besmirch

****************************************************************
Introducing WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature Merriam-Webster 
definitions! Enjoy hours of challenging fun. Try it at:
http://www.wordsweep.com 
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for November 19 is: 

besmirch   \bih-SMERCH\   verb
     : sully, soil 

Example sentence:
          In order to besmirch the reputation of his opponent, Clay made sure 
to bring up the subject of the senator’s tax troubles during their first debate.

Did you know?
          Since the prefix "be-" in "besmirch" means "to make or cause to be," 
when you besmirch something, you cause it to have a smirch. What's a smirch? A 
smirch is a stain, and "to smirch" is to stain or make dirty. By extension, "to 
smirch" came to mean "to bring discredit or disgrace on." "Smirch" and 
"besmirch," then, mean essentially the same thing. We have William Shakespeare 
to thank for the variation in form. Shakespeare's 1599 use of the term in 
_Henry V_ is the first known appearance of "besmirch" in English.





You Are Subscribed As: gclw-mw-wod7@xxxxxxxxx

To unsubscribe, please click here:
http://www.drhinternet.net/mw/u/966408/568f14b4ab4f050b/N257L6

To 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://mw.drhinternet.net/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2007 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

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