Word Dictionary [230114]

Word of the day: mitigate
Definition: v.tr. make milder or less intense or severe; moderate (your offer certainly mitigated their hostility).
Synonyms: extenuate, palliate
Etymology: ME f. L mitigare mitigat- f. mitis mild (more…)

pronunciation: ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt

from Oxford: mitigate

v.tr. make milder or less intense or severe; moderate (your offer certainly mitigated their hostility).
Usage: Often confused with militate.
Phrases and idioms: mitigating circumstances Law circumstances permitting greater leniency.
Derivatives: mitigable adj. mitigation n. mitigator n. mitigatory adj.
Etymology: ME f. L mitigare mitigat- f. mitis mild

from Wordnet: mitigate

v 1: lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of; “The circumstances extenuate the crime” [syn: extenuate, palliate]
2: make less severe or harsh [syn: moderate]

Quote of the day: Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present. by Roger Babson

Birthday of the day: Vincent Ferrer; Saint Vincent Ferrer (Valencian: Sant Vicent Ferrer) (23 January 1350 – 5 April 1419) was a Valencian Dominican missionary and logician.

Joke of the day: A young child walked up to her mother and stared at her hair. As mother scrubbed on the dishes, the girl cleared her throat and sweetly asked, ‘Why do you have some grey strands in your hair?’ The mother paused and looked at her daughter. ‘Every time you disobey, I get one strand of grey hair. If you want me to stay pretty, you better obey.’ The mother quickly returned to her task of washing dishes. The little girl stood there thinking. She cleared her throat again. ‘Mother?’ She sweetly asked again. ‘Yes?’ Her Mother replied. ‘Why is Grandma’s hair all grey?’

Thought of the day: Once we hold a belief, it tends to stick with us for the rest of our lives, unless we challenge it.

Fact of the day: 393 – Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year old son Honorius co-emperor.

Biography of the day: Archibald Cox; Archibald Cox (17 May 1912-29 May 2004), distinguished lawyer, Harvard Law professor, U.S. solicitor general, and Watergate special prosecutor, was born Archibald Cox, Jr., in Plainfield, New Jersey, the oldest child of the prominent New York lawyer Archibald Cox, Sr., and Frances ‘Fanny’ Perkins. Young ‘Archie’ spent much of his childhood at the estate of his mother’s family in Windsor, Vermont, a wooded retreat established by his great-grandfather William M. Evarts. Evarts, a descendant of the founding founder Roger Sherman, was a renowned nineteenth-century lawyer who had represented President Andrew Johnson in his impeachment trial (1868) and an independent-minded statesman who served as U.S. attorney general, secretary of state, and senator from New York. This family history entwined with law and public service influenced Archie from his earliest days.

Article of the day: Ultimate All-Stars; Ultimate All-Stars is a crossover fighting game featuring characters from Capcom’s video game franchises and from various anime series by Tatsunoko Production. The game was released in Japan for arcades and the Wii video game console in December 2008. It was released for the Wii in North America, Japan, and Europe in January 2010, featuring additional characters and an online mode. Players engage in combat with a team of two characters or with a single giant character and attempt to knock out their opponents. It is the seventh Capcom-designed installment in their Vs. fighting game series, which includes the Marvel vs. Capcom and Capcom vs. SNK series, and the first to be fully rendered in 3D graphics. The game is designed around a simplified three-button attack system, which was inspired by the simplistic control schemes commonly used by both the Vs. series and the Wii. The game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its approachable gameplay for newcomers and depth for veteran players. However, reviewers had mixed experiences with its online component, and found Arcade mode lacking in replay value.

Did you know: a) that when a member of the Royal Commission on Local Government in England in 1966-69, Derek Senior wrote a memorandum of dissent as long as the report itself? b) that despite his father calling him ‘the flower of my fleet’, Fleetwood Pellew (pictured) still managed to provoke two mutinies and spent thirty years on half-pay? c) that D. Bennett Mazur was elected in 1991 to serve a sixth term in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 37th Legislative District, but resigned after suffering a stroke on Election Day? d) that in 1899 Isaac Seneca became the first Native American to be named as an All-American football player while playing halfback for the Carlisle Indian School?

Source: http://worddictionary.com.au/