Etymology Word of the Week – As some of you know, in addition to working in the Admissions Office, I also teach Latin at Saint Ignatius and am something of a "word nerd." Thus, each week, I’ll sneak a vocabulary word (sometimes derived from Latin, sometimes not) into the e-blast. Here then is this week’s edition of the Etymology Word of the Week.
Maneuver - “an adroit move, skillful proceeding, etc., especially as characterized by craftiness; a ploy; a planned and regulated movement of troops, warships, and the like.” From the French manoeuvre meaning “manipulation; manual labor” and Medieval Latin manuopera meaning “to work with the hands,” both of which come from the Latin noun manus, manus meaning “hand” and the Latin verb operare meaning “to work.” (All information is from www.wikipedia.org, www.etymonline.com and/or www.dictionary.com.)
RELATED WORDS/PHRASES – oeuvre, hors d’oeuvre, opera, manufacture, manual, and even manure!
SAMPLE SENTENCE: “I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Barker’s favorite one-hit wonder ‘80’s band is OMD - a.k.a. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.”