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.
Mollify
Definition: "To soften a feeling or temper, as with a person."
Origin/Derivation: From the Latin adjective mollis, mollis, molle meaning “soft” and the Latin verb fio, fieri, factus meaning “to be made or become”.
Related Words: emollient (skin softener), mollusk (soft-bodied invertebrates like octopi or snails)
(All information is from www.wikipedia.org, www.etymonline.com and/or www.dictionary.com)
NEW! Trivia Question of the Week:
What 1976 Led Zeppelin song contains a reference to Mythology both in its title and in its lyrics (hint: both allusions begin with the letter “A”)?
“Achilles’ Last Stand”
“The mighty arms of Atlas hold the Heavens from the Earth…”