June 01, 2011
- anticipation (noun)
- \an-tiss-uh-PAY-shun\
- What does it mean?
- 1 : an earlier action that takes into account and deals with or prevents a later action2 : pleasurable expectation3 : the act of preparing for an expected event or state
- How do you use it?
- My uncle looks forward with anticipation to gorging himself at the fair on grilled meats and poultry with spicy sauces, in spite of the fact that his gluttonous habits always result in a severe case of indigestion.
- Are you a word wiz?
Today's example sentence is filled with words that all came into English in the same century as "anticipation." When do you think that was?
We won't make you wait before telling you that A is the correct answer. Besides "anticipation," the words "uncle," "gorge," "poultry," "sauce," "gluttonous," and "indigestion," all entered English during the 1300s. People back then weren't concerned only with eating, though. They also wished to "travel," have "adventures," "discover" "alien" lands, and perhaps gain "knowledge" of strange creatures like the "elephant." Interest in "science" led to "experiments" and "questions" about organs like the "kidney," "spleen," "stomach," and "esophagus." And the ancient occupations of "carpenter," "musician," "poet," "philosopher," and "skipper" of a ship were all given English names during the 1300s.
