December 31, 2009
secluded (adjective)
\sih-KLOO-dud\ Hear it!
What does it mean?
1 : hidden from view2 : living in seclusion : solitary
How do you use it?
"I do not think I ever saw a spot which appeared more secluded from the rest of the world, than this rocky crevice in the wide plain." (Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle)
Are you a word wiz?

Which of these verbs do you think is related to "secluded"?

You closed in on the correct answer if you chose B. Both "close" and "secluded" have origins in the Latin word "claudere" which means "to close." Latin speakers used "claudere" to form the verb "secludere," meaning "to separate, seclude." In Middle English, "secludere" became the verb "seclude" which meant "to cut off (from)." Eventually English speakers started using "secluded," a form of "seclude," as an adjective. Other words which trace to "claudere" include "conclude," "exclude," "include," and "recluse."
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