Definition: (adjective) Of immense size, volume, or capacity; gigantic.
Synonyms: elephantine, giant, jumbo.
Usage: He was full to capacity after polishing off a gargantuan, five-course meal.
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Month: August 2021
states
nation, country – A nation is made up of states—and a country is a nation defined geographically. More…
political map – Shows the boundaries of cities, states, and countries. More…
statistic – Comes from a German noun describing knowledge dealing with the constitutions and resources of the states of the world. More…
booster name – A nickname for a state (as on a license plate). More…
Feast of St. Clare of Assisi
There were a number of women who joined the Second Order of St. Francis, but the first and most famous was St. Clare (c. 1194-1253). She was joined 16 days later by her sister, Agnes; other women, referred to as the Poor Ladies, were eventually drawn to the hard life that Clare had chosen, and the religious order that she and Francis founded is known today as the Poor Clares. Clare died in 1253 and was canonized on August 12, 1255. Her feast day was eventually moved to August 11, the date of her death according to the revised Roman Catholic calendar. Discuss
luck in
To be very lucky or fortunate; to experience particularly good luck. (A nonstandard variant of “luck out.”) Watch the video
The Tree That Owns Itself
At the corner of Finley and Dearing Streets in Athens, Georgia, you will find a tree that, according to most accounts, has legal ownership of itself and all land within 8 ft (2.4 m) of its base. Sometimes called the “Son of the Tree That Owns Itself,” the tree currently standing on this spot was grown from an acorn of the original white oak, which fell in 1942. The earliest known record of the tree’s tale comes from an 1890 newspaper article. How did it explain a tree having ownership of itself? Discuss
intransigent
Definition: (adjective) Refusing to moderate a position, especially an extreme position; uncompromising.
Synonyms: adamant, inexorable, adamantine.
Usage: My father is an intransigent conservative opposed to every liberal tendency.
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protein
albumen, albumin – Albumen is the white of an egg, from Latin albus, “white”; albumin is a protein within the albumen. More…
protein – Pronounced PRO-teen or PRO-tee-un, it comes from Greek proteios, “primary,” as these compounds are essential to all living organisms. More…
protoplasm – A mixture of organic and inorganic substances, such as protein and water, it is regarded as the physical basis of life. More…
textured vegetable protein – A protein obtained from soy beans and made to resemble minced meat. More…
Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender (1909)
Few people in recent history have transformed popular music—rock and roll in particular—the way Leo Fender did. A self-taught radio repairman, Fender began inventing electronic instruments in the 1940s and is responsible for the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar, the first widely used electric bass, and many other revolutionary instruments. His Fender Musical Instruments Corporation remains a leading manufacturer of electronic instruments and amplifiers. What are Fender “Nocasters”? Discuss
lubrication payment
A small sum of money or other gifts or services to be paid or given to government officials to expedite business operations in countries that do not prohibit such activity. Watch the video
Dunbar's Number
Before there was Facebook, British anthropologist Robin Dunbar proposed a cognitive limit to the number of meaningful social relationships one can have. Through his research on primates and ancient hunter-gatherer societies, he concluded that brain size, specifically the size of the neocortex, dictates the maximum size of one’s social group. Primates create intimacy by picking parasites off each other, while humans rely on language. How many social relationships does Dunbar believe one can have? Discuss