51吃瓜 of the Day
democracy
noun
government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
More about democracy
Democracy, “government by the people,” comes from the Middle French noun 诲茅尘辞肠谤补迟颈别, which comes via Latin from Greek 诲脓尘辞办谤补迟铆补, “popular government.” Democracy was first recorded in English in the early 1500s.
vote
verb (used without object)
to express or signify will or choice in a matter, as by casting a ballot.
More about vote
Vote, “to express or signify will or choice in a matter,” comes from a late Middle English noun that ultimately comes from Latin 惫艒迟耻尘 鈥渁 vow made to a deity; prayer, desire, hope.鈥� Vote was first recorded in English in the late 1400s.
baetyl
noun
a meteorite or stone held sacred or believed to be of divine origin.
More about baetyl
Baetyl, 鈥渁 sacred meteorite,鈥� comes by way of Latin baetulus from Ancient Greek 产补铆迟测虅濒辞蝉, 鈥渕eteoric stone.鈥� 叠补铆迟测虅濒辞蝉 is sometimes hypothesized to be of pre-Greek origin, meaning that it may be a borrowing from a long-lost language of the Mediterranean. However, a far more interesting (and likely) proposal is that 产补铆迟测虅濒辞蝉 comes from a Semitic source such as Hebrew 产脓迟h 鈥櫮搇 (compare bethel) or Phoenician 产脓迟 鈥檒, both of which mean 鈥渉ouse of god.鈥� Phoenician 产脓迟, 鈥渉ouse,鈥� is the origin of the Ancient Greek letter beta and, by extension, alphabet. Baetyl was first recorded in English in the early 1850s.
EXAMPLE OF BAETYL USED IN A SENTENCE
Though they may look to us simply like old, rugged stones, baetyls served a central purpose in ancient Mediterranean religions.