A WORD A DAY.

Southland Times, Issue 21660, 23 March 1932, Page 8

A WORD A DAY.

SEPULCHRE. One of the principal reasons for analyzing this word is to caution against its frequent careless mispronunciation. The word, which is also spelled “sepulcher,” is applied to a tomb or burial vault. It may also be used as a verb, meaning “to inter.” The adjective form is “sepulchral,” meaning “of, pertaining to or befitting a sepulchre.” 'Hie derivation is from the Latin sepulcrum, “a tomb,” from sepelire, "to bury.” Sep-ul-chre is accented on the first syllable ; sound e as in end, u very short as in circus, chre as ker with the e as in maker. Se-pul-ehral is accented on the second syllable; sound e ar> in event, u as in up, cliral as krai with a as in account. "What is believed to have been Abraham’s sepulchre was recently found.” CORNUCOPIA. For H.J.B. In classic mythology we read that Zeus was fed with goat’s milk by Amalthaea, and that Zeus, in gratitude, took one of the horns of the animal and bestowed it on his benefactor with the promise that it would provide its possessor an abundance of everything desired. This remarkable horn was called in the Latin cornu copiae, the cornu meaning “horn,” and copiae (genitive of copia), “plenty.” An abundance, an overflowing supply, may be described as “cornucopian.” It is a fanciful word which is much heard during the harvest season. Accent cor-nu-co-pi-a on the third syllable; .sound first o as in orb, u as in unite, second o as in old, i as in it, a as in sof&. “Nature appears in the fall with her cornucopia.”