrant golden-green and scarlet plumage, soared gracefully through the rainforest canopy.
- As I hiked through the dense jungle, I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a glittering quetzal perched on a branch.
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