51吃瓜 of the Day
agglomeration
noun
a jumbled cluster or mass of varied parts.
More about agglomeration
The English noun agglomeration, 鈥渁 jumbled cluster or mass of varied parts,鈥� comes from Latin 补驳驳濒辞尘别谤腻迟耻蝉, the past participle of 补驳驳濒辞尘别谤腻谤别 鈥渢o mass together, pile up, join forces,鈥� a derivative of 驳濒辞尘别谤腻谤别 鈥渢o roll into a ball, collect into a dense mass.鈥� 骋濒辞尘别谤腻谤别 in turn is a derivative of the noun glomus (inflectional stem glomer-) 鈥渁 ball, a skein or ball of yarn.鈥� Glomus is related to the Latin nouns globus 鈥渞ound body, round cake, sphere鈥� (English globe) and 驳濒脓产补 (also glaeba) 鈥渓ump or clod of earth鈥� (English glebe 鈥渟oil, field鈥�). Agglomeration entered English in the second half of the 17th century.
how is agglomeration used?
In our exuberance to build more green things, we need to focus on updating what we鈥檝e already damaged. That dead mall could be a solar field. (It already has the power hookups.) That agglomeration of gas pumps could be a park-and-ride charging station for commuters traveling farther by train.
A galaxy is much more than a radiant agglomeration of stars. To modern astrophysicists, galaxies are more notable for their dark sides: their hidden material that is only 鈥渟een鈥� by its gravitational pull upon the shiny stuff it seems to vastly outweigh.
agglomeration
deliquesce
verb (used without object)
to melt away.
More about deliquesce
Deliquesce, 鈥渢o melt away; become liquid,鈥� comes straight from Latin 诲脓濒颈辩耻脓蝉肠别谤别 鈥渢o become liquid, dissipate one鈥檚 energy,鈥� a compound of the preposition and prefix 诲脓, 诲脓-, here indicating removal, and the verb 濒颈辩耻脓蝉肠别谤别 鈥渢o melt, decompose, putrefy.鈥� 尝颈辩耻脓蝉肠别谤别 is an inchoative verb (also called an inceptive verb), meaning that the verb indicates the beginning, the inception of an action. In Latin (and in Greek) the suffix –sc– (Latin) and –sk– (Greek) changes a verb of state, such as 濒颈辩耻脓谤别 鈥渢o be liquid, be clear,鈥� to an inceptive verb. Derivatives of 濒颈辩耻脓谤别 include liquidus 鈥渃lear, fluid鈥� (English liquid) and liquor 鈥渇luidity, liquid character鈥� (English liquor). Deliquesce entered English in the mid-18th century.
how is deliquesce used?
My thoughts started to deliquesce and slide through my brain like melting cheese.
A subsequent painting in the album … sees Jeong render the white peaks in ink that fades from the top of the composition to the bottom, making the mountain range deliquesce as if in fog.
deliquesce
stultify
verb (used with object)
to render absurdly or wholly futile or ineffectual, especially by degrading or frustrating means.
More about stultify
Stultify comes straight from Late Latin 蝉迟耻濒迟颈蹿颈肠腻谤别, 鈥渢o turn into foolishness,鈥� a compound verb formed from the adjective stultus 鈥渟tupid, dense, foolish鈥� and the combining form –蹿颈肠腻谤别 鈥渢o make, make become鈥� (source via Old French –fier of the English verb suffix –fy), formed from facere 鈥渢o do, make.鈥� Stultus and stolidus 鈥渄ull, brutish, stupid鈥� come from the root stel-, stol– 鈥渢o (make) stand, put.鈥� One odd thing about stultify is that its original meaning in English was as a legal term 鈥渢o allege or prove (oneself or another) to be of unsound mind,鈥� that is, if one stultified oneself, one could evade responsibility for one鈥檚 actions. Stultify entered English in the second half of the 18th century.
how is stultify used?
Up to recently we have proceeded from a premise that poverty is a consequence of multiple evils: lack of education restricting job opportunities; poor housing which stultified home life and suppressed initiative; fragile family relationships which distorted personality development.
Such critics stultify themselves by the coarseness of view (and sometimes of expression) with which they meet the grossness they condemn.
stultify