51吃瓜 of the Day
radiant
noun
the point in the heavens from which a shower of meteors appears to radiate.
Why the Museum of Science chose radiant
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More about radiant
Radiant is based on Latin 谤补诲颈腻苍蝉, 鈥渟hining,鈥� from the verb 谤补诲颈腻谤别, 鈥渢o shine.鈥� While English uses -ing for present participles (as in seeing, going), Latin uses -ns, often changing to -nt-. This is why Latin 辫耻苍驳脓苍蝉, 鈥減iercing,鈥� becomes pungent and 肠辞苍惫别苍颈脓苍蝉, 鈥渃oming together,鈥� becomes convenient. Radiant was first recorded in English in the late 15th century.
EXAMPLE OF RADIANT USED IN A SENTENCE
The meteors emerged from a radiant somewhere in the constellation Lyra and streaked across the night sky.
More about rort
The noun rort is an example of a back formation. It was formed from the adjective rorty, 鈥渂oisterous, rowdy鈥� or earlier 鈥渇ine, splendid.” Rorty itself may be connected to the verb roar. Rort was first recorded in English in the mid-1920s. Learn more about common back formations in English.
EXAMPLE OF RORT USED IN A SENTENCE
The Friday night gathering turned into a wild rort, with wine and revelry lasting until dawn.
northpaw
adverb
with or for the right hand; right-handedly.
More about northpaw
Northpaw is often said to come from baseball, with a westward-facing pitcher鈥檚 right arm to the north, but this claim remains unproven. Many languages associate handedness with cardinal directions; compare Biblical Hebrew 测腻尘卯苍, meaning both 鈥渞ight hand鈥� and 鈥渟outh.” Northpaw was first recorded in English in the late 1890s.聽Northpaw is one of the recent additions to Dictionary.com.
EXAMPLE OF NORTHPAW USED IN A SENTENCE
To switch things up after hours of practicing, the left-handed pitcher threw northpaw instead.