Friday, February 02, 2007

Word of the Day - Dire

As in:
The great flu pandemic: Despite dire warnings, public interest has

Area Red Cross in dire need of blood

Dire global warming report won't change US policy

US command nominee terms Iraq situation 'dire'

All in all a Google news search on 'dire' returns Results 1 - 50 of about 10,719 for dire.

American Heritage Dictionary
dire (dīr) Pronunciation Key
adj. dir·er, dir·est

1. Warning of or having dreadful or terrible consequences; calamitous: a dire economic forecast; dire threats.
2. Urgent; desperate: in dire need; dire poverty.



[Latin dīrus, fearsome, terrible; akin to Greek deinos.]

dire'ly adv., dire'ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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