transducer

transducer - noun - a substance or device, such as a piezoelectric crystal, microphone or photoelectric cell that converts input energy of one form into output energy of another.

abate

abate - v. - to put an end to, nullify; to reduce in degree or intensity, moderate; to reduce in value or amount; omit; deprive

ostracon

ostracon - noun - An inscribed potsherd.

The greeks used this tool to get rid of politicians. It was actually quite a painful process. The assembly (read: the citizens) would enscribe the name of the politician they wanted out of office on a piece of pottery and drop it in a bowl in the senate. When the shards of pottery were counted, if the appropriate number was met, the politician was banished from Athens for 10 years.

-- source: History channel, wikipedia

redolent

redolent - adj. - exuding fragrance, aromatic; full of a specified fragrance, scented

Happy 2 year Anniversary to Word of the Day!

pantheon

pantheon - noun - a circular temple in Rome, completed in 27 B.C. and dedicated to all the gods; a group of persons most highly regarded for contributions to a field or endeavor.

forlorn

forlorn - adj. - bereft, forsaken; being in poor condition, miserable, wretched; nearly hopeless

"...the horn sounds so forlorn..." Isn't that some sort of Christmas song? I've never heard it except for on You've Got Mail.

blintz

blintz - n - A thin pancake folded around a filling and fried or baked.

This is a very New Yorkish word. The fillings I mostly saw advertised were cheese, potato, and blueberry.

repetition - n - the act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated...

repitition - noun - the act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated; a recitation or recital, especially of prepared or memorized material

repitition - noun - the act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated; a recitation or recital, especially of prepared or memorized material

repitition - noun - the act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated; a recitation or recital, especially of prepared or memorized material

repitition - noun - the act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated; a recitation or recital, especially of prepared or memorized material

repitition - noun - the act or process or an instance of repeating or being repeated; a recitation or recital, especially of prepared or memorized material

commensurate

commensurate - adj - Of the same size, extent, or duration as another; Corresponding in size or degree; proportionate; Measurable by a common standard.

I'm surprised this one hasn't been used already. I believe we could keep WoD going for two centuries if need be.

mouse-potato

mouse-potato - n. - someone who spends an inordinate amount of time using a computer

This is great...absolutely great! How come I can't ever come up with these things? It's going to be a while before another word can top this one (in my opinion, anyway).

tutelary

tutelary - adj - having the guardianship or charge of protecting a person or thing; guardian; protecting

I always thought it would be cool to be in the SecretService and protect the President or other foreign dignitaries. I just never had that particular opportunity arise. However, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, I did serve on a protective service detail for the admiral in charge of the port the rest of my unit was protecting. It was, from my perspective, quite an enjoyable experience.

comity

comity - n - An atmosphere of social harmony.

I'm a man of few words today.

doleful

doleful - adj. - causing grief or affliction; full of grief, cheerless; expressing grief, sad

arcane

arcane - adj - understood or known by only a few

I was sure this word had already been used. However, since it's not, I'll use it.

impinge

My apologies for being late on yesterday's word. I went ahead and posted it with yesterday's date to keep our archiving straight.

And now for today's word:

impinge - v. - to strike or dash especially with a sharp collision

BTW...we decided to put just the word in the subject line, right?

albeit

albeit - conj - Although; even though; notwithstanding.

This one may be slightly old-fashioned.

And now I hope you will indulge me as I wander off on a tangent. Spoiler Warning: If you haven't read Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, I'm about to give away an early incident in the novel.

Shortly after Count Dracula moves to London, Lucy Westenra starts losing blood at an alarming rate. Dr. Seward calls Dr. Abraham Van Helsing in as a consultant, and he draws the same conclusion as the reader will, i.e., that Lucy has fallen victim to a vampire. Unfortunately, Lucy is too far gone and dies shortly after Van Helsing's arrival. After Lucy's funeral, there are reports in the papers of children having seen a bloofer lady. I have been plagued for decades wondering what exactly is a "bloofer" lady? Clearly, the lady in question is Lucy, who is now a vampire preying on little children, but what makes her a "bloofer" lady? I finally found the answer after consulting an annotated edition of the novel. "Bloofer" is the way English children pronounced "beautiful," much the same way American children call injuries "booboos." Now I know, and so do you.

perpetrate

perpetrate - v. - to bring about or carry out; to produce, perform, or execute

contretemps - noun - an inopportune situation or event; a hitch

My first entry here. I guess I'll get on the bandwagon. Don't forget to keep your spreadsheets up-to-date so you don't submit duplicates, or todays word will apply to you.

rebarbative

rebarbative - adj - Tending to irritate; repellant.

I ran across this one while browsing through some back issues of The New Criterion. The reference was to Humanities as taught in the modern American university.

http://www.newcriterion.com/

tinnitus

tinnitus - n. - a sensation of noise (as a ringing or roaring) that is caused by a bodily condition (as a disturbance of the auditory nerve or wax in the ear) and typically is of the subjective form which can only be heard by the one affected

Phew! That was a long one. It's interesting that they added on the last part of the definition like tinnitus is some sort of theory or proposed condition that no one can be sure of. If it's so questionable, then why does it have its own definition?

Check out how far up in the ear the auditory nerve is (click to see bigger):