Saturday, October 16, 2010

#289 crucible

crucible- a vessel in which substances are heated to high temperatures; the hearth at the bottom of a metallurgical furnace in which the metal collects; a severe trial or test

C15 Medieval Latin crucibulum night lamp

Yale is a crucible in American life for the accommodation of intellectual achievement, of wisdom, of refinement, with the democratic ideals of openness, of social justice and of equal opportunity. ~Benno C. Schmidt

Companion site: quoteflections- a regular, eclectic mind fix

Tags: word of the day, best words, etymology, spelling, vital, useful, expressive, emotional, strategic, onomatopoeic, connotation, how to, English usage, language, learning, mnemonic devices, vocabulary, quoteflections, quotation, quotes