This week we feature a potpourri of words. We opened a dictionary, shook it gently, and these words fell out. They came in all shapes, sizes, and senses. They're short and long. They're flighty and grouchy. Call 'em what you will, a medley of words, a farrago, or a gallimaufry. They're disparate, they're diverse. They are varied and variegated, unclassified and unsorted. And they're all ready to serve.
volitant (VOL-i-tuhnt) adjective 1. Flying or capable of flight. 2. Active; moving about rapidly. [From Latin volitare (to flutter), from volare (to fly). Volatile and volley descended from the same source.] -Anu Garg (gargATwordsmith.org) "Notwithstanding the volitant simmerings of Gershwin's right-sided tumor, his left brain could have assumed, over time, essential functions of his musical genius, allowing for his terminal inventiveness." Spencer Nadler; Brain-cell Memories; Harper's (New York); Sep 2000. Sponsored by: Always find the right word with the Visual Thesaurus. Wordsmith readers save 10%. Try it free! http://www.visualthesaurus.com/?code=ax3&ad=aw Monthly French, German, Italian and Spanish cultural audio magazines for intermediate-to-advanced learners. http://web.champs-elysees.com/wsmith1 ............................................................................ Great geniuses have the shortest biographies. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) Discuss this week's theme or words at our bulletin board: http://wordsmith.org/board Unsubscribe, change address, gift subs: http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber.html Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/volitant.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/volitant.ram Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/volitant.html This message was sent to "[email protected]".
