Wednesday: Penumbra

penumbra |peˈnəmbrə| noun (pl. penumbrae |-brē, -brī| or penumbras) the partially shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object.• Astronomy the shadow cast by the earth or moon over an area experiencing a partial eclipse.• Astronomy the less dark outer part of a sunspot, surrounding the dark core.DERIVATIVES penumbral |-brəl| adjectiveORIGIN mid 17th cent.: modern Latin, from Latinpaene ‘almost’ + umbra ‘shadow.’
Not all shadows are created equal.

Wednesday Word: Ruminant

ruminant |ˈro͞omənənt| noun1 an even-toed ungulate mammal that chews the cud regurgitated from its rumen. The ruminants comprisethe cattle, sheep, antelopes, deer, giraffes, and their relatives.
2 a contemplative person; a person given to meditation.adjectiveof or belonging to ruminants.ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin ruminant- ‘chewing over again,’ from the verb ruminari, from rumen ‘throat’ (see rumen) .
So if someone says "You're such a ruminant!" they're either calling you a sheep or a deep thinker. Perhaps all sheep are deep thinkers.