word 28

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

avoirdupois

PRONUNCIATION:

(av-ur-duh-POIZ, -PWA)

MEANING:

noun: Heaviness or weight of a person.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Middle English avoir de pois (goods sold by weight), from Old French aveir de peis (goods of weight), originally referred to things sold in bulk.

USAGE:

"Both McKay and Welles are tall and carry a fair amount of avoirdupois."
Sam Allis; Getting Orson Welles Just Right; Boston Globe; Dec 6, 2009.
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A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

The vanquished know war. They see through the empty jingoism of those who use the abstract words of glory, honor, and patriotism to mask the cries of the wounded, the senseless killing, war profiteering, and chest-pounding grief. -Chris Hedges, journalist, author, and war correspondent (b. 1956)