51吃瓜 of the Day
rapprochement
noun
an establishment or reestablishment of harmonious relations.
More about rapprochement
Rapprochement is a direct borrowing from French, in which the word means 鈥渞econciliation鈥� or, more literally, 鈥渁 state of approaching again.鈥� If you were thinking that rapprochement sounded like reapproach, you鈥檙e exactly right; rapprochement is essentially the word approach with the French equivalent of the prefix re- 鈥渁gain,鈥� plus the noun-forming suffix -ment.
how is rapprochement used?
鈥淓lemental鈥� … is a striking structure of tall poles arranged in a circle that evokes a Koyauwe, or a place to parley and resolve conflicts among the Mapuche, an Indigenous population of Chile. It was commissioned by a Mapuche territorial organization as part of a rapprochement process between the group and a forest company in conflict over shared land.
Indeed, it was difficult to reach a rapprochement between my girth and the Austrian concept of an economy seat; I ended up with my ass where my back should have been, palms pressed into the seat in front of me.
rapprochement
prelapsarian
adjective
characteristic of or pertaining to any innocent or carefree period.
More about prelapsarian
Prelapsarian ultimately derives from Latin prae 鈥渂efore鈥� and 濒腻辫蝉耻蝉 鈥渇all,鈥� which are a reference to the biblical fall from grace and expulsion from the Garden of Eden. 尝腻辫蝉耻蝉, from the verb 濒腻产墨 (stem 濒腻辫蝉-) 鈥渢o fall,鈥� is the ultimate source of the English words lapse, elapse, and relapse, which all have to do with falling, whether it鈥檚 time falling away or a person falling back to old behaviors.
how is prelapsarian used?
This artificial division between natural and unnatural pervades our understanding of the world…. [It depends] on a conception of nature as something to which humanity has no fundamental link… And it’s a harmful dualism, even if it takes the form of veneration. It keeps us from embracing a robust, engaged environmentalism that is based on something more than gauzy, prelapsarian yearnings.
Jeremy is a master of the urban detail, which for me evinces strong nostalgia for the pre-pandemic city…. It feels sort of scandalous to look at cartoons published in prelapsarian times鈥攊t鈥檚 hard not to want to chastise all those cartoon characters, within their little boxes, for their social-distancing violations.
prelapsarian
beastie
noun
a small animal, especially one toward which affection is felt.
More about beastie
It should come as no surprise that beastie literally means 鈥渓ittle beast鈥�; the ending –ie is what is known as a diminutive suffix, a suffix that indicates smallness or, in certain contexts, either affection or condescension. Diminutive suffixes exist in many world languages; you may recognize the suffix –ito in Spanish burrito 鈥渓ittle donkey,鈥� or Italian graffito, the singular of 驳谤补蹿蹿颈迟颈鈥�or the French suffix –ette in kitchenette 鈥渓ittle kitchen,鈥� or statuette 鈥渟mall statue.鈥� English has several diminutives, such as –kin, as in napkin 鈥渓ittle nape (tablecloth),鈥� and –ling, as in darling 鈥渓ittle dear鈥� and gosling 鈥渓ittle goose,鈥� but it鈥檚 the suffix –ie, which also appears as –y, that鈥檚 the most widespread and the most productive.
how is beastie used?
Mammals of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous were small, to be sure, but they counted swimmers, climbers, diggers, gliders, and more in their fuzzy family. They didn鈥檛 just live alongside the dinosaurs. They thrived. And the latest wee beastie to be added to their ranks is a spiky mammal uncovered from the 125 million year old rock of Spain.
As Joel, [Dylan O’Brien’s] a happy-go-lucky guy who just wants to help his fellow postapocalyptic survivors slay the giant mutated insectoidal horribles that have taken over the planet. Trouble is, in the face of any such beastie he panics and practically pees himself. It鈥檚 all very relatable.
beastie