prerogative

****************************************************************
Attention word gurus:  try WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature 
Merriam-Webster definitions! Available at Borders Bookstores.
http://www.wordsweep.com
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for December 22 is: 

prerogative   \prih-RAH-guh-tiv\   noun
          1 : an exclusive or special right, power, or privilege: as a : one 
belonging to an office or an official body *b : one belonging to a person, 
group, or class of individuals c : one possessed by a nation as an attribute of 
sovereignty
     2 : a distinctive excellence

Example sentence:
          How Amy spends her money is none of our business, and if she wants to 
use all her savings to buy that sports car, it's her prerogative.
 

Did you know?
          In ancient Rome, voting at legal assemblies was done by group, with 
the majority in a group determining its vote. The group chosen to vote first on 
an issue was called the "praerogativa" (that term traces to a verb meaning "to 
ask for an opinion before another"). Because the first vote was considered to 
be of great importance, Latin speakers also used the noun "praerogativa" to 
mean "preference" and later "privilege." As "praerogativa" passed through 
Anglo-French and Middle English, its spelling shifted to create the noun we 
know today.





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

To unsubscribe, please click here:
http://www.drhinternet.net/mw/u/966408/568f14b4ab4f050b/N359L6

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