meander

(v) - If a river, stream, road etc meanders, it has a lot of bends rather than going in a straight line. If a person meanders, he or she may walk somewhere in a slow relaxed way rather than take the most direct way possible. If a conversation meanders, it is too long and has no purpose or structure.

• Synonyms: wander, zigzag, roam, drift, ramble, wind, veer
• Antonyms: go directly, stay on track
• Etymology: 1570s Greek, from Maiandros which is the name of a river in Caria noted for its winding course
• Example: It is very important that no one is allowed to meander around the room while we are testing.

Exactly how did it come to be that rivers and lakes meander across the Midwestern landscape?

uncanny

(adj) - Something uncanny is strange and difficult to explain.

• Synonyms: unusual, strange, weird, odd, incredible, astounding, remarkable
• Antonyms: normal, typical, common, natural
• Etymology: 1590s, "mischievous;" 1773 in the sense of "associated with the supernatural," originally Scottish and northern English, from un- meaning "not" + can meaning "know how to" + the adjective-forming suffix -y
• Example: Constance Contraire has an uncanny ability to be both clever and irritating at the same time.

 

Some people have an uncanny ability to remember facts and details about the states.

Click here to try some State games - let's see if you're one of them!

potential

(n) - Potential is possibility; if people or things have potential, they have a natural ability or quality that could develop to make them very good.
(adj) - If a potential event is going to occur, it is likely to develop in the future.

• Synonyms: possible, likely, would-be, maybe
• Antonyms: impossible
• Etymology: 1398 Latin, from potentia meaning "power" (as in potent). The noun, meaning "that which is possible," is first showed up in 1817
• Morphology: potent, potentially
• Example: You have the potential to earn many points for your Heritage team today.

Hmmm... I'm thinking that some of you have some real potential as dancers!

devise

(v) - To devise something is to plan or invent a new way of doing it.

• Synonyms: dream up, form, formulate, invent, come up with, imagine, figure out
• Antonyms: borrow, steal
• Etymology: Early 13th Century Latin, from dividere meaning "to divide," which comes from de- meaning "down, away from," +  root of viere meaning "to bind, twist"
• Example: Farmers in the Midwest had to devise more efficient methods of harvesting their crops in order to make more money.

throng

(n) – A throng is a large crowd.

• Synonyms: bunch, collection, crowd, mass, mob,
• Antonyms: one
• Etymology: 1300 from P. Gmc (Proto-Germanic, the supposed prehistoric ancestor of all Germanic languages, including English) *thrangan meaning “crowd”
• Example: Maybe today will be the day that Fizz and Martina get the chance to play their music for a throng of people!

This week's Fab Five person is...

endeavor

(n) - An endeavor is an attempt to do something new or difficult.
(v) - If you endeavor to do something, you try very hard.

• Synonyms 
• nouns: aim, effort, undertaking, venture, a stab
• verbs: attempt, try, plan, aim, focus, zero in on, set your sights on, strive
• Antonyms 
• nouns: laziness, idleness
• verbs: don't try, sit around, be lazy
• Etymology: Early 15th Century, from the phrase put (oneself) in dever meaning "make it one's duty." This is a partial translation of Old French mettre en deveir meaning "put in duty," which comes from Old French dever meaning "duty," which comes from Latin debere meaning "to owe" (which is where we get the word debt)
• Morphology: endeavored - v
• Example:  We are taking on a new endeavor by bringing all of this new technology into our classroom.

Last October, NASA endeavored to move the Space Shuttle Endeavor to its final resting place in the California Science Center in Exposition Park.  It travelled 12 miles from Los Angeles International Airport, through the town of Inglewood, to Exposition Park. It was no easy feat!

compensate

(v) - To compensate is to replace the effect of something, to make up for something, or to balance out the results, especially of something bad.

• Synonyms: counterbalance, satisfy, take care of, make up for
• Antonyms: lose, forget
• Etymology: 1646 Latin, from com- meaning "with" + pendere meaning "to weigh"
• Morphology: compensation

I don't care how much money you offered me... you couldn't compensate me enough to want to do this job:

• Example: In order to compensate for our missing Heritage time this week, we are going to switch Library times with Mrs. Falcon's class on Wednesday.

Now would be a good time to figure out how to set up and use your Google calendar!

It's TECH TIME!

looming

(adj) - A looming event seems important, worrying, and difficult to avoid. A looming object appears as a large unclear shape, especially in a threatening way.
*This word can also be used as a verb

• Synonyms: rising, approaching, menacing, threatening
• Antonyms: avoidable, distant, far-off, small
• Etymology: 1540s perhaps from a Scandinavian source (like from the Swedish word loma meaning "move slowly"), meaning "come into view largely and unclearly." Some Etymologists think this word may be a variation from the word lame.
• Morphology: loom - v, loomed - v
• Example: Now that the MontCAS is behind us, the NWEA tests are looming in our future.

When a severe thunderstorm is looming in the Midwest, you can bet that Sean Casey and his team will be there to capture it on film!

diverse

(adj) - People or things that are diverse are very different from one another.

• Synonyms: assorted, different, unlike, varying
• Antonyms: alike, identical, same, congruent, similar
• Etymology: Mid 13th Century Latin, from divertere meaning "to vary”
• Morphology: verb – diversify, noun – diversity

Being from Montana, you probably have an idea of who a farmer is and what he does, but I'll bet you never realized what a diverse group of people farmers really are!

See what I mean...

obtain

(v) - To obtain something is to get something that you want, especially through your own effort, skill, or work.

• Synonyms: get, acquire, earn, collect, win, come into possession of
• Antonyms: give up, forfeit, lose, sacrifice, give away
• Etymology: Early 15th Century Latin, from ob meaning "to" + tenere meaning "to hold"
• Example: Before setting up your Google accounts, we needed to obtain permission from your parents.