[Loch-Ruadh] Word for the day

[Jane Sitton]

Yep, this is late, as well.  Can you tell I'm busy clearing out my email??
-- Madelina

The Word of the Day for November 4 is:  utile * \YOO-tul or YOO-tyle\ *
(adjective): useful

Example sentence:  Shaker crafts are simple, meticulously constructed,
pleasing to the eye, and eminently utile, all at the same time.

Did you know?  For over a hundred years before "useful" entered our
language, "utile" served us well on its own.  We borrowed "utile" from
Middle French in the 15th century.  The French derived it from Latin
"utilis," meaning "useful," which in turn comes from "uti," meaning "to
use."  "Uti" (the past participle of which is "usus") is also the source of
our "use" and "useful."  We've been using "use" since at least the 13th
century, but we didn't acquire "useful" until the late 16th century, when
William Shakespeare inserted it into King John.  Needless to say, we've come
to prefer "useful" over "utile" since then, though "utile" functions as a
very usable synonym.  Other handy terms derived from "uti" include
"utilize," "usury," "abuse" and "utensil."

LOL, Shakespeare inserted it into King John?  Perhaps that explains the link
to "abuse".  Like I said before, I had no idea these would be so amusing.

MdL