51吃瓜 of the Day
biomorph
noun
a painted, drawn, or sculptured free form or design suggestive in shape of a living organism, especially an ameba or protozoan: The paintings of Joan Mir贸 are often notable for their playful, bright-colored biomorphs.
More about biomorph
Biomorph is easily broken down to the combining forms bio– and –morph, both Greek in origin and both thoroughly naturalized in English. Bio– comes from Greek 产铆辞蝉 鈥渓ife, mode of life, the world we live in鈥� (产铆辞蝉 does not mean “animal life,” which is 锄艒岣�). The combining form –morph comes from the Greek combining form –尘辞谤辫丑贸蝉, a derivative of the noun 尘辞谤辫丑岣� 鈥渇orm, shape, beauty.鈥� 惭辞谤辫丑岣� may perhaps be related to Latin forma, perhaps via Etruscan (the usual suspect). Biomorph entered English at the end of the 19th century.
how is biomorph used?
She painted biomorphs and wonky grids within the defined parameters of the picture plane ….
There is nothing bitter or sweet about this antsy, unnamable biomorph; refusing to stay put in its own painterly space, it reels … into ours 鈥� willfully rude and buoyantly playful, a jolt of unalloyed energy.
lambent
adjective
dealing lightly and gracefully with a subject; brilliantly playful: lambent wit.
More about lambent
Lambent comes straight from Latin lambent-, the inflectional stem of the present participle 濒补尘产脓苍蝉, from the verb lambere 鈥渢o lick, (of food or liquid) lick up, suck up, absorb.鈥� Lambere has the transferred senses “(of fire) to play upon, lick,鈥� “(of water) to wash, bathe,鈥� and “(of creeping plants) to surround, wreathe.鈥� The only English sense deriving from the Latin is 鈥渞unning or moving lightly over a surface鈥�; the other senses, including “dealing lightly and gracefully with a subject,” developed within English. Lambent entered English in the mid-17th century.
how is lambent used?
There is the lightning wit that flashes of a short sentence or an apt reply, and there is the lambent wit that sparkles either by description or dialogue.
He goes to Oxford, where his lambent gift of tongues is recognized and encouraged, and then to war, where everything he values is laid waste.
expiate
verb (used with object)
to atone for; make amends or reparation for.
More about expiate
The verb expiate, 鈥渢o atone for, make amends for, make reparation for,鈥� comes from Latin 别虫辫颈腻迟耻蝉, the past participle of 别虫辫颈腻谤别 鈥渢o make atonement to the gods for, appease, propitiate (deities, spirits),” a compound formed by the intensive prefix ex– and the simple verb 辫颈腻谤别 鈥渢o propitiate (a deity, spirit),鈥� a derivative of the very important Roman adjective pius 鈥渄utiful, faithful (to the gods, one鈥檚 country, family, kindred, and friends).” Aeneas is called pius Aeneas 20 times in the Aeneid. Expiate entered English in the early 17th century.
how is expiate used?
Ridding oneself of guilt is often easier than overcoming shame, in part because our society offers many ways to expiate guilt-inducing offenses, including apologizing, paying fines, and serving jail time.
Carbon offsets聽do seem to offer the most direct way to assuage traveler鈥檚 guilt.聽In theory, they magically expiate your sins.