Word of the Day for Sunday, January 30, 2011

vulpine \VUHL-pahyn\, adjective:
1. Cunning or crafty.
2. Of or resembling a fox.

His olive complexion surrounded a vulpine smile whenever he looked in the direction of the defendant.
-- Jeffrey R. Ryan, A Volcano Heard Afar

McCone was aware of what was happening, and his leaning posture became more and more vulpine.
-- Stephen King, Richard Bachman, The Running Man

Vulpine derives from the Latin word for "fox," vulpinus.

Moonshake moonmoon shakeshake shakeyshake

Word of the Day for Thursday, January 6, 2011

chatoyant \shuh-TOI-uhnt\, adjective:
1. Having changeable lustre; twinkling.2. (Of a gem, esp a cabochon) displaying a band of light reflected off inclusions of other minerals.

Chatoyant is that kind of white which the eye of a cat assumes in the dark: The translator observes, truly, that there is no English word for it; the idea is that of a semi-transparent whiteness.
-- M. de Foucroy. Tobias George Smollett -, "Elements of Natural History, and of Chemistry," The Critical Review, Or, Annals of Literature: Volume 63 - Page 169

Its chatoyant, iridescent colors suggest the fancy that it might have had its birth in the crystallization of some magnificent aurora.
-- R.G. Taber, "An Outing in Labrador," Outing: sport, adventure, travel, fiction, Volume 27, 1896

Chatoyant's poetic origin lies in the French chatoyer, "to gleam like a cat's eyes," from the French chat, "cat."