Word of the Day

March 11, 2012

My apologies to the readers, I have been very much slacking in bringing this to you. I will endeavor to alleviate this situation in the days to come. Robert 

• nondescript
• \nahn-di-SKRIPT\

• DEFINITION
• adjective
  1: belonging or appearing to belong to no particular class or kind : not easily describe 
  2: lacking distinctive or interesting qualities : dull, drab

• EXAMPLES
• The famous spy was a quiet, nondescript man that no one could describe even a few minutes after meeting him, which was clearly an advantage in his profession.
• "There is a nondescript warehouse in town with contents so vital to the operations of American businesses and government that it is protected by guards armed with assault rifles." — From an article by Conor Shine in the Las Vegas Sun, November 7, 2011

• DID YOU KNOW?
• It is relatively easy to describe the origins of "nondescript" (and there's a hint in the first part of this sentence). 
• "Nondescript" was formed by combining the prefix "non-" (meaning "not") with the past participle of the Latin verb "describere," meaning "to describe." 
• It is no surprise, then, that when the word was adopted in the late 17th century by English speakers, it was typically applied to something (such as a genus or species) that had not yet been described. Other descriptive descendants of "describere" in English include "describe," 
•  "description," and "descriptive" itself, as well as the rare philosophical term "descriptum" ("something that is described").

Name That Synonym: Fill in the blanks to create a synonym of "nondescript": i_d_s_i_c_i_e. The answer is ...

Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/1969/12/31#UbYcYLcuhhTdbtTK.99