Word of the Day #117: Oubliette

In a French class this morning, my students and I learned the French word for forget: oublier. We spent a few minutes talking about the word.  Oublier, the French verb, comes from the Latin verb meaning the same thing, obliviscor.  Forgetful, in Latin, is oblitus....

Word of the Day #116: Apanthropy

Raining hard in Tennessee today.  On days like this my apanthropy usually kicks in. Apanthropy is the desire to be alone, a love of solitude.  Apanthropy comes from two Greek words.  The preposition ἀπό (apo) means “away from”.   Ἄνφροπος (anthropos), which you may...

Word of the Day #115: Fiancée

Someone once said, “English is a German language with a Latin vocabulary.” We can see the truth of that statement in the word fiancée.  This word came up this morning in a French class I teach. In French, a fiancée is a woman who has promised to marry. ...

Goals: One Meal a Day

Last year I wrote a book on goal setting.  I am now in the process of editing that book.  As I edit, I will post excerpts here on my blog.  This is from chapter four: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Why...

Word of the Day #114: Exhaust

Exhaust: to drain; to deplete. This morning, in a Latin class, we came across the Latin verb exhaurire.  Exhaurire is Latin for drawing out, emptying, or draining.  Exhaurire itself is a combination of the preposition ex, meaning ‘out of’ and haurire,...