debouch

****************************************************************
Enjoy two classic references in one handy volume! Check out the 
new Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?dict-thes.htm&1
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for October 21 is: 

debouch   \dih-BOUTCH\   verb
     1 : to cause to emerge : discharge 
    *2 : to march out into open ground : emerge, issue 

Example sentence:
     At their commander's signal, the soldiers debouched from the jungle into 
the dangerous open terrain.

Did you know?
     "Debouch" first appeared in English in the 18th century. It derives from a 
French verb formed from the prefix "de-" ("from") and the noun "bouche" 
("mouth"), which itself derives ultimately from the Latin "bucca" ("cheek"). 
"Debouch" is often used in military contexts to refer to the action of troops 
proceeding from a closed space to an open one. It is also used frequently to 
refer to the emergence of anything from a mouth, such as water passing through 
the mouth of a river into an ocean. The word's ancestors have also given us the 
adjective "buccal" ("of or relating to the mouth") and the noun "embouchure" 
(the mouthpiece of a musical instrument or the position of the mouth when 
playing one). 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. 





You Are Subscribed As: gclw-mw-wod7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2006 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102