My Science School

Prescience

As a noun, the word 'prescience' means knowing something before it happens. It is similar to foresight.

Origins

"Science" is derived from the Latin verb 'scire', which means "to know". It is the source of many English words such as omniscience and conscience. "Prescience" comes from the Latin verb 'praescire, which means "to know beforehand."

Examples:

1. Charles Darwin's prescience as a scientist is remarkable.

2. George Orwell showed keen prescience in "1984".

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Reconciliation

The word reconciliation corresponds to the restoration of friendly relations. It can also denote the action of making one belief or view compatible with another one. It can also be used for the action of harmonization or making financial accounts consistent.

Origin

Reconciliation has been around since the mid 14th Century. It is derived from the from Old French reconciliacion and directly from Latin reconciliationem, meaning "a re-establishing, a reconciling". The meaning "act of harmonizing or making consistent has been in recorded usage since 1729. After going through a trough of low usage in the beginning of the 20th Century, the word has risen to prominence once again and has been used extensively in this century.

Usage

Hours of negotiations were required to bring about a reconciliation between the two concerned parties.

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Footloose

Meaning:

Footloose means unshackled, Used as an adjective, footloose describes a person who has no responsibilities, and hence is free to do what he wants or go wherever he pleases. The term is also used to refer to an industry that is unrestricted in its location or field of operation, meaning it will not be affected by factors such as resources, land and labor.

Origin:

 The term is said to have entered English in the late 17th Century. It has been used to mean free to move the feet, unshackled." It is derived from foot (n.) + loose (adj.). Over time, it has acquired the figurative sense of "free to act as one pleases".

Examples:

Jack always yearned to be a footloose adventurer.

Ved is footloose with no family responsibilities to tie him down.

Footloose industries are able to effectively respond to market fluctuations.

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Anicut

Anicut is a dam built in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation.

Origin:

 This noun is said to have been in use since the 18th Century. It is interesting to note that this word has its origin in India. It is said to have originated from the Tamil words "anai" meaning dam and "kattu", meaning build. What was anaikattu gradually became anicut in the hands (or tongues) of the colonising British.

Example:

The Grand Anicut is an engineering marvel created in stone.

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Dogma

The word dogma corresponds to a fixed, especially religious, belief or set of beliefs that are laid down by an authority as unquestionably true. People are expected to accept these beliefs without any doubts.

Origin

The word has been around since about 1600. It is derived from the Latin dogma meaning "philosophical tenet" and is from Greek dogma, meaning "opinion, tenet" and literally "that which one thinks is true". While the word was regarded in 17th and 18th Centuries as a Greek word in English, it was subsequently changed to be a native English word.

The word was rather popular in the second half of the 19th Century and its usage has ebbed and flowed since then.

Usage

From a young age, she was known for her ability to question and even burst the bubble of generally accepted dogma.

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Inequity

Used as a noun, inequity means injustice, unfairness. It refers to a lack of equality and is often used in social, economic and educational contexts.

Origin

The term inequity is formed from the Latin prefix in meaning "not" + English equity meaning "fair, equal." A similar word "iniquity" means "sin, wickedness" involving a strong moral component. Iniquity is the older word to enter English from Old French iniquite which in turn came from Latin iniquitas (in meaning "not" + aequus meaning "just, level or equal"). And inequity was constructed much later. Though the words "inequity" and "iniquity" are etymologically related to the Latin word for equal, they have different meanings and associations. Today, "inequity" is more frequently used than "iniquity."

Usage

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequities in education.

An inequity in salaries exists in many organisations.

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Impale

Meaning:

Impale means to pierce with something sharp. It is used as a verb.

Origin:

The term could have been derived from Middle French empaler or Medieval Latin impalare meaning "to push on to a stake" (in meaning into + palus meaning a stake, post or pole). The term has been in use since the early 17th Century.

Example sentence:

She impaled the marinated paneer and vegetables on the skewer before cooking them on a grill.

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Onomatopoeia

This adjective refers to anything relating to onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia is the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it. For instance, the word hiss, referring to the sound made by a snake.

Origin:

Onomatopoeia has its origins in Greek - onoma (meaning "name") and poiein (meaning "to make").

Example:

Quack is an onomatopoeic word, referring to the sound made by ducks.

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Chutzpah

As a noun, chutzpah means extreme self-confidence, audacity, cheek, bordering on arrogance.

Origin

The word chutzpah is believed to have been derived from the Yiddish word 'khutspe, which means impudence or gall. Khutspe has been derived from the Hebrew word hutspah.

Examples

1. Jane Austen had the chutzpah to critique and comment upon the Victorian society.

2. It took a lot of chutzpah for him to quit his job during the recession.

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Perpetuate

As a verb perpetuate means to continue something. This word has both positive and negative connotations. It means to preserve something from extinction or oblivion. On the other hand, it also means to make an undesirable situation or a belief continue indefinitely.

Origin

The word perpetuate' has been derived from the Latin word perpetuus meaning continuous and universal.

Usage

1. Stereotypical images propagated in the media further perpetuate gender biases.

2. Biologists are taking efforts to perpetuate species in danger of extinction.

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Antithetical

Meaning:

Antithetical means directly opposed, mutually incompatible or exact opposite. It is used as an adjective usually followed by "to"

Origin:

The term entered English in the late 16th Century from Greek antithetikos meaning "contrasting" from antithetos opposed, from antitithenai set against (anti against + tithenai to place).

Usage:

He has a viewpoint that is antithetical to what his friends have.

What he practises is antithetical to what he preaches.

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Bout

The word bout is used to refer to a short period of illness or involvement in an intense period of activity of a specific kind. Bout can also correspond to a boxing or wrestling match.

Origin

The word bout has been around since the 1540s. First used to mean "a roundabout way", that meaning is now obsolete. The word derives from the Middle English bught, probably from an old unrecorded Old English variant of byht meaning "a bend".

Its meaning evolved from "a circuit of any kind" (as of a plough) to "a round at any kind of exercise" in the 1570s. It then came to denote "a round at fighting" from the 1590s and "a fit of illness" by 1938.

Usage

Even though this is only a friendly bout, both boxers are fighting like the championship is on the line.

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Stance

The word stance refers to a person's posture. It is the way in which someone stands, especially when playing a sport such as cricket, golf, and tennis.

Origin

The word stance may sound pretty straightforward but it has actually been derived from multiple words. Etymologists are divided over whether the word comes from Latin, French, Spanish, or Italian. All these languages have words similar to stance. The word is largely believed to have been originated from the Italian word "stanza", which means a stopping place or a station. However, some attribute it to the French stance, which means a resting place or a harbour. The word can also be traced back to the Latin 'stantia' or the Spanish 'stancia, which refers to a place or abode.

Usage:

1. The school took a firm stance against bullying by starting an anti-bullying campaign.

2. The coach fixed the rookie players batting stance during a practice session.

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Unguent

This noun refers to a soothing or healing salve: an ointment.

Origin:

The word unguent comes from the Latin word unguentem referring to ointment. Unguentem stems from the word unguere, meaning to anoint or smear with ointment.

Example:

The unguents were incredibly fragrant

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Debut

The word debut refers to a person's first appearance or performance in a particular capacity or role. It can also denote the first recording or publication of a group, singer, or writer.

Origin

The word has been around since the mid 18th Century. It is from the French word début meaning "first appearance" and is a figurative use from debuter. Debuter corresponds to making the first stroke in billiards and is also used to mean "to lead off at bowls", which is a game similar to bowling.

The word was used frequently from the 1930s and rose steadily in popularity till around the turn of the century. Even though the word continues to be in popular usage, it has seen a decline since then.

Usage

Indian cricketer T Natarajan made his international debut in all three formats of cricket in Australia in a very short span of time.

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