palmy

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2007 is: palmy • \PAH-mee\ • adjective 1 : marked by prosperity : flourishing 2 : abounding in or bearing palms Examples: "In Beaufort Road was a house, occupied in its palmier days, by Mr Shorthouse, a manufacturer of acids." (J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter, July 1964) Did you know? The palm branch has traditionally been used as a symbol of victory. It is no wonder then that the word "palm" came to mean "victory" or "triumph" in the late 14th century, thanks to the likes of Geoffrey Chaucer. Centuries later, Shakespeare would employ "palm" to create a new synonym for "triumphant" or "flourishing." His coinage is found in the tragedy Hamlet when the character Horatio speaks of the "palmy state of Rome / A little ere the mightiest Julius fell." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.