Friday, December 15, 2017

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - Fructify

 
 
Merriam-Webster  
 
WORD OF THE DAY
December 15, 2017
 
 
 
 
 
fructify Audio pronunciation
 
verb | FRUK-tuh-fye  
 
Definition
 
:
to bear fruit
 
:
to make fruitful or productive
 
Scroll down for more about fructify
 
 
 
WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE
 
 
 
Star Wars Words Quiz
 
Is the Force strong in you?
 
  PLAY NOW  
 
Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE  >
 
Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!  >
 
 
 
Did You Know?
 
Fructify derives from Middle English fructifien and ultimately from the Latin noun fructus, meaning "fruit." When the word was first used in English in the 14th century, it literally referred to the actions of plants that bore fruit; later it was used transitively to refer to the action of making something fruitful, such as soil. The word also expanded to encompass a figurative sense of "fruit," and it is now more frequently used to refer to the giving forth of something in profit from something else (such as dividends from an investment). Fructus also gave us the name of the sugar fructose, as well as usufruct, which refers to the legal right to enjoy the fruits or profits of something that belongs to someone else.
 
 
Examples of FRUCTIFY
 
My parents are in a comfortable financial position, thanks to some investments that have recently begun to fructify.
 
"I don't care for the jokey body language and elaborate costuming of the four male bees in the Waltz of the Flowers, and yet I find myself paying close attention each time to how tightly they're woven into the musical tapestry. They're not just there to fructify the 16 female flowers, they also become part of one dance pattern after another…."
Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times, 16 Dec. 2013
 
Test Your Vocabulary
 
What verb can mean "to break at once into pieces" or "to drop off leaves, petals, or fruit"?
 
VIEW THE ANSWER  >
 
 
 
 
WORD OF THE YEAR 2017
 
 
Feminism + 9 more
 
Read why feminism is our Word of the Year, plus dotard, syzygy, gaffe, and 6 more top words!
 
 
 
 
 
  MORE WORD FUN:
 
      TRENDING NOW >
 
      WORDS AT PLAY >
 
 
FOLLOW US:
 
Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest
 

No comments:

Post a Comment

The South Central Bulldog reserves the right to reject any comment for any reason, without explanation.