51吃瓜 of the Day
wyvern
[ wahy-vern ]
Show IPA
noun
a two-legged winged dragon having the hinder part of a serpent with a barbed tail.
learn about the english language
Why Dictionary.com chose wyvern
More about wyvern
- First recorded in 1600鈥�10.
- An alteration of earlier wyver, which comes from Old French guivre.
- Guivre comes from Latin 惫墨辫别谤补, “viper.”
EXAMPLES OF WYVERN
- The tapestry depicted a heroic figure riding into battle atop a majestic wyvern, ready to face any foe.
- The fearsome wyvern soared through the sky, its wings beating with a powerful grace.
SYNONYM OF THE DAY
Double your word knowledge with the Synonym of the Day!
discombobulate
[ dis-kuhm-bob-yuh-leyt ]
Show IPA
verb
to confuse or disconcert; confound; bewilder.
learn about the english language
Why Dictionary.com chose discombobulate
More about discombobulate
- An Americanism first recorded in 1825鈥�35.
- An earlier form, discomboberate, was recorded in the early 1800s.
- Apparently originated as a humorous imitation of fancy Latin words and is an聽alteration of discompose or discomfort.
EXAMPLES OF DISCOMBOBULATE
- The sudden change in schedule discombobulated the students, throwing off their rhythm for the day.
- The loud noise and flashing lights discombobulated the performers, causing them to stumble through their routine.
carte blanche
[ kahrt-blanch, blahnch ]
Show IPA
noun
unconditional authority; full discretionary power.
learn about the english language
Why Dictionary.com chose carte blanche
More about carte blanche
- First recorded in 1655鈥�65 as blank, blanck, or blanche (without carte) in the card game sense.
- First recorded in 1700鈥�10 in the sense 鈥渂lank, signed document,鈥� and in 1760鈥�70 in the more general sense highlighted here, 鈥渄iscretionary power.鈥�
- Comes from French and translates literally as 鈥渂lank document.鈥�
EXAMPLES OF CARTE BLANCHE
- The director gave the lead actor carte blanche to improvise during certain key scenes.
- As the team captain, she had carte blanche to choose the starting lineup for each game.
51吃瓜 of the Day Calendar