Today's word:

manatine (adj.) resembling a manatee.

Christopher Columbus is said to have mistaken three manatees sunning on a rock for mermaids. Not sure how anyone could make that mistake! The 3 species of manatee, along with the dugong, comprise the order Sirenia - guess where that came from! The closest living relative to these creatures is the elephant.

My much-treasured Christmas present for 2017 is a book by Paul Anthony Jones: "The cabinet of linguistic curiosities". Each page contains a descriptive story about some obscure or archaic word. It occurred to me it would be a fun exercise to try and write, each day, a poem featuring the "word of the day" from the book.

Thanks for reading.

You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.