epiphyte noun Botany: a plant that grows on another plant, especially one that is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests. DERIVATIVES epiphytal |-ˈfʌɪt(ə)l| adjective, epiphytic |-ˈfɪtɪk| adjective ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from epi-‘in addition’ + Greek phuton ‘plant’.
Hegira noun: Muhammad's departure from Mecca to Medina in ad 622, marking the consolidation of the first Muslim community. The Muslim era reckoned from Muhammad's departure from Mecca: the second century of the Hegira. (hegira)an exodus or migration. ORIGIN via medieval Latin from Arabic hijra ‘departure’, from hajara ‘emigrate’.
embrocation noun: a liquid used for rubbing on the body to relieve pain from sprains and strains. [ mass noun ] : a bottle of embrocation. [ count noun ] : a range of embrocations, tinctures, syrups, and tisanes. ORIGIN late Middle English: from medieval Latin embrocatio(n-), from the verb embrocare, based on Greek embrokhlotion’.
diachronic adjective: concerned with the way in which something, especially language, has developed and evolved through time. Often contrasted with synchronic. the census is also a diachronic data set. linguistic change is the diachronic aspect of linguistic variation. DERIVATIVES diachroneity |ˌdʌɪəkrəˈniːɪti, -ˈneɪɪti| noun, diachronically adverb, diachronistic |dʌɪˌakrəˈnɪstɪk| adjective, diachrony |dʌɪˈakrəni| noun ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from dia-‘through’ + Greek khronos ‘time’ + -ic.
vespine adjective: of or relating to wasps. ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from Latin vespa ‘wasp’ + -ine1.
I love this one. We all know that the suffix ine makes an adjective, easy to recognize in feline or canine, and vulpine is good:
vulpine adjective: relating to a fox or foxes. the thriving vulpine population. crafty; cunning: Karl gave a vulpine smile. ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin vulpinus, from vulpes ‘fox’. [just in case you didn’t know the root]
But my favourite is
pavonine ajective rare: of or like a peacock. such power is capricious, pavonine, and prismatic. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin pavoninus, from pavo, pavon- ‘peacock’.
Just for fun.(The game is on.)