Welcome to another weird and wonderful installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! The hot days of summer are upon us, so keep your brain from overheating by learning some cool new words. Here's the Word of the Week to get you started:
Hyperbole:
Pronunciation: \hī-ˈpər-bə-(ˌ)lē\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from Greek hyperbolē excess, hyperbole, hyperbola, from hyperballein to exceed, from hyper- + ballein to throw — more at devil
Date: 15th century
: extravagant exaggeration (as “mile-high ice-cream cones”)
Merriam-Webster Online. 30 July 2010
Example: Margaret suspected that Don was engaging in a bit of hyperbole when he declared that he was going to fly her to the moon. When their paperwork for astronaut camp came in the mail, however, she realized that he was entirely serious.
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