Idiom of the Day
- laze aboutTo relax or spend time idly; to do nothing or very little. Watch the video
- lay (one's) life on the lineTo put oneself in harm's way (to achieve something), especially at the risk of losing one's life. (Sometimes used hyperbolically.) Watch the video
Word of the Day
- lily-liveredDefinition: (adjective) Weak or lacking in courage; cowardly. Synonyms: chickenhearted, yellow-bellied. Usage: I have never seen such a lily-livered bunch of wimps in my life! Discuss
- linimentDefinition: (noun) A medicinal liquid that is rubbed into the skin to relieve muscular stiffness and pain. Synonyms: embrocation. Usage: The veterinarian instructed me to apply the liniment to the horse's sore leg twice a day.
Word Origins
- horrorhorrible, horror, horrid - Horrible, horror, and horrid are from Latin horrere, "stand on end" (hair) or "tremble, shudder," and the original sense of horrid was "bristly, shaggy, rough." More...horrific, horrendous, horrible, horrid - In decreasing degree of horror: horrific, horrendous, horrible, horrid. More...pant - The shock that makes you "gasp" is behind the word […]
- layersply - From Latin plicare, "fold," a thickness or any of the layers of a multilayer material, such as plywood. More...disk - The layers of cartilage and pulp between vertebrae. More...Neapolitan ice cream - Gets its name from its layers resembling the Italian flag. More...delaminate - To separate into layers. More...
- instructioncatechism, catechumen - Catechism comes from Latin catechismus, "instruction by word of mouth," and is literally a series of questions and answers; a catechumen is a young Christian preparing for confirmation. More...disciple, discipline - Disciple comes from a Latin word meaning "learner" and discipline comes from one meaning "instruction, knowledge." More...document - First meant "instruction" […]