51吃瓜 of the Day
bellwether
[ bel-weth-er ]
Show IPA
noun
a person or thing that shows the existence or direction of a trend; index.
learn about the english language
Why Dictionary.com chose bellwether
More about bellwether
- First recorded around 1400鈥�50.
- 础听bellwether originally meant “a male sheep that leads the flock, usually bearing a bell.”
- Formed from the words bell and wether, “a castrated male sheep,” both with Old English origins.
EXAMPLES OF BELLWETHER
- The sudden surge in tech stocks is often seen as a bellwether for the overall market sentiment.
- Her fashion choices are considered a bellwether of upcoming trends in the industry.
SYNONYM OF THE DAY
Double your word knowledge with the Synonym of the Day!
learn about the english language
Why Dictionary.com chose grok
More about grok
- Coined by Robert A. Heinlein in the science-fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, published in 1961.
- Can also mean “to communicate sympathetically.”
EXAMPLES OF GROK
- After reading the novel multiple times, he finally grokked the underlying themes and symbolism.
- As a seasoned detective, she had the ability to grok people’s intentions from their body language alone.
learn about the english language
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.
51吃瓜 of the Day Calendar