Word of the Day
palpebral
adjective
of or relating to the eyelids.
More about palpebral
The Latin noun palpebra (also palpebrum) 鈥渆yelid鈥� is composed of the verb 辫补濒辫腻谤别 鈥渢o touch, stroke, caress鈥� and -brum, a suffix forming nouns of instruments, e.g., 肠补苍诲脓濒腻产谤耻尘 鈥渁 stand for holding several candles, candelabra.鈥� 笔补濒辫腻谤别 derives from a complicated Proto-Indo-European root 辫腻濒- (from 辫别菨濒-) and its many variants, e.g., pel-, 辫别濒菨-, 辫濒脓-, etc. 鈥渢o touch, feel, flutter, float.鈥� A palpebra is 鈥渟omething that flutters (quickly).鈥� The root is also the source of Latin 辫补濒辫颈迟腻谤别 鈥�(of a pulse) to beat, pulsate,鈥� 辫腻辫颈濒颈艒 鈥渂utterfly, moth,鈥� and Old English 蹿脓濒补苍 鈥渢o examine by touch,鈥� English feel. Palpebral entered English in the mid-18th century.
how is palpebral used?
adrift on a gold-brown leather recliner, / the little finger of her left hand tapping / on the crocheted antimacassar, / palpebral twitches of chronic hypnagogia.
In his palpebral vision, she beckoned.
More about mump
The rare English verb mump is akin to the equally rare Dutch mompen 鈥渢o mumble, grumble,鈥� and the magnificent German verbs mumpfen 鈥渢o chew with one鈥檚 mouth full鈥� and mimpfeln 鈥渢o mumble while eating.鈥� The Germanic verbs most likely derive from a Proto-Indo-European root 尘别耻菨- 鈥渂e silent,鈥� from which English also derives mum 鈥渟ilent,鈥� Latin 尘奴迟耻蝉 鈥渟ilent, mute,鈥� and Greek 尘耻蝉迟岣梤颈辞苍 鈥渟ecret rite, mystery,鈥� a derivative of 尘煤蝉迟脓蝉 鈥渁n initiate,鈥� a derivative of 尘耻别卯苍 鈥渢o initiate, instruct, teach,鈥� itself a derivative of 尘煤别颈苍 鈥渢o close the eyes, mouth, or other opening鈥� (lest one reveal what is not to be revealed). Mump entered English in the 16th century.
how is mump used?
Up, Dullard! It is better service to enjoy a novel than to mump.
Come, my dear fellow, do not spoil the excellent impression you have already made. I am sure to mump and moan is not in you …
More about excogitate
Excogitate comes from Latin 别虫肠艒驳颈迟腻迟耻蝉, the past participle of 别虫肠艒驳颈迟腻谤别 meaning 鈥渢o devise, invent, think out.鈥� It entered English in the 1520s.
how is excogitate used?
I wouldn’t put the question to you for the world, and expose you to the inconvenience of having to … excogitate an answer.
The average politician knows fully as little or as much about railway management as he does about photographing the moon or applying the solar spectrum; yet, once upon a board of railway commissioners, he is required to excogitate and frame rules for an industry which not only supplies the financial arteries of a continent, but holds the lives as well as the credits of its citizens dependent upon the click of a telegraph or the angle of a semaphore …