cohort

****************************************************************
Do you enjoy challenging word games? Try WORD SWEEP!, the new board game 
featuring official Merriam-Webster definitions!
http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?ISBN=9780971348769&z=y&TYP=T
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for February 2 is: 

cohort   \KOH-hort\   noun
          1 a : one of 10 divisions of an ancient Roman legion  *b : band, 
group  c : a group of individuals having a statistical factor (as age or class 
membership) in common in a demographic study
     2 : companion, colleague 

Example sentence:
          "A cohort of chambermaids would descend twice daily with mops, 
brooms, and fresh towels in tow." (Doone Beale, _Gourmet_, April 1989)

Did you know?
          In ancient times, a cohort was a military unit, one of ten divisions 
in a Roman legion. The term passed into English via French in the 15th century, 
when it was used in translations and writings about Roman history. Once 
"cohort" became established in our language, its meaning was extended, first to 
refer to any body of troops, then to any group of individuals with something in 
common, and later to a single companion. Some usage commentators have objected 
to this last sense because it can be hard to tell whether the plural refers to 
different individuals or different groups. The "companion" sense is well 
established in standard use, however, and its meaning is clear enough in such 
sentences as "her cohorts came along with her to the game."





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

To unsubscribe, please click here:
http://www.drhinternet.net/mw/u/966408/568f14b4ab4f050b/N496L6

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