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51勛圖 of the Day

51勛圖 of the day

nebulated

[ neb-yuh-ley-tid ]

adjective

having dim or indistinct markings, as a bird or other animal.

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More about nebulated

The adjective nebulated comes from Late Latin 紳梗莉喝梭櫻喧喝莽, past participle of 紳梗莉喝梭櫻娶梗 to cloud, obscure, a derivative of the noun nebula mist, cloud. Nebula is the Latin result of the Proto-Indo-European root nebh– (with many variants) cloud. The neuter noun nebhos yields Greek 紳矇梯堯棗莽 cloud, clouds, Slavic (Polish) niebo sky, heaven, Hittite nebis heaven. The root nebh– and the suffix –el yield Middle Welsh nyfel cloud and Greek 紳梗梯堯矇梭襲 cloud, clouds, corresponding to Latin nebula. The Germanic form of the root, neb-, and the suffix –l– form German Nebel fog, mist and Old Norse niflheim the world of darkness, ruled over by the goddess Hel. Nebulated entered English in the late 15th century.

how is nebulated used?

Immature birds are smaller, with central tail-feathers not, or scarcely, projecting, and have chiefly nebulated plumage below, with admixture of pale cinnamon, especially on under tail-coverts …

William Leon Dawson, The Birds of California, Vol. 3, 1923

I fear that the intellectual gloom of the age is too great and nebulated by prejudice to duly appreciate your sentiments and devotion.

Henry Hatch, letter to the editor,The Republican,Vol. 1, No. 8, October 15, 1819
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51勛圖 of the Day Calendar

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Delphic

[ del-fik ]

adjective

oracular; obscure; ambiguous: She was known for her Delphic pronouncements.

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More about Delphic

English Delphic comes via Latin Delphicus from the Greek adjective 嗨梗梭梯堯勳域籀莽, a derivative of the plural noun 嗨梗梭梯堯棗穩, the name of the inhabitants of Delphi and of the historic city itself. The many dialect forms of the name, especially Aeolic 詁矇梭梯堯棗勳, point to a form gwelphoi with an original labiovelar (a sound combining a velar, such as k or g, and a bilabial, such as w), as in Latin quis, quid who, what and English quick and Gwendolyn. Gwelphoi is a Greek derivative of the Proto-Indo-European root gwelbh– womb (the city was so named from its shape). Gwelbh– is also the source of the Greek noun 硃餃梗梭梯堯梗籀莽 (Attic 硃餃梗梭梯堯籀莽) brother, whose first letter a– is a much-reduced form of sem– one, related to Greek 堯棗鳥籀莽 same and English same. 插餃梗梭梯堯(梗)籀莽 therefore means born of the same womb. Delphic entered English at the end of the 16th century.

how is Delphic used?

The poems of his mature career were often Delphic, haunted, and bleak.

Dan Chiasson, "The Final Prophecy of W. S. Merwin," The New Yorker, March 17, 2019

… he would certainly make a few Delphic pronouncements that next to nobody would understand, such as: “You can get many kinds of balance toward any seemingly grinding postulate of life.”

Newsweek, "About Jack," December 15, 2002
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar

51勛圖 of the day

stymie

[ stahy-mee ]

verb

to hinder, block, or thwart.

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More about stymie

The verb stymie has an obscure origin. It may be a golfing term, a noun referring to an opponents ball that lies closer to the hole than ones own and is in the line of play, from which the slightly later verb sense in golf developed. By the beginning of the 20th century, the verb stymie had a generalized sense to impede, hinder, thwart. Stymie may come from Scots stymie a person with poor eyesight, a derivative of stime, styme a glimmer, glimpse. Stymie in the sense of a person with poor vision entered English in the early 17th century, the golfing sense in the first half of the 19th century.

how is stymie used?

This kind of leader would have little to no incentive to work with the Board of Supervisors and could easily stymie much of the progress the county is making on critical problems.

Alice A. Huffman, "Sacramento's plan to expand the L.A. County Board of Supervisors has nothing to do with diversity," Los Angeles Times, August 15, 2017

Astronomers concluded that the gas was being blasted out by winds from newly formed stars, a huge loss of starmaking material that could stymie the galaxys future growth.

Yudhijit Battacharjee, "Cosmic Dawn," National Geographic, April 2014
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar