cocoon

[email protected] 6 Oct 2007 09:55:41 -0000
Newsgroups gmane.culture.language.word-of-the-day
Message-ID <[email protected]>
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The Word of the Day for October 6 is:=20

cocoon   \kuh-KOON\   verb
          : to wrap or envelop in or as if in a cocoon

Example sentence:
          Lily settled into the bleachers and cocooned herself in blanke=
ts so she could enjoy the ball game without being chilled by the icy win=
d.

Did you know?
          Since at least 1679, English speakers have been using the noun=
 "cocoon" for the silky covering that surrounds a caterpillar or other i=
nsect larva in the pupa stage of metamorphosis. The word came into Engli=
sh from French, which in turn borrowed it from an Occitan term for "eggs=
hell." Linguists believe the Occitan term was probably born of the Latin=
 "coccum," a noun that has been translated as "kermes," the dried bodies=
 of some insects that can be found on certain trees. The verb =E2=80=9Cc=
ocoon=E2=80=9D has been with us since at least 1881.





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