deve
n.— «There is something now, they call it “deve,” that is development levy. It has become so bad these days they even charge on the basis of blocks and that is what we face. (That is, if a construction is to be embarked upon, the people would, in a manner of quantity surveying, collect commission per number of blocks to be used for the project).» —“NDDC is Reconstructing The Destruction of 50 Years—Chairman” by Onyema Ugochukwu in Nigeria All Africa Sept. 29, 2003. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...