Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - Mansuetude

WORD OF THE DAY January 25, 2018

mansuetude    noun | MAN-swih-tood     Definition   : the quality or state of being gentle : meekness, tameness   Scroll down for more about mansuetude       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   January 2018 Words of the Day Quiz   Word of the day quiz. January-style.     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE     Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!         Did You Know?   Mansuetude was first used in English in the 14th century, and it derives from the Latin verb mansuescere, which means "to tame." Mansuescere itself comes from the noun manus (meaning "hand") and the verb suescere ("to accustom" or "to become accustomed"). Unlike manus, which has many English descendants (including manner, emancipate, and manicure), suescere has only a few English progeny. One of them is desuetude, which means "disuse" and comes to us by way of Latin desuescere ("to become unaccustomed"). Two others are custom and accustom, which derive via Anglo-French from Latin consuescere, meaning "to accustom."     Examples of MANSUETUDE   "… he espied over the plateau … the old brown villa itself, rich in memories of one after another of the family of the Antonines. As he approached it, such reminiscences crowded upon him, above all of the life there of the aged Antoninus Pius, in its wonderful mansuetude and calm." — Walter Pater, Marius the Epicurian, 1885   "While Barbara was swimming to meet the dawn, Miltoun was bathing in those waters of mansuetude and truth which roll from wall to wall in the British House of Commons." — John Galsworthy, The Patrician, 1911   Word Family Quiz   What word derived from Latin manus refers to something that is used as a restraint, such as handcuffs?   VIEW THE ANSWER           USAGE NOTES     Is 'Knots an Hour' Wrong?   Some say knots can only be a measure of speed. Are they right?   FIND OUT

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