***************************************************************
Did you know Julius Caesar moved January to the head
of the year? Click here for your guide to word histories.
http://www.m-w.com/book/literead/wordhist.htm
***************************************************************

The Word of the Day for January 8 is:

glom   \GLAHM\   (verb)
    *1 : take, steal
     2 : seize, catch

Example sentence:
     "Nobody needs to glom my favorite hairbrush anymore," Liz
told her three teenage daughters, "now that I've bought each of
you one just like it."

Did you know?
     It's a classic case of glomming. Americans seized on
"glaum" (a term from Scots dialect that basically means "grab")
and appropriated it as our own, changing it to "glom" in the
process. "Glom" first meant "steal" (as in the purse-snatching,
robber kind of stealing), but over time that meaning got
stretched. Today, "glom" often figuratively extends that original
"steal" sense. A busy professional might glom a weekend getaway,
for example. "Glom" also appears frequently in the phrase "glom
on to," which can mean "to appropriate for one's own use" ("glom
on to another's idea"); "to grab hold of" ("glom on to the last
cookie"); or "to latch on to" ("glom on to an opinion" or "glom
on to an influential friend").

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

----------------
Brought to you by Merriam-Webster, Inc.
http://www.Merriam-Webster.com
----------------

Subscribe or unsubscribe to Word of the Day via the Web at:
http://www.Merriam-Webster.com/service/subinst.htm

To join the list via e-mail, send a blank e-mail to:
mw-wod-subscribe-request@listserv.webster.m-w.com
To leave the list via e-mail, send a blank e-mail to:
mw-wod-signoff-request@listserv.webster.m-w.com

Questions about your subscription?
Write to: mw-wod-request@listserv.webster.m-w.com
Questions or comments about the Word of the Day?
Write to: word@Merriam-Webster.com

(c) 2002 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated