Word of the Day
totality
noun
Astronomy. total obscuration or darkening in an eclipse.
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Why Dictionary.com chose totality
More about totality
- First recorded in 1590–1600 in the sense of “a whole.”
- The astronomical sense highlighted here was first recorded in the 1840s.
- Comes from the noun total, which came from the Latin word tōtālis, meaning “entire.”
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EXAMPLES OF TOTALITY
- During the solar eclipse, we were lucky enough to witness the breathtaking totality as the moon completely blocked out the sun.
- People traveled far and wide to experience the rare event of totality during the total solar eclipse, hoping to capture it through photography and memory.
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Why Dictionary.com chose fard
More about fard
- First recorded around 1400–50.
- Comes from an Old French noun that derived from the verb farder, meaning “to apply makeup.”
- Farder probably came from the Old Low Franconian verb *farwiđon, “to dye, color.”
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EXAMPLES OF FARD
- Before the photo shoot, the makeup artist worked diligently to fard the model’s face with precision.
- The beauty vlogger demonstrated how to fard effectively for a flawless makeup look in her latest tutorial.
juggernaut
noun
any large, overpowering force or object, such as war, a giant battleship, or a powerful football team.
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Why Dictionary.com chose juggernaut
More about juggernaut
- First recorded in 1630–40, but in the highlighted sense, around 1840–45.
- Comes from the Hindi word Jagannāth, from Sanskrit Jagannātha-, meaning “lord of the world.”
- Jagannath is equivalent to jagat, “the world moving” and nātha-, “lord, protector.”
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EXAMPLES OF JUGGERNAUT
- The company’s latest advertising campaign proved to be a marketing juggernaut, attracting customers from all over the world.
- The government’s corruption scandal proved to be a real juggernaut that swept away any hopes for reconciliation.
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