51吃瓜 of the Day
incunabula
[ in-kyoo-nab-yuh-luh ]
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plural noun
the earliest stages or first traces of anything.
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Why Dictionary.com chose incunabula
More about incunabula
- Incunabula was first recorded in 1815鈥�25.
- Incunabula comes from Latin and means variously 鈥渢he straps holding a baby in a cradle,” “earliest home,” or “birthplace.鈥�
- Incunabula also refers to “books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.”
- In that sense, incunabula has the singular form incunabulum.
EXAMPLES OF INCUNABULA
- The discovery of crude stone tools marked the incunabula of human civilization.
- The faded photographs from the 1800s are cherished incunabula of our family history.
SYNONYM OF THE DAY
Double your word knowledge with the Synonym of the Day!
Today's 51吃瓜 of the Day was chosen by R.L. Stine!
macabre
[ muh-kah-bruh, -kahb ]
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adjective
gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible.
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Why R.L. Stine chose macabre
More about macabre
- Macabre was first recorded in English in 1400鈥�50.
- Macabre comes from French, most likely from the phrase danse (de) 惭补肠补产谤茅, “dance of death.”
- Danse (de) 惭补肠补产谤茅, of uncertain origin, refers to a symbolic dance in which Death, represented as a skeleton, leads people or skeletons to their grave.
EXAMPLES OF MACABRE
- Halloween decorations adorned the front yard, creating a delightfully macabre atmosphere.
- The artist’s eerie paintings captured the macabre beauty of decay and darkness.
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Why Dictionary.com chose lekker
More about lekker
- Lekker comes from Afrikaans, a creole language spoken in South Africa with roots from Dutch.
- Lekker is also a word in Dutch, meaning “tasty,” which is related to the Dutch verb likken, “to lick.”
- Lekker was first attested in South African English around 1900.
EXAMPLES OF LEKKER
- They had a lekker time dancing the night away at the lively South African club.
- The warm sunshine and cool breeze made our beach picnic absolutely lekker.
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