My Science School

(pronounced splint uh)

Meaning: A noun, splinter refers to a small, sharp piece of wood, glass, or similar material that has broken off a larger piece, a fragment or a sliver. It can also be used as an adjective and a verb.

Origin: The term which has been in use in English since the early 14th Century, was borrowed from Middle Dutch splinter, splenter meaning "a sharp fragment of a material". Its adjective form was first recorded in 1935. Figuratively, the word can be used to describe something that separates in a violent way.

Usage: My little sister came crying with a splinter in her finger.

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(Pronounced mif)

Meaning: This noun refers to a slight annoyance or offence, often resulting from a minor disagreement or misunderstanding. It describes a feeling of being slightly put out or irritated.

Origin: The word miff originated in the early 18th Century and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "mifle," meaning to stammer or speak in a faltering manner. Over time, it evolved to connote a state of being displeased or offended.

Example: Jane was in a bit of a miff after her colleague criticised her presentation during the meeting.

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(Pronounced maa-vl.)

Meaning:  As a noun, it refers to a thing or person that is very surprising or causes a lot of admiration. As a verb, marvel means to show or experience great surprise or admiration.

Origin: As a noun, this Middle English word is derived from the Old French word merveille, in turn, from late Latin mirabilia, a neuter plural of the Latin word mirabilis, meaning ‘wonderful’. This is from mirari, meaning wonder at. The verb is from merveillen (of persons), meaning ‘to be filled with wonder’. This is from Old French merveillier, meaning ‘to wonder at, be astonished’, from the word merveille.

Example: I marvel at her knowledge and grasp of the subject.

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What are meaning, origin and usage of word ‘Palanquin’?

Meaning: This noun refers to a structure formerly used in East Asia for transporting one person. It consists of a box carried by four or six people by means of two long poles.

Origin: In use since the 16th Century. 1580s, it is from the Portuguese word palanquim, which is from the Malay and Javanese word palangki, meaning litter or sedan (enclosed seat used for transporting people). This, in tum, is from the Sanskrit word palyanka, meaning couch, litter, from the words 'pari (meaning around)+'ancati, (meaning it bends, curves), meaning, perhaps, that which bends around the body.

Example: "Palanquin Bearers" is a poem by Sarojini Naidu.

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Meaning: The word privy can be used as an adjective and as a noun. When used as an adjective, it means sharing in the knowledge of something private or secret. It is usually followed by the preposition "to". As a noun, it means a toilet located outside a house or building.

Origin: The term entered Middle English in the early 13th Century from Old French prive meaning "intimate or private place" which in turn came from Latin privatus meaning "private or personal."

Usage: Ram is not privy to the discussions of the top management. The farm house is a privy place for the writer to relax and think about his next plot.

Meaning: The word spree corresponds to a spell or sustained period of unrestrained activity of a particular kind.

Origin: The word has been doing the rounds since the start of the 19th Century. A word of uncertain origin, its earliest use was in Scottish dialect works. In British dramatist Samuel Foote's comedy "The Maid of Bath" (1794), the word appears as a Scottish dialect pronunciation of another word.

After steady usage for over a hundred years, the word started growing further in popularity in the second half of the 20th Century.

Usage: He went on a shopping spree immediately after his salary was credited to his account.

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Meaning: It is a verb that means to move or be shaped like waves.

Origin: This word is derived from unda which is Latin for wave.

Example: Beautiful rows of lavender undulated across the field.

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What are meaning, origin and usage of word ‘Motley’?

Pronunciation: maht-lee

Meaning: An adjective, motley means made up of many different people or things

Origin: The first known use of the word was in the 14th century. The word has its origin in Middle English, from mot, meaning speck or a tiny particle.

Usage: The police tried their best to barricade the motley crowd that had shuffled in at the scene of the accident.

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(Pronounced suhb.vuht)

Meaning: A verb, subvert refers to trying to destroy or ruin something such as an established government or political system in a sneaky way or overturning something from the foundation or base. In other words, "to subvert something" means "to destroy its power or influence."

Origin: The term originates from the Latin root subvertere, meaning "to turn upside down or overthrow"; a combination of sub-"from below or under” and vertere "to turn". It's been in use in English since the late 14th Century.

Usage: Extradition acts as a deterrent against potential offenders who consider escape an easy way to subvert justice.

The rebel army is trying to subvert the government.

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(pronounced as ri,vai,tal,aiz)

Meaning: The word revitalize corresponds to imbuing something with new life and vitality.

Origin: The word, which has been around since the 1840s, is arrived at by combining re with vitalize. While the re denotes "back, again", the vitalize is used to imply "giving life to". The word vitalize has been around since the 1670s and is arrived at by giving vital the suffix ize.

The word grew steadily in popularity in the second half of the 20th Century and reached a peak around the turn of the century. While its usage has come down since then, it still enjoys considerable popularity.

Usage: Her introduction as a substitute revitalised the entire team to perform better.

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(pronounced aw-day-shuhs)

 Meaning: As an adjective it refers to someone who is very bold or daring.

Origin: It first appeared in English language in the mid-1500s. It was borrowed from the French adjective audacieux, which was derived from the noun audace (boldness). Audace can be traced to the Latin verb audere ("to dare")

Usage: Audacious adventurers risked everything they had for a shot at glory.

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(pronounced jih-JOON)

Meaning: This adjective is a formal word often used as a synonym of juvenile to describe things (such as behaviours, attitudes, etc.) that are immature, childish, or simplistic. It can also mean uninteresting or boring.

Origin: This term comes to us from the word ‘jejunus’ which is Latin for hungry or meagre. When English speakers first used jejune back in the 1600s, they applied it in ways that mirrored the meaning of its Latin root. However, it is speculated that this word got its current meaning when people confused it with the look-alike French word jeune 'which means young.

Usage: Monica made jejune remarks about life and art at the party.

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(pronounced as kri.tuhk)

Meaning: The word critic refers to a person who expresses an unfavourable opinion of something. It is also used to refer to a person who judges the merits of literary or artistic works, especially those who do it professionally.

Origin: The word, which was formerly spelt critick, has been around since the 1580s. It is derived from French critique, from Latin criticus, from Greek kritikos. The meaning of "one who judges merits of books, plays, etc." is from around 1600. While the root words often have a meaning of "a judge," the English word has always had the overtones of a "fault-finder."

Usage:  She is the book critic for the school's in-house magazine.

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(pronounced as le-o-nine)

Meaning: An adjective, leonine means relating to or resembling a lion.

Origin: The first-known use of the word was in the 14th Century. The word has its origin from the Latin word leoninus which means "pertaining to a lion."

Usage: Running his fingers through his leonine head of curls, the musician said that the new single is a take on the glorious period of Woodstock.

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(Pronounced rah.bid)

Meaning:  Used as an adjective, rabid means extremely violent, furious, going to extreme lengths in expressing one's opinion, or having a fanatical belief in something. It also means an animal affected with rabies, a viral disease.

Origin: The term rabid originates from Latin rabidus meaning “furious, frenzied", from rabere meaning "to rave or be mad". The word has been in use in English since the early 17th century in the sense "madly violent or furious."

Usage: My friend was bitten by a rabid dog. The office building was attacked by hundreds of rabid supporters of the leader who lost the elections.

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