51吃瓜 of the Day
apoplectic
adjective
extremely angry; furious: He became apoplectic at the mere mention of the subject.
More about apoplectic
Apoplectic, 鈥渟tricken with apoplexy,鈥� comes from Late Latin 补辫辞辫濒脓肠迟颈肠耻蝉 (also 补辫辞辫濒脓肠迟耻蝉), from Greek 补辫辞辫濒脓办迟颈办贸蝉 鈥減aralyzed鈥� and 补辫贸辫濒脓办迟辞蝉 鈥渄isabled by a stroke.鈥� 础辫辞辫濒脓办迟颈办贸蝉 and 补辫贸辫濒脓办迟辞蝉 are derivatives of the verb 补辫辞辫濒脓蝉蝉别颈苍 (also 补辫辞辫濒脓迟迟别颈苍) 鈥渢o cripple by a stroke, disable in body or mind,鈥� a compound of the prefix apo-, here with an intensive force, and the verb 辫濒脓蝉蝉别颈苍, 辫濒脓迟迟别颈苍, 辫濒脓驳苍媒苍补颈 鈥渢o strike, hit, thrust at.鈥� By the 19th century apoplectic developed the sense 鈥渇uriously angry,鈥� as in Jane Austen鈥檚 Mansfield Park (1814), 鈥淎 short-necked apoplectic sort of fellow,鈥� and Charles Dickens鈥� Pickwick Papers (1837), 鈥淎 gentleman with an apoplectic countenance.鈥� Apoplectic entered English in the first half of the 17th century.
how is apoplectic used?
At the White House, Washburne was apoplectic. “Of all the times to let him go, this is the worst!” Washburne marched about the room waving his arms ….
Lenders were apoplectic. They warned CFPB officials that such a tight restriction, however well-intentioned, could cut off access to mortgages for many home buyers and damage the housing market further.
apoplectic
wont
adjective
accustomed; used (usually followed by an infinitive): He was wont to rise at dawn.
More about wont
The history of the adjective, noun, and verb wont is as confused as its three modern pronunciations. The Middle English adjective has many variant spellings, among them wont, woned, wonde (the root vowel is short, as in one of the modern pronunciations). Wont, woned, and wonde (and many other variants) are the past participle of the verb wonen (with many variant spellings) 鈥渢o inhabit, live (somewhere); to continue to be (in a state or condition); to be accustomed.鈥� Wonen comes from Old English (ge)wunod, past participle of (ge)wunian, (ge)wunigan 鈥渢o dwell, inhabit, remain, be (in a certain condition).鈥� Old English (ge)wunian is akin to Old High German 飞辞苍脓苍 鈥渢o dwell, remain鈥� and German 驳别飞枚丑苍别苍 鈥渢o accustom.鈥� Wont (adjective) first appeared in writing in the 9th century; the noun wont in the 14th century; and the verb wont in the first half of the 15th century.
how is wont used?
Ahab was wont to pace his quarter-deck, taking regular turns at either limit, the binnacle and mainmast ….
Young people are the primary drivers of language change, but even we 鈥渙lds鈥濃�攁s the young are wont to put it鈥攍ike to change things up now and then.
wont
More about sciolism
English sciolism 鈥渟uperficial knowledge, a pretension to learning,鈥� comes from the Late Latin adjective and noun sciolus 鈥減retending to knowledge; a person who pretends to knowledge,鈥� and the common noun suffix -ism, originally Greek but completely naturalized in English. Sciolus comes from Latin scius 鈥渒nowing, knowledgeable, cognizant,鈥� a derivative of the verb 蝉肠墨谤别 鈥渢o know (a fact), know for sure.鈥� The obsolete English noun sciolus 鈥渙ne who possesses only superficial knowledge, particularly and especially an editor of a text,鈥� comes directly from Late Latin sciolus. The uncommon English noun sciolist 鈥渁 person of superficial knowledge or learning鈥� is another derivative of sciolus. Sciolism entered English in the mid-18th century.
how is sciolism used?
Anderson faded, his showy sciolism proving as tiresome to voters as it had to his congressional colleagues.
An unseemly air of sciolism creeps into our insistence that we others know the difference between Benedict Arnold and Arnold Bennett.
sciolism