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querulous: msg#00003

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Subject: querulous

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The Word of the Day for February 4 is:

querulous \KWAIR-yuh-luss\ adjective
1 : habitually complaining
*2 : fretful, whining

Example sentence:
"Georgia, I'm tired of waiting," complained Grandfather in a querulous
voice, his peevish expression revealing unmistakable irritation at the girl's
dawdling.

Did you know?
English speakers have tagged fearful whiners "querulous" since late
medieval times. The Middle English form of the word, "querelose," was an
adaptation of the Latin adjective, "querulus," which in turn evolved from the
Latin verb "queri," meaning "to complain." "Queri" is also an ancestor of the
English words "quarrel" and "quarrelsome," but it isn't an ancestor of the noun
"query" (meaning "question"). No need to complain that we're being coy; we're
happy to let you know that "query" descends from the Latin verb "quaerere,"
meaning "to ask."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.







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