Definition: (adjective) Free of or using methods to keep free of pathological microorganisms.
Synonyms: sterile.
Usage: The use of aseptic instruments in the operating room has significantly reduced the incidence of postsurgical infections.
Discuss
Month: January 2021
recall
lethologica – If you cannot recall the precise word for something, you have a case of lethologica, which may lead you to an obsession with trying to recall it—loganamnosis. More…
remember – From Latin rememorari, “recall to mind.” More…
reduce, reduct – Reduce first meant “bring back or recall in memory” or “take back or refer (a thing) to its origin,” from Latin reducere, “lead back”; reduct means “simplify.” More…
tartle – From Scottish, to hesitate in recognizing a person or thing, as happens when you are introduced to someone whose name you cannot recall; so you say, “Pardon my tartle!” More…
jug-eared
Having ears that stick out markedly from the side of the head, thus resembling the handles of a jug. Watch the video
Embroidery
The art of decorating textiles with needle and thread has unclear origins, but examples of ancient embroidery have been found on the wrappings of Egyptian mummies, meaning it has been around for millennia. While some traditional embroidery techniques are specific to certain cultures, the basic stitches used to make patterns on fabric have remained the same for thousands of years. Embellishments like pearls, shells, and sequins sometimes adorn embroidered pieces. What is whitework embroidery? Discuss
glutton
wave
comber, breaker, roller – A long curving wave is a comber, a wave that curls over and dissolves into foam is a breaker, and a long wave moving steadily shoreward is a roller. More…
scend – As a noun, it is the surge of a wave or the sea; as a verb, it means to pitch or surge up in a heavy sea. More…
undulate – From Latin unda, “wave.” More…
wave – Meaning “movement of the sea,” it seems to be an alteration of the earlier wawe, “wave,” from Old English woeg, “motion, wave.” More…
jolly (someone) up
To make (someone) happier or more cheerful; to cheer (someone) up. Watch the video
Nehushtan
According to the Hebrew Scriptures, God sent poisonous serpents to bite the Israelites for speaking against him and Moses. When Moses prayed for help on the people’s behalf, God advised him make the Nehushtan—a bronze serpent set upon a pole—which would cure the snakebites of anyone who looked upon it. The Talmud asserts that it was not the act of looking up at the snake that cured victims but of looking up at God. Eventually, however, the Nehushtan became an object of worship. Who destroyed it? Discuss
bamboozle
Definition: (verb) To take in by elaborate methods of deceit.
Synonyms: lead by the nose, play false, snow, hoodwink.
Usage: I don’t know how he did it, but Johnny managed to bamboozle me into swapping my pudding for his carrot sticks.
Discuss
lessen
alleviate – Can mean “diminish the weight of”; to alleviate is not to cure, but rather to lighten, lessen, or relieve to some degree. More…
minute, second – Latin minutus, “small,” came from minuere, “lessen,” and the term pars minuta prima, “first small part,” was applied to a 60th of a whole—a minute, originally of a circle and later of an hour; likewise, a second was originally a secunda minuta, a 60th of a 60th. More…
mince – Can mean “lessen or diminish (something)” or “minimize.” More…
bated breath – The expression is based on bate, meaning “to moderate, restrain” or “to lessen, diminish”; though bated was once rather common, it is now rare except in this set expression. More…