Today:12 hit、Yesterday:10 hit、Total:8042 hit
Follow
/
Follow 0
/
Follower 0
/
Profile /
Number of learning items：2,819
// The island is a veritable [ˈvɛrɪtəbəl] paradise.
// The sale attracted a veritable [ˈvɛrɪtəbəl] mob of people.
veritable
adj [ˈvɛrɪtəbəl]
formal adjective that means “being in fact the thing named and not false, unreal, or imaginary.” It is often used to stress the aptness of a metaphorical description.
Veritable, like its close relative verity (“truth”), came to English through Anglo-French from Latin, ultimately the adjective vērus, meaning “true,” which also gave English verify, aver, and verdict.
English
Oct 19, 2025, 6:09 AM
cowpoke
I downloaded an app to help me put the kibosh [ˈkɪbɑːʃ] on my high screen time.
kibosh
noun [ˈkɪbɑːʃ]
Kibosh refers to something that serves as a check or stop. It is usually used in the phrase “put the kibosh on” to mean “to stop or end (something)” or “to prevent (something) from happening or continuing.”
being relatively young its source is elusive.
English
Oct 17, 2025, 5:45 AM
cowpoke
"The high school soccer playoffs are down to their penultimate [pəˈnʌltəmɪt] round with the state semifinals looming later this week after a select few regional champions were crowned on Tuesday." — Matt Welch, The Plano (Texas) Star Courier, 2 Apr. 2025
penultimate [pəˈnʌltəmɪt]
adj
Penultimate means "occurring immediately before the last one," or in other words, "next to last." A formal adjective, it is always used before the noun it modifies.
from paenultima, the feminine of paenultimus, a Latin root from paene ("almost") and ultimus ("last")
English
Oct 13, 2025, 4:26 AM
cowpoke
Though not an official project of the theater, the drama festival has its imprimatur [ˌɪmprəˈmætʃər].
imprimatur
noun [ˌɪmprəˈmætʃər]
Imprimatur is a formal word that refers to explicit approval or permission.
Imprimatur means “let it be printed” in New Latin (the Latin used since the end of the medieval period especially in science). In time, English speakers began using imprimatur in the general sense of “official approval.”
English
Oct 12, 2025, 11:42 AM
cowpoke
"Beyond his physical and mental attributes, [Jayden] Daniels has a preternatural [ˌpriːtərˈnætʃərəl] calm in the most pivotal moments of a drive, a game, and a season that makes you wonder if he's somehow been in the NFL for 10 years." — Doug Farrar, The Guardian (London), 21 Jan. 2025
preternatural
adj [ˌpriːtərˈnætʃərəl]
formal adj - used to describe things that are very unusual in a way that does not seem natural.
From the Latin phrase praeter naturam, meaning "beyond nature." Medieval Latin scholars rendered this as praeternaturalis, and that form inspired the modern English word.
English
Oct 1, 2025, 4:19 AM
cowpoke
That impetuous [ɪmˈpɛtʃuəs] decision could've cost us everything we worked so hard for.
impetuous [ɪmˈpɛtʃuəs]
adj
Impetuous is a synonym of impulsive that describes a person who is acting without thought, or an action that is done without thought.
The etymology of impetuous is also impulsive but in a literal way: it traces back to the Latin word impetus, meaning “impulse, driving force,” as well as “assault.” English impetus, also meaning “impulse, driving force” (among other things), has the same source.
English
Sep 30, 2025, 4:24 AM
cowpoke
"Personally, I did not like my husband's sneezing into his hand, so I stopped saying 'gesundheit' [ɡəˈzʊnhaɪt] whenever he did that. He now almost always sneezes into his elbow." — The Toronto Star, 27 Jan. 2024
gesundheit
interjection [ɡəˈzʊnhaɪt]
Gesundheit is an interjection used to wish good health to one who has just sneezed.
When English speakers hear "achoo," they usually respond with either "gesundheit" or "God bless you." Gesundheit was borrowed in the early 20th century from German, where it literally means "health"; it was formed from gesund ("healthy") and -heit ("-hood").
English
Sep 26, 2025, 3:56 AM
cowpoke
"Paul Monreal is a fourth-great-grandchild of Catherine and Patrick O'Leary, who endured the enmity [ˈɛnɪti] of Chicagoans after they were wrongfully accused of starting the Great Chicago Fire, which legend said was started by a jittery dairy cow named Daisy." — William Lee, The Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2025
enmity [ˈɛnɪti]
noun
Enmity is a formal word that refers to a very deep unfriendly feeling, such as hatred or ill will, that is often felt mutually.
The resemblance between enmity and enemy is no coincidence: both words come from the Anglo-French word enemi, which literally translates to "enemy."
English
Sep 20, 2025, 7:11 AM
cowpoke
“... KEM’s legacy serves as a blueprint for excellence. Offstage, his charm extends beyond the microphone. Friends and collaborators describe him as a consummate [ˈkɑnsəmət] gentleman and leader with an infectious sense of humor.” — Raquelle Harris, Vibe, 25 July 2025
consummate
adj [ˈkɑnsəmət]
Someone or something described as consummate is very skilled or accomplished.
Can also mean “of the highest degree” and “complete in every detail.” The adjective is always used before the noun it describes.
a word that’s shifted in meaning over the centuries. A 15th century addition to the language ultimately from Latin consummare, meaning “to sum up, finish,” the word first described something that has been brought to completion
English
Sep 13, 2025, 7:10 AM
cowpoke
The local bakery is famous for its wide variety of zoomorphic [ˌzoʊəˈmɔrfɪk] treats, from “hedgehog” dinner rolls to delicate, swan-shaped pastries.
zoomorphic [ˌzoʊəˈmɔrfɪk]
Zoomorphic describes things that have the form of an animal.
The zoo in zoomorphique comes from the Greek noun zôion, meaning “animal,” and morphique from morphē, meaning “form.”
English
Sep 11, 2025, 7:25 AM
cowpoke
More
