Word of the day: accumbent
Word of the Day: Accumbent (adjective)
Pronunciation: [ê-'kêm-bênt]
Definition: Lying against or up to something, particularly lying at a table in the style of the ancient Greeks and Romans and other contemporary cultures.
Usage: Today's word is distinguished from incumbent "lying on or upon." "It is incumbent upon you to clear the dining room table," means that it lies upon "your shoulders" to clear the dining room table-something that requires doing after accumbing at it for even a moderately elaborate repast. Many authors refer to the "recumbent posture" of Romans at meals but "accumbent" is more accurate. Recumbent means "reclining or reposing" without any orientation. "Accumbent" implies a nearby object at which the recumbency is aimed. The noun from today's word, as you have guessed by now, is "accumbency."
Suggested Usage: For those of us inclined to nap after meals, the Roman accumbent orientation toward the groaning board offers considerable appeal. Don't, however, overlook the danger: "They were hard pressed to evacuate the burning club, given the long period of their accumbency." But don't overlook the possibility of expanding the usage of this word, either: "The oils and grease trickling from all the sunbathers accumbent to the pool posed a signal hazard of slippage."
Etymology: Latin accumbens, accumbent-, the present participle of accumbere (ac-cubui, ac-cubitum) "to recline at table" based on ad- "(up)to, at"+ cumbere "to recline." The root of today's word is akin to Latin cubitum and Greek kubiton "elbow," the body part upon which one accumbs. The original root apparently meant "bend" or "bow."
-Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com
Pronunciation: [ê-'kêm-bênt]
Definition: Lying against or up to something, particularly lying at a table in the style of the ancient Greeks and Romans and other contemporary cultures.
Usage: Today's word is distinguished from incumbent "lying on or upon." "It is incumbent upon you to clear the dining room table," means that it lies upon "your shoulders" to clear the dining room table-something that requires doing after accumbing at it for even a moderately elaborate repast. Many authors refer to the "recumbent posture" of Romans at meals but "accumbent" is more accurate. Recumbent means "reclining or reposing" without any orientation. "Accumbent" implies a nearby object at which the recumbency is aimed. The noun from today's word, as you have guessed by now, is "accumbency."
Suggested Usage: For those of us inclined to nap after meals, the Roman accumbent orientation toward the groaning board offers considerable appeal. Don't, however, overlook the danger: "They were hard pressed to evacuate the burning club, given the long period of their accumbency." But don't overlook the possibility of expanding the usage of this word, either: "The oils and grease trickling from all the sunbathers accumbent to the pool posed a signal hazard of slippage."
Etymology: Latin accumbens, accumbent-, the present participle of accumbere (ac-cubui, ac-cubitum) "to recline at table" based on ad- "(up)to, at"+ cumbere "to recline." The root of today's word is akin to Latin cubitum and Greek kubiton "elbow," the body part upon which one accumbs. The original root apparently meant "bend" or "bow."
-Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com