Today’s WOTD – 7 November 2012

recusant

[rek-yuh-zuhnt, ri-kyoo-zuhnt]

adjective

1. refusing to submit, comply, etc.
2. obstinate in refusal.
3. English History . refusing to attend services of the Church of England.

For example:

‘Following the death of his father, Guy Fawkes’s mother married a recusant Catholic’.

noun
4. a person who is recusant.
5. English History . a person, especially a Roman Catholic, who refused to attend the services of the Church of England.

For example:

‘Following the proclamation of the Recusancy Act by Queen Elizabeth I, recusants could be fined or imprisoned and their property confiscated’.

Origin:
1545–55; < Latin recūsant- (stem of recūsāns ), present participle of recusāre to demur, object, equivalent to re- re- + -cūsāre, verbal derivative of causa cause; see -ant

Related forms
unrecusant, adjective

Today’s aphorism

‘Nobody goes there any more. It’s too crowded’.

– Lawrence Peter ‘Yogi’ Berra

On this day

7 – 8 November 1917 – October Revolution. Part of the Russian Revolution which commenced with the February Revolution (8-12 March 1917) and which overthrew the Russian Provisional Government and replaced it with the Soviet government. (This date is from the New Style Gregorian calendar and corresponds with 25 October 1917 under the Old Style Julian calendar).

7 November 1956 – Suez Canal Crisis. Egyptian President Nasser announces that he will nationalise the Suez Canal Company and in the interim, freezes their assets. In response, France, Britain and Israel attack Egypt, including the bombing Cairo. They had attacked in order to gain control of the Suez Canal and to remove Nasser from power. The United Nations issued a resolution requiring France, Britain and Israel to withdraw. The United States and the Soviet Union backed the U.N. resolution and the three antagonists were forced to withdraw.

7 November 2000 – George W. Bush wins the most controversial U.S. presidential election in history. Because of the closeness of the election results in Florida, a number of actions were taken in the U.S. Supreme Court. Before recounting could close, the Supreme Court declared George W. Bush the victor, with a majority of between 500 and 2,000 votes, even though it was revealed that George W. Bush’s brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush removed 58,000 names from the electoral role (based on ethnicity and who were likely to vote Democrat).