The Daily Prompt

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This one is way outside of the box, but I remain hopeful.

Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance artist, architect, and engineer, kept copious notes detailing his research and ideas. Most of the time, he wrote in “mirror script,” starting at the right side of the page and moving left. The writing was only legible when held up to a mirror — assuming you could decipher his special personal shorthand, that is. It’s not entirely clear why the Renaissance polymath chose to write this way, although some have theorized that because he frequently used his left hand, the mirror script may have helped keep his hands clean and ink un-smudged. More than 7,000 of his notebook pages have survived to the present day and are held in collections around the world.

Source: Mental Floss | Date Updated: February 18, 2020

Word of the Day

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20

Effloresce

[ef-lə-RESS]Part of speech: verb

Origin: latin, late 18th century

• Reach an optimum stage of development; blossom.
• (of a substance) lose moisture and turn to a fine powder on exposure to air.

Examples of Effloresce in a sentence

• The song starts out slowly, but it will effloresce when you reach the chorus. 
• You must keep the package sealed until you’re ready to use it, because it will effloresce when opened. 

About Effloresce

When you break this word down into its Latin roots, one definition becomes quite clear. The prefix “E” means out and “florescere” means begin to bloom. However, effloresce is not usually referring to literal blooming flowers, but it’s a more figurative description of something developing and coming into maturity or peak performance.

Did you Know?

When using the second definition here of effloresce, it has a specific chemical usage. When the substance effloresces upon contact with the air, it will produce salt particles. The word can also be used to describe rocks or brickwork with a salt content that can crystallize on the surface.