Pronounced: eh-sem-PLAS-tik, adj
Notes: I thought this was a specialized type of plastic
Yesterday’s word
The word swidden is “an area of land cleared for farming by slashing and burning the vegetation”
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
Background / Comments
As noted, people with knowledge of farming may know our word. I’ve heard of the practice, but our word is new to me. It came from a Northen England dialect swithen (to burn), which came from the Old Norse word svithna (to be singed).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 