Pronounced as: fluh-res-uhns
Meaning: A noun. "florescence" means a state or period of flourishing
Origin: Its origin is from the Latin word "florescentia" meaning "blossoming." Its first known use was in 1793.
Usage: The 1960s was a period of florescence of art, music, and culture and it ushered in a significant change in the social spectrum.
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(pronounced splint uh)
Meaning: A noun, splinter refers to a small, sharp piece of wood, glass, or similar material that has broken off a larger piece, a fragment or a sliver. It can also be used as an adjective and a verb.
Origin: The term which has been in use in English since the early 14th Century, was borrowed from Middle Dutch splinter, splenter meaning "a sharp fragment of a material". Its adjective form was first recorded in 1935. Figuratively, the word can be used to describe something that separates in a violent way.
Usage: My little sister came crying with a splinter in her finger.
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(Pronounced mif)
Meaning: This noun refers to a slight annoyance or offence, often resulting from a minor disagreement or misunderstanding. It describes a feeling of being slightly put out or irritated.
Origin: The word miff originated in the early 18th Century and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "mifle," meaning to stammer or speak in a faltering manner. Over time, it evolved to connote a state of being displeased or offended.
Example: Jane was in a bit of a miff after her colleague criticised her presentation during the meeting.
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(Pronounced maa-vl.)
Meaning: As a noun, it refers to a thing or person that is very surprising or causes a lot of admiration. As a verb, marvel means to show or experience great surprise or admiration.
Origin: As a noun, this Middle English word is derived from the Old French word merveille, in turn, from late Latin mirabilia, a neuter plural of the Latin word mirabilis, meaning ‘wonderful’. This is from mirari, meaning wonder at. The verb is from merveillen (of persons), meaning ‘to be filled with wonder’. This is from Old French merveillier, meaning ‘to wonder at, be astonished’, from the word merveille.
Example: I marvel at her knowledge and grasp of the subject.
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It’s time to spruce up your language skills. Let’s learn a few idioms that are based on weather.
EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING
The idiom “every cloud has a silver lining” means that every sad or bad situation has a positive side to it. It means to be optimistic and hopeful that good can come out of a bad situation. Perhaps it originated from the fact that when clouds float in front of the sun, they will sometimes have a “silver lining” around their edges. The earliest record of the usage of a shorter version of the idiom, silver lining, was in a book titled Comus: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle by John Milton in 1634.
LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES THE SAME PLACE TWICE
“Lightning never strikes the same place twice” means that if a bad thing has happened, it will not happen again. It is mostly used to comfort a person, saying that if someone has gone through an unfortunate circumstance, such a misfortune is not likely to happen again.
CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Ever noticed that there is one surreal moment, where everything goes quiet before a storm? This is exactly what is meant by the idiom calm before the storm. It is a short period of quiet before the start of a difficult period. The saying was popular among ancient sailors whenever they observed that the weather was unnervingly calm before a storm. The phrase has been in use since the 1700s.
UNDER THE WEATHER
If you say that you are “under the weather, it means you aren’t feeling well or have some illness. It is also used when one has to convey that the person is overly exhausted. It has its roots in the nautical terminology. Back when a sailor fell ill or seasick, he would be sent below the decks under the weather rail. The phrase “under the weather rail” got shortened over time and turned to just “under the weather. The phrase began to be used in the mid-1800s.
CHASE RAINBOWS
Can you chase a rainbow? A rainbow is an optical phenomenon and is not a tangible thing. So you cannot chase a rainbow because it doesn’t exist in a specific spot in the sky. So if one is referred to as chasing a rainbow, it means that the person is trying to achieve the impossible or pursuing unrealistic goals. The term perhaps evolved from the story of getting a pot of gold if one were to dig at the end of the rainbow. But such a thing never exists and so the term started to be used on people with unrealistic dreams and were called “rainbow chasers”.
RAINING CATS AND DOGS
When you say that “it’s raining cats and dogs”, it means it is raining heavily outside. The expression is from the 17th Century but its origin is still uncertain. The reference perhaps comes from Norse mythology where cats were thought to have influence over storms. The modern version of “raining cats and dogs” is believed to be first recorded in Jonathan Swift’s “A Complete Collection of Polite and Ingenious Conversation.”
COME RAIN OR SHINE
When you use the idiom “come rain or shine,” you mean to say that something will be done regardless of whatever happens.
It is used to express certainty that an activity will happen irrespective of the weather or circumstance. According to sources, the earliest printed record dates back to 1699 by John Goad.
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In order to educate and inspire ecologically responsible behaviour in young readers, Argentinian children's book publisher Pequeño Editor launched a project called Tree Book Tree in 2015. The books produced under the project were hand-stitched and printed with eco-friendly ink on recycled acid-free paper embedded with jacaranda tree seeds. The title produced, sold, and donated under the initiative was Mi Papá Estuvo en la Selva (that translates to My Dad Was in the Jungle, recommended for ages eight to 12). Each copy came with planting instructions and the plantable book was also put on display in bookstores, where the public could see it germinate. All books come from trees, and now there is one that will go back to being one.
Editorial director of the publishing house Pequeno Editor said on the project. "We think this book must be planted after it has been read many times, in such a way that every time a kid looks at that growing tree he will perfectly remember the story that gave birth to it."
This one-of-a-kind project inspired entrepreneurs such as Tom Willday to come up with willsow, the U.K's first plantable children's books publishing company that uses seed paper made out of recycled envelopes and vegetable-based ink to produce and print books featuring fruits and vegetables as protagonists.
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