51吃瓜 of the Day
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Why Dictionary.com chose bissextile
More about bissextile
- First recorded in 1585鈥�95.
- From the word bissextus, which refers to February 29th.
- Bissextus means literally 鈥渢he second sixth,鈥� so called because the 6th day before the first day of March in the ancient Roman calendar appeared a second time once every leap year.
EXAMPLES OF BISSEXTILE
- The extra day in a bissextile helps keep the calendar in sync with the solar year.
- February 29th is an occurrence that only happens in a bissextile.
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Why Dictionary.com chose adumbrate
More about adumbrate
- First recorded in 1575鈥�85.
- Comes from the past participle of the Latin verb 补诲耻尘产谤腻谤别, 鈥渢o shade.鈥�
- 础诲耻尘产谤腻谤别听has the stem umbr(a), 鈥渟hade, shadow,鈥� also found in the Astronomy terms umbra, “the complete or perfect shadow of a planet,” and penumbra, “the partial or imperfect shadow outside the complete shadow of a planet.”
EXAMPLES OF ADUMBRATE
- The subtle hints in her letter adumbrated her true intentions.
- The cryptic message seemed to adumbrate a dark future for the kingdom.
denouement
[ dey-noo-mahn ]
Show IPA
noun
the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.
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Why Dictionary.com chose denouement
More about denouement
- First recorded in 1745鈥�55.
- From French, literally means, 鈥渁n untying.鈥�
- Noer from Old French means 鈥渢o knot鈥� and comes from a Latin derivative of 苍艒诲耻蝉, 鈥渒not.鈥�
EXAMPLES OF DENOUEMENT
- As the play reached its denouement, the audience held their breath in anticipation.
- In a surprising denouement, the protagonist turned out to be the long-lost heir to the fortune.
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