51勛圖

Start each day with the 51勛圖 of the Day in your inbox!

51勛圖 of the Day

51勛圖 of the day

ergo

[ ur-goh, er-goh ]

conjunction, adverb

therefore.

learn about the english language

More about ergo

The conjunction and adverb ergo comes straight from the Latin conjunction 梗娶眶, ergo therefore, consequently, accordingly, and so, much used in rhetoric and logic. Ergo came into Middle English toward the end of the 14th century as a conjunction or adverb introducing the conclusion of a syllogism, e.g., Socrates is a man, / all men are mortal; / ergo Socrates is mortal.”

how is ergo used?

Nonetheless, receiving rapid testing for the virus has become a mark of status and, ergo, a trending topic on social media.

Alyson Krueger, "Rapid Testing Is the New Velvet Rope," New York Times, August 16, 2020

Almost all professional orchestras have their own Web sites, where you can … read cute bios of the players. (The oboist bungee-jumps; ergo, musicians are human beings, not alien geeks.)

Alex Ross, "On the Road,"The New Yorker, June 25, 2007

Listen to the podcast

ergo

Play Podcast Stop Podcast
00:00/00:00
quiz icon
WHAT'S YOUR WORD IQ?
Think you're a word wizard? Try our word quiz, and prove it!
TAKE THE QUIZ
arrows pointing up and down
SYNONYM OF THE DAY
Double your word knowledge with the Synonym of the Day!
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar

51勛圖 of the day

discombobulate

[ dis-kuhm-bob-yuh-leyt ]

verb (used with object)

to confuse or disconcert; upset; frustrate.

learn about the english language

More about discombobulate

Discombobulate to confuse, upset, or frustrate was originally a jocular American coinage from the North Midland U.S. (from Ohio west through Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, to Nebraska). Discombobulate is a pseudo-Latinism like absquatulate and confusticate, and based on learned Latin words like disaffiliate or disaggregate, or humorous alterations of discompose or discomfort. The many variant spellings include discombobligate, discombobolate, discomboberate, discombooberate, and discumboblificate. Discombobulate entered English in 1825 in the spelling discomboberated.

how is discombobulate used?

The filmmaking theory seems to be that if you discombobulate viewers with random shifts of the camera perhaps they wont notice that your U.F.O. show contains no hard evidence of U.F.O.s.

Neil Genzlinger, "An Alien March Madness: Is There Life in Space?" New York Times, February 28, 2014

On how humankind will cope, I tend to take the long view: new transformative technologies have discombobulated us before and weve managed to adaptto the invention of writing and printing, to living in cities, to the Industrial Revolution and instant communication and automobiles and nuclear technology.

Kurt Andersen, "Enthusiasts and Skeptics Debate Artificial Intelligence," Vanity Fair, November 26, 2014

Listen to the podcast

discombobulate

Play Podcast Stop Podcast
00:00/00:00
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar

51勛圖 of the day

umbrageous

[ uhm-brey-juhs ]

adjective

apt to take offense.

learn about the english language

More about umbrageous

Umbrageous has two main senses: creating or providing shade, shady and apt or likely to take offense. The word comes via French ombrageux shady; inclined to take offense, from Latin 喝鳥莉娶櫻喧勳釵喝莽 (of a person or an activity) living or performed in the shade, secluded, devoted to quiet, impractical pursuits. 惚鳥莉娶櫻喧勳釵喝莽, a derivative adjective and noun of umbra shadow, shade, reflection, outline, does not have the senses shady, providing shade or apt or inclined to take offense, which are senses that English borrowed from 17th-century French. Umbrageous entered English in the second half of the 16th century.

how is umbrageous used?

… he was quite umbrageous, and his personality lent itself to confrontation.

Chuck Pfarrer, Philip Nolan: The Man Without a Country, 2016

Is it possible to spend time with friends whose company I do enjoy without incurring the wrath of the umbrageous?

"Miss Manners: Host needs specific dates for holiday guests," Washington Post, December 6, 2019

Listen to the podcast

umbrageous

Play Podcast Stop Podcast
00:00/00:00
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar