Sunday, January 12, 2014

Word of the Day jilt

Word of the Day

  • jilt
  • audio pronunciation
  • \JILT\
  • DEFINITION
verb
: to drop (someone, such as a lover) capriciously or unfeelingly
  • EXAMPLES
The song is about a woman who jilts her beloved for another man, only to realize she has made a terrible mistake.

"A Georgia court ruled that a man who jilted his fiancée is liable for $50,000 in damages." — From an article by Robert W. Wood in Forbes, December 8, 2013
  • DID YOU KNOW?
Today's word traces back to the English dialect noun "jillet" ("a flirtatious girl"), itself from "Jill" or "Gill" (used both as a proper name and as a noun meaning "girl") plus the diminutive suffix "-et." "Jilt" itself came into use in the second half of the 17th century as a noun meaning "an unchaste woman" (a sense that is now obsolete) or "a woman who capriciously casts a lover aside," and also as a verb used for the actions of such a woman. These days, the person doing the jilting can be either male or female, and though "jilt" usually implies the sudden ending of a romantic relationship, it can also be used beyond the context of a romantic relationship with the broader meaning "to sever close relations with."

Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/#ekZBT5bBeqZ6XvjG.99

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.