Grace Brewster Hopper (née Murray; 1906–1992) was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and United States Navy rear admiral.   She was a pioneer of computer programming.  Hopper was the first to devise the theory of machine-independent programming languages, and used this theory to develop the FLOW-MATIC programming language and COBOL, an early high-level programming language still in use today.  She was also one of the first programmers on the Harvard Mark I computer.  She is credited with writing the first computer manual, "A Manual of Operation for the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator."  Before joining the Navy, Hopper earned a Ph.D. in both mathematics and mathematical physics from Yale University and was a professor of mathematics at Vassar College.  She left her position at Vassar to join the United States Navy Reserve during World War II.  Hopper began her computing career in 1944 as a member of the Harvard Mark I team, led by Howard H. Aiken.  In 1949, she joined the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation and was part of the team that developed the UNIVAC I computer.  At Eckert–Mauchly she managed the development of one of the first COBOL compilers.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper    

flabbergast  The origin of the verb is uncertain; possibly dialectal (Suffolk), from flabby or flap (“to strike”) + aghast.   The word may be related to Scottish flabrigast (“to boast”) or flabrigastit (“worn out with exertion”).   The noun is derived from the verb.   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/flabbergast    

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop.  Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what is now Yunnan Province in southwestern China.  The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as Fagopyrum tataricum, a domesticated food plant raised in Asia.  Despite its name, buckwheat is not closely related to wheat. Buckwheat is not a cereal, nor is it even a member of the grass family.  It is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb.  Buckwheat is considered a pseudocereal, because its seeds' high starch content allows them to be used in cooking like a cereal.  Buckwheat hulls are used as filling for a variety of upholstered goods, including pillows.  The hulls are durable and do not insulate or reflect heat as much as synthetic filling.  They are sometimes marketed as an alternative natural filling to feathers for those with allergies.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat    

Buckwheat recipes:

Easy Buckwheat Porridge (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Plant Protein)  https://marinmamacooks.com/easy-buckwheat-porridge/

How to Cook Buckwheat  https://www.olgainthekitchen.com/how-to-cook-buckwheat/

Buckwheat with Mushrooms  https://momsdish.com/recipe/75/buckwheat-mushrooms    

On Mar 14, 1994, 31 years ago, I set a tiny linguistic snowball rolling down a hill.  It grew, gathered words and wordlovers, and morphed into Wordsmith.org, a haven for people in 170+ countries, united by their

love of words.  Anu Garg   

To celebrate, we're holding a contest.  Your poem must use only five-letter words. Your tale can be about yourself, someone you know, or a public figure.  Need inspiration?  This week's A.Word.A.Day emails are all five-letter words.  Though you don't have to use them in your poem. 

Selected entries will win their choice of: 

- A copy of any of my books https://wordsmith.org/awad/books.html

- The word game Word Up! oldscoolcompany.com/products/one-up 

HOW TO ENTER 

- Email your entries to contest@wordsmith.org by Fri, 3/14/25.

- Include your location (city, state).

- Enter as many times as you like. 

https://wordsmith.org/words/eclat.html    

http//librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2918  March 12, 2025