osculate (2009-05-31)

Part of Speech: verb

Pronunciation: ['ah-skyê-leyt]

Definition: To come together, to contact (as two osculating circles); to kiss.

Usage: We hope you find someone to whom today's word applies in all its lexical splendor: someone you wish to come together with, to contact, and to kiss. Surprise your wife with, "Let's osculate!" for a change of pace. Tell your husband that you are in the mood for a little osculation. It might be good for a giggle and kissing and smiling go together like Valentine's Day and hearts.

Suggested Usage: Today's word is for those shy, affectionate people who are willing to talk about kissing in public but not so that other people understand. As you might expect, it comes from a large, happy family with several adjectives, such as osculable "kissable" (such osculable lips), osculant "kissing" (an osculant cousin?), and "osculatory" (an osculatory couple in the shadows). There are two nouns, the expectable osculation "a kiss" and an eccentric osculary "something to be kissed," which might refer to an icon, a rosary, or anything else you find kissable.

Etymology: In case you hadn't guessed, today's word comes from Latin, specifically the verb osculari "to kiss," based on osculum "kiss" (as osculum pacis "the kiss of peace"). "Osculum is the diminutive of os "mouth." We discussed this root recently in connection with the word "orotund," noting that in Latin it changed to or- in most words, so that it is the same root underlying "oral," "orifice," and "orator."