| Front | osculate \AHSS-kyuh-layt\ |
|---|---|
| Back | verb To kiss. ["Osculate" comes from the Latin noun "osculum," meaning "kiss" or "little mouth." It was included in a dictionary of "hard" words in 1656, but we have no evidence that anyone actually used it until the 19th century, except for scientists who used it differently, to mean "contact." Today, "osculate" is used in geometry for the action of a pair of curves or surfaces that touch so that they have a common tangent at the point of contact. When "osculate" is used to mean "kiss," the context is often humorous.] “Angrat enjoyed the rest of their day in the swamp, as Beneficent grabbed one frog after another and eagerly osculated each amphibian on its little froggy nose. As always, Angrat marveled at her sister’s eagerness to embrace any tall tale. Nothing came out of the smooches.” - D.E. Park; Unwashed Fiction; Lulu Press; 2015. |
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