Thursday, September 01, 2011

Word of the day: jounce

The word of the day is jounce:


Etymology:  Of obscure origin: it has been compared to jaunce v., which it partly approaches in use, but with which it can scarcely be phonetically connected. Several words in -ounce, as bounce, flounce, pounce, trounce, are of obscure history. 
 
1. intr. To move violently up and down, to fall heavily against something; to bump, bounce, jolt; to go along with a heavy jolting pace. 
2. trans. To jolt, bump, or shake up and down, as by rough riding; to give (a person) a shaking. (OED)


"I unwrap a Dentyne and, while
jouncing my teeth in rubber tongue-smarting clove, try
with the 2-inch-wide paper to blot butter off my fingers."

 - May Swenson, "The James Bond Movie", 1 September 2011 The Writer's Almanac

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