A.Word.A.Day--jactancy

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Dec 23, 2019

This week’s theme
No el

This week’s words
jactancy

John Locke of Lost puzzles over Noe l

Image: Brian Bogardus

Previous week’s theme
Biblical allusions

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

It’s that time of the year when we give one of the 26 characters some rest. The other 25 have to report for duty -- no R&R for them. Why this unfairness, this favoritism? You have to find out on your own.

Can you guess which of the characters is away? (Psst: It’s the 12th.) This week’s five words use every character except that one.

What can you write (such as this introduction) that does not use the character on vacation? Share it on our website or write to us at (words@wordsmith.org).

But why?

Because No el. Joyeux Noel!

jactancy

PRONUNCIATION:

(JAK-tuhn-see)

MEANING:

noun: Boasting or boastfulness.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin jactantia, from jactantem, present participle of jactare (to throw about), frequentative of jacere (to throw). Earliest documented use: 1623.

USAGE:

“She did not show any great jactancy. Rather, she was somewhat reluctant to show her ability.”
A. Flammer and W. Kinzelbach; Discourse Processing; Elsevier; 2000.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Every noon as the clock hands arrive at twelve, / I want to tie the two arms together, / And walk out of the bank carrying time in bags. -Robert Bly, poet (b. 23 Dec 1926)

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