What does cul-de-sac mean? If you’re picturing a fancy French dish or a rare wine, I hate to burst your bubble. It’s much more domestic and suburban. This French term has found its way into English and our cities, and it’s all about city planning. So, let’s get into the …
Bloviate means to talk excessively in an inflated manner. To bloviate means to talk a lot and say nothing of importance. Related words are bloviates, bloviated, bloviating, bloviator, bloviation. Bloviate is an American word, coined in the American Midwest in the mid-1800s based on the word blow. Bloviate enjoyed a …
Famous means known by many, having the stature of celebrity. Famous carries the connotation of people or things that are well known for something positive. The adjective famous comes from the Latin word famosus, which means much talked of, renowned, celebrated. Infamous means being well known for something negative such …
Hear means to perceive a sound with your ears. Hear is a verb, related words are hears, heard, hearing. Hear is derived from the Old English word heran. To hear something does not necessarily mean that any attention is given to the thing heard, hearing is a passive action. Hear …
Adolescence is the period of human psychological and physical development that occurs between the onset of puberty and adulthood. Adolescence means the period following childhood, it comes from the Latin word adolescentia which means youth. Adolescents are young people who are going through the period of human psychological and physical …
For is a preposition that means 1.) in favor of 2.) directed to 3.) over a certain amount of time 4.) in exchange 5.) appropriate to 6.) suiting the needs of . For may also be used as a conjunction. According to Oxford English Dictionary, for is one of the …
Astrology is the study of the planets, sun, moon and stars, interpreting their positions relative to each other as having influence upon humans and human events. Related terms are astrologist, astrological, astrologically. The word astrology comes from the Greek word astrologia which means telling of the stars. Astronomy is the …
A.M. and P.M. are two abbreviations you’ve most definitely heard a lot in your life; everyone has! But you might not know exactly what they mean. These two little abbreviations are used to indicate whether a time is in the morning or in the afternoon. But don’t let the simplicity …
Extant means still existing, surviving, especially said of a document. Extant comes from the Latin word extantem meaning stand out, be visible, exist. Extant is an adjective, it means more than merely existing, it implies survival. Something that is extant is something that is “still in existence”. Extent means the …
Getaway is 1.) a place to enjoy a vacation, somewhere to relax and rejuvenate 2.) an escape, especially after committing a crime. When getaway is written as one word, it is used as a noun or adjective. It may also be hyphenated, as in get-away, but this spelling of the …