chagrin

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The Word of the Day for December 31 is: 

chagrin   \shuh-GRIN\   noun 
     : disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, 
or failure 

Example sentence: 
     It was with a great deal of chagrin that Lynette heard the news that her 
sister wasn't coming to her wedding.

Did you know? 
     "Chagrin" comes from French, in which it means "grief," "sorrow," or 
essentially the same thing as our "chagrin," and in which it is also an 
adjective meaning "sad." Some etymologists have linked this "chagrin" with 
another French "chagrin," meaning "rough leather" or "rough skin." Supposedly, 
the rough leather used to rub, polish, or file became a metaphor in French for 
agitating situations. English-speakers have also adopted the leathery "chagrin" 
into our language but have altered the spelling to "shagreen."  





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