Halloween is just a few days away so for today’s Weird Word Wednesday, let’s take a look at three spooky words: macabre, wyvern and prestidigitation.
macabre
Pronunciation: [mə-ˈkäb, -ˈkä-brə , -bər, -ˈkäbrᵊ]
Part of speech: Adjective
Definition: Having death as a subject; dwelling on the gruesome; tending to produce horror in a beholder.
Language origin: French, from (danse) macabre meaning dance of death, from Middle French (danse de) Macabré
wyvern
Pronunciation: [ˈwī-vərn]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: A mythical animal usually represented as a two-legged, winged creature resembling a dragon.
Language origin: Alteration of Middle English wyvere meaning viper, from Anglo-French wivre, guivre, and from Latin vipera
prestidigitation
Pronunciation: [pre-stə-ˌdi-jə-ˈtā-shən]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: Sleight of hand
Language origin: French, from prestidigitateur meaning prestidigitator, from preste meaning nimble or quick (from Italian presto) + Latin digitus meaning finger
Source: #Merriam-Webster.com
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