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Gilbertese or i-Kiribati (sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both) is a language from the Austronesian family, part of the Oceanian branch and of the Nuclear Micronesian subbranch. It is a verb object subject language.
Description of the language as Gilbertese or Kiribatese is sometimes considered a relic of colonial days by some I-Kiribati (the people of Kiribati). But as Kiribati is itself a rendition for "Gilberts", most people do not care. The official description is Taetae ni Kiribati, or 'the Kiribati language'.
About 105,000 people speak Gilbertese, 98,000 of whom live in Kiribati, about 97.2% of the entire population. The others are the inhabitants of Nui (Tuvalu), Rabi (Fiji), Mili (Marshall Islands) and some other islands where I-Kiribati have been relocated (Solomon Islands and Vanuatu) or emigrated (New Zealand and Hawaii mainly).
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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
exasperate
Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 30, 2008 is: exasperate • \ig-ZAS-puh-rayt\ • verb 1 : to excite the anger of : enrage *2 : to cause irritation or annoyance to Example sentence: Our former neighbors' habit of throwing loud parties that lasted late into the night thoroughly exasperated us. Did you know? "Exasperate" hangs with a rough crowd. It derives from "exasperatus," the past participle of the Latin verb "exasperare," which in turn was formed by combining "ex-" with "asper," meaning "rough." Another descendant of "asper" in English is "asperity," which can refer to the roughness of a surface or the roughness of someone's temper. Another relative, albeit a distant one, is the English word "spurn," meaning "to reject." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
bumptious
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 29, 2008 is: bumptious • \BUMP-shus\ • adjective : presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive : obtrusive Example sentence: "I wish the DJs on this station weren't so bumptious," said Andrea. "I'd prefer to just listen to the music." Did you know? Etymologists believe that "bumptious" was probably coined, perhaps playfully, from the noun "bump" plus "-tious." When "bumptious" was first used around 1800, it meant "self-conceited." Charles Dickens used it that way in David Copperfield: "His hair was very smooth and wavy; but I was informed . . . that it was a wig . . . and that he needn't be so 'bounceable' -- somebody else said 'bumptious' -- about it, because his own red hair was very plainly to be seen behind."
refractory
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2008 is: refractory • \rih-FRAK-tuh-ree\ • adjective *1 : resisting control or authority : stubborn, unmanageable 2 a : resistant to treatment or cureb : unresponsive to stimulusc : immune, insusceptible 3 : difficult to fuse, corrode, or draw out; especially : capable of enduring high temperature Example sentence: Refractory students may be disciplined, suspended, or expelled, depending on the seriousness of their offense. Did you know? "Refractory" is from the Latin word "refractarius." During the 17th century, it was sometimes spelled as "refractary," but that spelling, though more in keeping with its Latin parent, had fallen out of use by the century's end. "Refractarius," like "refractory," is the result of a slight variation in spelling. It stems from the Latin verb "refragari," meaning "to oppose." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
pejorative
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 27, 2008 is: pejorative • \pih-JOR-uh-tiv\ • adjective : having negative connotations; especially : tending to disparage or belittle : depreciatory Example sentence: The team's star player has come under fire for making pejorative remarks about women during a magazine interview. Did you know? "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Moms have given that good advice for years, but unfortunately many people haven't heeded it. The word "pejorative" makes it clear that both English and Latin speakers have long known that disparaging words can make a bad situation worse. "Pejorative" derives from the Late Latin adjective "pejoratus," which in turn comes from the Latin verb "pejorare," meaning "to make or become worse." Although pejorative words have probably always been part of English, the adjective "pejorative" has only been found in English texts since the late 1880s. Before then, English speakers could rely on older synonyms of "pejorative" such as "derogatory" and "uncomplimentary" to describe disparaging words.
sophistry
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 26, 2008 is: sophistry • \SAH-fuh-stree\ • noun *1 : subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation 2 : an argument apparently correct in form but actually invalid; especially : such an argument used to deceive Example sentence: The senatorial candidate argued that his opponent was using sophistry in an effort to distort his plan for education reform. Did you know? The original Sophists were ancient Greek teachers of rhetoric and philosophy prominent in the 5th century B.C. In their heyday, these philosophers were considered adroit in their reasoning, but later philosophers (particularly Plato) described them as sham philosophers, out for money and willing to say anything to win an argument. Thus "sophist" (which comes from Greek "sophistēs," meaning "wise man" or "expert") earned a negative connotation as "a captious or fallacious reasoner." "Sophistry" is reasoning that seems plausible on a superficial level but is actually unsound, or reasoning that is used to deceive. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
dilapidate
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 25, 2008 is: dilapidate • \dih-LAP-uh-dayt\ • verb *1 : to bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin 2 : to become decayed or partially ruined Example sentence: Although years of abandonment had dilapidated the old warehouse, Stuart still thought it could be salvaged and remade into an apartment building. Did you know? Something that is dilapidated may not have been literally pummeled with stones, but it might look that way. "Dilapidate" derives from the past participle of the Latin verb "dilapidare," meaning "to squander or destroy." That verb was formed by combining "dis-" with another verb, "lapidare," meaning "to pelt with stones." From there it's just a stone's throw to some other English relatives of "dilapidate." You might, for example, notice a resemblance between "lapidare" and our word for a person who cuts or polishes precious stones, "lapidary." That's because both words share as a root the Latin noun "lapis," meaning "stone." We also find "lapis" in the name "lapis lazuli," a bright blue semiprecious stone. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
MedTerms Word of the Day
Koplik's spots
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Koplik's spots: Little spots inside the mouth that are highly characteristic of the early phase of measles (rubeola). The spots look like a tiny grains of white sand, each surrounded by a red ring. They are found especially on the inside of the cheek (the buccal mucosa) opposite the 1st and 2nd upper molars. Named for the New York pediatrician Henry Koplik (1858-1927) who described them. MedTerms (TM) is the Medical Dictionary of MedicineNet.com.We Bring Doctors' Knowledge To You
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exasperate
Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 30, 2008 is: exasperate • \ig-ZAS-puh-rayt\ • verb 1 : to excite the anger of : enrage *2 : to cause irritation or annoyance to Example sentence: Our former neighbors' habit of throwing loud parties that lasted late into the night thoroughly exasperated us. Did you know? "Exasperate" hangs with a rough crowd. It derives from "exasperatus," the past participle of the Latin verb "exasperare," which in turn was formed by combining "ex-" with "asper," meaning "rough." Another descendant of "asper" in English is "asperity," which can refer to the roughness of a surface or the roughness of someone's temper. Another relative, albeit a distant one, is the English word "spurn," meaning "to reject." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
bumptious
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 29, 2008 is: bumptious • \BUMP-shus\ • adjective : presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive : obtrusive Example sentence: "I wish the DJs on this station weren't so bumptious," said Andrea. "I'd prefer to just listen to the music." Did you know? Etymologists believe that "bumptious" was probably coined, perhaps playfully, from the noun "bump" plus "-tious." When "bumptious" was first used around 1800, it meant "self-conceited." Charles Dickens used it that way in David Copperfield: "His hair was very smooth and wavy; but I was informed . . . that it was a wig . . . and that he needn't be so 'bounceable' -- somebody else said 'bumptious' -- about it, because his own red hair was very plainly to be seen behind."
refractory
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2008 is: refractory • \rih-FRAK-tuh-ree\ • adjective *1 : resisting control or authority : stubborn, unmanageable 2 a : resistant to treatment or cureb : unresponsive to stimulusc : immune, insusceptible 3 : difficult to fuse, corrode, or draw out; especially : capable of enduring high temperature Example sentence: Refractory students may be disciplined, suspended, or expelled, depending on the seriousness of their offense. Did you know? "Refractory" is from the Latin word "refractarius." During the 17th century, it was sometimes spelled as "refractary," but that spelling, though more in keeping with its Latin parent, had fallen out of use by the century's end. "Refractarius," like "refractory," is the result of a slight variation in spelling. It stems from the Latin verb "refragari," meaning "to oppose." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
pejorative
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 27, 2008 is: pejorative • \pih-JOR-uh-tiv\ • adjective : having negative connotations; especially : tending to disparage or belittle : depreciatory Example sentence: The team's star player has come under fire for making pejorative remarks about women during a magazine interview. Did you know? "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Moms have given that good advice for years, but unfortunately many people haven't heeded it. The word "pejorative" makes it clear that both English and Latin speakers have long known that disparaging words can make a bad situation worse. "Pejorative" derives from the Late Latin adjective "pejoratus," which in turn comes from the Latin verb "pejorare," meaning "to make or become worse." Although pejorative words have probably always been part of English, the adjective "pejorative" has only been found in English texts since the late 1880s. Before then, English speakers could rely on older synonyms of "pejorative" such as "derogatory" and "uncomplimentary" to describe disparaging words.
sophistry
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 26, 2008 is: sophistry • \SAH-fuh-stree\ • noun *1 : subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation 2 : an argument apparently correct in form but actually invalid; especially : such an argument used to deceive Example sentence: The senatorial candidate argued that his opponent was using sophistry in an effort to distort his plan for education reform. Did you know? The original Sophists were ancient Greek teachers of rhetoric and philosophy prominent in the 5th century B.C. In their heyday, these philosophers were considered adroit in their reasoning, but later philosophers (particularly Plato) described them as sham philosophers, out for money and willing to say anything to win an argument. Thus "sophist" (which comes from Greek "sophistēs," meaning "wise man" or "expert") earned a negative connotation as "a captious or fallacious reasoner." "Sophistry" is reasoning that seems plausible on a superficial level but is actually unsound, or reasoning that is used to deceive. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
dilapidate
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:15:01 -0500
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 25, 2008 is: dilapidate • \dih-LAP-uh-dayt\ • verb *1 : to bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin 2 : to become decayed or partially ruined Example sentence: Although years of abandonment had dilapidated the old warehouse, Stuart still thought it could be salvaged and remade into an apartment building. Did you know? Something that is dilapidated may not have been literally pummeled with stones, but it might look that way. "Dilapidate" derives from the past participle of the Latin verb "dilapidare," meaning "to squander or destroy." That verb was formed by combining "dis-" with another verb, "lapidare," meaning "to pelt with stones." From there it's just a stone's throw to some other English relatives of "dilapidate." You might, for example, notice a resemblance between "lapidare" and our word for a person who cuts or polishes precious stones, "lapidary." That's because both words share as a root the Latin noun "lapis," meaning "stone." We also find "lapis" in the name "lapis lazuli," a bright blue semiprecious stone. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
MedTerms Word of the Day
Koplik's spots
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Koplik's spots: Little spots inside the mouth that are highly characteristic of the early phase of measles (rubeola). The spots look like a tiny grains of white sand, each surrounded by a red ring. They are found especially on the inside of the cheek (the buccal mucosa) opposite the 1st and 2nd upper molars. Named for the New York pediatrician Henry Koplik (1858-1927) who described them. MedTerms (TM) is the Medical Dictionary of MedicineNet.com.We Bring Doctors' Knowledge To You
Gilbertese Dictionary - Online Gilbertese (Kiribati) dictionary of over 50,000 words.
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