Mare and mayor are two words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of mare and mayor, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences. A mare is an adult female horse, donkey, burro or other equine animal. The word mare is derived from the Old English word mere, meaning female equine. The plural form is mares. A …
Moose and mousse are two words that are pronounced in the same manner but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of moose and mousse, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences. A moose is a large animal with antlers that is found in the northern forests of America, Europe, and Asia. It is of the deer family. The plural form is moose, not mooses …
Frankincense and myrrh are two words that are commonly used during the Christmas season. We will examine the meanings of the words frankincense and myrrh, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences. Frankincense is an aromatic resin that is collected from the Boswellia, an African tree. Frankincense is collected by making a long cut in the trunk of the tree, allowing the sap to ooze out. The sap is left to harden into droplets …
Mode and mowed are two words that are pronounced in the same manner but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of mode and mowed, where they came from and some examples of their use in sentences. A mode is the manner in which something is experienced, the method by which something occurs, the way someone expresses or does something. Mode may also refer to an option in the way a …
Moonlight is an interesting compound word that has a literal meaning that is quite different from its figurative meaning. A compound word is one that is composed of two different words put together. We will examine the meaning of the word moonlight, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences. The literal meaning of the word moonlight is the light emitted by the moon. However, the word moonlight is also used as a verb to mean …
Mixtape is a compound word that originated in the 1970s. Compound words are words that are derived from two separate words joined together. We will examine the definition of mixtape, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences. A mixtape is a compilation of songs on a tape, CD, USB stick, or an electronic playlist. The first mixtapes were made in the 1970s when cassette tape recorders came onto the home market. A mixtape was a …
Cloying and mawkish are two words that mean the same thing and are for the most part interchangeable, which makes them synonyms. We will examine the definitions of cloying and mawkish, where these two words came from and some examples of their use in sentences. Cloying is an adjective that describes something sickeningly sweet. Cloying may describe food that actually tastes sickeningly sweet, or a story or movie that is terribly sweet or sentimental. The word cloying is derived from …
Misogyny is a word that dates back to the 1650s. We will examine the definition of the word misogyny, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences. Misogyny is the hatred of women or a contempt for women. Misogyny can be expressed in a violent, confrontational manner, in a quiet system of social exclusion or in small, belittling ways disguised as humor. Some misogyny is easy to identify, while other instances of misogyny are more subtle …
Poly- and mono- are prefixes that often used in the English language and are sometimes confused. We will examine the definitions of poly- and mono-, where these terms came from and some examples of their use in sentences. Poly- means many, a lot, a large quantity. Poly- is used to mean many types of something or many of those items. Some examples of words that use the prefix poly- are polygamy, which means being married to more than husband or …
Malware and ransomware are two new words coined with the advent of the computer age. We will examine the definitions of the words malware and ransomware, where these terms came from and some examples of their use in sentences. Malware is any software that is designed to disrupt the user’s computer experience or damage the computer. Malware is inserted without the knowledge and consent of the computer user or owner, its access is unauthorized. Malware is often allowed access to …