January’s Word for Wednesday theme is Janus words. A Janus word is a word with contradictory meanings. These words are also known as contronyms and auto antonyms. So far, we’ve looked at the words weather, dust and left. Today’s word is refrain. As a verb, refrain describes the act of stopping oneself from doing something. For example: Please refrain from smoking indoors. The boy refrained from picking his nose. I will refrain from saying what I think. As a noun, the word refrain describes repeated lines at the end of a verse. For example: There’s a refr...
January’s Word for Wednesday theme is Janus words. A Janus word is a word with contradictory meanings. These words are also known as contronyms and auto antonyms. So far, we’ve looked at the words weather and dust. Today’s word is left. The word left is used to describe the act of departing. For example: They have already left the party. The UK left the European Union in 2020. She left on her adventure around the world last week. It is also used to describe what is remaining. For example: There are plenty of people left at the party. How much food is left? She le...
January’s Word for Wednesday theme is Janus words. A Janus word is a word with contradictory meanings. These words are also known as contronyms and auto antonyms. Last week we looked at the word weather, this week’s word is dust. As a noun, dust refers to a fine powder made from microscopic particles of other materials that coats surfaces and floats in the air. However, like with weather, it is the verb forms of dust that have contradictory meanings. The verb dust is used to describe the act of removing dust. For example: He made sure to dust the house before his parents came to visit. I should dust those cobwebs away. We haven...
January marks the shift into the new year and is named for Janus, the Roman god of beginning and transitions. Janus is usually depicted with two heads – one looking back into the past, and the other looking forward to the future. With this in mind, this month’s Word for Wednesday theme is Janus words. A Janus word is a word with contradictory meanings. These words are also known as contronyms and auto antonyms. Our first Janus word of the year is weather. As a noun, this word refers to atmospheric effects like wind, rain, and snow. It is the verb forms of weather that have contradictory meanings. One meaning of the verb weather is ‘to withstand’. F...
Have you ever wondered where the months got their names from? In the Western world, the most widely used calendar is the Gregorian calendar, but some of the names of the months come from the calendars used by the ancient Romans. The calendar of Romulus had ten months, beginning with the spring equinox in March and ending in December. After many calendar reforms since Romulus’s calendar, the following mnemonic rhyme sums up the features of the calendar we use today: “Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. All the rest have thirty-one, Excepting February alone, And that has twenty-eight days clear, And twenty-nine in each leap year.” We love a go...
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