51吃瓜 of the Day
verst
noun
a Russian measure of distance equivalent to 3,500 feet, or 0.6629 mile (1.067 kilometers).
More about verst
Verst 鈥渁 Russian measure of distance equivalent to 3,500 feet鈥� is borrowed by way of either French or German from Russian 惫别谤蝉迟谩, from Old Russian 惫沫谤蝉迟补 鈥渁ge; measure of length.鈥� Though these two definitions are rather different, their connection is measurement, whether of time or distance. 痴沫谤蝉迟补 derives from the Proto-Indo-European root wert- 鈥渢o turn,鈥� which is also the source of a profusion of words related to turning, twisting, and bending. The English suffix -ward (as in forward, inward, outward, and toward) is one such derivative, as are warp, worm, wrangle, wrap, wreath, wrench, wrestle, wring, wrinkle, wrist, and writhe. This root is also found in words that figuratively indicate turning in a negative direction, such as awry, weird, worry, wrath, and wrong. By way of Latin, English has inherited terms such as diversion, introvert, versatile, versus, vertebra, and vertex (from vertere 鈥渢o turn鈥�); reverberate (from verber 鈥渨hip鈥�); and converge and diverge (from vergere 鈥渢o be inclined鈥�). Several Ancient Greek-origin terms, such as rhapsody (from 谤丑谩辫迟别颈苍 鈥渢o stitch鈥�) and rhombus (from 谤丑茅尘产别颈苍 鈥渢o revolve鈥�), also derive from the same root. Verst was first recorded in English in the mid-1500s.
how is verst used?
After passing the fifteenth verst-stone, Chichikov suddenly recollected that, according to Manilov, fifteen versts was the exact distance between his country house and the town; but the sixteenth verst stone flew by, and the said country house was still nowhere to be seen. In fact, but for the circumstance that the travellers happened to encounter a couple of peasants, they would have come on their errand in vain.
Now that McDonald’s hamburgers and Pepsi-Cola are a hit with Moscow residents, American-style suburban town houses are on their way there too. Construction of the first 132 of 528 units planned for Krasnagorsk, a suburb about 23 versts鈥�15 miles鈥攏orthwest of Red Square, will begin in August.
verst
cryosphere
noun
the part of the earth鈥檚 surface where, at temperatures below 32掳F (0掳C), the water is frozen solid.
More about cryosphere
Cryosphere 鈥渢he part of the earth鈥檚 surface where the water is frozen solid鈥� is a compound of the combining form cryo-, which describes cold and ice, and sphere. Cryo- derives from Ancient Greek 办谤媒辞蝉 鈥渋cy cold,鈥� which comes from the same Proto-Indo-European root that gives us crystal (from Ancient Greek 办谤媒蝉迟补濒濒辞蝉 鈥渃lear ice鈥�) and both crouton and crustacean (from Latin crusta 鈥渃谤耻蝉迟鈥�). Sphere comes from Ancient Greek 蝉辫丑补卯谤补 鈥渂all,鈥� and outside the realm of geometry, the combining form -sphere is often used in English to describe geographic or ecological regions (such as biosphere and noosphere) and air layers (such as atmosphere and stratosphere). Cryosphere was first recorded in English in the late 1930s.
how is cryosphere used?
Release of methane into the atmosphere from any source is troubling because methane has far more potent greenhouse powers than carbon dioxide .鈥� Scientists have speculated about such methane releases and modeling has predicted that it would happen as the cryosphere…softens and melts .鈥� 鈥淏ut no one had ever shown that it was occurring or that it was a widespread phenomenon,鈥� [lead author Katey Walter Anthony] said. 鈥淭his paper really is the first time that we see with field evidence that this type of geologic methane is escaping as the cryosphere 谤别迟谤别补迟蝉.鈥�
cryosphere
shivaree
noun
a mock serenade with kettles, pans, horns, and other noisemakers given for a newly married couple; charivari.
Why Steven Mackey chose shivaree
Shivaree: Fantasy for Trumpet and Orchestra is the title of a piece of classical music by Steven Mackey, which receives its world premiere today, October 21, 2021, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Shivaree is a composition for solo trumpet and orchestra made up of 12 movements, each of which was written as a musical interpretation of different words discovered through our very own 51吃瓜 of the Day. As Mackey himself explained: "Two little rituals became part of my daily life. I was getting notifications on my phone every morning with the '51吃瓜 of the Day' from Dictionary.com and my 10-year-old daughter would wander into my study, sit down at the piano, and say, 'Give me a word.' She would play an improvisation inspired by those words, which led me to decide to take some of the more unusual and evocative '51吃瓜s of the Day' as points of departure for my Trumpet Fantasy.鈥� The other 51吃瓜 of the Day-inspired movements in the piece are chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, and apopemptic. Learn more about Shivaree, Steven Mackey, and the art of the musical interpretation of Dictionary.com鈥檚 51吃瓜s of the Day here.
More about shivaree
Shivaree 鈥渁 mock serenade with noisemakers鈥� is of obscure origin, though there is a general prevailing theory. Much like recent 51吃瓜 of the Day shivoo, which we learned about in June, shivaree is likely a corruption of the French term charivari. Charivari is also of obscure origin but may derive, via Late Latin 肠补谤墨产补谤颈补 鈥渉eadache,鈥� from Ancient Greek 办补谤脓产补谤铆补, equivalent to 办谩谤腻 or 办谩谤脓 鈥渉别补诲,鈥� 产补谤媒蝉 鈥渉eavy,鈥� and the abstract noun suffix -铆补. The logic is that a noisy, boisterous celebration would cause quite the headache! An alternative theory is that shivaree, again like shivoo, derives instead from the French phrase chez vous 鈥渁t your home.鈥� Shivaree was first recorded in English in the early 1800s.
how is shivaree used?
Encouraging cake mashing, like a host of other awful wedding customs, from shivaree (a noisy mock serenade on the wedding night) to tying a tin can to the newlyweds鈥� getaway car, is one last chance for the couple鈥檚 friends to indulge in the game of 鈥淴 and Y, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.鈥�
Whooping and hollering, boarders, parents, neighbors, and friends filled the room. Cowbells rang, guitars and fiddles sang out, and tin pots were beaten with sticks鈥攁 din that announced the beginning of the old custom of shivaree, a traditional way of celebrating a wedding in the mountains.
shivaree