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Word of the week: Ominent

January 31, 2017 at 8:59PM

Definition: Bad or unpleasant, and happening soon. (Merriam-Webster online)

Sample usage: "The purple sky has the ominent look of a storm with hail the size of Spam cans."

Popularity: It's too vague to catch on, and it's more fun to say "ominous and imminent" or "imminently ominous." Ominent sounds like some Zen medical salve. "Hey, your consciousness looks scraped; better put some Ominent on that."

JAMES LILEKS

Heard a new word or phrase you want us to dissect? Let us know at word@startribune.com. See previous entries at startribune.com/word.

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