Monday, April 6, 2009

New Words from Webster!

pedagogical
Pronunciation: \ˌpe-də-ˈgä-ji-kəl, -ˈgō-\
Variant(s): also ped·a·gog·ic \-jik\
Function: adjective
Date: 1619
: of, relating to, or befitting a teacher or education

pellucid \puh-LOO-sid\ adjective

*1 : admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion
2 : reflecting light evenly from all surfaces
3 : easy to understand

Example sentence:
The coastal waters were clean and pellucid, allowing us to easily identify the marine life on the ocean floor.

Did you know?
"Pellucid" ultimately derives from the Latin "lucēre" ("to shine"), which in turn contains the root "luc-" ("light"). "Pellucid" is formed from "per" ("through") plus "lucidus" ("lucid, clear"). "Pellucid" has many shining relatives in English. Among the offspring of "lucēre" are "translucent" (essentially, "clear enough to allow light to pass through"), "elucidate" ("to make clear, explain"), "lucent" ("luminous" or "clear"), and of course "lucid" itself (which can mean "shining," "mentally sound," or "easily understood"). Another related word is "Lucifer" (literally, "light-bearer"). Other relatives — such as "lackluster" ("lacking brightness"), "illustrate" (originally, "to make bright"), and "lustrous" ("shining" or "radiant") — trace from the related verb "lustrare" ("to brighten"). Clearly, "pellucid" is just one of a family of brilliant terms.

1 comment:

The Breckons said...

TALMADGE!! I somehow stumbled on your blog ... and am cracking up! I LOVE it! Stephanie Breckon (Kuhn) here ... we went to Israel together. We were the opposite twins -- I was the shortest & you were the tallest! Life sure flies by -- I think it's been 11 years. I sure hope your life is wonderful and full of joy & laughter. Thanks for all you did for me those many years ago! I saw your sister Shawni @ Women's Conference and asked her to tell you hello. She said you are in NY selling power tools?? Send me an update - I'd love to hear from you. Have you heard from anyone else from Israel? Steph (breckonjse@yahoo.com)