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Do you have the skills you need to get a good job? If you want to secure your future, you need training. http://links.quinstreet.com/adclick?area=fensuihagunduo *************************************************************** The Word of the Day for October 21 is: impervious \im-PER-vee-us\ (adjective) 1 *a : not allowing entrance or passage : impenetrable b : not capable of being damaged or harmed 2 : not capable of being affected or disturbed Example sentence: "The church's thick stone walls seemed to be impervious to noise. . . ." (_Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_, August 26, 2001) Did you know? The English language is far from impervious, and of course, a great many Latinate terms have entered it throughout its history. "Impervious" is one of the many that broke through in the 17th century. It comes from the Latin "impervius," and it has many relatives in English. "Impervius" adds the prefix "im-" to "pervius," which means "passable" or "penetrable" (and is the source of the relatively uncommon English word "pervious"). "Pervius" itself comes from two smaller Latin forms: "per-," meaning "through," and "via," meaning "way." Among the many "per-" derivatives are "persevere," "pervade" and "percolate." From "via," we have "trivial," "deviate," and many others. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. ---------------- Brought to you by Merriam-Webster, Inc. http://www.Merriam-Webster.com ---------------- *************************************************************** Discover the meanings you've been missing! Click here for your guide to over 900 allusions. http://www.merriam-webster.com/book/writref/allusion.htm *************************************************************** Visit http://www.Merriam-Webster.com/service/subinst.htm to subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Word of the Day mailing list. To subscribe to the list by e-mail, send a blank e-mail to mw-wod-subscribe-request@listserv.webster.m-w.com. To unsubscribe via e-mail, send a blank e-mail to mw-wod-signoff-request@listserv.webster.m-w.com. If you have questions about your subscription, write to mw-wod-request@listserv.webster.m-w.com. Send other questions or comments about the Word of the Day to word@Merriam-Webster.com. © 2001 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
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