ergogenic

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 28, 2009 is: ergogenic • \ur-guh-JEN-ik\ • adjective : enhancing physical performance Examples: "New to this edition are chapters for rowers and a review of ergogenic aids, such as protein supplements and other products…." (Anne Stein, Chicago Tribune, June 3, 2007) Did you know? No matter your profession -- be it office worker, athlete, physicist, or poet -- "ergon," the Greek word for "work," has generated a word for you to work into your vocabulary. There is "ergonomics," which concerns efficiently and safely designing things that people use -- for example, office equipment. Then there is our featured word, "ergogenic," which might crop up in a discussion about improving athletic performance. The physicist's mind is likely to think in "ergs," or centimeter-gram-second units of work. And for those of the literary, or even agricultural, bent, there is "georgic," which combines "ergon" with Greek "geō-," meaning "earth," and refers to a poem dealing with agriculture or to the activity of agriculture itself. The most common derivative, however, is "energy," which adds Greek "en," meaning "in," to "ergon." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.