51吃瓜 of the Day
lilapsophobia
noun
an irrational or disproportionate fear of tornadoes or hurricanes.
More about lilapsophobia
In lilapsophobia, lilaps- comes from Ancient Greek 濒补卯濒补辫蝉, meaning 鈥渧iolent storm.鈥� Though 濒补卯濒补辫蝉 is also often translated as 鈥渉urricane,鈥� the Mediterranean Sea does not have true hurricanes, which form in the tropics. The -phobia element comes from Ancient Greek 辫丑贸产辞蝉, 鈥減anic fear.鈥� Lilapsophobia was first recorded in English in the late 1970s.
EXAMPLE OF LILAPSOPHOBIA USED IN A SENTENCE
Their lilapsophobia began to fade the moment they learned that the tropical wave had failed to organize into a cyclone.
More about ipse dixit
In Latin, ipse d墨xit means 鈥渉e himself said.鈥� The feminine equivalent, 鈥渟he herself said,鈥� is ipsa d墨xit. The plural versions, both meaning 鈥渢hey themselves said,鈥� are ips墨 d墨x膿runt for a group of men or a mixed-gender group and ipsae d墨x膿runt for a group of women. Ipse dixit was first recorded in English in the late 15th century.
EXAMPLE OF IPSE DIXIT USED IN A SENTENCE
The protester claimed that aliens were responsible for recent unexplained events, but these ipse dixits all lacked even a shred of evidence.
quincunx
noun
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
More about quincunx
Quincunx literally means 鈥渇ive-twelfths鈥� in Latin and is formed from 辩耻墨苍辩耻别, 鈥渇ive,鈥� and uncia, 鈥渢welfth.鈥� 蚕耻墨苍辩耻别 is the source of numerous modern Romance words for 鈥渇ive,鈥� such as French cinq and Spanish cinco. Uncia, meanwhile, is the source of both inch and ounce. Quincunx was first recorded in English in the 1640s.
EXAMPLE OF QUINCUNX USED IN A SENTENCE
Each area of the park featured four bushes arranged in a square, with a bench in the middle to complete the quincunxes.