Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, September 26, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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petrolatum
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Compound AdjectivesA compound adjective (also known as a compound modifier or a phrasal adjective) is created by two or more words that work jointly to modify the same noun. How are they usually joined together? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Maxwell's DemonThe second law of thermodynamics—stating that any isolated microcosm moves only toward an increase in entropy—was accepted uneasily by the scientific community, and in 1867, physicist James Clerk Maxwell sought to disprove it. Maxwell's thought experiment utilized a hypothetical creature, which he called a "finite being," that could sort molecules of different velocities or temperatures without expending energy, thus bringing about a general decrease in entropy. Who dubbed the being a "demon"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sir Francis Drake Circumnavigates the Globe (1580)In 1577, Drake set out with five ships to raid Spanish holdings on the Pacific coast of the New World. He abandoned two ships in South America, and, with the remaining three, navigated the Straits of Magellan, becoming the first Englishman to make the passage. After one ship was destroyed and another returned to England, Drake continued alone. He crossed the Pacific, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived at Plymouth with an abundance of treasure that he had mostly acquired where? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Saint Francis of Assisi (1181)The patron saint of animals, Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian monk canonized as a saint in 1228. Born into a wealthy family, he was a soldier and prisoner of war before he experienced a conversion in his early 20s. He sold his property, gave the money to the church, and began a life of poverty and devoutness. He soon attracted followers and became the founder of the Franciscan order of friars. Catholics believe that Saint Francis was the first person to exhibit stigmata, which are what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike.Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have it large— To engage in or seek out pleasurable, hedonistic activities with great enthusiasm or intensity, especially dancing and drinking alcohol. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Birthday of Appleseed (2023)John Chapman—better known as Johnny Appleseed for his lifelong dedication to planting apple seedlings all over the American Midwest—was born on this day in 1774. While some frontier settlers thought he was a saint, or at the very least a religious fanatic, with his tin pot hat and coffee-sack tunic, the Native Americans regarded him as a great medicine man since he planted herbs as well as apples. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: silenceobmutescence, obmutescent - Obmutescence is the act of becoming mute or silent—usually a stubborn, willful act; if you are inclined to silence, you are obmutescent. More... oyez - Meaning a call for silence and attention, it descends from Anglo-Norman oyez/oiez, "to hear" or "hear ye." More... silential - Describing something performed in silence. More... omerta - The code of silence in the Mafia, from the Italian word for "humility." More... | |