Word of the Day
More about disjune
The rare word disjune is formed from the Old French prefix des-, dis-, which comes from the Latin prefix dis- 鈥渁part, asunder, in two, in different directions鈥� (the prefix dis- is related to the Latin numeral duo 鈥渢wo鈥�). The Latin prefix may also be used like the English prefix un- to express the reverse or negative of the positive, e.g., untie, undo. Old French 诲别蝉箩别眉苍 is thus an 鈥渦nfast.鈥� The Old French element -jun, -箩别眉苍 comes from the Latin adjective 箩脓箩奴苍耻蝉 鈥渉ungry, fasting鈥� and by extension 鈥減oor, barren.鈥� In Medieval Latin the noun 箩脓箩奴苍耻尘 (the neuter singular of the Latin adjective 箩脓箩奴苍耻蝉) means 鈥渕iddle part of the small intestine,鈥� so called because the jejunum was often found empty after death. The etymology of Latin 箩脓箩奴苍耻蝉 is unknown. The noun disjune entered English in the late 15th century; its use as a verb dates from the late 16th century.
how is disjune used?
Take a disjune of muscadel and eggs!
And when the two comrades were in the midst of their disjune the knight began to ask the monk (who knew everybody) about the barge he had seen the day before.
pullulate
verb
to breed, produce, or create rapidly.
More about pullulate
The English verb pullulate derives from the Latin verb 辫耻濒濒耻濒腻谤别 鈥渢o sprout, put forth shoots, bring forth,鈥� a derivative of the noun pullus 鈥測oung animal, foal.鈥� The Latin words derive from the Proto-Indo-European root pau-, 辫艒耻-, 辫奴- (with various suffixes) 鈥渓ittle, small, few.鈥� The suffixed forms pau-o- and pau-ko form Germanic (English) few and Latin paucus 鈥渟mall, slight,鈥� respectively (the Latin adjective is also the source of Spanish and Italian poco). The suffixed form 辫艒-濒辞蝉 yields Greek 辫么濒辞蝉 鈥渇oal, young girl, young boy,鈥� and Germanic (English) foal. The suffixed form pu-er- forms Latin puer 鈥渂oy鈥� and puella 鈥済irl鈥� (from assumed puerla). Pullulate entered English in the early 17th century.
how is pullulate used?
Abundant foodstuffs, a benign climate, lack of natural enemies, high reproductive rate, minimal shooting pressure, and adequate habitat had all combined to allow the birds to pullulate wildly out of control–in fact to reach pestilential proportions.
It is evident, for anyone with eyes to see, that for half a century, animals and people alike have tended to multiply, to proliferate, to pullulate in a truly disquieting proportion.
More about dornick
Dornick is an Americanism dating back to 1830鈥�40 from Irish 诲辞谤苍贸驳 鈥渟mall stone, handful,鈥� from dorn 鈥渇颈蝉迟.鈥�
how is dornick used?
Indulging a few moments’ contemplation of its freckled rind, I broke it open with a stone, a rock, a dornick, in boy’s language.
The rock throwers must have been cads or they wouldn’t have flung a dornick at that small bundle of pink-and-white loveliness …