Word of the day, 19th March 2015

I guess there really was only one word I could choose today:

eclipse /ɪˈklɪps/ (noun and verb)

I am sure you know this meaning:  “the total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another.  A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth; a lunar eclipse when the earth passes between the sun and the moon.”

Among a few other similar meanings, another commonly used meaning is to indicate a loss of importance, power or fame, especially through the “overshadowing” of someone or something else.

Here are a few examples (mainly from the internet) to give an idea how this might be used:

– “Some photographic companies suffered as digital cameras eclipsed film cameras.”
– “The fame of Venice in glass-making so completely eclipsed that of other Italian cities that it is difficult to learn much respecting their progress in the art.”
– “Her voice was so wonderful, she eclipsed the singer who used to be on that TV programme.”

Enjoy your day.

I hope you get to see the solar eclipse. 🙂