.. fancy word of the day 12.18.09 ..

Today we start a daily series. I will post a word a day (let's hope!) along with definition (courtesy of dictionary.com) and the context in which I thought of the word. This will be a bit of fun for me and just so you know, the words need not be obscure. In fact, sometimes they'll just be words that we often use.

MACERATE [mas-uh-reyt]

–verb (used with object)

1.	to soften or separate into parts by steeping in a liquid.

2.	to soften or decompose (food) by the action of a solvent.

3.	to cause to grow thin.

–verb (used without object)

4.	to undergo maceration

5.	to become thin or emaciated; waste away.

Word Origin & History

1491 (implied in maceration), from L. maceratus, pp. of macerare "soften," related to maceria "garden wall," originally "of kneaded clay," from PIE base *mag-/*meg- "to knead" (cf. Gk. magis "kneaded mass, cake," mageus "one who kneads, baker;" O.C.S. mazo "to anoint, smear;" Bret. meza "to knead;" M.Ir. maistir "to churn").

Context | I thought of macerating some berries today in sugar and water for a dessert I have a hankering for. Sometimes, I feel like macerating certain people in my life. Heh, I kid. That doesn't even really make sense, but in a symbolic/figurative way, it does. Isn't that how it always works out?

Source | Definition and origin quoted from Dictionary.com