Etymology: Middle English wamb, womb, from Old English; akin to Old High German wamba belly
Date: before 12th century
1:uterus 2 a: a cavity or space that resembles a womb in containing and enveloping b: a place where something is generated
— wombed\ˈwümd\adjective
As you may have guessed, at 38 weeks pregnant I have baby on the brain! When the little one arrives, I may have to take a hiatus from posting funny words of the day -- or it may become more like funny word of the week (or month depending how needy this kid is)!
Etymology: Greek aphrodisiakos sexual, gem with aphrodisiac properties, from aphrodisia heterosexual pleasures, from neuter plural of aphrodisios of Aphrodite, from Aphroditē
Date: 1719
1: an agent (as a food or drug) that arouses or is held to arouse sexual desire 2: something that excites
— aphrodisiac also aph·ro·di·si·a·cal\ˌa-frə-di-ˈsī-ə-kəl, -ˈzī-\adjective
1corny Pronunciation: \ˈkȯr-nē\ Function: adjective Inflected Form(s): corn·i·er; corn·i·est Date: 14th century 1 archaic : tasting strongly of malt 2 : of or relating to corn 3 : mawkishly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple and sentimental — corn·i·ly \ˈkȯr-nə-lē\ adverb — corn·i·ness \ˈkȯr-nē-nəs\ noun
2corny Function: adjective Inflected Form(s): corn·i·er; corn·i·est Date: 1689 : relating to or having corns on the feet Ew. The 2nd definition is really gross.
I haven't had time to post on the blog but here are the funny words you may have missed:
By far the largest group of ferns are the leptosporangiate ferns, but ferns as defined here (also called monilophytes) include horsetails, whisk ferns, marattioid ferns, and ophioglossoid ferns. The term pteridophyte also refers to ferns (and possibly other seedless vascular plants; see classification section below).
Ferns first appear in the fossil record in the Carboniferous but many of the current families and species did not appear until roughly the late Cretaceous (after flowering plants came to dominate many environments).
Ferns are not of major economic importance, but some are grown or gathered for food, as ornamental plants, or for remediating contaminated soils. Some are significant weeds. They also feature in mythology, medicine, and art.
But I think it's funny because it reminds me of a leathery-tan, chain-smoking yenta who wears hot pink lipstick and introduces herself in a gravelly voice, "Fern here. Let's tawk."
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ilca, from *i- that, the same (akin to Gothic is he, Latin, he, that) + *lik- form (whence Old English līc body) — more at iterate, like
Date: before 12th century
chiefly Scottish:same —used with that especially in the names of landed families
A pupa (Latinpupa for doll, pl: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago.
Pupation may be brief, for example 2 weeks as in monarch butterflies, or the pupa may enter dormancy or diapause until the appropriate season for the adult insect (in temperate climate pupae usually stay dormant during winter, in the tropics pupae usually do so during the dry season). Pupation may last weeks, months or even years. Anise Swallowtails sometimes emerge after years as a chrysalis.
Etymology: Middle English bever, from Old English beofor; akin to Old High German bibar beaver, and probably to Old English brūn brown — more at brown
Date: before 12th century
1or pluralbeavera: either of two large semiaquatic herbivorous rodents comprising a family (Castoridae including Castor canadensis of North America and C. fiber of Eurasia), having webbed hind feet and a broad flat scaly tail, and constructing dams and partially submerged lodges b: the fur or pelt of the beaver 2 a: a hat made of beaver fur or a fabric imitation b:silk hat 3: a heavy fabric of felted wool or of cotton napped on both sides 4usually vulgar: the pudenda of a woman
2beaver
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English baviere, from Middle French
Date: 15th century
1: a piece of armor protecting the lower part of the face 2: a helmet visor
I've decided to make a sentence out of them, as well as today's:
That twerp had the gumption to plop down next to me and ask me if, like him, I dabble in extramarital affairs and that he'd really like to see my beaver. Needless to say, I slapped him and ran away very fast.
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