51吃瓜 of the Day
anodyne
noun
anything that relieves distress or pain: The music was an anodyne to his grief.
More about anodyne
Anodyne has a surprising etymology. Its Greek original, 补苍峁揹测苍辞蝉 鈥減ainless,鈥� breaks down to the elements an-, 峁揹-, -yn-, -os-. The first element, an- 鈥渘ot,鈥� is from the same Proto-Indo-European source as Latin in- and Germanic (English) un-. The second to last element -yn- is from the noun suffix -媒苍脓; the last element, -os, is an adjective ending. The main element 辞诲媒苍脓 鈥減ain鈥� (茅诲测苍补 in the Aeolic dialect) consists of 峁揹-, a derivative of the Greek root ed-, od- from the Proto-Indo-European root ed-, od- 鈥渢o eat鈥� (source of Latin edere, Germanic (Old English) etan, Hittite et-, Homeric Greek 茅诲尘别苍补颈, all meaning 鈥渆at, to eat.鈥�) In Greek 辞诲媒苍脓 is something that eats you (cf. colloquial English, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 eating you?鈥�). The Germanic languages also have the compound verb fra-etan 鈥渢o eat up, devour,鈥� which becomes in German fressen 鈥渄evour, gorge, corrode,鈥� and in Old English fretan 鈥渢o devour,鈥� English fret, which nowadays usually has only its extended sense 鈥渇eel worry or pain.鈥� Anodyne entered English in the 16th century.
how is anodyne used?
… he realized that then, and now, work had been an anodyne of sorts. It had occupied his mind.
… he would run down the great staircase, with its lions of gilt bronze and its steps of bright porphyry, and wander from room to room, and from corridor to corridor, like one who was seeking to find beauty an anodyne from pain, a sort of restoration from sickness.
marplot
noun
a person who mars or defeats a plot, design, or project by meddling.
More about marplot
The noun marplot is a combination of the verb mar 鈥渢o damage, spoil鈥� and its direct object, the noun plot, formed like the noun pickpocket. Marplot is a character in a farce, The Busie Body, written by Susanna Centlivre, c1667-1723, an English actress, poet, and playwright, and produced in 1709. In the play Marplot is a well-meaning busybody who meddles in and ruins the romantic affairs of his friends.
how is marplot used?
… Time is unalterable; he swings his merry bomb through centuries, nor feels a jot the mental agony of us sublunary mortals; therefore is he, to our thinking, a Marplot.
Humpty is Puss鈥� childhood frenemy: pal, rival and seemingly inept marplot to our hero鈥檚 suave efficiency in a crisis.
More about riant
The rare adjective riant is a direct borrowing from the French present participle riant 鈥渓aughing,鈥� from the verb rire, ultimately from Latin 谤墨诲脓谤别 鈥渢o laugh,鈥� which comes from a very complicated Proto-Indo-European root wer- 鈥渢o twist, bend鈥� (谤墨诲脓谤别 would mean 鈥渢wist the face or mouth鈥�). Wer- has many suffixes and extensions that form some startling words. The meaning of the root extended with the suffix -t is clearly seen in Latin vertere 鈥渢o turn,鈥� with its many English derivatives, e.g., revert, convert, invert. The Germanic form of wert- is werth-, source of the English suffix -ward(s), as in homeward(s), toward(s). A variant form of wer- with the suffix -m forms Latin vermis 鈥渨orm鈥� (from its twisting) and Germanic wurmiz (Old English wyrm 鈥渄ragon, serpent鈥�; English worm). Finally, somewhat related to 谤墨诲脓谤别 is the Latin noun rictus 鈥渨ide open mouth, gaping jaws鈥� (English rictus). Riant entered English in the 16th century.
how is riant used?
Mistress Marjory bent her head with a murmured assurance of “giving him small trouble,” but again the riant eyes belied the lips …
At the head of that open and legal agitation, was a man of giant proportions in body and mind; … a humor broad, bacchant, riant, genial and jovial …