51吃瓜 of the Day
More about venal
The English adjective venal comes from Latin 惫脓苍腻濒颈蝉 鈥渇or sale, for hire, susceptible to or obtainable by bribery,鈥� a derivative of 惫脓苍耻蝉 鈥渟补濒别.鈥� 痴脓苍耻蝉 comes from an unattested noun wesno-, a Latin derivation of wes– (a variant of the Proto-Indo-European root wes-, wos– 鈥渢o buy, sell鈥�) and the noun suffix –no. Wes– also appears in Hittite washti 鈥渢hou buyest.鈥� From the variant wos-, Greek (Attic) has the noun 艒苍岣� 鈥減urchase, purchase price鈥� (Homeric Greek has 么苍辞蝉, Aeolic 贸苍苍补), all from an unrecorded 飞辞蝉苍腻. Sanskrit 惫补蝉苍谩 “purchase price, wage鈥� may come from either wes– or wos-. Venal entered English in the 17th century.
how is venal used?
… the perfectly balanced tool in his hands that could be used for the bribing of venal politicians, with a limitless fund for the bribery ….
Four years after the street protests that ousted the notoriously venal President Viktor Yanukovych, corruption is the wound that won鈥檛 stop bleeding.
ex cathedra
adjective, adverb
from the seat of authority; with authority.
More about ex cathedra
The relatively uncommon English adjective and adverb ex cathedra 鈥渇rom the seat (of authority), with authority鈥� comes directly from the Latin phrase ex cathedr膩. Latin cathedra 鈥渁rmchair with cushions, easy chair (especially for women), a teacher鈥檚 or professor鈥檚 chair, a sedan chair鈥� is a loanword from Greek 办补迟丑茅诲谤补 鈥渟eat, sitting posture, teacher鈥檚 or professor鈥檚 chair, imperial throne.鈥� From cathedra Medieval Latin derived the adjective 肠补迟丑别诲谤腻濒颈蝉 鈥減ertaining to the chair or throne (of a bishop)鈥�; the bishop鈥檚 church, where his throne was located, was called a cathedral church and later just cathedral. Ex cathedra entered English in the 17th century.
how is ex cathedra used?
There鈥檚 no way to maintain an ex cathedra advantage when you鈥檙e cavorting in a circus ring.
Pope John once said, “I am not infallible. I am infallible only when I speak聽ex cathedra. But I shall never speak聽ex cathedra.”
demur
verb (used without object)
to make objection, especially on the grounds of scruples; take exception; object: They wanted to make him the treasurer, but he demurred.
More about demur
The verb demur comes via Old French demorer, demourer, ultimately from Latin 诲脓尘辞谤腻谤墨 鈥渢o linger, delay, hold up,鈥� its original, now obsolete meaning in English. In the 17th century demur acquired its usual senses in contemporary English 鈥渢o object, take exception to,鈥� and especially its legal sense 鈥渢o make or interpose a demurral,鈥� which is a pleading that admits the facts of an opponent’s proceeding but denies any entitlement to legal relief, and that also causes a delay in the proceedings until the point or pleading is settled. Demur entered English in the 13th century.
how is demur used?
Montague is genial but determined, and before I could demur he had me packed into a two-thousand-dollar Gore-Tex dry suit with an unbearably tight collar, highly insulated rubber bootees, and an electric-blue life jacket.
… Sonia had a little changed her mind. Wedge would be very unlikely to demur.