Word of the Day: Capitulate

capitulate

Pronunciation: \kə-ˈpi-chə-ˌlāt\

Inflected Form(s): capitulated; capitulating

Etymology: Medieval Latin capitulatus, past participle of capitulare to distinguish by heads or chapters, from Late Latin capitulum

Date: 1596

Definition: 1: archaic; parley, negotiate 2a: to surrender often after negotiation of terms 2b: to cease resisting (acquiesce)

And, now for the visual goodness that seals the deal for most people when learning new words from Google Images! Enjoy and learn! After all, we don't use our minds nearly enough as it is, and some use it much less than others! I fall on both sides of the line many times too. Capitulate.

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Word of the Day: Amatory

amatory

Pronunciation: \ˈa-mə-ˌtȯr-ē\

Date: 1599

Definition: of, relating to, or expressing sexual love (amatory adventures)

Google Images once again brings you the picture to enable better remembrance of the word and a visual cue to jog the memory...after all the next time you see something resembling the picture, I bet you'll think of the word amatory also. So, enjoy, learn, and have an "amatory adventure" or two!

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Word of the Day: Mansuetude

mansuetude

Pronunciation: \ˈman(t)-swi-ˌtüd, man-ˈsü-ə-, -ˌtyüd\

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin mansuetudo, from mansuescere to tame, from manus hand + suescere to accustom; akin to Greek ēthos custom

Date: 14th century

Definition: the quality or state of being gentle (meekness; tameness)

And as is now the usual, here is the Google Images image for the daily word, mansuetude. Yes, mastiffs are generally known to be gentle dogs, so that is the reason the owner of this dog actually gave it the name Mansuetude. It's a beautiful dog, and I would love to have either a mastiff or a newfoundland any day! They're beautiful, loyal, and large!!

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Word of the Day: Limn

limn

Pronunciation: \ˈlim\

Inflected Form(s): limned; limning \ˈli-miŋ, ˈlim-niŋ\

Etymology: Middle English limnen to illuminate (a manuscript), probably back-formation from lymnour illuminator, alteration of lumenur, from Anglo-French aluminer, enluminer to illuminate, ultimately from Latin illuminare

Date: 1592

Definition: 1: to draw or paint on a surface 2: to outline in clear sharp detail; delineate 3: describe (the novel limns the frontier life of the settlers)

And before I just post a picture derived from the word of the day, I feel that I should at least explain a little. The heart in the photograph is a sign for the Limn art gallery which consequently explains the connection to the word. So, there you are, Google Images has not failed us yet!

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Word of the Day: Lothario

lothario

Pronunciation: \lō-ˈther-ē-ˌō, -ˈthär-\

Inflected Form(s): plural lotharios

Usage: often capitalized

Etymology: Lothario, seducer in the play The Fair Penitent (1703) by Nicholas Rowe

Date: 1756

Definition: a man whose chief interest is seducing women

This word came via freerice.com where you can answer vocabulary questions to gain free rice which correlates to rice donated to the United Nations Food Program (so go play it often). What's even better about this though is the photo that Google Images delivered (and many others were really NSFW - try it when you're at home...Wow). This guy is a bit whacky.

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Belated Word of the Day (Monday): Velleity

velleity

Pronunciation: \ve-ˈlē-ə-tē, və-\

Inflected Form(s): plural velleities

Etymology: New Latin velleitas, from Latin velle to wish, will

Date: 1618

Definition: 1: the lowest degree of volition 2: a slight wish or tendency; inclination

This word choice is actually from my wife yesterday. In fact, if you wish to know the whole of it (which, if you're even reading this, I assume you do), the entire "Word of the Day" post decision came via the wife as she always has some random word for each day. As she says, " Good words like when you show them off and introduce them to new friends." As for the Google Images version of velleity, I happened to find this jewel from someone in or at least visiting Toronto in Canada (just in case there are other Torontos out there - don't want to confuse anyone).

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Word of the Day: Higgledy-Piggledy

higgledy–piggledy

Pronunciation: \ˌhi-gəl-dē-ˈpi-gəl-dē\

Etymology: origin unknown

Date: 1598

Definition: in a confused, disordered, or random manner (tiny hovels piled higgledy–piggledy against each other — Edward Behr)

So, the main reason I chose this word for today is because it's just one of those words that remind you of your childhood, or at least it reminded me of my childhood days reading lots of Dr. Seuss. Ah...the good ol' doc! Lastly, as usual a short time on Google Images brought forth the wonderfully strange art concoction below.

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Belated Word of the Day (Saturday): Ostensible

ostensible

Pronunciation: \ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-bəl, ə-\

Etymology: French, from Latin ostensus, past participle of ostendere to show, from obs-, ob- in the way + tendere to stretch — more at ob-, thin

Date: circa 1771

Definition: 1a: intended for display 1b: open to view 2a: being such in appearance 2b: plausible rather than demonstrably true or real (the ostensible purpose for the trip)

And, although I'm not sure how this photo exactly incorporates the word ostensible, it was the first to show itself on Google Images. Perhaps it is that the fun of the activity shown is quite apparent or ostensible?

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Word of the Day: Panoply

panoply

Pronunciation: \ˈpa-nə-plē\

Inflected Form(s): plural - panoplies

Etymology: Greek panoplia, from pan- + hopla arms, armor, plural of hoplon meaning tool, weapon

Date: 1632

Definition: 1a: a full suit of armor 1b: ceremonial attire 2: something forming a protective covering 3a: a magnificent or impressive array (panoply of a military funeral) 3b: a display of all appropriate appurtenances (panoply of power)

And as I did yesterday, below is the first picture I happened upon after attempting to shed more light on the word panoply through Google Images.

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Word of the Day: Bivouac

bivouac

Pronunciation: \ˈbi-və-ˌwak, ˈbiv-ˌwak\

Etymology: French, from Low German biwacht, from bi by + wacht guard

Date: 1819

Definition: 1: a usually temporary encampment under little or no shelter 2: encampment usually for a night 3: a temporary or casual shelter or lodging

So, I was talking about favorite poems today with some friends when read his which contained the word 'bivouac' in one of the stanzas. Since I did not know the word, I looked it up via Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. As we were chatting, another friend suggested looking for a picture to help in visualizing the definition. This was the first picture, and it is definitely not a bivouac where I would want to sleep. Looks fun though!

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