51吃瓜 of the Day
galvanize
verb (used with object)
to startle into sudden activity; stimulate.
More about galvanize
Galvanize 鈥渢o startle into sudden activity鈥� is adapted from French galvaniser, of the same meaning. The change from French s to English z reflects the spelling standards of modern English; while UK English has largely preserved the original s and uses galvanise, US English typically prefers the use of -ize in verbs鈥攖hough there are exceptions such as advertise and advise. French galvaniser is the namesake of Luigi Galvani, an Italian physiologist who conducted experiments with electricity in the 18th century. Though there is no consensus on the source of the surname Galvani, one hypothesis is that it shares an origin with Gawain, the name of a knight of the Round Table, which likely comes from the Welsh word gwalch 鈥渉补飞办.鈥� Galvanize was first recorded in English circa 1800.
how is galvanize used?
The presence of the enemy seemed to galvanize the growers, underscoring the subtext of Elliot鈥檚 message: that their industry was under attack, and they needed D&W鈥檚 crisis-management services.
Police and city leaders in several Jersey Shore towns are ready to shut down any raucous pop-up parties. In recent weeks, content creators on TikTok or other social media platforms have galvanized thousands of people to head to the Jersey Shore.
autonomy
noun
independence or freedom, as of the will or one's actions.
More about autonomy
Autonomy 鈥渇reedom of the will鈥� comes from Ancient Greek 补耻迟辞苍辞尘铆补 鈥渋ndependence,鈥� which is based on the adjective 补耻迟贸苍辞尘辞蝉 鈥渨ith laws of one鈥檚 own.鈥� 础耻迟贸苍辞尘辞蝉, in turn, is a compound of the elements 补耻迟贸蝉 鈥渟elf鈥� and 苍贸尘辞蝉 鈥渓aw, custom, management, regulation.鈥� 础耻迟贸蝉 should look all too familiar, as its stems aut- and auto- appear in English terms such as authentic (literally 鈥渄one by oneself鈥�), automatic (鈥渢hinking for oneself鈥�), and autopsy (鈥渟eeing for oneself鈥�). Meanwhile, 苍贸尘辞蝉 is also the ultimate source of the words astronomy (鈥渟tar regulation鈥�), Deuteronomy (鈥渟econd law鈥�), and economy (鈥渉ousehold management鈥�). Autonomy was first recorded in English circa 1620.
how is autonomy used?
This freedom has sometimes been a source of friction in political quarters. 鈥淭his extensive autonomy is desirable for designing and carrying out research, but should not necessarily extend to aspects of personnel,鈥� says Holger Becker, a physicist who is a lawmaker in the German parliament and is on the parliament鈥檚 research committee.
draconian
adjective
rigorous; unusually severe or cruel.
More about draconian
Draconian 鈥渦nusually severe or cruel鈥� is based on Latin 顿谤补肠艒 (stem 顿谤补肠艒n-), plus the adjectival suffix -ian. In ancient Athens, a city-state that is now the capital of Greece, Draco (known to his fellow Athenians as 顿谤谩办艒苍) was a statesman who was famous鈥攐r infamous鈥攆or the unusually harsh laws he enacted. The Latin common noun 诲谤补肠艒 means 鈥渄ragon, serpent鈥� and appears in the motto of the school Hogwarts, from the Harry Potter series: 顿谤补肠艒 dormi膿ns nunquam t墨tillandus, meaning 鈥淎 sleeping dragon must never be tickled.鈥� Latin 诲谤补肠艒, originally an adaptation of Ancient Greek 诲谤谩办艒苍, is the source of English dragon, dragoon, and drake. Draconian was first recorded in English in the 1810s.
how is draconian used?
Wyatt was both a victim and a collaborator in a new kind of political system: the totalitarian state. The 16th century may have been the golden age of English literature, but it also fostered an increasingly draconian monarchy.
The U.S. Federal Reserve risks weak economic growth throughout this year due to its backward-looking, 鈥�draconian鈥� rate hikes, warned Wall Street鈥檚 best-known tech sector bull [Cathie Wood].