Definition: (verb) Dig up for reburial or for medical investigation; of dead bodies.
Synonyms: disinter.
Usage: Hoping to uncover evidence of foul play, the police chief ordered that the body be exhumed.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The San José Day Festival at Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, used to take place only on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19. Today it is also celebrated on September 19, when freshly harvested crops can be sold and festivities enjoyed in the summer weather. The fiesta’s events reflect both traditional Laguna events and the Roman Catholic influence common to the pueblos. There are Catholic masses and processions honoring St. Joseph as well as traditional Laguna dancing. Attendees, including other native peoples, can also enjoy a carnival with rides, numerous food stands, and sporting events. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Bird banding is the practice of attaching small, individually numbered tags to the legs or wings of wild birds so that they may be identified and studied in the future. Information gleaned from banding includes data about migration, longevity, mortality, population, territoriality, and other aspects of avian life. The practice of marking birds dates back to the 3rd century BCE, but doing so for scientific purposes only began in 1899. What surprising facts have been learned through banding? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (verb) To bite or chew upon noisily.
Synonyms: chomp.
Usage: When my dog gets a bone, he just sits there all night happily champing on it.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
The Wardenclyffe Tower was an early telecommunications aerial tower intended for commercial wireless transatlantic telephony and broadcasting and to demonstrate the transmission of power without interconnecting wires. Designed by inventor Nikola Tesla and funded by financier J.P. Morgan and others, the tower was planned to be built in Long Island, New York. Construction began in 1901, but as funds dwindled, work was halted. Why did the US government have the incomplete facility blown up in 1917? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) The property of being perpetual (seemingly ceaseless).
Synonyms: sempiternity.
Usage: Whoever has travelled in the New England States will remember…the air of order and stillness, of perpetuity and unchanging repose, that seemed to breathe over the whole place.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
The sixth transuranium element to be synthesized, californium is an artificially produced, radioactive metallic chemical element. A member of the actinide series of elements, it has isotopes with half-lives ranging from about 40 seconds to 900 years. One isotope, californium-252, is used as a neutron source in nuclear reactors. More than 50 years after it was first produced by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, californium was used to create what superheavy element? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick was born about 390 in Roman Britain and died around 461. After being consecrated a bishop, he came to Ireland around 432 as a missionary. The Feast of St. Patrick is celebrated by Roman Catholics, the Anglican Communion, and Lutherans on March 17. The day is also popularly celebrated, particularly in the U.S., by “the wearing of the green.” The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City, which dates back to 1762, is the largest in the United States and a major event for Irish Americans. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In ancient times, small canopies were used to protect against the sun and denote rank in places like China and Egypt. In ancient Greece and, later, in Rome, the parasol came to be seen as an indispensable part of a fashionable lady’s garb. The umbrella all but disappeared in Europe during the Middle Ages and did not reemerge until the late 16th century, when it was introduced as the parapluie—French for “against the rain.” Slang terms for umbrella include brolly, gamp, and what else? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) Something of little value or significance.
Synonyms: frippery, bagatelle, fluff.
Usage: There is a serious message beneath this frivolity.
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Source: The Free Dictionary