Importance Of Word Meanings

     

Tucson Weather Today

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The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.
--Rene Descartes

Recently, I was asked about my blog's WORD FOR TODAY section, and why I so often define simple and common words of which everyone already knows the definitions. I do so because so many people (myself included) only think they know the meaning of specific words. The WORD FOR TODAY in this blog attempts to display the true and complete dictionary definition of the word.

Knowing the correct meaning of a word seems to be of the utmost importance to me. When I write, I try to use the exact word that means what I am intending to convey to the reader. This can be accomplished, of course, only if both the writer and the reader know the correct meaning of the word being used.

For example: I once wrote, "Sarah Palin is quite erudite..." and a friend refuted this statement, saying, "Sarah Palin is not erudite" When I looked up the word erudite I found that my friend was correct. I had used the word erudite because I mistakenly thought it meant "capable of influencing an audience" when it actually means: "characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly."

I would like to repeat, Knowing the true meanings of words is of the utmost importance.

Daily Writing Tips is a website that I consult often. It is a valuable site for those who wish to know about words, sentences, and writing in general.


I would like to share with my readers an incredibly agreeable experience I enjoyed yesterday with a new grocery item. I have purchased and eaten a great many frozen microwavable dinners over the years, but never have I, until now, tasted one that made me exclaim, "Wow! That's good.!" The item is a Jimmy Dean DELIGHTS Golden Roasted Turkey with potatoes, carrots. and celery in a creamy herb sauce.

Now this is, I must admit, a quite small dinner, only 8 ounces. There is not much to it. But I found that if eaten slowly, taking small bites, it is surprisingly satisfying. 210 calories. And it is delicious.

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Did You Know . . .?

Scientists discovered a volcano in Antarctica that's buried under a thick layer of ice, which could cause global sea levels to rise when it erupts.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1971, a four-day riot at Attica Prison comes to a violent end as law enforcement officials open fire, killing 29 inmates and 10 hostages and injuring many more. A group of inmates assaulted a prison guard and began rioting. They took prison employees hostage and gained control of portions of the facility. The prison insurrection was the bloodiest in U.S. history.

 A class-action suit filed in the 1970s on behalf of over 1,200 Attica inmates was settled in 2000 when a federal judge ordered New York State to pay $8 million to the surviving inmates.  In 2005, the state also agreed to pay $12 million to the survivors and families of employees killed at Attica.

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WORD FOR TODAY

reprove [rih-PROOV]
verb
1. To voice or convey disapproval of.
2. To find fault with; admonish; rebuke.
3. to criticize or correct.
4. to express strong disapproval of; censure.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Bennett Joseph "Ben" Savage

(born September 13, 1980)

Ben Savage is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Cory Matthews on the 1993-2000 ABC sitcom Boy Meets World and its Disney Channel sequel series Girl Meets World. His brother is actor/director Fred Savage.

Jean Elizabeth Smart

(born September 13, 1951)

Jean Smart is an American film, television, and stage actress. On television, she became known for her role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield in the first five seasons of the CBS sitcom Designing Women. In 1992, she played the title role in the TV movie Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story. Her other TV roles include Sherry Reagan in The District, Lana Gardener in Frasier, and Martha Logan in 24.

Tavis Smiley

(born September 13, 1964)

Tavis Smiley is an American talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist.

Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset

(born September 13, 1944)

Jacqueline Bisset is a British actress. She first came to prominence in 1968, starring opposite Frank Sinatra in The Detective and Steve McQueen in Bullitt, and received a most promising newcomer Golden Globe nomination for The Sweet Ride. Bisset appeared in François Truffaut's Day for Night, Murder on the Orient Express, The Deep , and Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?.

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"Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."
--Stephen King

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