favonian

****************************************************************
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 29 is: 

favonian   \fuh-VOH-nee-un\   adjective
          : of or relating to the west wind : mild 

Example sentence:
          A favonian wind blew across the plains, a welcome sign of spring’s 
imminent arrival.

Did you know?
     In "Ode to the West Wind," poet Percy Bysshe Shelley called the "wild West 
Wind" the "breath of Autumn's being." But according to Greco-Roman tradition, 
the west wind was warm and usually gentle. Its Latin name, "Favonius," is the 
basis for the English adjective "favonian" and derives from roots that are akin 
to the Latin "fovere," meaning "to warm." "Zephyros," a Greek name for the west 
wind, is the ultimate source of "zephyr," meaning "a gentle breeze." In 
Greco-Roman tradition, it was the north wind, Boreas (aka Aquilo), who was the 
rude and blustery type.





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

To unsubscribe, please click here:
http://www.drhinternet.net/mw/u/966408/568f14b4ab4f050b/N289L6

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