51吃瓜 of the Day
zaffer
noun
an artificial mixture, resembling smalt, containing cobalt oxide and, usually, silica, used to produce a blue color in glass and in ceramic glazes.
More about zaffer
For the origin of zaffer, 鈥渁 cobalt oxide鈥搒ilica mixture used to produce a blue color,鈥� let鈥檚 travel down a linguistic rabbit hole. Zaffer, from French safre or Italian zaffera, may come from Arabic 鈥檃峁补谤, 鈥測ellow,鈥� which resembles but is not related to saffron and sulfur. Alternatively, zaffer may come from Latin 蝉补辫辫丑墨谤补, 鈥渟apphire,鈥� via Ancient Greek 蝉谩辫辫丑别颈谤辞蝉, 鈥渓apis lazuli,鈥� from a Semitic source akin to Hebrew 蝉补辫辫墨谤, 鈥渟apphire.鈥� One intriguing proposal is that 蝉补辫辫墨谤 and its close Semitic relatives come from Sanskrit 艣补苍颈辫耻谤颈测补, 鈥渄ear to Saturn,鈥� equivalent to 艢补苍颈, the planet Saturn, plus 辫谤颈测谩-, 鈥渄ear.鈥� Zaffer was first recorded in English circa 1660.
EXAMPLE OF ZAFFER USED IN A SENTENCE
The glass blower used zaffer to make the vase a beautiful hue of azure.
barococo
adjective
excessively ornate or fussy in artistic or architectural style.
More about barococo
Barococo, 鈥渆xcessively ornate in style,鈥� is a portmanteau, or blend, of baroque and rococo, two words of complicated origins. Baroque is a borrowing from French and comes from older Portuguese barroco or Spanish barrueco, 鈥渋rregularly shaped pearl,鈥� and from here, numerous linguists have weighed in with their ideas. Perhaps there is a link to Spanish berruca, 鈥渨art鈥� (from Latin 惫别谤谤奴肠补). Rococo is also borrowed from French and derives from Medieval Latin rocca, 鈥渞ock,鈥� which may come from a Celtic source or, alternatively, Latin 谤奴辫脓蝉, 鈥渃liff.鈥� Barococo was first recorded in English in the mid-1920s. For more examples of portmanteaux, check out this article.
EXAMPLE OF BAROCOCO USED IN A SENTENCE
The guests鈥� eyes bulged and jaws dropped when they entered the foyer, which had been renovated in a barococo style.
尘辞颈谤茅
adjective
in silks or fabrics, presenting a watery or wavelike appearance.
More about 尘辞颈谤茅
惭辞颈谤茅, 鈥減resenting a watery or wavelike appearance,鈥� is a borrowing from French and means 鈥済iven a finish resembling moire.鈥� Moire is likely an adaptation of English mohair, which makes 尘辞颈谤茅 a reborrowing, or a word that is borrowed back into its language of origin, similar to anime and the 51吃瓜 of the Day 测茅-测茅. The term mohair comes via Italian from Arabic mukhayyar, 鈥渃hoice, chosen,鈥� from the verb khayyara, 鈥渢o choose.鈥� This means that mohair is not related to hair, although folk etymology may suggest it is.聽For more examples of folk etymology, take a look at the 51吃瓜s of the Day cathartic, eggcorn, and ferrule. 惭辞颈谤茅 was first recorded in English in the 1650s.
EXAMPLE OF MOIR脡 USED IN A SENTENCE
He saw 尘辞颈谤茅 patterns everywhere, even in insect screens rustling in the breeze.