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May 3, 2019
This week’s themePeople who became verbs
This week’s words
haussmannize
MacGyver
pasteurize
disneyfy
macadamize
John Loudon McAdam (detail), 1830
Artist unknown
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Gargmacadamize
PRONUNCIATION:
(muh-KAD-uh-myz) 
MEANING:
verb tr.: To construct or pave a road with small, broken stones bound with asphalt or tar.
ETYMOLOGY:
After John Loudon McAdam (1756-1836), civil engineer, who pioneered this method of building a road. Earliest documented use: 1823. McAdam also appears in the word tarmac. The word was originally a trademark, coined by combining tar + McAdam.
USAGE:
“[Mark] Twain himself was an early advocate for bicycle transport; for example, he’s quoted in an 1895 edition of Portland’s Oregonian suggesting the city macadamize its streets, purchase bicycles, and rent them out to citizens.”
Fletcher Moore Twain’s Bike Lessons; Poets & Writers (New York); Sep/Oct 2011.
See more usage examples of macadamize in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.
Fletcher Moore Twain’s Bike Lessons; Poets & Writers (New York); Sep/Oct 2011.
See more usage examples of macadamize in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. -Niccolo Machiavelli, political philosopher and author (3 May 1469-1527) Got a comment? Click here to share it.
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