Word of the Day, October 9, 2023

Hi there! Quick question: Do you still read these emails? For now, we have reduced the frequency of our Word of the Day emails, but if you do not engage with them, you may be removed from our mailing list by default. If you enjoy our Word of the Day emails and would like to keep getting them every day, please [CONFIRM]( If you no longer wish to receive our Word of the Day emails, please [UNSUBSCRIBE]( October 9, 2023 [The Free Dictionary]( Word of the Day [commissariat]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A stock or supply of foods. Synonyms: [provisions]( [viands]( [victuals]( [provender]( Usage: During the war with Spain he was employed in the commissariat of the French army, and made a fortune. Missing Idiom Contest The Free Dictionary has the largest collection of English idioms in the world. But we are always looking for more to add, and we want your help! Every so often we hear from users who have looked up an idiom on The Free Dictionary that it was not found in the database. Maybe it was some expression they heard at work, or some phrase they grew up hearing their grandmother say. If you know an idiom that isn't already defined on The Free Dictionary, [send it to us]( and you might win $150 USD. Complete English Spelling & Pronunciation Rules [Complete English Spelling & Pronunciation Rules] The latest volume in our best-selling Grammar Book series! Learn the rules and patterns that tell you exactly how any word should be spelled and pronounced. ✔ Go beyond "I before E except after C" and get all the rules and exceptions, all in one place, all explained in plain English. ✔ Simple tips and tricks to avoid the most common mistakes. [Buy now]( Idiom of the Day [have the better of (someone or something)]( — To have or gain superiority, mastery, or an advantage over someone or something; to have control over someone or something. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day The Sea Otter [Discuss]( Sea otters are carnivorous, aquatic mammals. Found in and around the kelp beds of the N Pacific, the sea otter is the only exclusively marine species in the otter family. Sea Otters present a rare example of mammalian tool use. They use rocks as tools to pry open food and as weapons to blind their enemies. Hunted to near extinction for their luxuriously dense fur, the otters are now protected under what international treaty? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Gerunds as Objects of Verbs [Discuss]( Gerunds very frequently function as the direct objects of "true" verbs. What type of verb is very likely to take a gerund as an object? [More...]( This Day in History Supernova 1604 First Observed (1604) [Discuss]( A supernova is a rare celestial phenomenon involving the explosion of a star, resulting in an extremely bright, short-lived object that emits vast amounts of energy. The last supernova to be observed in the Milky Way was seen in 1604 by Johannes Kepler and was used by Galileo, at his trial, as evidence against the presupposition that the universe never changes. Visible to the naked eye, it was brighter at its peak than any other star in the night sky. How far from Earth was this supernova? [More...]( Today's Birthday Guillermo del Toro (1964) [Discuss]( Del Toro is an Academy Award-nominated Mexican filmmaker whose films often explore the darker elements of fantasy and reflect his fascination with "insects, clockwork, monsters, dark places, and unborn things." His most acclaimed films to date, Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone, both feature children living under authoritarian rule while facing frightening supernatural entities and have been compared with what film, considered to be the finest Spanish film of the 1970s? [More...]( Today's Holiday St. Denis's Day [Discuss]( Also known as St. Dionysius, [St. Denis]( is the patron saint of France. According to legend, Pope Clement sent him to what is now France to establish the Church there, during the reign of [Emperor Decius]( (249-251), but the pagans who greeted him did not treat him well. The most widely repeated legend is that they beheaded him on Martyr's Hill—the place now known as [Montmartre]( in Paris—but he miraculously picked up his head and carried it for two miles before expiring at the site where the Church of St. Denis was later built. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( Truths turn into dogmas the instant that they are disputed. [Gilbert Chesterton]( (1874-1936) Mobile apps from TheFreeDictionary.com [The Free Dictionary Classic Free App] The classic free version, downloaded more than 6 million times! - Multiple dictionaries, encyclopedias, and thesauruses in one place. - 14 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. - Online translations of English into more than 40 languages, plus dozens of other translation options. [Apple]( [Android]( [Kindle]( [Windows]( [The Free Dictionary Pro App] The PRO version, with expanded offline content. - No ads. - A more comprehensive English offline dictionary, plus 13 other offline dictionaries: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. - Offline translations of English into more than 40 languages, plus dozens of other offline translation options. - Plus all the content of the classic free app! [Apple]( [Android]( [Kindle]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Forward](mailto:?subject=Word of%20the%20Day%20from%20TheFreeDictionary&body=Hi%20there!%20Thought%20you%20would%20find%20this%20interesting!%0A%0AWant%20to%20learn%20a%20new%20word%20every%20day?%20https%3A%2F%2Fword-of-the-day.thefreedictionary.com%2Fsubscribe.aspx) | [Terms of Use]( | [Privacy policy]( | [Advertise here]( [TheFreeDictionary logo] © 2023 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.