scarify

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The Word of the Day for January 17 is:=20

scarify   \SKAIR-uh-fye\   verb
          1 : to make scratches or small cuts in (as the skin)
     2 : to lacerate the feelings of
    *3 : to cut or soften the wall of (a hard seed) to hasten germinatio=
n

Example sentence:
          The gardening handbook recommends scarifying the seeds before =
planting them.

Did you know?
          You get two words for the price of one with "scarify." The fir=
st "scarify" appeared in English in the 14th century with the meaning "t=
o make scratches or cuts in" and later developed a figurative applicatio=
n of "cutting" someone emotionally. This word is ultimately derived from=
 a Greek word meaning "to scratch an outline." The second homograph turn=
ed up in print in 1785 and gained currency in the 20th century. This "sc=
arify" was formed by combining "scare" with "-ify," possibly as a combin=
ation of "scare" and "terrify," and it predictably means "to scare or fr=
ighten." Neither "scarify" is terribly common these days, but they do tu=
rn up on occasion.=20





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