eolian

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 2, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>eolian</strong> &#149; \ee-OH-lee-un\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> borne, deposited, produced, or eroded by the wind</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>The park is known for its <em>eolian</em> caves—chambers formed in sandstone cliffs by powerful winds.</p> <p>"If an extremely tenuous atmosphere like that of Pluto can support the generation of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedform">bedforms</a> from wind-driven sediment, what kind of <em>eolian</em> activity might we see on places like Io (a moon of Jupiter)…?" — <a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-pluto-methane-dunes-20180531-story.html">Alexander Hayes, quoted in <em>The Los Angeles Times</em>, 31 May 2018</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>When <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Aeolus">Aeolus</a> blew into town, things really got moving. He was the Greek god of the winds and the king of the floating island of Aeolia. In <em>The Odyssey</em>, Homer claims Aeolus helped Odysseus by giving him a favorable wind. Aeolus also gave English speakers a few terms based on his name, including the adjective <em>eolian</em> (also spelled <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aeolian#h2">aeolian</a></em>), which is often used for wind-sculpted geological features such as caves and dunes, and <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aeolian%20harp">aeolian harp</a></em>, the name for an instrument that makes music when the wind blows across its strings.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>