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Word of the Day: Borough, Burro and Burrow

Word of the Day: Borough, Burro and Burrow

by | Sep 17, 2019 | The Dictionary Project: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Borough, Burro and Burrow

borough
bor-ough / bûr-ō
noun
 
1.     an incorporated town in some states
Our language can be seen as an ancient city: a maze of little streets and squares, of old and new houses, and of houses with additions from various periods; and this surrounded by a multitude of new boroughs with straight regular streets and uniform houses. 
Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1889 – 1951
 
2.     an administrative unit of a large city
I know there’s Brooklyn and all the boroughs, but Manhattan specifically is so condensed that the energy is very vibrant.
Theo James, 1984 –
 
3.     a division in Alaska, similar to a county in other US States
The U.S. state of Alaska is divided into 19 organized boroughs and one Unorganized Borough. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_boroughs_and_census_areas_in_Alaska, 7-24-2019
 
4.     a fortified or secure village or town
The church of St. Nicholas was the religious centre of the medieval borough of the same name and performed an important military and defensive function for the people of the borough. “Pamplona – Kingdom of Navarra”, www.turismo.navarra.es
 
5.     in Great Britain, a town that is represented by a Parliament Member or an incorporated, self-governing community
Representation in the boroughs was on a less worthy scale in the reign of George III.  From “Lord John Russell” by Stuart J. Reid, 1848 – 1927
 
burro
bur-ro / bûr-ō, bŭr-ō or bo͝or-ō
noun
 
1.     a small donkey, often used to carry loads
We’ll take a burro, or a pack-train of burros,’ was my suggestion. 
From “The Red One” by Jack London, 1876 – 1916
 
burrow
bur-row / bûr-ō, bŭr-ō
noun
 
1.     a den in a tunnel or hole made by a small animal
The burrows have two or more doors, so that if a weasel or some other enemy goes in at one door, the rabbit runs out at the other. 
From “Friends in Feathers and Fur, and Other Neighbors” by James Johonnot, 1823 – 1888    
 
2.     a small, snug place
Her home is the burrow of a bibliophile hobbit — low-ceilinged, close-walled, and brimming over with books.        
From “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan, 1979 –
 
verb
 
1.     to dig or hide in a hole or tunnel
Man can now fly in the air like a bird, swim under the ocean like a fish, he canburrow into the ground like a mole.
Tommy Douglas 1904-1986
 
2.     to move or proceed in a manner that resembles tunneling or digging
And some time,’ said she, ‘I will show you the library: I never examined its shelves, but, I daresay, it is full of wise books; and you may go and burrowamong them whenever you please. 
From “Agnes Grey” by Ann Bronte, 1820 – 1849

Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club.  In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year.  They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students.  Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project.  They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study.  Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.

Word of the Day: Borough, Burro and Burrow

Word of the Day: Sharp

by | Sep 16, 2019 | The Dictionary Project: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Sharp

sharp / SHärp
 
adjective
 
1.      having a fine point
March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path.
Khalil Gibran, 1883-1931
 
2.      bitterly cold
Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remembered not.
from ‘As You Like It’ by William Shakespeare, 1564-1616
 
3.      quick in wit; intelligent
The only way you’re going to keep sharp is to read and write every day.
from ‘The Help’ by Kathryn Stockett, 1969-
 
4.      perceptive
Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what’s said and what’s done.
Seamus Heaney, 1939-2013
 
5.      vigilant
A man who is half an idiot, but who keeps a sharp lookout and acts prudently all his life, often enjoys the pleasure of triumphing over men of more imagination than he.
Stendhal, 1783-1842
 
6.      shrewd
In business sharp practice sometimes succeeds, but in art honesty is not only the best but the only policy.
W. Somerset Maugham, 1874-1965
 
7.      energetic
In the early 1970s, the American surgeon Henry Jay Heimlich observed that food and other objects that caused choking were not freed by the recommended technique of delivering sharp blows to the back.
from ‘Henry Heimlich – Heimlich Maneuver’ by Marc A. Shampo, ?- and Robert A. Kyle, ?-
 
8.      harsh
A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use.
Washington Irving, 1783-1859
 
9.      pungent tasting or smelling
She liked the sharp salty smell of the air, and the vastness of the horizons bounded only by a vault of azure sky.
from ‘A Storm of Swords’ by George R. R. Martin, 1948-
 
10.  piercing or shrill
The hawk’s cry is as sharp as its beak.
Edward Abbey, 1927-1989
 
11.  very sensitive or keen
When our personal inner vision is sharp and balanced, it awakens our ability to look at life with a creative and positive point of view.
Sonia Choquette, 1957-
 
12.  in music, off pitch by a higher half step or more
[…] just because you’re a little sharp or flat now doesn’t mean you’re doomed to singing out of tune forever!
takelessons.com/live/singing/what-does-pitchy-mean
 
13.  stylish
You walk with a different air if you’re wearing something sharp.
Paolo Nutini, 1987-
 
14.  abrupt, as of a turn
It is this broken road with pitfalls and sharp turns and unexpected traverses that has brought me joy and adventure.
Alice Walker, 1944-
 
15.  intensely painful
It takes courage…to endure the sharp pains of self discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.
Marianne Williamson, 1952-
 
 
adverb
 
1.      right on time; exactly
Too many church services start at eleven sharp and end at twelve dull.
Vance Havner, 1901-1986
 
2.      suddenly
He took a swift hairpin turn on the dirt road and pulled up sharp at the bottom of the hill.
from ‘The Mammoth Cheese’ by Sheri Holman, 1966-

Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club.  In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year.  They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students.  Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project.  They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study.  Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.

Word of the Day: Borough, Burro and Burrow

Word of the Day: Pardon

by | Sep 14, 2019 | The Dictionary Project: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Pardon

par-don / ˈpär-dᵊn
 
noun
 
1. an act of excusing an offense without giving consequences
No love or pity, pardon or excuse should soften the sharp pang of reparation for the guilty man.
Louisa May Alcott, 1832-1888
 
2. an official release from penalty
I don’t mind giving 5,000 pardons a day.
Rodrigo Duterte, 1945-
 
3. forgiveness of a fault or offense
Where there is injury let me sow pardon.
Francis of Assisi, c. 1181-1226
 
verb
 
1. to release from the penalties of an offense or crime
God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness.
Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887
 
2. to forgive
We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly – that is the first law of nature.
Voltaire, 1694-1778
 
Etymology
 
(verb and noun): from the Late Latin perdonare (combining the classical Latin intensive prefix per (thoroughly, completely) and the verb donare (to give) through the Old French perdoner.
 
Etymology provided by Allen Ward.

Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club.  In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year.  They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students.  Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project.  They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study.  Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.

Word of the Day: Borough, Burro and Burrow

Word of the Day: Spectrum

by | Sep 13, 2019 | The Dictionary Project: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Spectrum

spec-trum / spek-trəm
 
noun
 
1.      a continuum of colors, typically light waves, arranged as they would be when passing through a prism
When I set a glass prism on a windowsill and allow the sun to flood through it, aspectrum of colors dances on the floor.
Diane Ackerman, 1948-
 
2.      any type of range organized by color, used to test the frequency or energy of electromagnetism, mass, etc.
Since the initial publication of the chart of the electromagnetic spectrum, humans have learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one-millionth of reality.
R. Buckminster Fuller, 1895-1983
 
3.      a range or sequence of things
We think success is one thing, but it’s actually a spectrum of where our life takes us.
Mike Birbiglia, 1978-

Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club.  In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year.  They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students.  Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project.  They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study.  Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.

Word of the Day: Borough, Burro and Burrow

Word of the Day: Unlimited

by | Sep 12, 2019 | The Dictionary Project: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Unlimited

un-lim-it-ed / ˌən-ˈli-mə-təd
 
adjective
 
1.      lacking restrictions
The key to abundance is meeting limited circumstances with unlimited thoughts.
Marianne Williamson, 1952-
 
2.      infinite
Our most valuable resources – creativity, communication, invention, and reinvention – are, in fact, unlimited.
David Grinspoon, 1959-
 
3.      unconditional; without exception
No man is worthy of unlimited reliance – his treason, at best, only waits for sufficient temptation.
H.L. Mencken, 1880-1956

Thank you for including the Dictionary Project in the good work you do in your club.  In my club, we have provided Dictionaries for third-grade students for enough years that now we are having former students help us to present dictionaries each year.  They are often returning to the same classrooms that they were third-grade students.  Teachers plead every year for us to NEVER quit this valuable project.  They tell us that students NEED paper books to learn to read, to learn to do research and to do independent study.  Please send me pictures of your presentations and tell me about your visits to the schools to give dictionaries to the students. To be included in our newsletter you can send me your stories at DG.2019@5630mail.org.