cowerlifting [KOU-er-lif-ting] (n) : an activity or sport involving both meat* and tests of strength, often including but not limited to: the rump press, sirloin squat, and quarter deadlift.

Ex:
“I’m about to break in my new lifting converse with a little cowerlifting.”

Origin:
Coined in August 2010 by “She-Hulk” as a combination of “cow” and “powerlifting” to describe her own afternoon activities. 

Notes:
*Although “cowerlifting” was originally coined to specifically describe the activity of lifting heavy cuts of beef, it can also be used informally to mean the lifting of heavy meat in general.

photo credit: Juan

stirp [STURP] (n) : a line of descendants from a common ancestor  

Ex:
At the end of The DaVinci Code, Sophie finds out that she is a descendant of the Merovingians (who are claimed to be descendants of Jesus) and it is strongly implied that she is the last of that stirp.

Origin:
Latin, meaning “trunk, root”.

Notes:
- Commonly used in anthropological contexts
- The only other English word from this root is the verb “extirpate,” which is a verb that means to completely remove or destroy something (as though to dig it up by the roots)

sororal [se-ROR-ul] (adj) : of, relating to, or in the relationship of a sister, sisterly

Ex:
I don’t pretend to understand how or why it happens, but I’m telling you: our sororal link is eerily strong; yesterday morning, Audrey Ann walked into a dresser and MY foot hurt all day.  http://bit.ly/2y0ckI

Usage note:
Sororal is similar to its much more common relative fraternal (brother:fraternal::sister:sororal) … which should make sense to anyone who knows the words fraternity and sorority, but unfortunately many incorrectly extend this logic too far, and use the non-word sororital to mean sororal. Merriam-Webster doesn’t (yet) recognize sororital as a word, but I imagine one could get away with it if meaning to describe something of or relating to a society or club of girls or women (a sorority) — but it still wouldn’t mean “sisterly”. Now you know.

Origin:
1645-55, from Latin soror meaning “sister”.

1. A word or pronunciation that distinguishes people of one group or class from those of another
2. A word or phrase identified with a particular group or cause; a catchword
3. A commonplace saying or idea
4. A custom or practice that betrays one as an outsider

Ex:
- “When he was USC president, Dr. Sorensen often liked to begin speeches with a silly story from his Bow Tie Tour. The trip had been originally undertaken with the goal of learning the local pronunciations of each town in South Carolina  (many of which are particularly tricky shibboleths), but it also served to introduce Dr. Sorensen and the state to each other.”

- “Without reprieve, adjudged to death, For want of well pronouncing  shibboleth.”   —Milton, S.A.


Origin:
Hebrew word meaning “ear of corn” or “stream” or “flood”. Gained the above English meaning because the word was used by Jephthah (one of the judges of Israel) as a criterion by which to distinguish his own men, the Gileadites, from the Ephraimites, who could not pronounce the “sh” and called the word “sibboleth”. (Judges xii. 4-6)

tautology [taw-TOL-uh-jee] (n)
1. needless repetition of an idea, esp. in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in ”widow woman”
2. an instance of such repetition
3. (logic)
   a. a compouind propositional form all of whose instances are true, as in ”A or not A”
   b. an instance of such a form, as “I will or will not read Wind-Up Bird Chronicles tonight”

Ex:
“The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club.”
  -Randall Munroe, 2/17/2010, http://xkcd.com/703/

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2.19.2009 WotD:

tautological [taw-TOL-uh-guh-kuhl] (adj): unnecessarily or uselessly repetitive

Ex: “It may be tautological to call him a pedantic analyst, because that seems to be the only way analysts can be, but that is the case nonetheless.”

a derivative of:

tautology [taw-TOL-uh-jee] (n)
1. needless repetition of an idea, esp. in words other than those of the           immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in       “widow woman”
2. an instance of such repetition
3. (logic)
   a. a compouind propositional form all of whose instances are true, as in “A or not A”
   b. an instance of such a form, as “I will or will not read Wind-Up Bird Chronicles tonight”

abstemious [ab-STEE-mee-us] (adj) : marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol; also: reflecting such restraint 

Ex:
“At this point, your choice is to either embrace a more abstemious lifestyle or give up on the dream of being attractive and eventually die alone with many cats.”

Origin:
“Abstemious” does look very similar to “abstain”, and both involve self-restraint or self-denial, but they are only partially related. Both include the Latin prefix “abs-” meaning “from” or “away”, but “abstain” comes from “abs” plus the Latin verb “tenere” meaning “to hold” but “abstemious” is “abs” plus “temious”, which is a suffix derived from the Latin noun “temetum” meaning “intoxicating drink”.