51吃瓜 of the Day
cavil
verb (used without object)
to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually followed by at or about): He finds something to cavil at in everything I say.
More about cavil
The verb cavil 鈥渢o raise irritating and trivial objections鈥� ultimately comes from the Latin verb 肠补惫颈濒濒腻谤墨 鈥渢o jeer, scoff, quibble,鈥� a derivative of the noun cavilla 鈥渏esting, banter.鈥� 颁补惫颈濒濒腻谤墨 and 肠补濒惫墨 鈥渢o deceive, trick鈥� come from the Latin root cal-, and cavilla comes from an earlier unrecorded calvilla. Cavil entered English in the 16th century.
how is cavil used?
Now, I鈥檓 not the type to cavil at the outrageous fortune of others, as long as they come by it legally.
Has it become a custom for the brothers and sisters to carp and cavil at one another鈥攁nd even for Mamma to cavil at her children鈥攁s I have heard you all do to-night?
cavil
tantamount
adjective
equivalent, as in value, force, effect, or signification: His angry speech was tantamount to a declaration of war.
More about tantamount
In contemporary English tantamount is an adjective meaning 鈥渆quivalent,鈥� an adjective use of the obsolete noun tantamount 鈥渟omething equivalent, an equivalent,鈥� which, in its turn, is a development of the somewhat earlier verb tantamount 鈥渢o amount to as much鈥� (all three parts of speech are recorded between 1628 and 1641). Tantamount comes from Anglo-French tant am(o)unter or Italian tanto montare 鈥渢o amount to as much.鈥� Tant and tanto come from the neuter Latin adjective tantum 鈥渟o much鈥�; am(o)unter 鈥渢o add up to, ascend鈥� comes from the Old French adverb amont 鈥渦p, upward,鈥� from Latin ad montem 鈥�(up) to the hill.鈥�
how is tantamount used?
It was a daring move in those days; most men of the countryside feared the city, clung to what was safe and familiar, teaching their sons that leaving the land was tantamount to dying.
Recovering a diamond at Karowe is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack, in a barn full of other haystacks without needles.
tantamount
cacoethes
noun
an irresistible urge; mania.
More about cacoethes
The rare noun cacoethes, 鈥渋rresistible urge, mania,鈥� comes from the Latin neuter noun 肠补肠辞脓迟丑别蝉 鈥渕alignant tumor at an early stage, incurable disease (of character),鈥� from Greek 办补办贸脓迟丑别蝉 鈥渕alice, wickedness,鈥� neuter singular noun use of the adjective 办补办贸脓迟丑别蝉, 鈥渋ll-disposed, malicious, malignant,鈥� a compound of 办补办贸蝉 鈥渂ad, wretched鈥� and the noun 锚迟丑辞蝉 鈥渃ustom, habit, character, usage.鈥� Cacoethes in the sense 鈥渋rresistible urge, mania鈥� comes from the Roman satirist Juvenal鈥檚 phrase ins膩n膩bile scr墨bend墨 肠补肠辞脓迟丑别蝉 鈥渋ncurable urge to write.鈥� Cacoethes entered English in the 16th century.
how is cacoethes used?
We must talk, think, and live up to the spirit of the times, and write up to it too, if that cacoethes be upon us, or we are nought.
“Malachi has caught cacoethes scribendi, the scribbling craze, and is writing more sermons,” Turlow reported.
cacoethes