{UAH} Nosegay - plus, The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise -

Nosegay - plus, The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/12/19    Inbox

M-W's Word of the Day <mwwotd@wotd.m-w.com> Mon, Jul 15, 2019 at 10:07 AM Reply-To: Merriam-Webster <reply-febe117970670775-108_HTML-102297764-100014713-400@wotd.m-w.com> To: opallog@gmail.com Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original       WORD OF THE DAY July 15, 2019         nosegay    noun | NOHZ-gay   Definition   : a small bunch of flowers : posy   Scroll down for more about nosegay     TRENDING NOW: gerrymander gerrymandering concentration camp animus SEE ALL       PEOPLE ARE READING   The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/12/19     What It Means to Get 'Canceled'   The Roots of 'Radical'     '-Gate': Notes on a Scandal       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE     Farm Idioms Quiz   Not your children's farm quiz.     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! TAKE ME THERE        Did You Know?   Nosegay is a homegrown word—that is, it originated in English. 15th-century Middle English speakers joined nose (which meant then what it does today) with gay (which, at the time, meant "ornament"). That makes nosegay an appropriate term for a bunch of flowers, which is indeed an ornament that appeals to the nose. Today, the word nosegay is especially common in the bridal business, where it usually refers to a specific type of bouquet: a round, tight bunch of flowers as opposed to a cascading bouquet or other type of arrangement. Occasionally, the word is used metaphorically for things that somehow resemble a bouquet. For example, a compact collection of enjoyably lighthearted short stories might be called "a nosegay of a book."     Examples of NOSEGAY   "On arrival, the Queen was presented with her traditional nosegay of fresh spring flowers…." — Robert Hardman, The Daily Mail (London), 19 Apr. 2019   "Many of the boys also were ordering nosegays or wrist corsages for their dates. 'I just had a group of three boys coming in with pictures on their phones of the girls' dresses,' [Megan] Mitchell said several days before the prom. The boys want the flowers to match the color of the dresses." — Kimberly Fornek, The Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2019   Test Your Vocabulary   What is the meaning of French-derived bouquet garni?   VIEW THE ANSWER              MORE WORD FUN:

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