Meaning: A noun lycanthropy means the delusion that one has become a wolf.
Origin: The word lycanthropy comes from the Greek words ‘ lykos’ and ‘anthropos’. The Greek root word is lykanthropos, meaning “wolf-man.” While lykos means “wolf’, anthropos means “human being.”
Usage: His new novel centres around a native American tribe which is cursed with lycanthropy.
Picture credit : Google
Meaning: This adjective refers to strikingly out of the ordinary such as odd, extravagant, or eccentric in style or mode, or involving sensational contrasts or incongruities.
Origin: In use since the 1640s, it is derived from the French word bizarre, meaning odd, fantastic, in turn, from the Italian word bizarro, meaning irascible, tending to quick flashes of anger. The sense in Italian evolved to unpredictable, eccentric, then strange, weird, in which sense it was taken into French and then English.
Usage: His behavior was bizarre.
Picture Credit : Google
Meaning: This noun refers to an island consisting of a strip or ring of coral around a central lagoon.
Origin: In use since the 1620s, atoll is said to have been derived from the Malayalam word atolu, meaning reef, which, in turn, is said to be from adal, meaning closing, uniting, etc. The original use was in reference to the Maldives, and the word was popularised in its present form by naturalist Charles Darwin’s writings.
Usage: She’s exploring the atoll and taking samples of the marine life there.
Picture Credit : Google
Meaning: A verb, brandish means to wave or shake something aggressively in a threatening manner.
Origin: The earliest usage dates back to the 14th century. The word has a Germanic origin. It is a descendant of the Middle English word ‘braundisshen’ which traces its root to the Anglo-French ‘brant, a Germanic word meaning ‘sword’.
Usage: The crowd went silent as the Prince brandished his sword.
Picture Credit : Google
Meaning: The word “privy” can be used as an adjective and a noun. When used as an adjective, it means sharing in the knowledge of something private or secret. It is usually followed by the preposition “to”. As a noun, it means a toilet located in a shed outside a house or building.
Origin: The term entered Middle English in the early 13th Century from Old French prive meaning “intimate or private place” which in turn came from Latin privatus meaning “private or personal.”
Usage: Ram is not privy to the discussions of the top management.
The farm house is a privy place for the writer to relax and think about his next plot.
Picture Credit : Google
Meaning: The word relief corresponds to a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress. It can also be used to denote financial or practical assistance given to those in special need or difficulty.
Origin: The word has been around since the 14th Century and is derived from Anglo-French relif from Old French relief. The meaning “aid to impoverished persons” is attested from around 1400 and from 19th Century it especially specified assistance from governments.
Apart from a brief spike in usage in the first half of the 20th Century, the usage of this word has remained stable over the last 200 years or so.
Usage: The classroom heaved a collective sigh of relief when the teacher announced that the test would be held later.
Picture Credit : Google
[custom_search_and_filter]