51吃瓜 of the Day
perambulate
verb (used without object)
to walk or travel about; stroll.
More about perambulate
Perambulate, 鈥渢o walk or travel about; stroll,鈥� is in origin a Scots word that meant 鈥渢o travel through (land) and inspect it for measuring or dividing or determining ownership,鈥� a process called perambulation. Perambulate comes from Latin 辫别谤补尘产耻濒腻迟耻蝉, the past participle of 辫别谤补尘产耻濒腻谤别 鈥渢o walk through, walk about, walk around in, tour, make the rounds,鈥� a compound of the preposition and prefix per, per– 鈥渢hrough鈥� and the simple verb 补尘产耻濒腻谤别 鈥渢o walk; go about; travel; march鈥� (source of English amble). Perambulate entered English in the mid-15th century.
how is perambulate used?
Mary and I liked to perambulate along the river Arno in Florence, or through the pedestrianised Roman thoroughfares.
Mr. Cleese may sometimes perambulate strangely but he still types perfectly fine, and he has agreed to write a book about his life ….
perambulate
toplofty
adjective
condescending; haughty.
More about toplofty
Toplofty, 鈥渃ondescending; haughty,鈥� is a back formation of earlier toploftical, of similar meaning. Both adjectives are humorous colloquialisms. The underlying phrase is top loft, 鈥渢he uppermost story, topmost gallery.鈥� Toploftical appears, sort of, in everyone鈥檚 favorite bedtime reading, Finnegans Wake (1939): 鈥溾�elescalating the himals and all, hierarchitectitiptitoploftical, with a burning bush abob off its baubletop鈥︹�� Toplofty entered English in the first half of the 19th century.
how is toplofty used?
Newcomers to the Examiner who feared that the rich senator’s son might be a painful popinjay were charmed by his quaint courtesy and the absence of anything toplofty of condescending about him.
If this should fall through, dear, you must write to your Aunt Vic. You must eat humble pie. You were too toplofty with her as it was.
toplofty
encomium
noun
a formal expression of high praise.
More about encomium
Encomium, 鈥渁 formal expression of high praise,鈥� comes via Latin 别苍肠艒尘颈耻尘 from Greek 别苍办峁搈颈辞苍 鈥渁 laudatory ode for a conqueror, a eulogy or panegyric for a living person.鈥� 贰苍办峁搈颈辞苍 is composed of the preposition and prefix en, en– 鈥渋n,鈥� the noun 办么尘辞蝉 鈥渞evel making, carousal, company of men participating in a Dionysiac procession and celebration鈥� (the ancient Greeks did nothing to excess unless they were absolutely nuts about it). The further etymology of 办么尘辞蝉 is disputed; the word appears as the first element of 办艒尘艒颈诲辞铆 鈥渞evel singers,鈥� from which the noun 办艒尘艒颈诲铆补 鈥渁 humorous spectacle鈥� derives, becoming comoedia in Latin, and comedy in English. Encomium entered English in the second half of the 16th century.
how is encomium used?
The latter film took a British miniseries that cast a sardonic, frequently scathing eye upon newspapering, and turned it into an encomium for the Great American Investigative Reporter.
Since Mr. Trebek announced his diagnosis, his admirers have flooded the internet and elsewhere with encomiums.
encomium