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Thursday word: avenaceous
Jan. 2nd, 2014 07:20 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
prettygoodword.livejournal.comavenaceous (av-uh-NAY-shuhs) - adj., of, pertaining to, or resembling oats or the oat grasses.
Yes, English really does shift meanings so finely -- not only do we have cereal, meaning of/pertaining/resembling grains in general, but we have words for of/pertaining/resembling specific grains, such as for frumentaceous for wheat, hordeaceous for barley, and this one for oats. It was adopted around 1770 from Latin avēnāceus, which is avēna, oats + an adjectival ending.
I descended the staircase to break my fast with a piping-hot avenaceous repast.
---L.
Yes, English really does shift meanings so finely -- not only do we have cereal, meaning of/pertaining/resembling grains in general, but we have words for of/pertaining/resembling specific grains, such as for frumentaceous for wheat, hordeaceous for barley, and this one for oats. It was adopted around 1770 from Latin avēnāceus, which is avēna, oats + an adjectival ending.
I descended the staircase to break my fast with a piping-hot avenaceous repast.
---L.
