Word of the Day

[Katya]

Ouster (n.)
3. Law The act of forcing one out of possession or occupancy of material property to which one is entitled; illegal or wrongful dispossession.

This word has been used a lot here in Toronto since the ouster of Mayor Rob Ford. I think it is very bizarre to see the -er ending describing an action rather than a person who does the action. 'Ousting' seems like the more natural term to me, but I guess I'm wrong.

The word comes from the French oustre (also spelled ouster), which is an infinitive, and French infinitives can be used similarly to gerunds, so your intuition about it being equivalent to "ousting" is right, it's just that your English-speaker brain wants to analyze it as "one who ousts" instead of "to oust."

(Apparently I'm going to comment on the etymology of a lot of the words posted here, so you all have that to look forward to.)

[Yarjka]

(Apparently I'm going to comment on the etymology of a lot of the words posted here, so you all have that to look forward to.)

I appreciate the etymology.

[Giovanni Schwartz]

na·dir

[ náydər ]



1.lowest point: the lowest possible point
2.point on celestial sphere: the point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer and opposite the zenith

Synonyms: lowest point, all-time low, rock bottom, pits, depths of despair, depths, base, foot

[Yarjka]

na·dir

[ náydər ]



1.lowest point: the lowest possible point
2.point on celestial sphere: the point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer and opposite the zenith

Synonyms: lowest point, all-time low, rock bottom, pits, depths of despair, depths, base, foot

When I was studying for the GRE, I remembered this word by thinking of Ralph Nader and imagining him at the bottom of a very deep hole. It worked.

[Digit]

malingerer
muh-LING-gehr-uhr
noun: One who feigns illness in order to avoid work.

"Various studies have undertaken how to separate malingerers from the legitimately brain-injured."
Shawn Vestal; Trooper's Tangle; Spokesman Review (Spokane, Washington); Aug 17, 2012.

[Portia]

Reread this article in honor of the Great Skirt Debate of '12.

"embarrassment of choices."

1670s, "perplex, throw into doubt," from Fr. embarrasser (16c.), lit. "to block," from embarras "obstacle," from It. imbarrazzo, from imbarrare "to bar," from in- "into, upon" (see in- (2)) + V.L. *barra "bar." Meaning "hamper, hinder" is from 1680s. Meaning "make (someone) feel awkward" first recorded 1828. Original sense preserved in embarras de richesse (1751), from French (1726): the condition of having more wealth than one knows what to do with. Related: Embarrassing; embarrassingly.

[UffishThought]

So that's pretty similar to "so many choices it's embarrassing." But shorter and more fun.

[Laser Jock]

peculation

1. embezzlement.

(From page ~25 of Young Miles, by Bujold, a Hugo+Nebula award winner someone gave me and I started reading yesterday. Haven't gotten far enough yet to have an opinion, though.)

[wired]

snit (noun)

1. an agitated or irritated state

(From one of Portia's posts.)

[Emiliana]

Dipsomaniac (noun): An alcoholic

From a poster of SAT vocabulary words in an honors/AP English class I substituted for last week.

[Katya]

diadromous: (used of fish) migratory between fresh and salt waters

From a thesis I'm cataloging.

[Katya]

soubrette, n.: Theatr. A maid-servant or lady's maid as a character in a play or opera, usually one of a pert, coquettish, or intriguing character; an actress or singer taking such a part.

Etymology: < French, < Provençal soubreto, feminine of soubret coy, reserved, < soubra to set aside.

From an article in The New Yorker (written by Steve Martin, of all people)

[Giovanni Schwartz]

Hahaha one of my mission companions had a SERIOUS issue with the word coquette.

[Digit]

xerophyte
noun: A plant adapted to growing in a very dry or desert environment.

[Katya]

Hahaha one of my mission companions had a SERIOUS issue with the word coquette.

What kind of issue?

[Giovanni Schwartz]

He just didn't believe it was a real word because a Taiwanese person had taught it to him. I hadn't heard it used as a noun before ("That person is such a coquette.") but when I saw your definition say "coquettish," I realized, I did, in fact, know this word.

[Katya]

Nice. And yes, that's a weird word to learn from a Taiwanese person.

[Marduk]

That's one of those words that I know because of the Spanish cognates. Like masticate.

[Defy V]

Masticate is always one of those words I have to remind myself the meaning of. It just means to chew! Why does it sound so dirty?

[Katya]

That's one of those words that I know because of the Spanish cognates.

Coquette or soubrette?