A.Word.A.Day--lift-off

Wordsmith.org

The magic of words

MooT - the Semantics and Etymology game
The world's toughest language game.

mootgame.com

How to sponsor?

Aug 15, 2019

This week’s theme
Words from space travel

This week’s words
moon shot
light-year
rocket science
lift-off

Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle lift-off with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin, July 16, 1969, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Photo: NASA/Wikimedia

---

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

lift-off

PRONUNCIATION:

(LIFT-of)

MEANING:

noun:
1. The action of being airborne, such as that of a rocket, aircraft, etc.
2. The launch of a project, an initiative, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old Norse lypta, from lopt (air) + off, stressed variant of the word of. Earliest documented use: 1907.

USAGE:

“While those negotiations grind on, some artists have quietly begun to work again. Some are anticipating the lift-off of Brandaid-Haiti, a Canada-based non-profit initiative aimed at reviving market share for Haiti’s arts and crafts industry.”
Jessica Leeder; Jacmel’s Artists Starving for an Audience; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Apr 19, 2010.

See more usage examples of lift-off in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

There is no human being who, as a result of desiring to build a better life, should be named or declared illegal. -Alejandro G. Inarritu, film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (b. 15 Aug 1963)

Something on your mind? Click here to share.
Or you can email us at words@wordsmith.org

Unsubscribe | Subscribe | Update address | Gift subscription | Contact us

© 1994-2019 Wordsmith.org