word of the day: desideratum

The word of the day is desideratum:

Etymology:  < Latin dēsīderātum thing desired, neuter of dēsīderāt-us , past participle of dēsīderāre

 

Something for which a desire or longing is felt; something wanting and required or desired. (OED)

"Poke around the site and these are some of the desiderata you'll find, along with the amounts that various Task Rabbits have bid to do comparable jobs: 'Sit with me while I do my taxes (and make me do them)' ($33-$45).  'Proofread my wife's novel' ($82-$112).  'Locate a reptile handler who is in legal possession of a rattlesnake' ($47-$65)."

 - Patricia Marx, "Outsource yourself: the online way to delegate your chores", 14 January 2013 The New Yorker

The word of the day is abecedarian:

< medieval Latin abecedāri-us (see abecedary n.²) + -an suffix.(Show Less)

1. Of or pertaining to the alphabet; marked with the alphabet; arranged in alphabetical order, as abecedarian psalms, like the 119th. 

2. Occupied in learning the alphabet, or pertaining to one so occupied.  (OED)

"In 1693, the philosopher John Locke suggested that learning to read could be a more enjoyable experience if there were 'Dice and Play-things with the Letters on them, to teach Children the Alphabet by playing.'  The father of liberalism and blocks would have loved Dinosaur Hill, where abecedarian wooden blocks come in fifteen languages, including Hebrew, Korean, Arabic, Norwegian, Braille, and American Sign Language ($39-$43)."

 - Patricia Marx, "Toy Stories: Rating this year's playthings", 6 December 2010 The New Yorker

The word of the day is burnish:

< Old French burniss- stem of burnir, variant of brunir; compare Provençal bornir; see burn v.²... 

  

1.

a. trans. To make (metal) shining by friction; to furbish; to polish (a surface) by rubbing with a hard and smooth tool. .

2.

  a. transf. To make bright and glossy; to overspread with lustre.

3. Of a stag: To rub the dead ‘velvet’ or skin from his horns  [compare French brunir in same sense] ; applied loosely to the annual renewal of the horns, perhaps by confusion with burnish v.² 

4. intr. To become bright or glossy; to shine, gleam. Also fig. (OED)

"Over the past month, I visited most of the toy stores around town and combed through dozens of catalogues and Web sites, encountering dolls that drink and wet (the Children's General Store, 168 East 91st Street; $50.75), pirate ships that can be put together with Velcro (fao.com; $29.99), Teddy bears dressed more stylishly than I am (Dinosaur Hill, 306 East 9th Street; $80-$200), cherrywood baby rattles so burnished they could be handles on a George Nakashima bureau (Dinosaur Hill; $20), and a boy who threw a half-hour-long tantrum in the Lego Store after his mother refused to buy him the Tantive IV Star Wars set (620 Fifth Avenue, at Rockefeller Center; $179).  'A hundred dollars is not a lot of money!' he wailed."

 - Patricia Marx, "Toy Stories: Rating this year's playthings", 6 December 2010 The New Yorker