• debouch •
Pronunciation: dee-bush • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To issue forth, to come out of a narrowly confining space into a larger one or through a bottleneck.
Notes: The word for the place where something
debouches is used so seldom, it still carries its French diacritics and accentuation: débouché pronounced [de-bu-shay]. The alternative is debouchment, which you may pronounce in either the French or English manner. This noun also serves as a more elegant if more snooty word for "mouth of a river".
In Play: One of the stranger expressions we use and seem to understand is "the river empties into the sea". Actually, very few rivers are ever seen empty; rivers debouch into seas and oceans: "The Mississippi River debouches into the Gulf of Mexico." Armies may debouch through enemy lines if they break through a small hole and disperse on the other side: "Our troops exultantly debouched the enemy line only to advance on a cliff with a 100-foot drop!"
Word History: Today's Good Word obviously is a loaner from French déboucher, a verb made up of de "(out) of" + bouche "mouth". Bouche is from Latin bucca "cheek, mouth", itself borrowed for English buccal "pertaining to the cheek". English buckle comes from Old French boucle, originally the Latin diminutive of bucca, buccula "little cheek, cheek strap (of a helmet)". (Let us debouch a deluge of gratitude on Suzanne Williams, Florida photographer, for suggesting this delightful and useful word.)
DEBOUCH
- Dr. Goodword
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DEBOUCH
Last edited by Dr. Goodword on Wed May 02, 2007 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
• The Good Dr. Goodword
Aw shucks! (But good Dr. you spelled my name wrong, which incidentally has been the bane of my existence.) SuZanne.
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 2578
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- Location: Crownsville, MD
Oh, SuZanne! Uh ...Aw shucks! (But good Dr. you spelled my name wrong, which incidentally has been the bane of my existence.) SuZanne.
... is it the misspelling or that name that's been the bane?
On second thought, the way that dackel is staring at me, I'd better fermez la bouche!
Regards//Larry
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
― ―Stargzr, you play the banjo?
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 2578
- Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:56 pm
- Location: Crownsville, MD
I have a five-string, and know (from a book) how it's supposed to be played, but I really wouldn't say I can play anything on it other than a simple G chord.Stargzr, you play the banjo?
I'm a wee bit better at guitar. Guitar music strikes a responsive chord in me.
Banjos, at least according to the book I have, are tuned to a G chord.
Skinem, I think Gail is either surprised or dumbfounded as to why you asked that question!― ―Stargzr, you play the banjo?
Oh, yeah; the ― ― she posted is a link.
Regards//Larry
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
Please...that song has been the OTHER bane of my existence!― ―Stargzr, you play the banjo?
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
Well, I certainly don't play the banjo, but my wife does! What good Southern home would be complete without a banjo? (...and a dulcimer, a piano, a couple acoustic guitars as well as the stray electric guitar for playing "Free Bird" and "Sweet Home Alabama". Oh, yeah, and I can't forget the jug!)
Suzanne, I certainly didn't mean bring the pain of the bane!
Suzanne, I certainly didn't mean bring the pain of the bane!
I do not play the banjo, although a college roommate did, so I've heard that infamous song up close (although not too close). I even heard it as a duet, with the second part debouching from the telephone from her brother, who was, I guess, phoning it in...
Elsewhere in music news, the latest issue of 5280 has a feature on Björn Türoque (aka Dan Crane) who escaped the cubicle farms to become a professional air guitarist. (I bet that makes for an interesting tax return.)
And some of you were trying to get me to move South! Ha! We got us some culture right here.
-gailr
Elsewhere in music news, the latest issue of 5280 has a feature on Björn Türoque (aka Dan Crane) who escaped the cubicle farms to become a professional air guitarist. (I bet that makes for an interesting tax return.)
And some of you were trying to get me to move South! Ha! We got us some culture right here.
-gailr
LOL. It's okay. I am used to it. You try growing up in the south with Suzanne as your name!Suzanne, I certainly didn't mean bring the pain of the bane!
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
Ha! I actually have a neice named Suzanne. I thought it a law that every Southern family have at least one Suzanne!LOL. It's okay. I am used to it. You try growing up in the south with Suzanne as your name!Suzanne, I certainly didn't mean bring the pain of the bane!
Now, I do agree with you that it would be tough for me to grow up in the South with Suzanne as my name...but it probably would be anywhere!
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