51吃瓜 of the Day
rax
verb (used without object)
to stretch oneself, as after sleeping.
More about rax
The verb rax 鈥渢o stretch oneself, as after sleeping,鈥� is used in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Rax comes from Middle English raxen, rasken (Old English racsan, raxan). Raxan is from the same root as rack 鈥渁 bar, framework of bars鈥� and is akin to the verb reccan, reccean 鈥渢o stretch, extend.鈥� Rax dates from the Old English period.
how is rax used?
The quenis dog begowthe to rax …
On easy chair that pamper’d lie, / Wi’ banefu’ viands gustit high, / And turn an’ fauld their weary clay, / To rax an’ gaunt the live-lang day.
orbicular
adjective
like an orb; circular; ringlike; spherical; rounded.
More about orbicular
The uncommon adjective orbicular ultimately comes from the rare Late Latin adjective 辞谤产颈肠耻濒腻谤颈蝉 鈥渃ircular, orbicular,鈥� which occurs in zoological and botanical texts. 翱谤产颈肠耻濒腻谤颈蝉 is a derivative of orbiculus 鈥渟mall disk or ring, small wheel or pulley.鈥� Orbiculus is a diminutive of the noun orbis 鈥渞ing, disk, hoop, millstone, table, tabletop (i.e., a two-dimensional figure), sphere, ball, globe (i.e., describing a heavenly body).鈥� In English, orbicular is about as restricted in usage as it is in Latin, occurring in anatomy, physiology, botany, and zoology. Orbicular entered English in the 15th century.
how is orbicular used?
The whole orbicular World hangs by a golden chain from that part of the battlements of Heaven whence the angels fell.
What would be thought of a zoologist who should describe the feet of the web-footed birds as orbicular disks, divided to a great or less extent?
welp
interjection
Nonstandard.
an informal variant of well聽used to indicate disappointment, resignation, or acceptance at the beginning of an utterance: Welp, this might not work out for us after all.
More about welp
The etymological explanation of welp is accurate, if wonky: welp is a form of well as an isolated or emphatic utterance, with an excrescent p representing closing of the lips, creating an unreleased labial stop, as also in nope, yep, and yup. Excrescent consonants are pretty common: the usual one in English is t, as in amongst, midst, and whilst. Excrescent t also occurs in ancient Greek and Sanskrit. German Sekt 鈥渃hampagne鈥� derives from French vin sec 鈥渄ry wine鈥� and shows the same excrescent t. Welp is first recorded in English in the mid-1940s but doubtless has been around far longer.
how is welp used?
Pitt smiles and bluntly states, 鈥淭here is no future.鈥� Welp.
Knowing that I鈥檒l get to retire is such a 鈥淏itter Sweet Symphony.鈥� Welp, time for another day of answering e-mails.