March 03, 2014 Word of the Day decoct \dih-KAHKT\ DEFINITION verb 1 : to extract the flavor of by boiling 2 : boil down, concentrate EXAMPLES The author has tried to decoct the positions the players in this complex situation have taken into two camps: those who are for the changes and those who are against them. Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is far better known as a bottled astringent than a native shrub. Its medicinal uses date back to the Native Americans, who taught Europeans how to identify the plant and decoct its leaves and stems into the now-familiar tonic. — From an article by David Taft in the New York Times, December 1, 2013 DID YOU KNOW? Decoct boils down to a simple Latin origin: the word decoquere, from de-, meaning down or away, and coquere, meaning to cook or to ripen. Decoct itself is quite rare. Its related noun decoction, which refers to either an extract obtained by decocting or the act or process of decocting, is slightly more common but still much less recognizable than some other members of the coquere family, among them biscuit, biscotti, cook, and kitchen. Other coquere descendants include concoct (to prepare by combining raw materials or to devise or fabricate), concoction (something concocted), and precocious (exceptionally early in development or occurrence or exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age).
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 01:56:04 +0000
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