paradox

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The Word of the Day for October 13 is: 

paradox   \PAIR-uh-dahks\   noun
          1 a : a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to 
common sense and yet is perhaps true b : a self-contradictory statement that at 
first seems true
    *2 : one (as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory 
qualities or phases

Example sentence:
          They had to face the paradox that their family, which was the source 
of so much love and affection, could also be the source of great hurt and pain.

Did you know?
          The ancient Greeks were well aware that a paradox can take us outside 
our usual way of thinking. They combined the prefix "para-" ("beyond" or 
"outside of") with the verb "dokein" ("to think"), forming "paradoxos," an 
adjective meaning "contrary to expectation." Latin speakers picked up the word 
and used it to create their noun “paradoxum,” which English speakers borrowed 
during the 1500s to create "paradox."





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