rife : M-W's Word of the Day

****************************************************************
Add fireworks to your vocabulary by trying out a free trial
subscription to Merriam-WebsterUnabridged.com!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_sub.pl?refr=U_wod
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for July 5 is:

rife \RYFE\ adjective
1 : prevalent especially to an increasing degree
2 : abundant, common
*3 : copiously supplied : abounding -- usually used with "with"

Example sentence:
The article was rife with grammatical and factual errors.

Did you know?
English is rife with words that have Germanic connections, many of which have been handed down to us from Old English. "Rife" is one of those words -- it's related to Middle Low German "rive," meaning "abundant." Not a whole lot has changed with "rife" in its 900-year history. We continue to use the word, as we have since the 12th century, for negative things, especially those that are widespread or prevalent. Typical examples are "shoplifting was rife" or "the city was rife with greed and corruption." "Rumors" and "speculation" are also frequently described as "rife," as well. But "rife" can also be appropriately used, as it has been for hundreds of years, for good or neutral things. For example, you might speak of "the summer garden, rife with scents."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

You Are Subscribed As: WORDFORTHEDAY.9879@BLOGGER.COM
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2006 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102

*mf mwt 070506 WORDFORTHEDAY.9879@BLOGGER.COM mf*

---
You are currently subscribed to mw-text as: WORDFORTHEDAY.9879@BLOGGER.COM
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-mw-text-3098039M@blast1.amperemedia.com