Words of the Day

I thought another great feature would be to post the word of the day, from both M-W and Wordsmith.

From M-W:

The Word of the Day for October 16, 2007 is:
fervid • \FER-vid\ • adjective

1 : very hot : burning

*2 : marked by often extreme intensity of feeling

Example Sentence:
Jennie was such a fervid supporter of the proposed law that she drove all the way to Washington to demonstrate in favor of its passage.
Did you know?
The Latin verb "fervēre" can mean "to boil" or "to glow," as well as, by extension, "to seethe" or "to be roused." In English, this root gives us three words that can mean "impassioned" by varying degrees: "fervid," "fervent," and "perfervid." "Fervid" and "fervent" are practically synonymous, but while "fervid" usually suggests warm emotion that is expressed in a spontaneous or feverish manner (as in "fervid basketball fans"), "fervent" is reserved for a kind of emotional warmth that is steady and sincere (as in "a fervent belief in human kindness"). "Perfervid" combines "fervid" with the Latin prefix "per-" ("thoroughly") to create a word meaning "marked by overwrought or exaggerated emotion," as in "a perfervid display of patriotism."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

And from Wordsmith:

A.Word.A.Day--pasha

This week's theme: words for bosses, officials, and leaders.

pasha (PA-shuh, PASH-uh, puh-SHAH) noun

A person of high rank or importance.

[From Turkish pasa, from Persian padshah, from pati (master) + shah (king). Pasha was used as a title of high-ranking officials in the Ottoman Empire.]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus.

-Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)

"The rise and rise of Ajay Bijli as the pasha of Indian multiplexes is born out of his passion for motion pictures." Moinak Mitra & Shubham Mukherjee; Sundowner with Ajay Bijli; The Economic Times (New Delhi, India); Oct 6, 2007.

I find these to be great vocabulary exercises, especially for those of us who spent little time studying the subject.

Usually, Wordsmith has a different theme. This week their theme is bosses, officials, and leaders.