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calendar

Printable Version
Pronunciation: -lin-dêr Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. The division of time based on days, defining years. 2. A physical table or electronic program showing such a division. 3. A schedule of events, such as 'a legislative calendar'. 4. (UK) University catalog.

Notes: The trick with this word is remembering the ending is -ar, not -er. A calender is a pressing machine. The adjectives for this noun are calendary or calendarian. A calendographer is someone who creates calendars in their calendry.

In Play: Calendars, paper or electronic, are often used to schedule our days: "My Google calendar reminds me of upcoming events." We can also use this word as a shortcut for our schedules: "What's on your calendar for tomorrow? Are you up for a day of golf?"

Word History: Today's Good Word was taken from Old French calendier "list, register", inherited from Latin calendarium "account book", based on calendae "the calends", the first day of the Roman month. Forget something?The first day of the month was when debts fell due and accounts were reckoned. Calendae was based on calare "to announce solemnly, proclaim". The priests observed the new moon that marked the calends and proclaimed which day would be the nones, the seventh or ninth day before the ides. Latin got its word from the PIE root kelê/kolê- "to shout", the same source as Greek kalein "to call" and English call. Latin made another verb out of kelê/kolê-, clamare "to call, cry out", which English borrowed in various stages of the development of French from Latin as clamor and claim.

Dr. Goodword, alphaDictionary.com

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