| Wordsmith.org | The magic of words |
MooT - the Semantics and Etymology game
The world's toughest language game.
The world's toughest language game.
| mootgame.com | How to sponsor? |
Mar 7, 2019
This week’s themeWords from previous years
This week’s words
mondegreen
resistentialism
spoonerism
petrichor
Image: patrice-photographiste
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Gargpetrichor
PRONUNCIATION:
(PET-ri-kuhr) 
MEANING:
noun: The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.
ETYMOLOGY:
Coined by researchers I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas in 1964, from Greek petros (stone) + ichor (the fluid that supposedly flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology). Earliest documented use: 1964.
USAGE:
“Verity could smell the heavenly scent of petrichor rising up from the damp, hot summer pavement.”
Annie Darling; True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop; HarperCollins; 2018.
Annie Darling; True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop; HarperCollins; 2018.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
If we had paid no more attention to our plants than we have to our children, we would now be living in a jungle of weeds. -Luther Burbank, horticulturist (7 Mar 1849-1926) On a scale of 1 to 10 how likely are you to use this word?
Or you can email us at words@wordsmith.org
Unsubscribe | Subscribe | Update address | Gift subscription | Contact us
© 1994-2019 Wordsmith.org
Or you can email us at words@wordsmith.org
Unsubscribe | Subscribe | Update address | Gift subscription | Contact us
© 1994-2019 Wordsmith.org
No comments:
Post a Comment