51吃瓜 of the Day
inflorescence
noun
a flowering or blossoming.
More about inflorescence
Inflorescence, 鈥渢he arrangement of flowers on the axis, a flower cluster; a flowering or blossoming,鈥� is a term used mostly in botany. Inflorescence comes straight from New Latin 颈苍蹿濒艒谤脓蝉肠别苍迟颈补, a noun coined by the great Swedish botanist and zoologist Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linn茅), who formalized the system of binomial nomenclature used in the biological sciences. 滨苍蹿濒艒谤脓蝉肠别苍迟颈补 is a derivative of the Late Latin verb 颈苍蹿濒艒谤脓蝉肠别谤别 鈥渢o put forth flowers, bloom.鈥� 滨苍蹿濒艒谤脓蝉肠别谤别 is a compound verb formed with the preposition and prefix in, in– 鈥渋n, into,鈥� but also, as here, used as in intensive prefix, and the verb 蹿濒艒谤脓蝉肠别谤别 鈥渢o begin flowering, increase in vigor.鈥� 贵濒艒谤脓蝉肠别谤别 in turn is a compound of 蹿濒艒谤脓谤别 鈥渢o be in bloom, be covered with flowers,鈥� a derivative of the noun 蹿濒艒蝉 (inflectional stem 蹿濒艒谤-) 鈥渇lower, blossom,鈥� and the verb suffix –escere, which in Latin often has an inchoative sense, that is, it indicates the beginning of an action, as in rubescere 鈥渢o become or turn red.鈥� Inflorescence entered English in the 18th century.
how is inflorescence used?
To the amateur this opens a field of very interesting amusement: … watching every moment of the plant till it develops its beauties of inflorescence, which, if it prove of new character, is an ample compensation for the time spent upon the process.
During fall and winter starch-grains … form the basis for that lavish expenditure of plant-force by which our orchards and woods are made glorious in the sudden inflorescence of spring.
inflorescence
saponaceous
adjective
resembling soap; soapy.
More about saponaceous
Saponaceous, 鈥渟oapy,鈥� comes straight from the New Latin adjective 蝉腻辫艒苍腻肠别耻蝉. (New Latin, also called Modern Latin, is Latin that developed after, say, 1500; it is used especially and typically in the physical sciences, such as zoology, botany, and anatomy.) 厂腻辫艒苍腻肠别耻蝉 is formed from the Latin 蝉腻辫艒 noun (inflective stem 蝉腻辫艒n-) and the adjectival suffix –腻肠别耻蝉, meaning 鈥渕ade of, resembling.鈥� 厂腻辫艒 means 鈥渁 preparation for drying or coloring one鈥檚 hair,鈥� and it is one of the relatively few words in Latin borrowed from Germanic (as compared to the many, many words in Germanic borrowed from Latin). Saponaceous also has the uncommon sense 鈥渟lippery, unctuous,鈥� which appeared in the 19th century: 鈥淭his鈥� judgment was鈥� so oily, so saponaceous, that no one could grasp it.鈥� Saponaceous entered English in the early 18th century.
how is saponaceous used?
The fruit of this plant is about the size of a large gooseberry, the outer covering or shell of which contains a聽saponaceous聽principle in sufficient abundance to produce a lather with water and is used as a substitute for soap.
The yolk contains natural food for the hair, iron and sulphur; while the white, being a mild alkali, finds its congenial mate in the oil from the sebaceous glands, and they mingle in a saponaceous lather.
saponaceous
ylem
noun
the hypothetical initial substance of the universe from which all matter is derived.
Why we chose ylem
Today's word was submitted by one of our readers as part of our 51吃瓜 of the Day Giveaway Sweepstakes! The winner, Matthew Winter, told us: "It makes me think about how everything is connected. All living and inanimate things originate from the same source; we are all ylem." Congrats, Matthew!
More about ylem
The modern definition of ylem is 鈥渢he hypothetical initial substance of the universe from which all matter is derived, originally conceived as composed of neutrons at high temperature and density.鈥� The spelling of ylem comes from John Gower鈥檚 33,000-line poem Confessio Amantis (A Lover鈥檚 Confession) finished in 1390: 鈥淭hat matere universall / Which hight Ylem in speciall鈥� (“That universal matter which is called Ylem in particular鈥�). Gower鈥檚 ylem is one of several Middle English spellings (also ile, ilem, ylem) from Medieval Latin 丑测虅濒脓尘 or 测虅濒脓尘, the accusative singular of 丑测虅濒脓 or 测虅濒脓, from Greek 丑测虅虂濒脓 鈥渇orest, woodland, wood, firewood鈥�; Aristotle uses the phrase pr峁搕膿 丑测虅虂濒脓 鈥減rimary stuff, matter, material.鈥� In 1948 Robert Herman and Ralph Asher Alpher, associates of Russia-born U.S. nuclear physicist George Gamow, adopted the medieval word because, as Alpher said,鈥� it seems highly desirable that a word of so appropriate a meaning be resurrected.鈥�
how is ylem used?
One can call the mixture of particles ylem ( pronounced eelem ) -the name that Aristotle gave to primordial matter.
The Ylem is the primordial鈥攖he Ur-stuff鈥攐ut of which everything else is made.
ylem