Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, August 10, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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manumit
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ProcliticsWhen we form contractions, we almost always omit one or more letters from the second (or occasionally third) word. There are a few instances, though, in which the first word used in a contraction has one or more letters replaced by an apostrophe. What are some examples? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The PeshittaWritten in the Syriac language—a form of Aramaic—the Peshitta is the Bible used by Syriac Christians. Its Old Testament is said to be a direct translation from the ancient Hebrew, unlike other modern Bibles, which have been translated from Greek or Latin. Because the New Testament of the Peshitta has remained in Aramaic for so long, Syriac Christians believe it may be more accurate than versions that have undergone more translations and revisions. What does "Peshitta" mean? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Magellan Space Probe Reaches Venus (1990)The first planetary spacecraft to be launched from a space shuttle, Magellan took 15 months to reach its destination, arriving in orbit around the second planet from the Sun in August 1990. It was then put to work generating high-resolution maps of Venus's surface and measuring the planet's gravity. Four years later, with its mission complete, Magellan plunged into Venus's tremendously dense atmosphere and disintegrated. What do Magellan's images reveal about the planet? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Henri Nestlé (1814)Born in Germany, Nestlé was the 11th of 14 children—only half of whom survived to adulthood. After apprenticing to a pharmacist in the 1830s, he began to work on an infant food that could serve as a substitute for breast milk for struggling babies. Combining milk, flour, and sugar, he created the first commercial infant formula and founded what is today the largest processed foods company in the world. The Nestlé company logo is derived from the family coat of arms, which includes what image? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Great minds have purposes; others have wishes. Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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with a heavy hand— In an excessive, authoritarian, or oppressive way or manner. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Perseids Meteor Shower (2020)A meteor shower occurs when a number of meteors enter the Earth's atmosphere at approximately the same time and place. Since the year 36 CE there have been records of an annual meteor shower known as the Perseids (because it appears to originate in the constellation Perseus) that is most observable during the nights of August 10-12. Observers everywhere except the South Pole can see as many as 60 meteors an hour streak across the sky on what is often referred to as the Night of the Shooting Stars. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: thighham, hamstring - Originally, the part of the leg behind the knee was called the ham, and then the tendon near the ham was the hamstring; by extension, the ham became the thigh and buttock together. More... haunch - The buttock and thigh together. More... hockshin, gambrel - The underside of the thigh is the hockshin or gambrel. More... thigh - Etymologically, the "plump" part of the leg, from an Indo-European base meaning "swell" or "fat." More... | |