Word Dictionary [220114]

Word of the day: endeavour
Definition: v. & n. tr. (foll. by to infin.) try earnestly.
Synonyms: enterprise, endeavor
Etymology: ME f. put oneself in DEVOIR (more…)

pronunciation: ɪnˈdevə

from Oxford: endeavour

v. & n. (US endeavor)
–v.
1 tr. (foll. by to + infin.) try earnestly.
2 intr. (foll. by after) archaic strive.
–n. (often foll. by at, or to + infin.) an earnest attempt.
Etymology: ME f. put oneself in DEVOIR

from Wordnet: endeavour

n 1: a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness); “he had doubts about the whole enterprise” [syn: enterprise, endeavor]
2: earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something: “made an effort to cover all the reading material”; “wished him luck in his endeavor”; “she gave it a good try” [syn: attempt, effort, endeavor, try]
v : attempt by employing effort; “we endeavor to make our customers happy” [syn: endeavor, strive]

Quote of the day: For disappearing acts, it’s hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work. by Doug Larson

Birthday of the day: Ibn Taymiya; Taqi ad-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah (January 22, 1263–1328), full name: Taqī ad-Dīn Abu ‘l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm ibn ʿAbd as-Salām Ibn Taymiya al-Ḥarrānī (Arabic: تقي الدين أبو العباس أحمد بن عبد السلام بن عبد الله ابن تيمية الحراني‎), was a famous Islamic scholar, theologian and logician born in Harran, located in what is now Turkey, close to the Syrian border. He lived during the troubled times of the Mongol invasions. As a member of the school founded by Ibn Hanbal, he sought the return of Islam to its sources, the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Joke of the day: A man and his wife were sitting in the living room discussing a ‘Living Will’. The man said ‘Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.’ His wife got up, unplugged the TV and threw out all the beer.

Thought of the day: Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Fact of the day: 565 – Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus.

Biography of the day: George Boole; George Boole [bu?l], (November 2, 1815 – December 8, 1864) was a British mathematician and philosopher. As the inventor of Boolean algebra, the basis of all modern computer arithmetic, Boole is regarded in hindsight as one of the founders of the field of computer science, although computers did not exist in his day. Boolean algebra was also used in the development of information retrieval, a major subfield of information science.

Article of the day: Gymnopilus maritimus; Gymnopilus maritimus is a species of Cortinariaceae fungus first collected in northern Sardinia, Italy, in 2006. The species produces moderately sized, sturdy mushrooms of a reddish-orange colour. The cap, which can measure up to across, is covered in orange fibrils, and sometimes has small scales. The yellowish stem measures up to in length by in width, and sometimes shows remnants of the partial veil. The mushrooms have thick gills of a variable colour, ranging from yellow to rust but staining darker, and the yellow flesh has a mild taste. The mushrooms leave a rusty-brown spore print, while the spores themselves measure from 7.5 to 11.5 micrometres in length. The species is most similar in appearance to G. arenophilus and G. fulgens, but is not closely related to either and is not particularly similar to any of its closest relatives. The species has been found only on coastal sand dunes near Olbia, Sardinia, where it was observed growing at the base of Juncus maritimus (the sea rush), between the winter months of October and January. However, there is speculation that it may also grow elsewhere in Europe.

Did you know: a) that paraplegic handcyclist Edward Maalouf is the only person to have won medals for Lebanon at the Paralympic Games? b) that the upcoming release Joe Danger: The Movie is a video game that parodies various Hollywood film scenes? c) that Harold Bell co-created Woodsy Owl (pictured), mascot of the United States Forest Service, on the set of the television series Lassie? d) that the Journal of Contemporary Religion, covering new religious movements and trends in mainstream religion, was founded in 1985 as Religion Today, with Peter B. Clarke as its founding editor?

Source: worddictionary.com.au