13 December 2015
maledicent
[mal-eh-dee-sent]
Adjective
(archaic) one who enjoys using slanderous language or is addicted to abusive speech
(archaic) reproachful in speech
(archaic) slanderous
(comparative more maledicent, superlative most maledicent)
Origin
Latin: maledicere
Usage
The debate resulted only in proving which politician was more maledicent.
Anagram
menaced lit
citadel men
climate end
candle emit
Today’s quote
Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal.
– Aristotle
On this day
13 December 1937 – Nanking, China, is captured by Japanese forces. The Japanese General Matsui orders the destruction of the city, resulting in the massacre of more than 200,000 people, and rape and mutilation of around 20,000 women and girls.
13 December 1939 – Premier of the classic movie, Gone With The Wind, starring Clark Gable and Vivienne Leigh.
13 December 1995 – Thousands of people riot in Brixton, England, ransacking shops and attacking police.
13 December 2003 – US forces capture Saddam Hussein at a compound near Tikrit. He was executed by hanging on 30 December 2006 after being found guilty of the 1982 murder of 148 Iraqi Shi’ites.
13 December 2006 – Belgians react angrily to the news that their country is to be divided in two, with the Dutch speaking component of the country declaring their independence. The news was a joke propagated by Belgian public television station, R.T.B.F.
13 December 2007 – Pakistani President, Pervez Musharaff, moves responsibility for Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal from the Prime Minister to the President amid fears of it falling into the hands of Islamic extremists.