Word of the Day : April 16, 2018

vulnerable \VUL-nuh-ruh-bul\ adjective

Definition

1 : capable of being physically or emotionally wounded

2 : open to attack or damage : assailable

Did You Know?

Vulnerable is ultimately derived from the Latin noun vulnus ("wound"). Vulnus led to the Latin verb vulnerare, meaning "to wound," and then to the Late Latin adjective vulnerabilis, which became vulnerable in English in the early 1600s. Vulnerable originally meant "capable of being physically wounded" or "having the power to wound" (the latter is now obsolete), but since the late 1600s, it has also been used figuratively to suggest a defenselessness against non-physical attacks. In other words, someone (or something) can be vulnerable to criticism or failure as well as to literal wounding. When it is used figuratively, vulnerable is often followed by the preposition to.

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    The magician ______ moved the selected card to the top of the deck.




                                  discreetly
                                  discretely








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Aired April 16, 2018

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