Category Archives: difficult issues

Word of the Day – May 18, 2019

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palimpsest

(păl′ĭmp-sĕst′)

n.

1. A manuscript, typically of papyrus or parchment, that has been written on more than once, with the earlier writing incompletely scraped off or erased and often legible.
2. An object or area that has extensive evidence of or layers showing activity or use: “My skin had become a palimpsest of fleeting sensations, and each layer bore the imprint of who I was” (Paul Auster).
[Latin palimpsēstum, from Greek palimpsēston, neuter of palimpsēstos, scraped again : palin, again; see kwel- in Indo-European roots + psēn, to scrape.]

Word of the Day – April 20, 2019

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surreptitious

(ˌsʌrəpˈtɪʃəs)

adj

1. done, acquired, etc, in secret or by improper means
2. operating by stealth
3. characterized by fraud or misrepresentation of the truth
[C15: from Latin surreptīcius furtive, from surripere to steal, from sub- secretly + rapere to snatch]
ˌsurrepˈtitiously adv
ˌsurrepˈtitiousness n

Word of the Day, March 30, 2019

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roundabout

(round′ə-bout′)

adj.

1. Indirect; circuitous: took a roundabout route because the bridge was closed.
2. Characterized by indirectness, evasiveness, or vagueness: a roundabout claim that avoided the issues being discussed.
n.

1. A short, close-fitting jacket.
2. Chiefly British

a. A merry-go-round.
b. A traffic circle.

Word of the Day, March 16, 2019

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dep·re·cate

(dĕp′rĭ-kāt′)

tr.v. de·pre·cat·ed, de·pre·cat·ing, de·pre·cates

1. To express disapproval of; deplore.
2. To belittle; depreciate.
3. Computers To mark (a component of a software standard) as obsolete to warn against its use in the future so that it may be phased out.
Cite: freedictionary.com

Word of the Day- March 9, 2019

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penumbra

(pĭ-nŭm′brə)

n. pl. pe·num·bras or pe·num·brae (-brē)

1. A partial shadow, as in an eclipse, between regions of complete shadow and complete illumination.
2. The diffuse outer part of a sunspot.
3. An area in which something exists to a lesser or uncertain degree: “The First Amendment has a penumbra where privacy is protected from governmental intrusion” (Joseph A. Califano, Jr.).
4. An outlying surrounding region; a periphery: “Downtown Chicago and its penumbra also stand rejuvenated”