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vermicular: msg#00008culture.language.word-of-the-day
**************************************************************** Spring fever? Watch your vocabulary grow by trying a free 14-day subscription to Merriam-WebsterUnabridged.com! http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_sub.pl?refr=U_wod **************************************************************** The Word of the Day for April 9 is: vermicular \ver-MIK-yuh-ler\ adjective 1 *a : resembling a worm in form or motion b : marked with irregular fine lines or with wavy impressed lines 2 : of, relating to, or caused by worms Example sentence: "[The painting] 'Evening' shows what was likely a meandering stream that in Criss's treatment is less vermicular than just plain geometric." (Susan Lindt, _Intelligencer Journal_ [Lancaster, PA], July 3, 2003) Did you know? What does the word "vermicular" have in common with the pasta on your plate? If you're eating vermicelli (a spaghetti- like pasta made in long thin strings) the answer is "vermis," a Latin noun meaning "worm." If you dig deep enough, you'll find that "vermis" is the root underlying not only "vermicular" and "vermicelli," but also "vermiculate" (which can mean either "full of worms" or "tortuous") and even "worm" itself. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
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