shanghai [vt. shang-HIGH or SHANG-high]
To shanghai someone is to take them somewhere against their will.
If you are deceived or forced to go somewhere, you could say that you
have been shanghaied. Example: "Susan was shanghaied into attending
the baby shower for her second cousin Bertha."
Use of the word to describe a kidnapping, abduction, or snatching
can be traced back to the 1870s when the practice of coercing men
into joining marine expeditions to the Orient was particularly
prevalent. People would be drugged or intoxicated and later find
themselves aboard a ship en route to the Chinese port of Shanghai or
another far-flung Asian locale.
To learn more about Shanghai the place:
http://www.sh.com/attracti/attracti.htm
Universe [n. YOU-nee-verse]
The Universe iis the whole body of things in the cosmos, including all
the stars and planets. It is also used to mean the world of human
experience here on earth.
Universe comes from the Latin universum which comprises unus (one)
and versum (to turn). It means to turn into one, combine into a
whole, and was introduced in English in the 16th century.
karaoke [n. care-e-OH-key]
Karaoke is a form of public entertainment in which the music from
songs is played while people sing the words, reading the words from a
monitor.
Karaoke started out as an amusement for business people in Japan in
1981. The word is taken from the Japanese kara (from karrapo for
empty) and oke (from Okesutora which means orchestra).
Ignominious [adj. igh-nuh-MIN-ee-us]
Ignominious describes someone who is despicable or deserving of
contempt. It is also used when something humiliating happens causing
disgrace or dishonor. Example: "The men suffered an ignominious
defeat at the hands of the boy's team."
This word has been causing English speakers to blush in shame since
the 15th century. The French word ignominieux, which was translated
into Middle English, was based on the Latin ignominia (from ig- not
and nomen- name).
Near synonyms of ignominious include inglorious, shameful,
disgraceful, degrading, and embarrassing.
The words ignominy (n., dishonor), ignominiousness (n., level of
disrepute), and ignominiously (adv., behaving disgracefully) each
share this adjective's humiliating heritage.
liberty [n. LIB-ur-tee]
Liberty is the condition of being free from restriction or control. It is the power and right to act as one wishes, without constraint, and without servitude or confinement. Example: "Upon arriving at the island, we were at liberty to explore any part of it, or relax at the main house."
The Middle English liberte came through Old French from Latin libertas, from liber (free). The ancient root was leudh (to mount up, to grow), a word whose evolution into Latin liber is not well understood. From liber came a number of "free" words, including these: liberate: to set free liberal: not limited by tradition or dogma; generous in portion libertine: one who acts without moral restraint; a freethinker deliver: to bring to a proper destination; to set free livery: uniform worn by male servants or delivery persons.
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