Word of the Day: RAUCOUS
Rough or raspy
raucous (adj) - unpleasantly loud, harsh, or grating; rowdy or disorderly [raw-kuhs]
BREAKDOWN: The word raucous comes to English almost unchanged from the Latin raucus meaning hoarse or husky. That word appears to derive from a Proto Indo-European root REU- meaning to roar, though that root does not influence any other English words.
“It’s funny that we think of libraries as quiet demure places where we are shushed by dusty, bun-balancing, bespectacled women. The truth is libraries are raucous clubhouses for free speech, controversy and community. Libraries can never be shushed.” —Paula Poundstone
[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]
Why is this listed as a verb?