Word of the Day
: August 22, 2009animadversion
play
noun
an-uh-mad-VER-zhun
What It Means
1 : a critical and usually censorious remark -- often used with "on"
2 : adverse criticism
animadversion in Context
The film critic seems to have offered animadversions on nearly every movie made this year.
Did You Know?
"Animadversion" comes ultimately from the Latin phrase "animum advertere," meaning "to turn the mind to." It is easy to see how we also get "adverse" and "adversary" from "advertere," especially when we remember that "to turn to" easily becomes "to turn against." Other English words descended from "advertere" include "advert," meaning "to turn the attention (to)" or "to make reference (to)," and "advertise."
More Words of the Day
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May 01
convoluted
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Apr 30
insouciance
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Apr 29
furtive
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Apr 28
alacrity
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Apr 27
decimate
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Apr 26
nonchalant
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Merriam-Webster unabridged