A “bulwark” (BUL-wurk) - from the Dutch or German for “tree trunk” + “work” - is a person, thing, or concept that is a defense or protection.

Example (as used by John E. Miller in Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder): “For Laura’s mother the church, in addition to what spiritual significance it possessed, stood out as a bulwark of civilization in the midst of a still forming, rough frontier culture.”

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Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008

• Are You Allergic to Christmas Trees? - Ah, the joys of trimming the Christmas tree: hanging decorations, untangling strings of lights, spri
• It’s Fun to Know: Christmas Tree Facts - Christmas tree lots have sprouted up around the holidays since 1850 (though not, until recently, in
• Is Your Life a Reality Show? - Psychiatrists are reporting a new disorder, one that, researchers say, illustrates the influence pop
• Think Before You “Blink” - In last year’s best-seller Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, author Malcolm Gladwell po
• How to Find the Jingle Bell Spirit - I used to gripe about the “inconvenience” of the holiday season. Too often, I felt that my work goal
• Apotheosize - To “apotheosize” (uh-POTH-ee-uh-size) - from the Latin - is to deify or glorify. Example (as used by
• Coruscate - To “coruscate” (KOR-uh-skate) - from the Latin for “to move quickly” - is to sparkle, to give off or