Word to the Wise: Ablution

"Ablution" (uh-BLOO-shun) - from the Latin for "to wash away" - is the act of ritually cleansing the body.

Example (as used by Joseph Brodsky in The New York Times): "In fact, writing - more exactly, composing in your head - formal poetry may be recommended in solitary confinement as a kind of therapy, alongside pushups and cold ablutions."

[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Similar Articles:

• The Cleanest Clean - It may seem obvious, but one fact bears repeating: Expensive doesn’t necessarily mean “best,” and ch…
• Four Things to Do Today From Goethe - "One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, an…
• Word to the Wise: Coeval - "Coeval" (koh-EE-vul) means of the same age, originating or existing during the same perio…
• Living Rich: How to Read a Poem - "One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, an…
• Word to the Wise: Disquisition - A "disquisition" (dis-kwuh-ZISH-un) - from the Latin for "investigate" - is a fo…
• What’s Your Preposition? - A reader of this column writes: “I appreciate how Early to Rise expands my vocabulary and answers gr…
• The Trouble With Cold-Calling - I won’t deny that cold-calling can work. Yet in 99 out of 100 cases, my advice is never to do it. Th…