syncretism - Word of the Day - 07/03/17

syncretism

noun

Pronunciation

SING-kruh-tiz-um

Definition

1 : the combination of different forms of belief or practice
2 : the fusion of two or more originally different inflectional forms

Examples

"Dance caller and historian Phil Jamison … argues convincingly … that American square dance is not a colonial relic from the British Isles, but rather a uniquely American syncretism of European, African and Native American influences." — Gabriel Popkin, The Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2016

"The Yoruba religion was brought to Cuba by Africans from the Yoruba region…. Over time, the religion merged with Catholicism, resulting in a religious syncretism that unites the Yoruba deities (orishas) with Catholic saints." — Abel Fernandez, The Miami Herald, 4 Jan. 2017

Did You Know?

The ancient Greeks mainly used the term synkrētismos to describe the joining together of Greeks in opposition to a common enemy. In the early 17th century, English speakers adopted the term in the anglicized form syncretism to refer to the union of different religious beliefs. Three centuries later, lexicographers of the 1909 edition of Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language added a new definition of syncretism ("the union or fusion into one or two or more originally different inflectional forms, as of two cases"), but this specialized sense is rarely encountered outside of the field of linguistics. Some related terms that you might encounter are syncretize ("to attempt to unite and harmonize"), syncretist ("one who advocates syncretism"), and syncretic and syncretistic ("characterized or brought about by syncretism").

Test Your Vocabulary

Unscramble the letters to create a noun that refers to a union or an alliance: ILCNOOTAI.

Merriam-Webster

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postulate - Word of the Day - 00/03/17

postulate

verb

Pronunciation

PAHSS-chuh-layt

Definition

1 : demand, claim
2 a : to assume or claim as true, existent, or necessary
   b : to assume as an axiom or as a hypothesis advanced as an essential presupposition, condition, or premise of a train of reasoning (as in logic or mathematics)

Examples

"Some postulate that the moment when machines surpass humans in intelligence may not be that far off." — Vicky Allan, The Sunday Herald (Glasgow), 22 Jan. 2017

"[Dr. Kevin] Tracey, a neurosurgeon, scientist and inventor, first advanced what seemed a radical hypothesis in the late 1990s: He postulated that the vagus nerve is intimately involved in the function of the immune system." — Delthia Ricks, Newsday, 3 Jan. 2017

Did You Know?

In 1703, the dedication of the City and County Purchaser and Builders Dictionary included the following words: "These your extraordinary Favours … seem to Postulate from me … a Publick Recognition." That sense of postulate, a synonym of claim or demand, has been used by English speakers since the early 1600s. (The word's Latin grandparent, postulare, has the same meaning, but postulate first appeared earlier in the 1500s in senses restricted to ecclesiastical law.) Postulate was also used as a noun in the late 1500s, with the meaning "demand" or "stipulation." That sense is now considered archaic, but we still use the noun postulate. Today, it usually means "a hypothesis advanced as an essential presupposition, condition, or premise of a train of reasoning."

Name That Synonym

What 5-letter word beginning with "p" is a synonym of postulate that can also mean "to set firmly"?

Merriam-Webster

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affable - Word of the Day - 05/03/17

affable

adjective

Pronunciation

AF-uh-bul

Definition

1 : being pleasant and at ease in talking to others
2 : characterized by ease and friendliness

Examples

Michelle looked forward to sharing her coffee breaks with Joe, one of her more affable coworkers.

"Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson is an affable, chatty fellow. But the filmmaker sounded particularly upbeat Tuesday when he jumped on the phone to talk about the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of his … Marvel superhero movie." — Clark Collis, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Jan. 2017

Did You Know?

Affable is one of several English words that evolved from the Latin verb fari, which means "to speak." The adjective comes from Latin affabilis, which comes from the fari relative affari ("to speak to"), plus -abilis, meaning "able." Some other fari derivatives are infant, fable, and fate. Infant comes from the Latin infans, which means "incapable of speech" and combines in- and fans, the present participle of fari. Fable comes from the Latin fabula, a fari offspring that means "conversation." Fate comes from the Latin word fatum, meaning "what has been spoken" and deriving from fatus, the past participle of fari.

Word  Quiz

What word derives from Latin fari and refers to the introductory remarks of a speaker or author?

Merriam-Webster

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nugatory - Word of the Day - 04/03/17

nugatory

adjective

Pronunciation

NOO-guh-tor-ee

Definition

1 : of little or no consequence : trifling, inconsequential
2 : having no force : inoperative

Examples

"The novel's greatest talker is Sandro's best friend, Ronnie Fontaine, whose photographs (such as we hear about them) seem nugatory, but whose stories are captivating." — James Wood, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2013

"… Christine McVie … was working on 'Keep Me There,' a throwback melodically to her solo album of a few years previously. The opening may have been nugatory, but the chord progression up into the chorus had a driving tension." — David Honigmann, The Financial Times, 9 Jan. 2017

Did You Know?

Nugatory, which first appeared in English in the 17th century, comes from the Latin adjective nugatorius and is ultimately a derivative of the noun nugae, meaning "trifles." Like its synonyms vain, idle, empty, and hollow, nugatory means "without worth or significance." But while nugatory suggests triviality or insignificance ("a monarch with nugatory powers," for example), vain implies either absolute or relative absence of value (as in "vain promises"). Idle suggests being incapable of worthwhile use or effect (as in "idle speculations"). Empty and hollow suggest a deceiving lack of real substance or genuineness (as in "an empty attempt at reconciliation" or "a hollow victory").

Name That Synonym

Fill in the blanks to complete a synonym of nugatory: ne _ li _ _ _ le.


Merriam-Webster

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cabotage - Word of the Day - 03/03/17

cabotage

noun

Pronunciation

 KAB-uh-tahzh
 

Definition

1 : trade or transport in coastal waters or airspace or between two points within a country
2 : the right to engage in coastal trade or transport

Examples

"If Britain were granted cabotage, B.A.'s planes would be able to operate like a domestic carrier—to hop about the United States, picking up and discharging passengers, and carrying many of them to and from Britain." — John Newhouse, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 1991

"The decision to allow cabotage could see a foreign carrier … fly domestic passengers between the Queensland resort and another destination north of the tropic." — Steve Creedy, The Australian, 29 May 2015

Did You Know?

Coastlines were once so important to the French that they came up with a verb to name the act of sailing along a coast: caboter. That verb gave rise to the French noun cabotage, which named trade or transport along a coast. In the 16th century, the French legally limited their lucrative coastal trade, declaring that only French ships could trade in French ports. They called the right to conduct such trading cabotage too. Other nations soon embraced both the concept of trade restrictions and the French name for trading rights, and expanded the idea to inland trade as well.

Test Your Vocabulary

Fill in the blanks to complete an adjective that means "of or relating to trading": _ er _ ant _ _ e.

Merriam-Webster

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laconic - Word of the Day - 02/03/17

laconic

adjective

Pronunciation

 luh-KAH-nik

Definition

: using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious

Examples

The reporters had a hard time getting the laconic quarterback to share his thoughts after the tough loss.

"Far from laconic, Penny is steeped with a positive attitude as she greets students with a smile and asks for their omelet request. With a voracious appetite for conversation, Penny's outgoing personality draws a throng of students to her omelet line." — Haley Thompson, The Courier (Monmouth College), 3 Feb. 2017

Did You Know?

Laconia was an ancient country in southern Greece, bordering on the and the Mediterranean seas. Its capital city was Sparta, and the Spartans were famous for their terseness of speech. Laconic comes to us by way of Latin from Greek Lakōnikos, which is derived from Lakōn, meaning "native of Laconia." It has been with us since the 16th century and has sometimes been used with the basic meaning "of or relating to Laconia or its inhabitants" (though we're more apt to use Laconian for this meaning today). In current use, laconic means "terse" or "concise," and thus recalls the Spartan tendency to use the fewest words possible.

Name That Antonym

Fill in the blanks to complete an antonym of laconic: _ r _ li _.

Merriam-Webster

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exponent - Word of the Day - 01/03/17

exponent

noun

Pronunciation

 ik-SPOH-nunt

Definition

1 : a symbol written above and to the right of a mathematical expression to indicate the operation of raising to a power
2 a : one that expounds or interprets
   b : one that champions, practices, or exemplifies

Examples

"As the leading exponent of naturalism in fiction, [Émile] Zola believed in the clinically accurate depiction of all aspects of human life." — Adam Kirsch, The New Statesman, 18 Jan. 2017

"But the quality of the imagination is to flow, and not to freeze. The poet did not stop at the color, or the form, but read their meaning; neither may he rest in this meaning, but he makes the same objects exponents of his new thought." — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: Second Series, 1944

Did You Know?

You probably won't be surprised to learn that exponent shares an ancestor with proponent—and indeed, the Latin ponere ("to put") is at the root of both terms. Exponent descends from exponere, which joins ponere with ex- ("out") and means "to put forth" or "to explain." Proponent traces to proponere, a word created from the affix pro- ("before") that can mean "to put before," or "to display" or "to declare." Proponent is related to propose and can describe someone who offers a proposal, but today it usually means "one who argues in favor of something." Exponent can also refer to someone who is an advocate, but it tends to refer especially to someone who stands out as a shining representative of something. In addition, it has retained its earlier meaning of "one who expounds."

Word  Quiz

Unscramble the letters to create an adjective derived from Latin ponere that means "highly pertinent" or "apt": PSIATPEO.

Merriam-Webster

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