Aggrandize is a transitive verb, used with an object, that means to cause something or someone to be or appear to be magnified or greater. It can be in relation to size, quantity, wealth, or prominence. One of the more common ways this word is used today is paired with the …
Beside can mean to literally be on the side of something or it can be used to show two things are being compared to one another. And confusingly, it can be a synonym for besides; however, besides is not a synonym for beside. Besides can be used as a synonym for except (e.g., nothing besides that …
Accost is a verb that, according to the dictionary, means to verbally attack someone, to be aggressive and combative, but without physical contact usually. Sometimes it can be used to approach someone aggressively but without anger, such as an earnest salesman. Oftentimes this word is used or understood to mean a …
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Calling something an old chestnut is describing the item as overused, boring, or tedious from repetition. It is usually used when describing a story, joke, or topic of discussion. The phrase is much more popular overseas. The phrase may be used without the modifier old. Calling something a chestnut still carries the connotation of it being …
Body politic is a phrase referring to a collective body of people belonging to a country, state, or society. In other words, a collection of politically organized people. It is sometimes used to describe a group as a single unit, unified in purpose or action. Usually it is used with the article the, …
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Bane is a noun which chiefly means something which hurts or destroys. It is also a synonym for poison and death. Obsolete meanings include a murderer and a verb form which meant to murder by poisoning. The word is most commonly heard in the phrase, or some version of the phrase, bane …
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To deplane is to get off of an airplane. It is a verb that is conjugated through all the tenses. It was coined in the 1920s and is an odd usage of the prefix de-. While it is used in some words to mean removal, such as dehumidify, in deplane it is not the plane that is …
Ecumenical is an adjective describing something as including persons of various Christian religions or churches. It can also be used for things which encourage or promote unity among the differing Christan sects. Sometime it states that something is global or applicable to all Christian churches. The adverb form is ecumenically. Ecumenism, or …
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Au fait, pronounced (oh fey), is borrowed from French. It literally means to the point or to the fact. In English we used it to say that someone has the whole picture, complete knowledge of something, or is socially correct. Grammatically it works as an adjective. The phrase is more …
Readers flock to Grammarist en masse for our awesome tips and articles about grammar. I just used the phrase “en masse” the way it was intended. But do you know where it came from and why we use it in the English language today? I’ll go over everything you need …