Items filtered by date: Wednesday, 24 February 2010

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for February 3rd was elicit.

They provided the following definition:

1 : to draw forth or bring out (something latent or potential) 2 : to call forth or draw out (as information or a response)

They also provided the following background on the word:

"Elicit" derives from the past participle of the Latin verb "elicere," formed by combining the prefix "e-" with the verb "lacere," meaning "to entice by charm or attraction." It is not related to its near-homophone, the adjective "illicit" — that word, meaning "unlawful," traces back to another Latin verb, "lic?re," meaning "to be permitted." Nor is "elicit" related to the verb "solicit," even though it sounds like it should be. "Solicit" derives from Latin "sollicitare" ("to disturb"), formed by combining the adjective "sollus," meaning "whole," with the past participle of the verb "ci?re," meaning "to move."

"To entice by charm or attraction"... hmmm.

Isn't that what is happening in many mainstream churches today?