Thursday, April 11, 2013

451


Lozenge-

[loz-inj]- noun- a small, flavored tablet made from sugar or syrup, often medicated, originally diamond-shaped- 1300–50; Middle English losenge < Middle French, Old French, perhaps < Gaulish *lausa flat stone + -enge < Germanic -inga -ing3

Proboscis-

[proh-bos-is, -kis]- noun- any long flexible snout, as of the tapir- 1570–80; < Latin < Greek proboskís elephant's trunk, literally, feeder, equivalent to pro- pro-2 + bósk ( ein ) to feed + -is (stem -id- ) noun suffix

Centrifuge-

[sen-truh-fyooj]- noun- an apparatus that rotates at high speed and by centrifugal force separates substances of different densities- 1795–1805; < French, noun use of centrifuge (adj.) < Neo-Latin centrifugus center-fleeing; see centrifugal

Nomadic-

[noh-mad-ik]- adjective- of, pertaining to, or characteristic of nomads- 1810–20; < Greek nomadikós. See nomad, -ic

Breach-

[breech]- noun- the act or a result of breaking; break or rupture.-  before 1000; Middle English breche, Old English bræc breaking; see break

Pagan-

[pey-guhn]- noun- one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.- 1325–75; Middle English < Medieval Latin, Late Latin pāgānus ‘worshiper of false gods’, orig. ‘civilian’ (i.e., not a soldier of Christ), Latin: ‘peasant’, noun use of pāgānus ‘rural, civilian’, derivative of pāgus ‘village, rural district’ (akin to pangere ‘to fix, make fast’); see -an

Bestial-

[bes-chuhl, bees-]- adjective- without reason or intelligence; brutal; inhuman: bestial treatment of prisoners.- 1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin bēstiālis ( Latin bēsti ( a ) beast + -ālis -al1 )

Certitude-

[sur-ti-tood, -tyood]- noun- freedom from doubt, especially in matters of faith or opinion- 1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin certitūdō, equivalent to Latin certi- (combining form of certus sure; see certain) + -tūdō -tude

Filigree-

[fil-i-gree]- noun- anything very delicate or fanciful- 1685–95; earlier filigreen, variant of filigrain

Morgue-
[mawrg]- noun- a place in which bodies are kept, especially the bodies of victims of violence or accidents, pending identification or burial.- 1815–25; < French; name of building in Paris housing unidentified dead bodies