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Why Dictionary.com chose erst
More about erst
- From Old English (450鈥�1150) 牵谤别蝉迟, meaning “first.”
- Combines ere, meaning “early or before,” + -别蝉迟鹿.
EXAMPLES OF ERST
- Erst the heart of the city’s jazz scene, the street is now filled with retail chains.
- The factory floor, erst full of noise and life, now stood silent beneath a thick layer of dust.
geyser
[ gahy-zer ]
Show IPA
noun
a hot spring that sends up fountains of water and steam into the air
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Why Dictionary.com chose geyser
More about geyser
- First recorded in 1755鈥�65.
- From Geysir, name of a specific hot spring in Iceland, meaning “gusher.”
EXAMPLES OF GEYSER
- Like clockwork, the geyser released a boiling plume of steam every hour.
- The earliest accounts of the phenomenon claimed the geyser basin smelled like sulfur and sounded like thunder.
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Why Dictionary.com chose gnathonic
More about gnathonic
- First recorded in 1630鈥�40.
- Derived from 骋苍补迟丑艒, the name of a parasitic character from the 2nd century BC play Eunuchus by Terence.
EXAMPLES OF GNATHONIC
- Their gnathonic laughter filled the boardroom every time the CEO cracked a joke.
- There’s something suspicious about a gnathonic review that calls every dish at the new restaurant “life-changing.”
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