rife

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The Word of the Day for July 5 is: 

rife   \RYFE\   adjective
     1 : prevalent especially to an increasing degree 
     2 : abundant, common 
    *3 : copiously supplied : abounding -- usually used with "with"

Example sentence:
     The article was rife with grammatical and factual errors.

Did you know?
     English is rife with words that have Germanic connections, many of which 
have been handed down to us from Old English. "Rife" is one of those words -- 
it's related to Middle Low German "rive," meaning "abundant." Not a whole lot 
has changed with "rife" in its 900-year history. We continue to use the word, 
as we have since the 12th century, for negative things, especially those that 
are widespread or prevalent. Typical examples are "shoplifting was rife" or 
"the city was rife with greed and corruption." "Rumors" and "speculation" are 
also frequently described as "rife," as well. But "rife" can also be 
appropriately used, as it has been for hundreds of years, for good or neutral 
things. For example, you might speak of "the summer garden, rife with scents." 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. 




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