Definition: (noun) A state of extreme poverty or destitution.
Synonyms: indigence, penury, need.
Usage: Two children begged for money on the subway, and their pauperism weighed heavily on the minds of the train's passengers.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
An injection of “new blood” is a phrase long used as a metaphor for the revitalizing effect of fresh minds on a stagnant organization. But research now suggests it also applies in a literal sense. In a development that calls to mind both vampire lore … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The treaty negotiated between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI liquidated the Ottoman Empire and virtually abolished Turkish sovereignty, but nationalists under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk were committed to establishing a sovereign Turkish state. During the struggle for independence, Atatürk pushed for the creation of a national assembly, which declared itself the supreme governing power when convened in 1920. When did it formally declare the sovereignty of Turkey? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Holocaust Memorial Day, or Yom ha-Shoah, was established by Israel’s Knesset (parliament) as a memorial to the six million Jews slaughtered by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. It is observed on the 27th day of the month of Nisan, the day on which Allied troops liberated the first Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald, Germany, in 1945. It is a commemoration that is observed by many non-Jewish people around the world. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Planck was an influential German physicist whose work on black body radiation earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. He also discovered the elementary quantum of action, now known as Planck’s constant. As the influential president of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, he denounced Hitler’s persecution of Jewish scientists and resigned in protest in 1937. Tragically, four of Planck’s five children died before he did. One of his sons was executed after being implicated in what plot? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Caribou, or reindeer, are wild, North American arctic and subarctic deer that are capable of traveling 3,000 mi (5,000 km) a year and reaching speeds of up to 50 mph (80 km/h). Each year, millions of caribou in northern Canada and Alaska migrate in large herds, using their wide, sharp-edged hooves to travel on snow and ice and even swim across wide lakes or rivers. Caribou derive their name from a word in the Mi’kmaq language meaning “snow-shoveler”—a reference to their habit of doing what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) Abandonment of one's religious faith, a political party, one's principles, or a cause.
Synonyms: defection, renunciation.
Usage: He had been very devoted to his cause, so when he declared his apostasy to the crowd, there was an audible gasp.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
A prime planet listing has just appeared on the cosmic real estate market, possibly the most promising place yet to search for signs of life beyond the solar system, the astronomers who discovered it say. It is a rocky orb about one and a half times the size of … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Japanese ambassador to Peru was holding a party at his home in Lima on December 17, 1996, when 14 members of a revolutionary militant group stormed the compound, taking more than 400 guests hostage. Most were released in the following weeks, but 72 Japanese and Peruvian hostages were held until April, when Peruvian military forces swarmed the building and killed the militants. Only one hostage and two commandos died, and the raid was deemed a success. What had been the militants’ demands? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Land Run of April 22, 1889, paved the way for the organization of the Oklahoma Territory in 1890, and for Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907. Also known as Oklahoma 89ers Day, the celebration on April 22 focuses on the town of Guthrie, the site of the original land office about 80 miles from the starting border, and each year Guthrie observes its anniversary with an 89ers festival. Elsewhere in Oklahoma, the day is celebrated with parades, rodeos, and events based on the land rush theme. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary