Incite means to stir up, to rouse to action. Incite is a transitive verb which is a verb that takes an object. Related verb forms are incites, incited and inciting. Derived nouns are incitement and inciter. Incite first appears in the mid-fifteenth century, coming from the Latin incitare meaning to …
A spade is a sharp-edged tool, usually with a rectangular-shaped blade and a long wooden handle, it is used for cutting into the dirt for purposes of edging flowerbeds and lawns and other horticultural activities. Spade may also be used as a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes …
Friable is an adjective that means easily crushed or crumbled, usually referring to soil and its ability to support plant growth. Friable or easily crumbled soil is crucial for strong root growth. Related words are friability and friableness. Friable is first used in the 1560s, derived from the Latin friabilis …
A floe is a floating sheet of ice. The terms floe and ice floe are interchangeable. A floe may occur as a piece of ice drifting on the sea, in a river, or down a stream melting off a glacier. Floe was first used by Arctic explorers in 1817, from …
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Innate is an adjective that means a quality, attribute or talent that is inborn, natural, existing within someone or something since birth. The adverb form is innately, the noun form is innateness. Innate comes into the language in the early fifteenth century and is derived from the Latin innatus, the …
Some words and terms sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. These words, such as ball vs. bawl, are called homophones, and I see them get mixed up all the time. Is it bawling or balling? What is the difference between these two words? Let’s break down the …
Main is an adjective which means the thing of principal importance, central. Main may be used as a noun to refer to the principal pipe or cable carrying utilities such as water, gas or electricity, to a building. In British English, these pipes are called the mains. Archaically, main means …
Our language is full of words that sound so alike yet mean vastly different things, like the lexical labyrinth of stent versus stint. To the untrained ear, they may seem swappable, but they couldn’t be more different. So, let’s take a moment to scrutinize these two terms so you’ll never …
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Weak is an adjective that means lacking physical strength or feeble. Weak may also mean lacking in moral strength, easily influenced or lured into temptation. A person or thing which exerts little force is considered weak. Related words are weaker, weakest and weakish. Weak comes from the Old English word …
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A llama is an animal that lives in the Andes mountains in South America. The llama is a pack animal that also provides wooly fleece, meat and milk. Llamas are domesticated ruminants, a member of the camel family. Llamas are most likely descended from the guanaco, llamas were first domesticated …