lam

Pronounced: (like it sounds: lam), verb

Notes: I was pretty close on the meaning of this word. More people probably know it as a noun

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Yesterday’s word

The word allision is “a moving object striking against a stationary object”

First usage

This word showed up in the early 1600s

Background / Comments

I love our word! Technically, a “collision” is between two moving objects, and “allision” is when a moving one strikes a stationary one, such as a car striking against a bridge or hits stop sign or lamp post. This distinction is most often observed on the water. Sadly (for me), it is common just to use “collision” and not make a distinction. Personally, I’d love to see this word come into usage again. Note that collision and allision came into usage about the same time, so neither was earlier than the other. Our word comes from the Latin word allidere (to strike against); it is itself made up of ad- (toward) and laedere (to harm).