logo       

campestral: msg#00000

culture.language.word-of-the-day

Subject: campestral

****************************************************************
Do your modifiers dangle? Suffering from split infinitives?
Get instant help with our Concise Dictionary of English Usage.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?conusg.htm&6
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for February 1 is:

campestral \kam-PESS-trul\ adjective
: of or relating to fields or open country : rural

Example sentence:
The campestral scenery surrounding Reginald's new home
inspired him to take up landscape painting.

Did you know?
Scamper across an open field, then, while catching your
breath, ponder this: "scamper" and "campestral" both ultimately
derive from the Latin noun "campus," meaning "field"
or "plain." Latin "campester" is the adjective that
means "pertaining to a campus." In ancient Rome, a campus was a
place for games, athletic practice, and military
drills. "Scamper" probably started with a military association,
as well (it is assumed to have evolved from the Latin
verb "excampare," meaning "to decamp"). In
English, "campestral" took on an exclusively rural aspect upon
its introduction in the 18th century, while "campus," you might
say, became strictly academic.








<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Google Custom Search

News | FAQ | advertise