Word of the Day

noun

Following the second work-related accident in two weeks, operations at the factory were shut down so that a thorough safety review could be conducted.

"Too many kids — by accident of birth — start life with the odds against them, and too many schools don't do much to improve those odds." — From an article in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), December 9, 2011

"Accident" is just one of many words in the English language to come down to us from the Latin verb "cadere," meaning "to fall." Among the others are "deciduous" (an adjective used to describe something, such as leaves, which fall off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle), "cascade" (which can mean, among other things, "a steep fall of water" or "something falling or rushing forth"),"cadence" ("a falling inflection of the voice"), and "decay" ("to fall into ruin"). "Chance," which functions as a synonym of "accident" in one sense, is also a "cadere" descendant.

Test Your Memory: What word completes this sentence from a recent Word of the Day piece: "The author's new book is not as __________ as his previous works and is likely to attract a much larger readership"? The answer is ...

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