Etiolate (verb)
ee-tee-oh-layt
to cause (a plant) to whiten or grow pale by excluding light. / to cause to become weakened or sickly; drain of colour or vigor.
First recorded in 1785–95; French étioler “to make pale, etiolate (plants),” probably derivative of a Norman French dialect form of standard French éteule
Example sentences
“Upon picking up the boards, they wondered if the etiolated lawn would ever recover.”
Collaborative (adj) kol-ab-or-at-iv characterized or accomplished by collaboration (working together) (more…)
Tutelage (noun) toot-lij instruction; teaching; guidance. First recorded around 1595–1605 and comes from the Latin word tūtēl(a), “guardianship,” which derived from the Latin verb tuērī, “to watch.” (more…)
Smorgasbord (noun) smaw-guz-bord an extensive array or variety. First recorded in 1875–80 and comes from the Swedish word smörgåsbord. Smörgåsbord is formed from smörgås, “(slice of) bread and butter, sandwich,”…
Dendroglyph (noun) den-dro-glif an image, message, or symbol carved into a tree, especially by Indigenous people and often hundreds of years old, providing cultural and historical information not available from…
Nimble (adj) nim-bl Agile, quick in movement. / Alert, acute. Old English nǣmel quick to grasp, and numol quick at seizing, both from niman to take (more…)
Petiole (noun) pet-ee-ohl (Botany) the slender stalk by which a leaf is attached to the stem; leafstalk. 1745–55; New Latin petiolus leafstalk, special use of Latin petiolus, scribal variant of…
Preponderant (adj) pree-pon-duh-rant superior in weight, force, influence, numbers, etc.; prevailing. Preponderant was first recorded in 1650–60 and comes from the stem of the Latin word praeponderāns, which is the…
Nebulous (adj) neb-yu-lus Hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused. First recorded in 1375–1425 and comes via late Middle English from the Latin word nebulōsus, meaning “full of mist, foggy, cloudy.” (more…)