Word of the Day for Monday, December 5, 2011 December 5, 2011

frondescence \fron-DES-uhns\, noun:

1. Leafage; foliage.
2. The process or period of putting forth leaves, as a tree, plant, or the like.

What we found were three hundred pristine, mostly level acres with a
forty-five-acre pond, completely undeveloped, covered with exquisite
wildflowers and frondescence.
– Paul Newman, In Pursuit of the Common Good
I now become aware of the sound of rumbling water, emanating from
somewhere inside the rain forest next to my tropical rest stop. I
approach the wet and abundant frondescence of the forest.
– Richard Wyatt, Fathers of Myth
Frondescence is from the Latin root frondēre meaning “to have leaves.”
It is clearly related to frond meaning “leaves.”

Word of the Day for Friday, December 2, 2011 December 2, 2011

bobbery \BOB-uh-ree\, noun:

A disturbance or a brawl.

“Allow me, Mr. Ivolgin,” Ippolit suddenly interrupted, irritably,
“what’s all this bobbery for, if I may ask…”
– Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot
Kicked up the most delightful bobbery that had ever been witnessed!
– Anthony Trollope, Is He Popenjoy? A Novel
Bobbery, unexpectedly, is from the Hindu phrase bap re meaning “O
father!” It was first recorded in print in 1816 in The Grand Master

Word of the Day for Thursday, December 1, 2011 December 1, 2011

altruistic \al-troo-IS-tik\, adjective: 1. Unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others. 2. Animal Behavior. Of or pertaining to behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, often its close relatives. I thought you were an altruistic banker, nothing more, nothing less. A civic-minded altruistic banker. – Inman Majors, The Millionaires: A Novel An altruistic act is an act performed for the welfare of others. It is unselfish, as opposed to an act performed for self, which is selfish. – Jack London, The Sea-Wolf Altruistic was coined in 1830 by philosopher Auguste Comte. It originates in the French word altrui meaning “of or to others” from the Latin word alteri meaning “other.”