51吃瓜 of the Day
coffers
plural noun
funds, especially of a government or corporation.
More about coffers
English coffers, 鈥渢reasury, funds,鈥� is the plural of coffer, 鈥渂ox, chest (for valuables).鈥� The Middle English cofre (and coffre, coffer) had the same senses in the singular and plural. Middle English cofre comes from Old French cofre, from Latin cophinus 鈥渂asket, hamper,鈥� from Greek 办贸辫丑颈苍辞蝉 鈥渂ig basket; unit of measure.鈥� Cophinus, going the easy way, yields coffin in English via Old French coffin 鈥渂asket; coffer; sarcophagus.鈥� (Latin ph from Greek words frequently becomes f in the Romance languages.) Cophinus, going the hard way, becomes cophn(o); the n then dissimilates to r, cofn(o) becoming cofre, just as Latin Londinium 鈥淟ondon鈥� becomes Londn(ium), the second n dissimilating to Londr- (Londres in Modern French). Coffers entered English in the 13th century.
how is coffers used?
For decades, American presidential campaigns have churned out enormous quantities of swag鈥�$5 buttons, $15 mugs, $75 guacamole bowls鈥攖o promote candidates, fill campaign coffers and gather sophisticated data about聽supporters.
coffers
taciturn
adjective
inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation.
More about taciturn
Taciturn ultimately derives from Latin taciturnus 鈥渒eeping silent, saying nothing, silent by habit or disposition,鈥� a derivative of tacitus, past participle of 迟补肠脓谤别 鈥渢o say nothing, be silent.鈥� 罢补肠脓谤别 and its derivatives come from an uncommon Proto-Indo-European root tak-, 迟补办脓- 鈥渢o be silent.鈥� Tak- regularly becomes thah- in Germanic, yielding Gothic thahan 鈥渢o keep silent, hold one鈥檚 peace,鈥� and Old Icelandic thagna 鈥渂ecome silent.鈥� Tak- in Celtic yields Welsh tagu and Breton taga 鈥渟trangling, choking鈥� (one way of obtaining silence). Taciturn entered English in the 18th century.
how is taciturn used?
Ern艖 Rubik has often been painted as a taciturn loner, a grudging genius who built a beautiful object he hoped would create an introspective space where individuals could consider the elegance of geometry, and who instead became an icon for one of the great marketing crazes of all time.
taciturn
clamber
verb (used with or without object)
to climb, using both feet and hands; climb with effort or difficulty.
More about clamber
Clamber, 鈥渢o climb using hands and feet, with effort or difficulty,鈥� comes from Middle English clambren (also clameren, clemeren), possibly a frequentative verb from climben (also clemme, climme, klimbe, clomme) 鈥渢o climb.鈥� Further etymology is unsatisfying: it has been suggested that clamber is a blend of Old English climban 鈥渢o climb鈥� and 肠濒忙尘尘补苍 鈥渢o press鈥�; clamber is akin to Old Norse klambra 鈥渢o hook onto,鈥� and Middle High German klamben and German klammern, both meaning 鈥渢o clamp tightly.鈥� Clamber entered English in the second half of the 14th century.
how is clamber used?
Outdoor restaurant tables and chairs could be seen bobbing in the waters, and tourists were forced to clamber through the windows of high-end hotels as the water rose to about six feet before 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
He began to聽clamber聽as fast as he could out of the enclosed space, his feet scrabbling at the wall and knocking bricks free.
clamber