Word-of-the-month

[Image credit: Arvind Balaraman]

Each word I see or hear that stumps me ends up in my “word-of-the-month” stash.  Then, when it’s time for me to pick and choose the next word to be featured, I can’t help but picture each one trying to outdo the other so that I’ll select the “best” one.  I have to admit, I did pass over this month’s choice several times.  And each time, I kept thinking it had something to do with chewing up my food — which, incidentally, is masticate.  But, finally, matriculate (pronounced muh-trik-yuh-leyt) is March’s word-of-the-month and I now know it means to begin or enroll.  Synonyms include enter, join, register and sign up for.  A sample sentence may read: As a non-traditional (older) student, I matriculated in undergraduate studies at Arizona State University where I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature, Writing and Film.  Perhaps you have always wanted to matriculate in a race, contest or cooking, fitness or art class.

Is there some activity in which you’ve recently matriculated?