quail

****************************************************************
Ready to tackle another Romance Language? Make your move
with Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?spaneng.htm&1
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for February 20 is:

quail   \KWAIL\   verb
     1 : to give way : falter 
    *2 : to recoil in dread or terror : cower 

Example sentence:
     Even though she quailed at the thought of rejection, Gwen asked Marcel out to dinner.

Did you know? 
     "Flinch," "recoil," and "wince" are all synonyms of "quail," but each word has a slightly different use. When you flinch, you fail to endure pain or to face something dangerous or frightening with resolution ("she faced her accusers without flinching"). "Recoil" implies a start or movement away from something through shock, fear, or disgust ("he recoiled at the suggestion of stealing"). "Wince" usually suggests a slight involuntary physical reaction to something ("she winced as the bright light suddenly hit her eyes"). "Quail" implies shrinking and cowering in fear ("he quailed before the apparition").

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.





You Are Subscribed As: [email protected]
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2007 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102