Derrick's Spot

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for March 01, 2012 is:

abeyance • \uh-BAY-unss\  • noun
1 : a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested 2 : temporary inactivity : suspension

Examples:
Our plans to go for a bike ride were in abeyance until the weather cleared up.

"The remaining $5,000 of the fine is held in abeyance and will not have to be paid unless additional violations are committed by the Venice baseball program during the probationary period."—From an article by Dennis Maffezzoli in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida), January 23, 2012

Did you know?
"Abeyance" has something in common with "yawn." Today, "yawn" implies sleep or boredom, but years ago it could also signify longing or desire ("Full many men know I that yawn and gape after some fat and rich benefice"—Thomas Hoccleve, 1420). The Old French word for "yawn" was "baer," which joined the prefix "a-" ("in a state or condition of") to form "abaer," a verb meaning "to expect" or "await." There followed Anglo-French "abeyance," which referred to a state of expectation—specifically, a person’s expectation of inheriting a title or property. But when we adopted "abeyance" into English in the 16th century, we applied the expectation to the property itself: a property or title "in abeyance" is in temporary limbo, waiting to be claimed by a rightful heir or owner.

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for February 29, 2012 is:

bosky • \BAH-skee\  • adjective
1 : having abundant trees or shrubs 2 : of or relating to a woods

Examples:
As we drove away from the city, apartment buildings gave way to homes with yards, then at last to a bosky landscape dominated by tall pines.

"In 1863, when two brothers were abducted by armed gangsters and marched into a forest, their appeal to a local saint resulted in their abductors letting them go. Amusingly, though, the artist’s skill extends only to the most crucial details: the blindfold, the guns, the bosky scene."—From an article by Jenny Gilbert in The Independent (London), November 20, 2011

Did you know?
"Bosk," "busk," "bush"—in Middle English these were all variant spellings of a word meaning "shrub." "Bush" is still familiar to the modern ear, and "busk" can still be heard in a few places in the dialects of northern Britain. "Bosk" too survived in English dialects, although it disappeared from the written language, and in the early 17th century it provided the root for the woodsy adjective "bosky." Since its formation, "bosky" has been firmly rooted in our language, and its widespread popularity seems to have resurrected its parental form. By 1815 "bosk" (also spelled "bosque") had reappeared in writing, but this time with the meaning "a small wooded area."

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for February 28, 2012 is:

livelong • \LIV-lawng\  • adjective
: whole, entire

Examples:
They worked hard all the livelong day and finally fell into their beds, exhausted, well past sundown.

"The sass and vigour of American politics and attendant media coverage is a thing to behold. All you have to do is turn on the darn TV and there it is … playing out in late-night shows, in prime time and all the livelong day on the all-news channels." — From an article by John Doyle in The Globe and Mail (Toronto), November 9, 2011

Did you know?
"I’ve been workin’ on the railroad, all the livelong day." So goes the American folk standard, and nowadays when we encounter the word "livelong" it is typically in the phrase "all the livelong day" or something similar. Although we don’t see "livelong" much in prose anymore poets still love the word, possibly for its two distinct, alliterative syllables. Despite the resemblance, "livelong" does not mean the same thing as "lifelong" (as in "a lifelong friend"). In fact, the words are not closely related: the "live" in "livelong" derives from "lef," a Middle English word meaning "dear or beloved."

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for February 27, 2012 is:

viva voce • \vye-vuh-VOH-see\  • adverb
: by word of mouth : orally

Examples:
According to the town’s bylaws, members of the town council must vote viva voce or by a show of hands.

"He was examined according to standard inquisitorial procedures derived from Roman law and medieval practice. Interrogators put questions to the accused who answered viva voce, in writing, or both, as demanded." — From Donald Weinstein’s 2011 book Savonarola: the Rise and Fall of a Renaissance Prophet

Did you know?
"Viva voce" derives from Medieval Latin, where it translates literally as "with the living voice." In English it occurs in contexts, such as voting, in which something is done aloud for all to hear. Votes in Congress, for example, are done viva voce — members announce their votes by calling out "yea" or "nay." While the phrase was first used in English as an adverb in the 16th century, it can also appear as an adjective (as in "a viva voce examination") or a noun (where it refers to an examination conducted orally).

Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for February 26, 2012 is:

empirical • \im-PEER-uh-kul\  • adjective
1 : originating in or based on observation or experience 2 : relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory 3 : capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment 4 : of or relating to empiricism

Examples:
The students have collected plenty of empirical data from their experiments.

"Those empirical studies have found that teens are up to three times more likely than adults to falsely confess under police interrogation to crimes they never committed." — From an editorial by Laura H. Nirider in the Chicago Tribune, December 23, 2011

Did you know?
When "empirical" first appeared as an adjective in English, it meant simply "in the manner of an empiric." An empiric was a member of an ancient sect of doctors who practiced medicine based exclusively on experience, as contrasted with those who relied on theory or philosophy. The name "empiric" derives from Latin "empiricus," itself from Greek "empeirikos" ("experienced"). It ultimately traces back to the verb "peiran," meaning "to try, attempt, or experiment."