Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day is loll :
Loll has origins similar to those of another soothing verb, lull , which means “to cause to rest or sleep.” Both words can be traced back to 14th-century Middle English and probably originated as imitations of the soft sounds people make when resting or trying to soothe someone else to sleep. Loll has also been used in English as a noun meaning “the act of lolling” or “a relaxed posture,” but that use is now considered archaic. In its “recline” or “lean” sense, loll shares synonyms with a number of “l” verbs, including loaf , lounge , and laze .Had I known about today’s word earlier in the day, I perhaps wouldn’t have been as willing to spend much of the day clearing brush from the edge of our property (with Elaine). But if I had known about today’s word earlier in the day, Elaine would have convinced me that if we didn’t do this work today, we’d just have to do it some other day (like tomorrow). And who knows what the Word of the Day might be then: ache ? scrape ? poison ivy ? We got a lot done today — no lolling, loafing, lounging, lazing. No poison ivy either.
comments: 2
From my childhood: It might be a Canadianism but whenenver a dog, particular a large slavering one, was overheated and panting with its tongue out we would say it was “lolling its tongue”.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the transitive, but I’ve often heard people speak of a dog with its tongue “lolling out.”
Post a Comment