novation

no•va•tion (noh-VEY-shuhn)  n

Definition:
1. (law) the act of either replacing an obligation to perform with a new obligation, or replacing a party to an agreement with a new party
2. the introduction of something new

novate verb

Origin:
1530s, from L. novationem, noun of action from novare “make new,” from novus "new"

Related:
Related Words: renovation, innovation

Sentence Examples:
• Napoleon was swayed also by another consideration. He considered the constitutions of the empire as the title-deeds of his crown; and he was afraid, if he annulled them, that he should effect a sort of novation, that would give him the appearance of beginning a new reign. -Memoirs of the Private Life, Return, and Reign of Napoleon in 1815, Pierre Antoine Edouard Fleury de Chaboulon

• Whether there has been a novation in any particular case is a question of fact, but assent to a novation is not to be inferred from conduct unless there has been a distinct and unambiguous request. -Principles of contract at law and in equity, Sir Frederick Pollock

• There must be a novation before the new firm is liable; and the new contract must receive the consent of all the parties, and must have the effect to extinguish the old contract and create a new liability of debtor and creditor, and such new contract must be based on some consideration. -Cases on the law of partnership, Eugene Allen Gilmore, William Everett Britton

Sources: Wikipedia, Online Etymology

Word-E: A Word-A-Day

senescence

se•nes•cence \si-ˈne-s^ən(t)s\   n

Definition
1.  the process of growing old, especially the condition resulting from the transitions and accumulations of the deleterious aging processes.
2. the growth phase in a plant or plant part (as a leaf) from full maturity to death
senescent adjective

Related
Senior, senile and senate all share the Latin root senex

Examples

• The processes induced by photoperiodism are called "senescence", which is a term for the collective process that lead to the aging and death of a plant or plant part, like a leaf. Senescence is a part of the larger process by which a plant goes into dormancy. There is more involved than the gradual reduction of growth.

• In general terms, leaf senescence is a way for a deciduous plant to prepare for winter and recycle some of the valuable and often scarce mineral nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Leaf senescence is also a way to to get rid of old and photosynthetically less efficient leaves in both deciduous and evergreen plants.

Origin

senescent, from Latin senescent-, senescens, present participle of senescere to grow old, from sen-, senex old

First Known Use: 1695

Sources: Merriam-Webster, MW Medical,

Why This Word:

Happy Autumnal Equinox (at 11:09 this evening)!

With the leaves just starting to turning, the nights getting cooler and my own birthday soon upon me, I suppose it only natural to think about senescence. But it's a word so seldom used that one ubiquitously hears it referred to instead as the aging process. When a word can stand in for a phrase, that's a sure sign that it has added to our power of expression.

Word-E: A Word-A-Day