A.W.A.D. - Practical Words
with Anu Garg
equanimity
PRONUNCIATION: (ee-kwuh-NIM-i-tee, ek-wuh-)
MEANING: noun: Evenness of temper in all circumstances
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin aequanimitas, from aequus (equal, even) + animus (mind, spirit).
USAGE: "Even as a young netball star, Tharjini had no inflated opinion about herself nor did she ever take offence at the numerous teasing remarks or stares that her height drew. She met both celebrity status and silly remarks with equanimity." Thulasi Muttulingam; A Player With Many Highs in Her Life; The Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka); Jul 12, 2009.
assiduous
PRONUNCIATION: (uh-SIJ-oo-uhs)
MEANING: adjective: Constant; persistent; industrious
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin assiduus, from assidere (to attend to, to sit down to), from ad- (toward) + sedere (to sit). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sed- (to sit) that is also the source of sit, chair, saddle, assess, sediment, soot, cathedral, and tetrahedron.
USAGE: "The reason for his presence there [a Donald Duck statue in a temple garden] remains a mystery despite the author's most assiduous inquiries." Jeff Kingston; Chiang Mai: Thailand's beguiling Rose of the North; The Japan Times (Tokyo); Jun 28, 2009.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin dis- (away, apart) + interrare (to bury), from in- (in) + terra (earth). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ters- (to dry) that is also the source of territory, terrace, turmeric, toast, and terra firma.A synonym of today's word is exhume, from Latin ex- (out) + humus (earth), which is from the Indo-European root dhghem- (earth) that also gave us human, homicide, homage, chameleon, chamomile, and Persian zamindar (landholder).
USAGE: "From underneath all this falsity, he needs to disinter what's true." Tessa Hadley; Windows on the World; The Guardian (London, UK); Jul 10, 2009.
expatiate
PRONUNCIATION: (ek-SPAY-shee-ayt)
MEANING: verb intr.
1. To speak or write at length
2. To move about freely
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin exspatiatus, past participle of exspatiari (to wander or digress), from ex- (out) + spatiari (to walk about), from spatium (space).
USAGE: "I spent part of the day of the debate watching a parade of talking heads expatiate endlessly on how dire was the need for Obama to go macho." Joe Klein; Hit Her Again! Time (New York); Oct 31, 2007.
Why do you learn new words? For some, it's the joy of discovering new and unusual specimens in the language and the stories behind them. For others, it's to improve their vocabulary, whether for college or work. Sometimes readers write to say, "I'll never have a chance to use these words!"
You will. As you can see from the usage examples taken from newspapers, magazines, and books -- words in AWAD are not from a museum. They're words that are in current use, though not very often.
Still, we take the point. What some are looking for are more practical words: words they can use in an office memo or in a term paper; words they are more likely to come across in a trade report or college exam. This week we'll offer you five such practical words. Go ahead, employ them, put them into practice.
equanimity
PRONUNCIATION: (ee-kwuh-NIM-i-tee, ek-wuh-)
MEANING: noun: Evenness of temper in all circumstances
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin aequanimitas, from aequus (equal, even) + animus (mind, spirit).
USAGE: "Even as a young netball star, Tharjini had no inflated opinion about herself nor did she ever take offence at the numerous teasing remarks or stares that her height drew. She met both celebrity status and silly remarks with equanimity." Thulasi Muttulingam; A Player With Many Highs in Her Life; The Sunday Times (Colombo, Sri Lanka); Jul 12, 2009.
assiduous
PRONUNCIATION: (uh-SIJ-oo-uhs)
MEANING: adjective: Constant; persistent; industrious
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin assiduus, from assidere (to attend to, to sit down to), from ad- (toward) + sedere (to sit). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sed- (to sit) that is also the source of sit, chair, saddle, assess, sediment, soot, cathedral, and tetrahedron.
USAGE: "The reason for his presence there [a Donald Duck statue in a temple garden] remains a mystery despite the author's most assiduous inquiries." Jeff Kingston; Chiang Mai: Thailand's beguiling Rose of the North; The Japan Times (Tokyo); Jun 28, 2009.
disinter
PRONUNCIATION: (dis-in-TUHR)
MEANING: verb tr.:
PRONUNCIATION: (dis-in-TUHR)
MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To remove from a grave
2. To bring to light
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin dis- (away, apart) + interrare (to bury), from in- (in) + terra (earth). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ters- (to dry) that is also the source of territory, terrace, turmeric, toast, and terra firma.A synonym of today's word is exhume, from Latin ex- (out) + humus (earth), which is from the Indo-European root dhghem- (earth) that also gave us human, homicide, homage, chameleon, chamomile, and Persian zamindar (landholder).
USAGE: "From underneath all this falsity, he needs to disinter what's true." Tessa Hadley; Windows on the World; The Guardian (London, UK); Jul 10, 2009.
expatiate
PRONUNCIATION: (ek-SPAY-shee-ayt)
MEANING: verb intr.
1. To speak or write at length
2. To move about freely
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin exspatiatus, past participle of exspatiari (to wander or digress), from ex- (out) + spatiari (to walk about), from spatium (space).
USAGE: "I spent part of the day of the debate watching a parade of talking heads expatiate endlessly on how dire was the need for Obama to go macho." Joe Klein; Hit Her Again! Time (New York); Oct 31, 2007.
Comments