Archive for the 'Words' Category

Dictionary.com: salient

- Projecting or jutting beyond a line or surface; protruding.
- Strikingly conspicuous; prominent.
- Springing; jumping: salient tree toads.

According to Take Our Word For It, the origins of the word disgruntled are as follows:

Usually, the prefix dis- implies a loss of something, as in disease, disgust and disgrace. Very occasionally, as here, it means “entirely” or “very”. So disgruntled means something like “extremely gruntled “. So, what does gruntle mean? It is a variant of the word grunt with the obsolete meaning of “grumble”. The word appeared sometime around 1680 but was originally a transitive verb meaning “to give [someone] extreme cause to grumble”. Incidentally, a word formed by lengthening another (like gruntle from grunt) is called a frequentative form of the earlier word.

Dictionary.com/vitriolic

Bitterly scathing; caustic: vitriolic criticism.

Dictionary.com/Neologism

-A new word, expression, or usage.
-The creation or use of new words or senses.

Also – Neologist; one who creates new words or senses

Thanks to Jamie for the answer to that one !

Dictionary.com/actually

- In fact; in reality
- Used to express wonder, surprise, or incredulity

I counted the word “actually” seven times in what I wrote for my last blog enty on Hong Kong. I actually think I might have to think a bit more carefully about my choice of words when writing.