Abiogenesis is the formation of living organisms from non-living substances. It sounds an unlikely thing to happen, but unless it was created from nothing at all, then this must be how life started on Earth. Unless it was brought here by aliens, in which case abiogenesis must have occurred on whichever planet they came from.

Oh, and the spontaneous generation of living forms is also called abiogenesis. Gosh, who’d have thought that explaining the creation of life would be complicated?

Here’s a fluffy, baby living organism. If you don’t know how babies are created, ask strangers on the bus. You’ll be sure to get a seat to yourself.

If something (or I suppose someone) is lactiferous, then they’re producing milk, or a milk like fluid. That makes sense as ‘lacto’ refers to milk and ‘ferous’ implies having or forming.

Euphorbias can probably be described as lactiferous as the sap of these plants looks very like milk. Don’t go drinking it though, as it’s a strong irritant.

I spotted today’s word whilst looking up last week’s. Perilymph is the liquid inside your ear which sloshes about and makes you dizzy if you spin round really fast. (Come on, I never actually said these posts wold be useful, did I?)

 

 

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I’ve always thought of peril as being a mild sort of trouble – the kind of thing you’d face with your chums before going home for lashings of ginger beer. The variations of perilled and perilling appeared even more benign.

I thought wrong.
Peril actually mean serious and immediate danger.

Don’t know about you, but I’d rather avoid any and all forms of perilousness.

To swish something (a rejection slip perhaps) is to move it through the air, so that it makes a sound. Helpfully my dictionary describes the noise produced as ‘a swishing sound’.

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