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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 29, 2012 is:
benison \BEN-uh-sun\ noun
: blessing, benediction
Examples:
The candidate sought the benison of the popular pastor in the hope of gaining both spiritual and political support.
"On warm(ish) days, the soft rain feels like a benison, pattering gently on fallen leaves and stirring up earthy scents that remind me more of spring than autumn." - From an article by Ann Lovejoy in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 4, 2008
Did you know?
"Benison" and its synonym "benediction" share more than a common meaning; the two words come from the same root, the Latin "benedicere," meaning "to bless." ("Benedicere" comes from the Latin "bene dicere"-"to speak well of"-a combination of the Latin "bene," meaning "well," and "dicere," to say.) Of the two words, "benediction" is more common today, but "benison" has a longer history in English. Records show that "benison" has been used in our language since the early 14th century. "Benediction" didn't appear in print until nearly a century later.
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