Word of the Day
czardas
noun
a Hungarian national dance in two movements, one slow and the other fast.
More about czardas
Czardas is a slight alteration of Hungarian csárdás, from csárda “wayside tavern, inn.” Csárdás comes from Persian chārtāk, “four-cornered room,” in which the chār- element, meaning “four,” is a distant relative of English four, Latin quattuor, and Ancient Greek tésseres, as in the Word of the Day tessellate. Czardas was first recorded in English in the late 1850s.
EXAMPLE OF CZARDAS USED IN A SENTENCE
Dresses swirled and feathered hats spun as the czardas picked up in tempo.
More about nincompoop
Nincompoop has a history as unusual as its meaning. One hypothesis includes connections to the Latin phrase non compos (mentis), meaning “not of sound (mind).” Alternatively, nincompoop could simply be an elaboration based on ninny, which may come from innocent. Nincompoop was first recorded in English in the 1670s.
EXAMPLE OF NINCOMPOOP USED IN A SENTENCE
The emperor certainly came across as a nincompoop as he paraded around in his “new clothes.”
hypnopompic
adjective
of or relating to the semiconscious state prior to complete wakefulness.
Why the Museum of Science chose hypnopompic
To find out, watch this video about hypnopompic from science communicator Alex Dainis, PhD.
Learn more at the Museum of Science.
More about hypnopompic
Hypnopompic comes from two Ancient Greek terms: hýpnos, meaning “sleep,” and pompḗ, meaning “a sending away.” Hýpnos is the name of the Greek god of sleep and is the source of the Word of the Day hypnopedia, while pompḗ is the source of pompous. Hypnopompic was first recorded in English at the turn of the 20th century.
EXAMPLE OF HYPNOPOMPIC USED IN A SENTENCE
In her hypnopompic state, all but the final moments of her dream quickly faded from memory.
