Saturday, December 20, 2008

WOTD

Word of the Day
Meretricious (adjective)
Pronunciation: [mer-ê-'trish-ês]
Definition: (1) Gaudy, vulgar, especially attracting attention by being gaudy or vulgar. (2) False, insincere.
Usage 1: "Meretriciously" is the adverb and "meretriciousness," the noun.
Suggested Usage: This word asks to be employed in a variety of situations. "The meretricious holiday decorations in the malls have made me into a catalog shopper," "Her tenth-grader thinks that creativity is best expressed by meretricious outfits." In the other sense of "meretricious": "My husband thinks that my arguments for not hosting his family's Christmas dinner are meretricious and unfounded."
Etymology: Entered English in the 17th century from Latin meretrix, meretric- "prostitute" in turn from merere "to earn; deserve." (The idea of the "working girl" goes way back.) The same stem appears in "merit" and "turmeric" (from Latin "terra merita" via French). –Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com

You are dressed so meretriciously today......

No comments:

Post a Comment