- Today's Word
Admonish
ad-MAH-nish
Definition
(verb) To warn or reprimand someone firmly, often with the intention of correction.
Example
The teacher admonished the student for speaking out of turn, but her tone remained calm and constructive.
Fun Fact
In literature and film, characters who admonish others often serve as the story’s moral compass—think of Gandalf’s warnings in The Lord of the Rings or Atticus Finch’s guidance in To Kill a Mockingbird. These moments aren’t just disciplinary—they’re pivotal points of growth.
(noun) a system of conveying information through visual signals, often using flags, lights, or mechanical arms, especially over long distances.
Before modern radio communication, ships relied on semaphore to send urgent messages across open water.
Semaphore comes from the early 19th-century French word sémaphore, which itself is rooted in the Greek words sēma (meaning “sign”) and phoros (meaning “bearing” or “carrying”), literally translating to “sign-bearer.” The term was first used to describe mechanical signaling towers across France that transmitted messages visually from station to station long before electrical communication existed.