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Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2006
As expected, there were a few surprises in store for us as we pored through your submissions for our first Word of the Year online survey. Either the vast majority of you out there in the Merriam-Webster online community are big fans of The Colbert Report, or Time Magazine was right on target when it honored the show's host Stephen Colbert earlier this year as one of the most influential people of 2006. By an overwhelming 5 to 1 majority vote, our visitors have awarded top honors to a word Colbert first introduced on "The Word" segment of his debut broadcast on Comedy Central back in October 2005. Soon after, this word was chosen as the 16th annual Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society, and defined by them as "the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true."
Merriam-Webster's #1 Word of the Year for 2006 based on votes from visitors to our Web site:
1. truthiness (noun)
1 : "truth that comes from the gut, not books" (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," October 2005)
2 : "the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true" (American Dialect Society, January 2006)
The Word of the Day for February 07, 2008 is:
nebula • \NEB-yuh-luh\ • noun
- *1 : any of numerous clouds of gas or dust in interstellar space
- 2 : galaxy; especially : a galaxy other than the Milky Way
Example Sentence:
The brilliant colors of the nebula were visible through the telescope.Did you know?
The history of today's word is not lost in the mists of time, although its history does get misty at points. "Nebula" comes to us from Latin, where it meant "mist" or "cloud." In its earliest English uses in the 1600s, "nebula" referred to a cloudy speck or film on the eye that caused vision problems. It was first applied to great interstellar clouds of gas and dust in the early 1700s. The adjective "nebulous" comes from the same Latin root as "nebula," but the first uses of "nebulous" don't appear in English until the late 1700s, well after the discovery of interstellar nebulae.The Word of the Day for June 15, 2007 is:
anabasis • \uh-NAB-uh-sis\ • noun
- *1 : a going or marching up : advance; especially : a military advance
- 2 : a difficult and dangerous military retreat
Example Sentence:
In U.S. history class, we learned about General Sherman's famous anabasis through the South.Did you know?
The first sense of "anabasis" follows logically enough from its roots. In Greek, the word originally meant "inland march"; it is derived from "anabainein," meaning "to go up or inland," which is formed by combining the prefix "ana-" ("up") and "bainein" ("to go"). The second and opposite sense, however, comes from an anabasis gone wrong. In 401 B.C., Greek mercenaries fighting for Cyrus the Younger marched into the Persian Empire only to find themselves cut off hundreds of miles from home. As a result, they were forced to undertake an arduous and embattled retreat across unknown territories. Xenophon, a Greek historian who accompanied the mercenaries on the march, wrote the epic narrative Anabasis about this experience, and consequently "anabasis" came to mean a dramatic retreat as well as an advance.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence
The Word of the Day for June 14, 2007 is:
roister • \ROY-ster\ • verb
- : to engage in noisy revelry : carouse
Example Sentence:
Hugh didn't get much sleep last night because his neighbors were roistering until the wee hours of the morning.Did you know?
As Hugo Williams asserts in The Times Literary Supplement (November 15, 1991), roistering tends to be "funnier, sillier and less harmful than standard hooliganism, being based on nonsense rather than violence." Roisterers might be chagrined to learn that the word "roister" derives from a Middle French word that means "lout" or "boor" ("rustre"). Ultimately, however, it is from the fairly neutral Latin word "rusticus," meaning "rural." In the 16th century, the original English verb was simply "roist," and one who roisted was a "roister." Later, we changed the verb to "roister" and the corresponding noun to "roisterer."The Word of the Day for June 13, 2007 is:
utmost • \UT-mohst\ • adjective
- 1 : situated at the farthest or most distant point : extreme
- *2 : of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, number, or amount
Example Sentence:
Dustin has the utmost respect for his uncle, who returned to school after many years to attain his degree.Did you know?
"Utmost" traces back to the Old English "ūtmest," a superlative adjective formed from the adverb "ūt," meaning "out." "ūtmest" eventually evolved into "utmost," perhaps influenced by the spelling of the word "most." Not surprisingly, the earlier sense of "utmost" carries the same meaning as "outermost." The second sense of "utmost," meaning "of the greatest or highest degree," first appeared in English in the 14th century but didn't see frequent use until almost 400 years later. A related word is "utter," meaning "absolute" or "total," as in the phrase "utter chaos"; it comes from Old English "utera," meaning "outer," and ultimately from "ūt."
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for June 12, 2007 is:
succor • \SUCK-er\ • noun
- *1 : relief; also : aid, help
- 2 : something that furnishes relief
Example Sentence:
"The people lost all hope of succor, and fled to the mountains for refuge." (Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad)Did you know?
If you're in need of an explanation of the origins of "succor," we can help. Middle English speakers adapted "socour," the predecessor of "succor," from the Anglo-French "sucors," which essentially had the same meaning as our modern word. "Sucors," in turn, derives from the Medieval Latin "succursus," itself a derivative of the Latin verb "succurrere," meaning "to run to the rescue" or "to bring aid." That Latin verb was a composite of the prefix "sub-" (meaning "from below") and the verb "currere" (meaning "to run"). "Succor" has been saving the day in English (as both a noun and a verb) since at least the 13th century.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for June 11, 2007 is:
wimple • \WIM-pul\ • verb
- *1 : to cover with or as if with a wimple : veil
- 2 : to ripple
- 3 chiefly Scottish : to follow a winding course : meander
Example Sentence:
In Herman Melville's Benito Cereno, the author describes the sun as being "wimpled by . . . low, creeping clouds."Did you know?
"Wimple" is the name of the covering worn over the head and around the neck and chin by women in the late medieval period, as well as by some modern nuns. Its name is akin to Old Saxon "wimpal" and Middle Dutch "wimpel," both of which mean "veil" or "banner." Like the word "veil," "wimple" is also used as a verb meaning "cover" and was adopted by literary writers as a substitute for "ripple" and "meander," especially when writing about streams. "Over the little brook which wimpled along below towered an arch," James Russell Lowell once observed.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for June 10, 2007 is:
Golconda • \gahl-KAHN-duh\ • noun
- : a rich mine; broadly : a source of great wealth
Example Sentence:
The junk bond market proved to be a Golconda for unscrupulous traders during the 1980s, many of whom amassed huge fortunes by trading such bonds to the unwary.Did you know?
In the 16th century, Golconda was the capital of the Qutb Shahi kingdom in southern India, near modern Hyderabad. The city was home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates in the region and was the center of a flourishing diamond trade. Magnificent diamonds were taken from the mines in the hills surrounding Golconda, including Darya-e Nur (meaning "sea of light"), at 185 carats, the largest and finest diamond of the crown jewels of Iran. By the 1880s, "Golconda" was being used generically by English speakers to refer to any particularly rich mine, and later to any source of great wealth.The Word of the Day for June 09, 2007 is:
obstinate • \AHB-stuh-nut\ • adjective
- *1 : perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion
- 2 : not easily subdued, remedied, or removed
Example Sentence:
As usual, Cassie remained obstinate in her opinion even though the facts were clearly stacked against her.Did you know?
If you're obstinate, you're just plain stubborn. "Obstinate," "dogged," "stubborn," "pertinacious," and "mulish" all mean that someone is unwilling to change course or give up a belief or plan. "Obstinate" suggests an unreasonable persistence; it's often a negative word. "Dogged," which can be more positive, implies that someone goes after something without ever tiring or quitting, while "pertinacious" suggests a persistence that can be annoying. "Stubborn" indicates a resistance to change, which may or may not be admirable. Someone who displays a really unreasonable degree of stubbornness could accurately be described as "mulish."*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for June 08, 2007 is:
thimblerig • \THIM-bul-rig\ • verb
- *1 : to cheat by trickery
- 2 : to swindle by a trick in which a small ball or pea is quickly shifted from under one to another of three small cups to fool the spectator guessing its location
Example Sentence:
The appraiser looked closely at the painting and then reluctantly told us that we had been thimblerigged into buying a worthless copy.Did you know?
The game of thimblerig seems innocent enough. The thimblerigger places a seed under one of three thimbles. He or she deftly scoots the thimbles around on a table, then asks the player to bet on which one hides the seed. But thimbleriggers are masters of sleight of hand and can move and manipulate the seed unfairly -- so the guileless player doesn't stand a chance of winning. (The poor bettor is probably unaware that "rig" has meant "to manipulate or control usually by deceptive or dishonest means" since the 1800s.) When the same sham is played with nutshells, it's called a "shell game," and there's a related game played with cards known as "three-card monte."*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence
The Word of the Day for June 07, 2007 is:
askew • \uh-SKYOO\ • adjective
- : out of line : awry
Example Sentence:
Jeff didn't realize that the bookshelf he had hung on the wall was slightly askew until he placed a pen on it and it rolled off the edge.Did you know?
It's believed that "askew" was formed simply by attaching the prefix "a-" -- meaning, among other things, "in (such) a state or condition" -- to "skew." The word "skew," which derives via Middle English from Anglo-French "eschiver," meaning "to escape or avoid," can be a verb, adjective, or noun. But at the time of the first appearance of "askew" in English, in the middle of the 16th century, "skew" had only been established as a verb meaning "to take an oblique course or direction." At least one etymologist has suggested that "askew" might have been influenced by an Old Norse phrase, and that the same phrase might have also given us "askance." In the past, "askew" was used synonymously with "askance," as in, "She looked at me askew after my ill-timed joke."The Word of the Day for June 06, 2007 is:
canard • \kuh-NARD\ • noun
- 1 a : a false or unfounded report or story; especially : a fabricated report
- *b : a groundless rumor or belief
- 2 : an airplane with horizontal stabilizing and control surfaces in front of supporting surfaces; also : a small airfoil in front of the wing of an aircraft that increases the aircraft's stability
Example Sentence:
"Last week's storm," Chet declared, "showed us that the claim that lightning cannot strike the same place twice is nothing more than a canard."Did you know?
In 16th-century France "vendre des canards à moitié" was a colorful way of saying "to fool" or "to cheat." The French phrase means, literally, "to half-sell ducks." No one now knows just what was meant by "to half-sell"; the proverb was probably based on some story widely known at the time, but the details have not survived. At any rate, the expression led to the use of "canard," the French word for "duck," with the meaning "a hoax" or "a fabrication." English speakers adopted this "canard" in the mid-1800s. The aeronautical sense of "canard," used from the early days of flying, comes from the stubby duck-like appearance of the aircraft.*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for June 05, 2007 is:
louche • \LOOSH\ • adjective
- : not reputable or decent
Example Sentence:
Her novels are populated by louche characters wasting their days in brothels and seedy bars.Did you know?
"Louche" ultimately comes from the Latin word "luscus," meaning "blind in one eye" or "having poor sight." This Latin term gave rise to the French "louche," meaning "squinting" or "cross-eyed." The French gave their term a figurative sense as well, taking that squinty look to mean "shady" or "devious." English speakers didn't see the need for the sight-impaired uses when they borrowed the term in the 19th century, but they kept the figurative one. The word is still quite visible today and is used to describe both people and places of questionable reputeThe Word of the Day for June 04, 2007 is:
multifarious • \mul-tuh-FAIR-ee-us\ • adjective
- : having or occurring in great variety : diverse
Example Sentence:
John listed his multifarious interests and activities on his college application.Did you know?
Dictionary makers have dated the first appearance of "multifarious" in print as 1593 -- and rightly so -- but before that time another word similar in form and meaning was being used: "multifary," meaning "in many ways" and appearing (and disappearing) in the 15th century. Before either of the English words existed, there was the Medieval Latin word "multifarius" (same meaning as "multifarious"), from Latin "multifariam," meaning "in many places" or "on many sides." "Multi-," as you may know, is a combining form meaning "many." A relative of "multifarious" in English is "omnifarious" ("of all varieties, forms, or kinds"), created with "omni-" ("all") rather than "multi-."The Word of the Day for June 03, 2007 is:
ameliorate • \uh-MEE-lee-uh-rayt\ • verb
- : to make better or more tolerable
Example Sentence:
Access to clean water would ameliorate living conditions within the village.Did you know?
"Ameliorate" traces back to "melior," the Latin adjective meaning "better," and is a synonym of the verbs "better" and "improve." When is it better to use "ameliorate"? If a situation is bad, "ameliorate" indicates that the conditions have been made more tolerable. Thus, one might refer to drugs that ameliorate the side effects of chemotherapy; a loss of wages ameliorated by unemployment benefits; or a harsh law ameliorated by special exceptions. "Improve" and "better" apply when what is being made better can be good or bad (as in "the weather improved" and "she bettered her lot in life"), and they should certainly be chosen over "ameliorate" when something good is getting better still ("he improved his successful program"; "she bettered her impressive scores").The Word of the Day for June 02, 2007 is:
jocose • \joh-KOHSS\ • adjective
- *1 : given to joking : merry
- 2 : characterized by joking : humorous
Example Sentence:
In the office, Ellie's lively, jocose personality keeps everyone smiling and upbeat.Did you know?
When you need a word to describe something (or someone) that causes or is intended to cause laughter, you might pick "jocose" or a synonym such as "humorous," "witty," "facetious," or "jocular." Of those terms, "humorous" is the most generic and can be applied to anything that provokes laughter. "Witty" suggests cleverness and a quick mind, while "facetious" is a word for something that is not meant to be taken seriously. "Jocose" and "jocular" both imply a habitual waggishness and a fondness for joking.*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for June 01, 2007 is:
demulcent • \dih-MULL-sunt\ • adjective
- : soothing
Example Sentence:
The lozenges had a demulcent effect, and my sore throat was soon feeling much better.Did you know?
"Demulcent" derives from the Latin verb "demulcēre," meaning "to soothe." "Demulcēre" in turn comes from a combination of the prefix "de-" and "mulcēre," an earlier verb that also means "to soothe." As an adjective, "demulcent" often applies to the soothing nature of some medicines, but you can also use it to describe such things as a soothing voice or a soothing demeanor. The noun "demulcent" is used for a gelatinous or oily substance that is capable of soothing inflamed or abraded mucous membranes and protecting them from further irritation.
The Word of the Day for May 31, 2007 is:
wetware • \WET-wair\ • noun
- : the human brain or a human being considered especially with respect to human logical and computational capabilities
Example Sentence:
With the right wetware at the helm, the company should be able to turn a sizeable profit.Did you know?
When the computer terms "software" and "hardware" sprang to life in the mid-20th century, a surge of visions and inventions using the new technology immediately followed . . . along with a revival of the combining form "ware." An early coinage was "wetware," which began circuiting techie circles in the 1970s as a name for the software installed by Mother Nature (a.k.a. the brain). Other "ware" names for people and their noggins have made a blip in our language -- for example, "meatware" and "liveware" -- but none have become firmly established in the general lexicon like "wetware."
The Word of the Day for May 30, 2007 is:
gibe • \JYBE\ • verb
- : to utter taunting words
Example Sentence:
The crowd began to gibe at the basketball player who kept missing free throws.Did you know?
Confused about "jibe" and "gibe"? The distinction actually isn't as clear-cut as some commentators would like it to be. "Jibe" is used both for the verb meaning "to be in accord, agree" ("jibe with") and for the nautical verb and noun ("jibe the mainsail," "a risky jibe in heavy seas"). "Gibe" is used for the verb "to deride or tease" and the noun "a taunting remark." But "jibe" is a recognized variant of "gibe," so it also has taunting or teasing uses. "Gibe" has been used occasionally as a variant of "jibe," but this use is very rare, and many people consider it to be an error.The Word of the Day for May 29, 2007 is:
hemidemisemiquaver • \hem-ih-dem-ih-SEM-ih-kway-ver\ • noun
- : a musical note with the time value of 1/64 of a whole note : sixty-fourth note
Example Sentence:
The pianist's fingers became a blur flying over the keys as she played the difficult hemidemisemiquavers of the allegro movement.Did you know?
Hemidemisemiquavers are the fastest musical notes that are commonly played, and performing them well can stretch human technique to its limit. The term is mainly used in Britain, where eighth notes are called "quavers," sixteenth notes are called "semiquavers," and thirty-second notes are called "demisemiquavers." In the United States, "hemidemisemiquaver" is likely to be used humorously, occurring especially as a clever substitute for "moment" or "bit," as in "the concert ended not a hemidemisemiquaver too soon."The Word of the Day for May 28, 2007 is:
impertinent • \im-PER-tuh-nunt\ • adjective
- 1 : not pertinent : irrelevant
- *2 a : not restrained within due or proper bounds especially of propriety or good taste
- b : given to or characterized by insolent rudeness
Example Sentence:
Clearly offended, Susan refused to answer an impertinent question about her marriage.Did you know?
English speakers adopted both "impertinent" and "pertinent" from Anglo-French in the 14th century. Both words derive from the present participle of the Latin verb "pertinēre," meaning "to pertain." Initially, "impertinent" was used for things that are simply not relevant. Over time, it came to be used of things that are not only irrelevant but rudely or inappropriately so, and later for people who are just straight-out rude.*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 26, 2007 is:
wallah • \WAH-luh\ • noun: a person who is associated with a particular work or who performs a specific duty or service -- usually used in combination
Example Sentence:
"Location, location and location. That's what it's all about, trumpet the real-estate wallahs." (Tony Baker, The Advertiser, August 3, 2005)Did you know?
"Wallah" comes from the Hindi suffix "-vālā," meaning "one in charge." Like its Hindi counterpart, "wallah" is commonly used in combination with other nouns. The first use of "wallah" appeared as "lootywallah" in a narrative penned by Officer Innes Munro describing his time deployed on the Coromandel Coast of India in the 1780s. "Looty," or "lootie," was a noun sometimes applied to a member of a band of marauders or robbers. In the narrative, Munro used the term to describe looting cavalrymen. In current writing, "wallah" is typically accompanied by words like "office" or "marketing."
The Word of the Day for May 25, 2007 is:
• noun
- : a shift in cultural norms influenced by the values, tastes, and mores of young people
Example Sentence:
The dot-com industry was the epicenter of the youthquake of the 1990s.Did you know?
The 1960s were a time of seismic social upheaval brought about by young people bent on shaking up the establishment. From politics to fashion to music, the ways of youth produced far-reaching cultural changes. Linguistically, the sixties saw the addition to English of such words as "flower child," "peacenik," "hippie," "love beads," "trippy," "vibe," "freak-out," and "love-in." Not surprisingly, they also saw the emergence of "youthquake." The first known use of "youthquake" in print comes from a 1966 article in McCall's: "the youthquake, as some call it ... has swept both sides of the Atlantic."The Word of the Day for May 24, 2007 is:
apparatchik • \ah-puh-RAH-chik\ • noun
1 : member of a Communist apparat
*2 : a blindly devoted official, follower, or member of an organization (as a corporation or political party)
Example Sentence:
The boss seemed to prefer apparatchiks to anyone with a glimmer of independent thought. Did you know?In the context of the definition of "apparatchik" (a term English speakers borrowed from Russian), "apparat" essentially means "party machine." An "apparatchik," therefore, is a cog in the system of the Communist Party. The term is not an especially flattering one, and its negative connotations reflect the perception that some Communists were obedient drones in the great Party machine. In current use, however, a person doesn't have to be a member of the Communist Party to be called an "apparatchik"; he or she just has to be someone who mindlessly follows orders in an organization or bureaucracy.*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence
The Word of the Day for May 23, 2007 is:
alfresco • \al-FRESS-koh\ • adjective or adverb
- : taking place or located in the open air : outdoor, outdoors
Example Sentence:
Our neighbors are looking forward to the summer, when they'll be able to dine alfresco on their new patio.Did you know?
In addition to describing a type of dining, "alfresco" can also describe a kind of painting. The word "fresco," which comes from the Italian adjective "fresco," meaning "fresh," refers to a method of painting on fresh plaster. Although the "outdoors" sense of "alfresco" is by far the most common in current use, the term is sometimes used to describe painting done in the fresco manner -- that is, on fresh plaster.
The Word of the Day for May 22, 2007 is:
foreshorten • \for-SHORT-un\ • verb
- 1 : to shorten by proportionately contracting in the direction of depth so that an illusion of projection or extension in space is obtained
- *2 : to make more compact : abridge, shorten
Example Sentence:
We had a wonderful vacation, even if our time at the beach was foreshortened by two days of rain.Did you know?
"Foreshorten" first appeared in a 1606 treatise on art by the British writer and artist Henry Peacham: "If I should paint ... an horse with his brest and head looking full in my face, I must of necessity foreshorten him behinde." Peacham's "foreshorten" probably comes from "fore-" (meaning "earlier" or "beforehand") plus "shorten." The addition of "fore-" to verbs was a routine practice in Peacham's day, creating such words as "fore-conclude," "fore-consider," "fore-instruct," and "fore-repent." "Foreshorten," along with words like "foresee" and "foretell," is one of the few "fore-" combinations to still survive.*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 21, 2007 is:
prothalamion • \proh-thuh-LAY-mee-un\ • noun
- : a song in celebration of a marriage
Example Sentence:
The king requested that the court poet commemorate the marriage of the princess with a prothalamion.Did you know?
In 1595, the newly-wed Edmund Spenser wrote a poem to his young bride. He gave this poem the title Epithalamion, borrowing a Greek word for a song or poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom. "Epithalamion," which eventually became established as an English word, can be traced to Greek words that mean "upon the bridal chamber." A year later, Spencer was inspired to write another nuptial poem -- this time in celebration of the marriages of the Earl of Worcester's two daughters. But since the ceremonies had not yet taken place, he did not want to call it an epithalamion. After some reflection, Spencer decided to separate "epi-" from "thalamion" and wed the latter with "pro-" ("before"), inventing a word that would become established in the language with the meaning "a song in celebration of a marriage."
The Word of the Day for May 20, 2007 is:
somnolent • \SAHM-nuh-lunt\ • adjective
- 1 : of a kind likely to induce sleep
*2 a : inclined to or heavy with sleep : drowsy
b : sleepy
Example Sentence:
"I am no whit somnolent; I always hear best with my eyes shut." (Sir Walter Scott, The Legend of Montrose)Did you know?
"Somnolent" first appeared in late 15th century in the redundant phrase "somnolent sleep." It came into English by way of Anglo-French from the Latin word "somnolentus," which itself comes from "somnus," meaning "sleep." Another offspring of "somnus" is "somnambulism," a synonym of "sleepwalking." "Insomnia" is also a member of this sleepy word family, though it might be considered the black sheep, since it means, of course, "the inability to sleep."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 19, 2007 is:
henotheism • \HEN-uh-thee-iz-um\ • noun
- : the worship of one god without denying the existence of other gods
Example Sentence:
During certain periods of Egyptian history, the pharaohs and their subjects practiced henotheism.Did you know?
"Henotheism" comes to us from the German word "Henotheismus," which in turn is derived from Greek "hen-" ("one") and "theos" ("god"). Someone who engages in henotheism worships one god but does not deny that there are others. Max Müller, a respected 19th-century scholar, is credited with promoting the word "henotheism" as a counterpart to "polytheism" ("belief in or worship of more than one god") and "monotheism" ("the doctrine or belief that there is but one God"). Müller also used the related word "kathenotheism," from Greek "kath' hena" ("one at a time"), for the worship of several gods successively.The Word of the Day for May 18, 2007 is:
jackanapes • \JAK-uh-nayps\ • noun
- 1 : monkey, ape
2 a : an impudent or conceited fellow
*b : a saucy or mischievous child
Example Sentence:
Mr. Hughes had his neighbor's son pegged as a disrespectful jackanapes and was therefore reluctant to hire him to shovel the driveway.Did you know?
William de la Pole, the Duke of Suffolk, was a well-regarded soldier and commander during the Hundred Years' War. It was during his dukedom (1448-1450), however, that England lost its possessions in northern France, and his popularity consequently suffered. The coat of arms for de la Pole's family sported an image of a collar and chain that, at the time, was commonly used for leashing pet monkeys, then known as "jackanapes" (a word whose precise origin is uncertain). By association, people gave the Duke the nickname "Jack Napis," and soon "jackanapes" took on a life of its own as a word for an impudent person and, later, a misbehaving child.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 17, 2007 is:
fulminate • \FULL-muh-nayt\ • verb
- : to send forth censures or invectives
Example Sentence:
Jennie wrote an editorial for her town's local paper fulminating on the topic of dress codes in the public schools.Did you know?
Lightning strikes more than once in the history of "fulminate." That word comes from the Latin "fulminare," meaning "to strike," a verb usually used to refer to lightning strikes -- not surprising since it sprang from "fulmen," Latin for "lightning." When "fulminate" was adopted into English in the 15th century, it lost much of its ancestral thunder and was used largely as a technical term for the issuing of formal denunciations by ecclesiastical authorities. But its original lightning spark remains in its suggestion of tirades so vigorous that, as one 18th-century bishop put it, they seem to be delivered "with the air of one who [has] divine Vengeance at his disposal."
The Word of the Day for May 16, 2007 is:
corybantic • \kor-ee-BAN-tik\ • adjective
- : like or in the spirit of a Corybant; especially : wild, frenzied
Example Sentence:
From the sound of the first guitar chord, the mosh pit looked like a swarm of bees in a corybantic dance.Did you know?
The big name in goddesses in Phrygia (Asia Minor) in the fifth century B.C. was Cybele (also called Cybebe or Agdistis), the "Great Mother of the Gods." According to Oriental and Greco-Roman mythology, she was the mother of it all: gods, humans, animals . . . even nature itself. The Corybants were Cybele's attendants and priests, and they worshipped her with an unrestrained frenzy of wildly emotional processions, rites, and dances. "Corybantic," the adjective based on the name of Cybele's attendants, can be used to describe anything characterized by a similarly unrestrained abandon.
The Word of the Day for May 15, 2007 is:
rendition • \ren-DISH-un\ • noun
- 1 : surrender
2 : translation
*3 : performance, interpretation
Example Sentence:
Early in her career, the singer starred in a stunning rendition of Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde.Did you know?
"Rendition" entered English in the early 17th century and can be traced to the Middle French word "reddition" and ultimately to the Latin verb "reddere," meaning "to return." The English verb "render" is another descendant of "reddere," so perhaps it is no surprise that "rendition" fundamentally means "the act or result of rendering." English speakers also once adopted "reddition" itself (meaning either "restitution, surrender" or "elucidation"), but that word has mostly dropped out of use. Incidentally, if you've guessed that "surrender" is also from the same word family, you may be right; "surrender" derives in part from the Anglo-French "rendre," which likely influenced the alteration of "reddition" to "rendition."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 14, 2007 is:
inkhorn • \INK-horn\ • adjective
- : ostentatiously learned : pedantic
Example Sentence:
The professor peppered his lectures with inkhorn terms of pseudo-Latin and Greek, a practice he felt essential to instilling in his students the proper respect for his knowledge.Did you know?
Picture an ancient scribe, pen in hand, a small ink bottle made from an animal's horn strapped to his belt, ready to record the great events of history. In 14th-century England, such ink bottles were dubbed (not surprisingly) "inkhorns." During the Renaissance, learned writers often borrowed words from Latin and Greek, eschewing vulgar English alternatives. But in the 16th century, some scholars argued for the use of native terms over Latinate forms, and a lively intellectual debate over the merits of each began. Those who favored English branded what they considered ostentatious Latinisms "inkhorn terms" after the bottles carried by scholars, and since then we have used "inkhorn" as an adjective for pretentious languageThe Word of the Day for May 13, 2007 is:
infix • \IN-fiks\ • noun
- : a derivational or inflectional affix appearing in the body of a word
Example Sentence:
"In addition to suffixes and prefixes, the language [Inuktitut] has infixes, denoting tense or gender. . .." (Stephanie Nolen Iqaluit, The Independent, July 29, 2000)Did you know?
Like prefixes and suffixes, infixes are part of the general class of affixes ("sounds or letters attached to or inserted within a word to produce a derivative word or an inflectional form"). Infixes are relatively rare in English, but you can find them in the plural forms of some words. For example, "cupful," "spoonful," and "passerby" can be pluralized as "cupsful," "spoonsful," and "passersby," using "s" as an infix. Another example is the insertion of an (often offensive) intensifier into a word, as in "fan-freakin'-tastic." Such whole-word insertions are sometimes called "infixes," though this phenomenon is more traditionally known as "tmesis."The Word of the Day for May 12, 2007 is:
delve • \DELV\ • verb
- 1 : to dig or labor with or as if with a spade
- *2 : to make a careful or detailed search for information
Example Sentence:
There might be a deeper reason why Bruce decided to quit his job, but I don't think we should delve into it.Did you know?
We must dig deep into the English language's past to find the origins of "delve." The verb originated in 9th century Old English as "delfan" and is related to the Old High German word "telban," meaning "dig." For some 400 years, there was only delving -- no digging -- because "dig" didn't exist until the 13th century. Is the phrase "dig and delve" (as in the line "eleven, twelve, dig and delve," from the nursery rhyme that begins "one, two, buckle my shoe") redundant? Not necessarily. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in some local uses as recently as the late 19th century, "dig" was the term for working with a mattock (a tool similar to an adze or a pick), while "delve" was reserved for using a spade.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 11, 2007 is:
roustabout • \ROWSS-tuh-bowt\ • noun
- 1 a : deckhand
- b : longshoreman
- 2 : an unskilled or semiskilled laborer especially in an oil field or refinery
- *3 : a circus worker who erects and dismantles tents, cares for the grounds, and handles animals and equipment
Example Sentence:
The arrival of the circus was marked by the shouts of roustabouts hauling canvas and erecting huge tent poles.Did you know?
Circus roustabouts are most commonly associated with circus animals, of course, but they also have a connection with game birds, at least in terms of etymology. "Roustabout" comes from "roust," which is an alteration of "rouse," a verb from Middle English that originally meant "to shake the feathers" (as in the way a bird might ruffle its feathers or shake its plumage when it is settling down or grooming itself). "Rouse," which today is a synonym of "awaken," also formerly meant "to cause to break from cover," a sense that may have influenced the modern meaning of "roust": "to drive (as from bed) roughly or unceremoniously."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 10, 2007 is:
atrabilious • \at-ruh-BIL-yus\ • adjective
- 1 : given to or marked by melancholy : gloomy
- *2 : ill-natured, peevish
Example Sentence:
Conscious of his landlord's atrabilious temperament, Daniel knew to wait until the moment was right before asking for an extension on the rent.Did you know?
"Atrabilious" is a somewhat rare word with a history that parallels that of the more common "melancholy." Representing one of the four bodily humors, from which it was once believed that human emotions originated, "atrabilious" derives from the Latin "atra bilis," literally meaning "black bile." The word "melancholy" derives from the Greek "melan-" and "chole," which also translates as "black bile." In its original sense, "atrabilious" meant "melancholy," but now it is more frequently used to describe someone with an irritable or unfriendly temperament. A word with a meaning similar to that of "atrabilious" is "splenetic," which is named after the organ in the body (the spleen) once thought to secrete black bile.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 09, 2007 is:
prehensile • \pre-HEN-sil\ • adjective
- *1 : adapted for seizing or grasping especially by wrapping around
- 2 : gifted with mental grasp or moral or aesthetic perception
Example Sentence:
Using his prehensile tail, the monkey was able to seize the pen right out of my hand!Did you know?
You may be familiar with "prehensile" from the animal world: monkeys have prehensile tails, elephants have prehensile trunks, giraffes have prehensile tongues, etc. But can you comprehend where this word comes from? Can you apprehend its derivation? The Latin verb "prehendere," meaning "to seize or grasp," is the ancestor of a number of English terms, including "comprehend," "apprehend," and "prehensile." "Prehensile" came into English in the 1780s via French "préhensile," from Latin "prehensus," the past participle of "prehendere."*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 08, 2007 is:
purloin • \per-LOYN\ • verb
- : to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust
Example Sentence:
Carol discovered that Mike had purloined her idea for her essay and used it in his own paper.Did you know?
"Purloin," "pilfer," and "filch" may just seem like fancy words for "steal," but each has a slightly different connotation. "Pilfer" implies stealing repeatedly in small amounts, as in this sentence: "It was months before her boss realized she was pilfering office supplies." "Filch" adds a suggestion of snatching quickly and surreptitiously (e.g., "He filched an apple from the tray"). "Purloin" stresses removing or carrying off something for one's own use or purposes ("She purloined the manuscript and tried to pass it off as her own work").The Word of the Day for May 07, 2007 is:
sumptuous • \SUMP-shuh-wus\ • adjective
- : extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent
Example Sentence:
"Austere on the outside, the Genoese palazzi's interiors are sumptuous and gilded, bursting with frescoes, mirrors, and tapestries...." (Gabriella de Ferrari, Travel & Leisure, September 1994)Did you know?
The word "sumptuous" can be used to describe both lush surroundings and rich desserts, and it has an equally rich history. The word, which appeared in English in the 15th century, derives via Middle English from the Latin noun "sumptus," meaning "expense." "Sumptus" is related to the Latin verb "sumere," which means "take" or "spend" and from which we get a treasure trove of useful verbs: "consume" ("to use up or spend"), "subsume" ("to include or place in something larger"), "resume" ("to take up again"), and "assume" ("to take upon oneself"). Another "sumere" descendant is our adjective "sumptuary," which means "relating to one's extravagant expenditures."
The Word of the Day for May 06, 2007 is:
sprachgefuhl • \SHPRAHKH-guh-fuel\ • noun
- : an intuitive sense of what is linguistically appropriate
Example Sentence:
One review of the book praised the author's sprachgefuhl and her graceful, literary style.Did you know?
"Sprachgefuhl" was borrowed into English from German at the end of the 19th century and combines two German nouns, "Sprache," meaning "language, speech," and "Gefühl," meaning "feeling." We're quite certain that the quality of sprachgefuhl is common among our readers, but the word itself is rare, making only occasional appearances in our language.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 05, 2007 is:
valedictory • \val-uh-DIK-tuh-ree\ • adjective
- : of or relating to a valediction : expressing or containing a farewell
Example Sentence:
June used her valedictory address to emphasize the importance of volunteering and community service.Did you know?
Valedictory addresses delivered by earnest young valedictorians at high school and college graduations are as much a sign of spring in the United States as baseball games and cookouts. Though we don't know where the first valedictory address was given, we do know that the word was an institution at some colleges in the U.S. by the mid-1700s. English speakers and writers have also used "valedictory" in non-academic settings since the mid-1600s. Since a valedictory speech is given at the end of an academic career, it is perfectly in keeping with the meaning of its Latin ancestor, "valedicere," which means "to say farewell."The Word of the Day for May 04, 2007 is:
pratfall • \PRAT-fawl\ • noun
- 1 : a fall on the buttocks
- *2 : a humiliating mishap or blunder
Example Sentence:
It was amusing to watch the pratfalls of the slow-witted cartoon cat as he was continually outsmarted by the clever mouse.Did you know?
The human posterior has been given a number of designations over the centuries, some not acceptable in polite company. "Prat," a slang term with only slightly indecorous overtones, has been used in reference to the backside since the 16th century. It wasn't until the 1930s, however, that falling on one's prat gave rise to the term "pratfall." The word first cropped up in the lingo of comedy theater, where a pratfall is often part of a slapstick routine. It wasn't long before we gave the word its extended sense of "blunder." Now, with "prat" rarely used as a synonym of "derriere" anymore, "pratfall" is as apt to suggest getting a pie in the face as landing bang on one's behind.*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 03, 2007 is:
camarilla • \kam-uh-RILL-uh\ • noun
- : a group of unofficial often secret and scheming advisers; also : cabal
Example Sentence:
A resistance group has sprung up and is plotting to overthrow the tyrant leader and his camarilla.Did you know?
"Camarilla" is borrowed from Spanish and is the diminutive of "camára," which traces to the Late Latin "camera" and means "room"; a "camarilla," then, is literally a "small room." Political cliques and plotters are likely to meet in small rooms (generally with the door closed) as they hatch their schemes, and, by 1834, "camarilla" was being used in English for such closed-door groups of scheming advisers. The word is relatively rare in formal English prose, but it still finds occasional use in news stories. Some other descendants of the Latin "camera" include "camera," "comrade," "camaraderie," and "bicameral."
The Word of the Day for May 02, 2007 is:
brackish • \BRACK-ish\ • adjective
- *1 : somewhat salty
2 a : not appealing to the taste
b : repulsive
Example Sentence:
Water is often brackish and undrinkable at points where freshwater rivers flow into the sea.Did you know?
When the word "brackish" first appeared in English in the 1500s, it simply meant "salty," as did its Dutch ancestor "brak." Then, as now, brackish water could simply be a mixture of saltwater and freshwater. Since that time, however, "brackish" has developed the additional meanings of "unpalatable" or "distasteful" -- presumably because of the undrinkable quality of saltwater. "The brackish water that we drink / Creeps with a loathsome slime, / And the bitter bread they weigh in scales / Is full of chalk and lime." As this use from Oscar Wilde's "Ballad of Reading Gaol" illustrates, brackish water can also include things other than salt that make it unpleasant to drink.*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for May 01, 2007 is:
euphemism • \YOO-fuh-miz-um\ • noun
- : the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant; also : the expression so substituted
Example Sentence:
Aunt Helen would never say that someone had "died"; she preferred to communicate the unpleasant news with euphemisms like "passed on."Did you know?
"Euphemism" derives from the Greek word "euphemos," which means "auspicious" or "sounding good." The first part of "euphēmos" is the Greek prefix "eu-," meaning "well." The second part is "phēmē," a Greek word for "speech" that is itself a derivative of the verb "phanai," meaning "to speak." Among the numerous linguistic cousins of "euphemism" on the "eu-" side of the family are "eulogy," "euphoria," and "euthanasia"; on the "phanai" side, its kin include "prophet" and "aphasia" ("loss of the power to understand words").The Word of the Day for April 30, 2007 is:
usance • \YOO-zuns\ • noun
- 1 : firmly established and generally accepted practice or procedure : usage
- 2 : use, employment
- *3 : interest
- 4 : the time allowed by custom for payment of a bill of exchange in foreign commerce
Example Sentence:
"Make an investment of any spare monies as may render some usance." (Lord Byron)Did you know?
"Usance" was borrowed from Latin in the 14th century as a word meaning "habit" or "custom." In the late 16th century, its worth was compounded when it became a word for both the lending of money at interest and the interest charged. Both meanings were known to Shakespeare when he was writing The Merchant of Venice (1596). "He lends out money gratis, and brings down [t]he rate of usance here with us in Venice," says the usurer Shylock of the protagonist Antonio. And, later in the play, Shylock tells how Antonio has "rated . . . about [his] moneys and [his] usances." Unexplainably, the currency of these uses plummeted shortly after appearing in the play, only to be revived in the 19th century.*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for April 29, 2007 is:
internecine • \in-ter-NESS-een\ • adjective
• adjective
- 1 : marked by slaughter : deadly; especially : mutually destructive
- *2 : of, relating to, or involving conflict within a group
Example Sentence:
When the three brothers took over the family business together, it didn't take long for the internecine feuding to begin.
Did you know?
"Internecine" comes from the Latin "internecinus" ("fought to the death" or "destructive"), which traces to the verb "necare" ("to kill") and the prefix "inter-." ("Inter-" usually means "between" or "mutual" in Latin, but it can also indicate the completion of an action.) "Internecine" meant "deadly" when it appeared in English in 1663, but when Samuel Johnson entered it in his dictionary almost a century later, he was apparently misled by "inter-" and defined the word as "endeavouring mutual destruction." Johnson's definition was carried into later dictionaries, and before long his sense was the dominant meaning of the word. "Internecine" developed the association with internal group conflict in the 20th century, and that's the most common sense today.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for April 28, 2007 is:
scrimshander • \SKRIM-shan-der\ • noun
• noun
- : a person who creates scrimshaw
Example Sentence:
The museum's scrimshander hunched over a bit of bone, scraping it gently with a tiny needle, then brushed away the chips and held up the intricate design so we could see it.
Did you know?
Scrimshaw is a distinctly North American folk art, but no one knows just where it started or how it got its name. Native peoples of Alaska and Canada have carved ivory for centuries, but when "scrimshaw" is used in modern English, it is most often associated with 18th- and 19th-century whalers of the ilk Herman Melville described as "examining ... divers specimens of skrimshander" in Moby Dick (1851). As you can see from Melville's example, "scrimshander" was originally a synonym of "scrimshaw" (back then, the artists were most likely called "scrimshoners"). "Scrimshaw" and "scrimshander" may have originated with the surname of a sailor who was particularly skilled at the art, but if such an individual did exist, he is unknown today.
The Word of the Day for April 27, 2007 is:
underwhelm • \un-der-WELM\ • verb
• verb
- : to fail to impress or stimulate
Example Sentence:
The figure skater's lackluster performance underwhelmed the judges.
Did you know?
"Overwhelm" and its rare synonym "whelm" have both been around since the 14th century, but "underwhelm" first appeared in print in 1949. Both "overwhelm" and "whelm" are derived from the Middle English "whelmen," which is perhaps an alteration of "whelmen" ("to turn over" or "to cover up"). "Underwhelm" is fashioned after "overwhelm" and probably originated as a playful alteration intended as a mildly humorous way of describing something unimpressive. More than one person claims the distinction of having invented "underwhelm"; several sources attribute it to the playwright George S. Kaufman, but sports columnist Red Smith is quoted as believing he coined the word himself, and still other sources cite other potential creators. Chances are that the word was in fact coined by more than one inventive writer.
The Word of the Day for April 26, 2007 is:
wowser • \WOW-zer\ • noun, chiefly Australian
• noun, chiefly Australian
- : an obtrusively puritanical person
Example Sentence:
"I'm no wowser, but I draw the line at abusive, foul-mouthed drunks." (Mike Smithson, [South Australia] Sunday Mail, July 2, 2006)
Did you know?
"Wowser" is a delightful word with an interesting background, though its ultimate origin is unknown. The word first appeared in print in 1899, in the Australian journal Truth, and was instantly popular in Australia. It spread to New Zealand, where it remains in use, and then eventually arrived in England, possibly brought by the Australian troops who served there during World War I. The American writer and editor H. L. Mencken liked "wowser" and attempted to introduce it in the United States. He used the word frequently in American Mercury, the literary magazine he edited. Despite Mencken's efforts the term never truly caught on in American English, though it is used occasionally.
The Word of the Day for April 25, 2007 is:
perfunctory • \per-FUNK-tuh-ree\ • adjective
• adjective
- *1 : characterized by routine or superficiality : mechanical
- 2 : lacking in interest or enthusiasm
Example Sentence:
Clearly exhausted after a long day on her feet, our server gave us only a perfunctory greeting before taking our drink orders.
Did you know?
"Perfunctory" is a word whose origins are found entirely in Latin. First appearing in English in the late 16th century, it derives via the Late Latin "perfunctorius," meaning "done in a careless or superficial manner," from the Latin "perfungi," meaning "to accomplish" or "to get through with." That verb is formed by combining the prefix "per-," meaning "through," with the verb "fungi," meaning "to perform." "Fungi" can be found in the roots of such words as "function," "defunct," and "fungible." "Perfunctory" can describe something that is carried out with little effort or care, as in "He did a perfunctory job raking the leaves," but when used to describe a person it usually means "lacking enthusiasm."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for April 24, 2007
is:mythomania • \mith-uh-MAY-nee-uh\ • noun
- : an excessive or abnormal propensity for lying and exaggerating
Example Sentence:
The therapist speculated that Sharon's mythomania, which makes her want to embellish even the most minor details of her life, may have been triggered by a specific event.
Did you know?
We wouldn't lie to you about the history of "mythomania." It comes from two ancient roots, the Greek "mythos" (meaning "myth") and the Late Latin "mania" (meaning "insanity marked by uncontrolled emotion or excitement"). One myth about "mythomania" is that it's a very old word; actually, the earliest known uses of the term date only from the beginning of the 20th century. It was predated by a related word, "mythomaniac," which appeared around the middle of the 19th century. "Mythomaniac" initially referred to someone who was obsessed with or passionate about myths but was eventually used for individuals affected with or exhibiting mythomania
The Word of the Day for April 23, 2007 is:
fulcrum • \FULL-krum\ • noun
• noun
- 1 a : prop; specifically : the support about which a lever turns
- *b : one that supplies capability for action
- 2 : a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support
Example Sentence:
The development of a revolutionary microprocessor became the fulcrum of the company's success as an information technology giant.
Did you know?
"Fulcrum," a word that means "bedpost" in Latin, derives from the verb "fulcire," which means "to prop." When the word first appeared in English in the middle of the 17th century, "fulcrum" referred to the point on which a lever or similar device (such as the oar of a boat) is supported. It did not take long for the word to develop a figurative sense, referring to something used as a spur or justification to support a certain action. In zoology, "fulcrum" can also refer to a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support, such as the joint supporting a bird's wing.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for April 22, 2007 is:
opusculum • \oh-PUS-kyuh-lum\ • noun
• noun
- : a minor work (as of literature)
Example Sentence:
The book is a collection of opuscula written by the author between his two major novels.
Did you know?
"Opusculum" -- which is often used in its plural form "opuscula" -- comes from Latin, where it serves as the diminutive form of the noun "opus," meaning "work." In English, "opus" can refer to any literary or artistic work, though it often specifically refers to a musical piece. Logically, then, "opusculum" refers to a short or minor work. ("Opusculum" isn't restricted to music, though. In fact, it is most often used for literary works.) The Latin plural of "opus" is "opera," which gave us (via Italian) the word we know for a musical production consisting primarily of vocal pieces performed with orchestral accompaniment. We can also thank "opus" for our verb "operate
The Word of the Day for April 21, 2007 is:
riparian • \ruh-PAIR-ee-un\ • adjective
• adjective
- : relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater
Example Sentence:
Residents of the riparian community learned to brace themselves for a flood whenever torrential rain was forecast.
Did you know?
"Riparian" came to English from the same source that gave us "river" -- the Latin "riparius," a noun deriving from "ripa," meaning "bank" or "shore." First appearing in English in the 19th century, "riparian" refers to things that exist alongside a river (such as riparian wetlands, habitats, trees, etc.). Some river communities have laws called "riparian rights," referring to the rights of those owning land along a river to have access to the waterway. Note the distinction of this word from "littoral," which usually refers to things that occur along the shore of a sea or ocean.
The Word of the Day for April 20, 2007 is:
John Barleycorn • \JAHN-BAR-lee-korn\ • noun
• noun
- : alcoholic liquor personified
Example Sentence:
"Eureka was, after all, the last home of Carry Nation, that ax-wielding foe of John Barleycorn, Demon Rum and all their evil ilk." (Charles Allbright, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, November 19, 2003)
Did you know?
"Inspiring bold John Barleycorn! / What dangers thou canst make us scorn!" Robert Burns wasn't the first to use "John Barleycorn" as a personification of liquor when he penned those lines in his poem Tam O'Shanter in the late 1700s. The term had been part of English vernacular for more than 150 years before Burns's heyday, but the poet played a key role in popularizing it by carrying it into literature. "Barleycorn" undoubtedly became part of that euphemism for alcohol because barleycorns (that is, grains of barley) are a key ingredient in malt liquor. And "John" has long been used as a generic name or personifier in English.
The Word of the Day for April 19, 2007 is:
absolve • \ub-ZALV\ • verb
• verb
- *1 : to set free from an obligation or the consequences of guilt
- 2 : to remit (a sin) by absolution
Example Sentence:
The fact that Andrew was the ringleader does not absolve his friends of responsibility for their part in the prank.
Did you know?
The act of absolving can be seen as releasing someone from blame or sin, or "loosening" the hold that responsibility has on a person, which provides a hint about the word's origins. "Absolve" was adopted into Middle English in the 15th century from the Latin verb "absolvere," formed by combining the prefix "ab-" ("from, away, off") with "solvere," meaning "to loosen." ("Absolve" also once had additional senses of "finish, accomplish" and "to resolve or explain," but these are now obsolete.) "Solvere" is also the ancestor of the English words "solve," "dissolve," "resolve," "solvent," and "solution."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for April 18, 2007 is:
deus ex machina • \DAY-us-eks-MAH-kih-nuh\ • noun
• noun
- : a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty
Example Sentence:
Only a deus ex machina could resolve the novel's thorny crisis.
Did you know?
The New Latin term "deus ex machina" is a translation of a Greek phrase and means literally "a god from a machine." "Machine," in this case, refers to the crane that held a god over the stage in ancient Greek and Roman drama. The practice of introducing a god at the end of a play to unravel and resolve the plot dates from at least the 5th century B.C.; Euripides (circa 484-406 B.C.) was one playwright who made frequent use of the device. Since the late 1600s, "deus ex machina" has been applied in English to unlikely saviors and improbable events that bring order out of chaos in sudden and surprising ways.
The Word of the Day for April 15, 2007 is:
temerity • \tuh-MAIR-uh-tee\ • noun
• noun
- : unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition : rashness, recklessness
Example Sentence:
The official was thrown into jail for having the temerity to publicly disagree with the dictator.
Did you know?
When it comes to flagrant boldness, "temerity," "audacity," "hardihood," and "effrontery" have the cheek to get your meaning across. Of those synonyms, "temerity" (from the Latin "temere," meaning "blindly" or "recklessly") suggests boldness arising from contempt of danger, while "audacity" implies a disregard of the restraints commonly imposed by convention or prudence. "Hardihood" implies firmness in daring and defiance, and "effrontery" suggests a shameless disregard of propriety and courtesy. If you're looking for a more informal term for a brash attitude, you might consider "nerve," "cheek," "gall," or "chutzpah."
The Word of the Day for April 14, 2007 is:
overweening • \oh-ver-WEE-ning\ • adjective
• adjective
- 1 : arrogant, presumptuous
- *2 : immoderate, exaggerated
Example Sentence:
The overweening ambition of the novel's principal character eventually leads to his downfall.
Did you know?
"The overweening conceit which the greater part of men have of their own abilities is an ancient evil remarked by the philosophers and moralists of all ages." So wrote Adam Smith in his The Wealth of Nations. But while overweening conceit might be an age-old evil, the word "overweening" has only been part of English since the 14th century. It developed from the Middle English "overwening," the present participle of the verb "overwenen," which meant "to be arrogant." That term derived in turn from "wenen," which meant "to think" or "to imagine." Today, the adjective "overweening" is the most widely used of the "wenen" descendants, but historical texts also occasionally include "overween," a term for thinking too highly of your own opinion.
The Word of the Day for April 13, 2007 is:
grog • \GRAHG\ • noun
• noun
- : alcoholic liquor; especially : liquor (as rum) cut with water and now often served hot with lemon juice and sugar sometimes added
Example Sentence:
"Let's go and find a real bar," said Mort. "We shouldn't have to settle for the grog they serve in this place."
Did you know?
Eighteenth-century English admiral Edward Vernon reputedly earned the nickname "Old Grog" because he often wore a cloak made from grogram (a coarse, loosely woven fabric made of silk or silk blended with mohair or wool). In Old Grog's day, sailors in the Royal Navy were customarily given a daily ration of rum, but in 1740 the admiral, concerned about the health of his men, ordered that the rum should be diluted with water. The decision wasn't very popular with the sailors, who supposedly dubbed the mixture "grog" after Vernon. Today, "grog" can be used as a general term for any liquor, even undiluted, and someone who acts drunk or shaky can be called "groggy."
The Word of the Day for April 12, 2007 is:
churlish • \CHUR-lish\ • adjective
• adjective
- 1 : of, resembling, or characteristic of a churl : vulgar
- *2 : marked by a lack of civility or graciousness : surly
- 3 : difficult to work with or deal with : intractable
Example Sentence:
She was obviously very upset over losing the match, but that's no excuse for her churlish behavior toward her opponent.
Did you know?
It is easy to understand how "churlish" has come to mean "vulgar," "surly," and "intractable" if you know your English history. In Anglo-Saxon England a churl, or ceorl, was a freeman of the lowest rank who owned and cultivated a small farm. He had certain rights and had the upward mobility to rise to the rank of thane. After the Norman Conquest, however, many churls became serfs, and the word "churl" eventually came to be used as a pejorative for a rude, ill-bred person.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence
The Word of the Day for April 11, 2007 is:
akimbo • \uh-KIM-boh\ • adjective or adverb
• adjective or adverb
- *1 : having the hand on the hip and the elbow turned outward
- 2 : set in a bent position
Example Sentence:
The model, arms akimbo, struck a pose at the end of the runway.
Did you know?
It's "akimbo" nowadays, but in Middle English, the spelling "in kenebowe" was used for the bent, hand-on-hip arm (or later, for any bent position). Originally, the term was fairly neutral, but now saying that a person is standing with "arms akimbo" implies a posture that communicates defiance, confidence, aggressiveness, or arrogance. In her novel Little Women, Louisa May Alcott took the word one step further, extending it into the figurative realm when she explained that tomboyish Jo had not been invited to participate in an elegant event with the other young ladies of the neighborhood because "her elbows were decidedly akimbo at this period of her life."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence
The Word of the Day for April 10, 2007 is:
nonage • \NAH-nij\ • noun
• noun
- *1 : minority
- 2 a : a period of youth
- b : lack of maturity
Example Sentence:
Peter the Great became the czar of Russia while still in his nonage, so the country was ruled for a time by his half-sister Sophia.
Did you know?
Minority, majority; infancy, adulthood; nonage, full age -- here you have the three contrasting pairs that constitute the vocabulary of legal age. "Minority," "infancy," and "nonage" are synonyms that mean "the state or time of being under legal age." "Majority," "adulthood," and "full age" mean "the state or time of being of legal age." (All these words, particularly "infancy" and "adulthood," have other meanings as well, of course.) "Nonage" came to us by way of Middle English from an Anglo-French union of "non-" and "age," which combine to mean "not of age."
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for April 09, 2007 is:
pluvial • \PLOO-vee-ul\ • adjective
- 1 a : of or relating to rain
- *b : characterized by abundant rain
- 2 of a geologic change : resulting from the action of rain
Example Sentence:
The pluvial climate of England didn't dampen our trip; instead, it gave us a chance to visit some excellent pubs and chat with the locals.
Did you know?
In the early 17th century, clerics began wearing long cloaks known as "pluvials" for protection against the rain during processions. The name of the cloak is based on the Latin word for "rain": "pluvia." By the mid-17th century, "pluvial" was also being used as an adjective meaning "of or relating to rain," as in "pluvial water." Later, in the 19th century, it made a splash in the geologic field as a word describing epochs having relatively high average rainfall and things caused or formed by rain, like "pluvial erosion" or "pluvial lakes."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for April 08, 2007 is:
longanimity • \long-guh-NIM-uh-tee\ • noun
• noun
- : a disposition to bear injuries patiently : forbearance
Example Sentence:
Grandmother bore the trials and tribulations of her life with longanimity.
Did you know?
"Longanimity" is a word with a long history. It came to English in the 15th century from the Late Latin adjective "longanimis," meaning "patient" or "long-suffering." "Longanimis," in turn, derives from the Latin combination of "longus" ("long") and "animus" ("soul"). "Longus" is related to the ancestors of our word "long" and is itself an ancestor to several other English words, including "longevity" ("long life"), "elongate" ("to make longer"), and "prolong" ("to lengthen in time").
The Word of the Day for April 07, 2007 is:
hypothecate • \hy-PAH-thuh-kayt\ • verb
• verb
- : hypothesize
Example Sentence:
The scientist hypothecated that the lab rats' new behavior was linked to changes in their sleep patterns.
Did you know?
"Hypothecate" is a controversial word. It has existed as a synonym of "hypothesize" since 1906, showing up primarily in scientific and linguistic sources, but usage commentators have long criticized it, from Henry Fowler in 1926 to Harry Shaw in 1987. It is sometimes perceived as a mistaken use of another "hypothecate," one meaning "to pledge as security without title or possession." Both "hypothecate" homographs -- and "hypothesize" too -- derive ultimately from the Greek "hypotithenai" ("to put under," "to suppose," or "to deposit as a pledge"), but each entered English by a different route. The hypothesizing "hypothecate" is a legitimate (albeit uncommon) word in its own right, not a misuse of its homograph. If you want to avoid the controversy altogether, however, you can stick with the more common "hypothesize."
The Word of the Day for April 06, 2007 is:
quip • \KWIP\ • noun
• noun
- 1 a : a clever usually taunting remark : gibe
- *b : a witty or funny observation or response usually made on the spur of the moment
- 2 : quibble, equivocation
- 3 : something strange, droll, curious, or eccentric : oddity
Example Sentence:
To almost every comment I made, Adam responded with a quip and a smile.
Did you know?
"Quip" is an abbreviation of "quippy," a noun that is no longer in use. Etymologists believe that "quippy" derived from the Latin "quippe," a word meaning "indeed" or "to be sure" that was often used ironically. The earliest sense of "quip," referring to a cutting or sarcastic remark, was common for approximately a century after it first appeared in print in 1532. It then fell out of use until the beginning of the 19th century, when it underwent a revival that continues to the present day.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for April 05, 2007 is:
ex parte • \eks-PAR-tee\ • adverb or adjective
- 1 : on or from one side or party only -- used of legal proceedings
- *2 : from a one-sided or partisan point of view
Example Sentence:
I prefer that news program because it sticks to unbiased reporting with no ex parte commentary.
Did you know?
"Latin has not been over-used in a procedural context ('ex parte' being a rare exception)," wrote a correspondent to the London Times in May 1999. Indeed, "ex parte" (which literally meant "on behalf [of]" in Medieval Latin) pops up quite often in legal settings. An ex parte proceeding, for example, is one that occurs at the request of and for the benefit of one party, usually without the knowledge and participation of any other party. Even when "ex parte" steps outside of the courtroom -- to be used of an ex parte meeting, interview, chat, conversation, investigation, discussion, or contact, for example -- the "one-sided" sense often has some sort of legal or legislative slant, referring to involvement of just one party or side in a case or dispute.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence
The Word of the Day for April 04, 2007 is:
ingenuous • \in-JEN-yuh-wus\ • adjective
- *1 : showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness
- 2 : lacking craft or subtlety
Example Sentence:
"The face of the old man was stern, hard-featured, and forbidding; that of the young one, open, handsome, and ingenuous." (Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby)
Did you know?
Today, the words "ingenuous" and "ingenious" have distinct meanings and are not used interchangeably, but that wasn't always the case. For many years, the two words were used as synonyms. "Ingenious" has always had the fundamental meaning of "clever," and "ingenuous" has been most often used to suggest frankness and openness (owing either to good character or, now more often, innocence), but there was a time when "ingenious" could also mean "frank" and "ingenuous" could mean "clever." The publication in 1755 of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, in which these synonymous uses are not recognized, may have had something to do with establishing "ingenious" and "ingenuous" as distinct words. In any case, they appear to have ceased being used as synonyms by about 1800.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for April 03, 2007 is:
clepsydra • \KLEP-suh-druh\ • noun
• noun
- : water clock
Example Sentence:
"Maybe we should reintroduce the ancient Greek practice of timing political speeches with clepsydra -- when the water is gone, the oration is over," suggested Alfie.
Did you know?
In ancient times the sun was used to measure time during the day, but sundials weren't much help after dark, so peoples around the world invented clocks that used dripping water to mark the hours. In one kind of water clock, possibly invented by the Chaldeans, a vessel was filled with water that was allowed to escape through a hole. The vessel's inside was marked with graduated lines, and the time was read by measuring the level of the remaining water. The ancient Greeks called their water clocks "klepsydra" ("water thief"), which comes from "kleptein" ("to steal") and "hydōr" ("water"). English speakers stole "clepsydra" from the Greeks in the 16th century, but actual water clocks have become increasingly rare.
The Word of the Day for April 02, 2007 is:
rebarbative • \rih-BAR-buh-tiv\ • adjective
• adjective
- : repellent, irritating
Example Sentence:
Adrianna frequently wrote to her local newspaper to complain about the redundant headlines, rebarbative editorial commentary, and grammatical errors.
Did you know?
You may be surprised to learn that today's word traces back to the Latin word for "beard" -- "barba" -- making it a very distant relative of the English word "beard." But there is some sense to the connection. After all, beards may not be repellent, but they can be prickly and scratchy! Another descendant of Latin "barba" is the English word "barb," which can refer to a sharp projection (as found on barbed wire) or a biting critical remark, both of which can discourage others from getting too close.
The Word of the Day for April 01, 2007 is:
whammy • \WAM-ee\ • noun
• noun
- 1 a : a supernatural power bringing bad luck
- b : a magic curse or spell : jinx, hex
- *2 : a potent force or attack; specifically : a paralyzing or lethal blow
Example Sentence:
"The nation's working poor have been hit by another whammy," said the senator, referring to a recent tax hike.
Did you know?
The origin of "whammy" is not entirely certain, but it is assumed to have been created by combining "wham" ("a solid blow") with the whimsical "-y" ending. The first example of "whammy" in print occured in 1940, but the word was popularized in the 1950s by the cartoonist Al Capp in the comic strip "Li'l Abner." The character Evil-Eye Fleegle could paralyze someone with the sheer power of his gaze. The "single whammy" was a look with one eye, and the fearsome "double whammy" used both eyes. As you may know, "double whammy" has also found a place in English as a general term. It means "a combination of two adverse forces, circumstances, or effects" -- in other words, a one-two punch.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 31, 2007 is:
interstice • \in-TER-stus\ • noun
• noun
- *1 : space that intervenes between things; especially : one between closely spaced things
- 2 : short space of time between events
Example Sentence:
Paula found a bundle of love letters tucked in an interstice in the wall, where they must have been hidden by one of the house's former occupants.
Did you know?
You don't need to read between the lines to understand the history of "interstice"; its etymology is plain to see. "Interstice" derives from the Latin "interstitium," which is itself formed from the prefix "inter-," meaning "between," and "-stes," meaning "standing." Interstices are the cracks and crevices of life, and the word is often used for both the literal and figurative gaps of the world. In modern uses, "interstice" can even refer to gaps in time or to special niches in the larger expanse of something else. Evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould used it, for example, to comment, "Dinosaurs held sway for 100 million years while mammals, all the while, lived as small animals in the interstices of their world."
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 30, 2007 is:
ersatz • \AIR-sahts\ • adjective
• adjective
- : being a usually artificial and inferior substitute or imitation
Example Sentence:
After ordering his coffee, Tony saw that there was no sugar available at the counter, so he had to settle for an ersatz alternative.
Did you know?
"Ersatz" can be traced back in English to 1875, but it really came into prominence during World War I. Borrowed from German, where "Ersatz" is a noun meaning "substitute," the word was frequently applied as an adjective in English to items like "coffee" (from acorns) and "flour" (from potatoes) -- ersatz products resulting from the privations of war. By the time World War II came around, bringing with it a resurgence of the word along with more substitute products, "ersatz" was wholly entrenched in the language. Today, "ersatz" can be applied to almost anything that seems like an artificial imitation: "Even when those marketplaces did succeed, the fun always felt a little ersatz." (Malcolm Jones Jr., Newsweek, April 22, 1996)
The Word of the Day for March 29, 2007 is:
bucolic • \byoo-KAH-lik\ • adjective
- 1 : of or relating to shepherds or herdsmen : pastoral
- *2 : relating to or typical of rural life
Example Sentence:
While sitting in rush hour traffic, Cecilia often daydreamed about living in a little house in a quiet, bucolic setting.
Did you know?
We get "bucolic" from the Latin word "bucolicus," which is ultimately from the Greek word "boukolos," meaning "cowherd." When "bucolic" was first used in English in the early 17th century, it meant "pastoral" in a narrow sense -- that is, it referred to things related to shepherds or herdsmen and in particular to pastoral poetry. Later in the 19th century, it was applied more broadly to things rural or rustic. "Bucolic" has also been occasionally used as a noun meaning "a pastoral poem" or "a bucolic person."
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 28, 2007 is:
inveigh • \in-VAY\ • verb
- : to protest or complain bitterly or vehemently : rail
Example Sentence:
The senator inveighed against the new FDA regulations, claiming they allow loopholes for manufacturers.
Did you know?
You might complain or grumble about some wrong you see, or, for a stronger effect, you can "inveigh" against it. "Inveigh" comes from the Latin verb "invehere," which joins the prefix "in-" with the verb "vehere," meaning "to carry." "Invehere" literally means "to carry in," and when "inveigh" first appeared in English, it was also used to mean "to carry in" or "to introduce." Extended meanings of "invehere," however, are "to force one's way into," "attack," and "to assail with words," and that's where the current sense of "inveigh" comes from. A closely related word is "invective," which means "insulting or abusive language." This word, too, ultimately comes from "invehere."
The Word of the Day for March 27, 2007 is:
corrigendum • \kor-uh-JEN-dum\ • noun
- : an error in a printed work discovered after printing and shown with its correction on a separate sheet
Example Sentence:
Not only was the document itself full of errors, but the corrigenda included with it had mistakes as well!
Did you know?
If you guessed that "corrigendum" might be connected to the word "correct," you are quite right. Both "corrigendum" and "correct" derive from the Latin verb "corrigere," which means "to correct." The noun "corrigendum" and its plural "corrigenda" came to us unaltered from Latin in the early 19th century. The verb "correct" is much older; it has been part of our language since at least the 14th century. Other descendants of the very correct "corrigere" include "incorrigible" and "escort."
The Word of the Day for March 26, 2007 is:
panoply • \PAN-uh-plee\ • noun
- 1 : a full suit of armor
- 2 : something forming a protective covering
- *3 : a magnificent or impressive array
Example Sentence:
Jeff's house was furnished with a panoply of up-to-date home entertainment devices.
Did you know?
"Panoply" comes from the Greek word "panoplia," which referred to the full suit of armor worn by "hoplites," heavily armed infantry soldiers of ancient Greece. "Panoplia" is a blend of the prefix "pan-," meaning "all," and "hopla," meaning "arms" or "armor." (As you may have guessed already, "hopla" is also an ancestor of "hoplite.") "Panoply" entered the English language in the 17th century, and since then it has developed other senses which extend both the "armor" and the "full set" aspects of its original use.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 25, 2007 is:
prevaricate • \prih-VAIR-uh-kayt\ • verb
- : to deviate from the truth : equivocate
Example Sentence:
In Henry Fielding's novel Tom Jones, Squire Allworthy demands, "Look you, Mr. Dowling..., do not hesitate nor prevaricate; but answer faithfully and truly to every question I ask."
Did you know?
"Prevaricate" and its synonyms "lie" and "equivocate" all refer to playing fast and loose with the truth. "Lie" is the bluntest of the three. When you accuse someone of lying, you are saying he or she was intentionally dishonest, no bones about it. "Prevaricate" is less accusatory and softens the bluntness of "lie," usually implying that someone is evading the truth rather than purposely making false statements. "Equivocate" is similar to "prevaricate," but it generally implies that someone is deliberately using words that have more than one meaning as a way to conceal the truth.
The Word of the Day for March 24, 2007 is:
enjoin • \in-JOIN\ • verb
- *1 : to direct or impose by authoritative order or with urgent admonition
- 2 a : forbid, prohibit
- b : to prohibit by a judicial order : put an injunction on
Example Sentence:
Mr. Alvarez enjoined the class to be quiet, and the stern tone of his voice made everyone obey immediately.
Did you know?
Which of these words do you think has the same root as "enjoin"?
It might help if we tell you that "enjoin" derives ultimately from the verb "jungere," which means "to join." "Jungere" is behind a number of English words, including "join," "conjoin," "disjoin," and "junction." Are you ready for your answer? The correct choice is "junta," a term that entered English by way of Spanish. A junta is a committee that controls a government, especially after a revolutionary seizure of power -- in other words, a group of persons "joined" together for a specific purpose.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
a. entelechy b. joy c. junta d. purloin
It might help if we tell you that "enjoin" derives ultimately from the verb "jungere," which means "to join." "Jungere" is behind a number of English words, including "join," "conjoin," "disjoin," and "junction." Are you ready for your answer? The correct choice is "junta," a term that entered English by way of Spanish. A junta is a committee that controls a government, especially after a revolutionary seizure of power -- in other words, a group of persons "joined" together for a specific purpose.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 23, 2007 is:
drub • \DRUB\ • verb
- 1 : to beat severely
2 : to berate critically
*3 : to defeat decisively
Example Sentence:
After being drubbed by the worst team in the league, the hometown players slunk into the locker room with their heads hung low.
Did you know?
Sportswriters often use "drub," but the term's history reveals that it wasn't always a sporting word. When "drub" was first used in English, it referred to a method of punishment that involved beating the soles of a culprit's feet with a stick or cudgel. The term was apparently brought to England in the 17th century by travelers who reported observing the punitive practice in Asia. Etymologists are uncertain of the ultimate origin of "drub," but some have speculated that it may have evolved from the Arabic word "ḍaraba," meaning "to beat."
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 22, 2007 is:
augur • \AW-gur\ • verb
- 1 : to foretell especially from omens
- *2 : to give promise of : presage
Example Sentence:
California's unusually cold winter does not augur well for the citrus crop.
Did you know?
Auguring is what augurs did in ancient Rome. These were official diviners whose function it was, not to foretell the future, but to divine whether the gods approved of a proposed undertaking, such as a military move. They did so by various means, among them observing the behavior of birds and examining the entrails of sacrificed animals. Nowadays, the "foretell" sense of the verb is often used with an adverb, such as "well," as in our example sentence. "Augur" comes from Latin and is related to the Latin verb "augēre," meaning "to increase."
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 21, 2007 is:
sidereal • \sye-DEER-ee-ul\ • adjective
- *1 : of or relating to stars or constellations
- 2 : measured by the apparent motion of the stars
Example Sentence:
Few astronomers have witnessed the sidereal phenomenon of a supernova.
Did you know?
In Latin, the word for "heavenly body" is "sidus." Latin speakers used that word to form "desiderare" ("from a heavenly body") and "considerare" ("to think about a heavenly body"), which were adopted into English as "desire" and "consider." "Sidereal," another "sidus" creation, was first used in English in 1647. Thirty-four years later, an astronomer coined the phrase "sidereal year" for the time in which the earth completes one revolution in its orbit around the sun, measured with respect to the fixed stars. Not surprisingly, other sidereal measurements of time followed, including the sidereal month, the sidereal day, the sidereal hour, and even the sidereal minute.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 20, 2007 is:
perforce • \per-FORSS\ • adverb
- : by force of circumstances
Example Sentence:
Lorel and Curt's tiny vineyard produces a limited quantity of top-quality chardonnays that are perforce rather pricey.
Did you know?
English speakers borrowed "par force" from Anglo-French in the 14th century. "Par" meant "by" (from Latin "per") and the Anglo-French word "force" had the same meaning as its English equivalent, which was already in use by then. At first, "perforce" meant quite literally "by physical coercion." That meaning is no longer used today, but it was still prevalent in William Shakespeare's lifetime (1564-1616). "He rush'd into my house and took perforce my ring away," wrote the Bard in The Comedy of Errors. The "force of circumstances" sense of "perforce" had also come into use by Shakespeare's day. In Henry IV, Part 2, we find ". . . your health; the which, if you give o'er to stormy passion, must perforce decay."
The Word of the Day for March 19, 2007 is:
ablution • \uh-BLOO-shun\ • noun
- *1 a : the washing of one's body or part of it (as in a religious rite)
- b plural : the act or action of bathing
- 2 plural, British : a building housing bathing and toilet facilities on a military base
Example Sentence:
The river that flowed past the campsite had a secluded nook where we could take care of our ablutions in privacy.
Did you know?
"Ablution" derives via Middle French and Middle English from the Latin verb "abluere," meaning "to wash away," formed from the prefix "ab-" ("away, off") and "lavere" ("to wash"). Early uses of the word occurred in contexts of alchemy and chemistry. It was first used of washing as a religious rite by Thomas More in The Apologye Made by Hym (1533). Many religions include some kind of washing of the body in their rituals, usually as a form of purification or dedication. The use of the term to refer to the action of washing one's body without any religious significance did not take hold in English until the mid-18th century.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 18, 2007 is:
sinuous • \SIN-yuh-wus\ • adjective
- 1 a : of a serpentine or wavy form : winding
- b : marked by strong lithe movements
- 2 : intricate, complex
Example Sentence:
While flying over the Midwest, I saw a long, sinuous river that wound through fields, farms, and towns as it made its way towards the Gulf of Mexico.
Did you know?
Although it probably makes you think more of snakes than head colds, "sinuous" is etymologically more like "sinus" than "serpent." "Sinuous" and "sinus" both derive from the Latin noun "sinus," which means "curve, fold, or hollow." Other "sinus" descendents include "insinuate" ("to impart or suggest in an artful or indirect way") and two terms you might remember from math class: "sine" and "cosine." In English, "sinus" is the oldest of these words; it entered the language in the 1400s. "Insinuate" appeared next, in 1529, and was followed by "sinuous" (1578), "sine" (1593), and "cosine" (1635). "Serpent," by the way, entered English in the 13th century and comes from the Latin verb "serpere," meaning "to creep."
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.
The Word of the Day for March 17, 2007 is:
milieu • \meel-YUR\ • noun
- : the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops : environment
Example Sentence:
The quiet suburban neighborhood was within walking distance of the elementary school and provided the perfect milieu for raising a family.
Did you know?
The etymology of "milieu" comes down to "mi" and "lieu." English speakers learned the word (and borrowed both its spelling and meaning) from French. The modern French term comes from two much older French forms, "mi," meaning "middle," and "lieu," meaning "place." Like so many terms in the Romance languages, those Old French forms can ultimately be traced to Latin; "mi" is an offspring of the Latin "medius"(meaning "middle") and "lieu" is a derivative of "locus" (meaning "place"). English speakers have used "milieu" for the environment or setting of something since at least the mid-1800s, but other "lieu" descendants are much older. We've used both "lieu" itself (meaning "place" or "stead," as in "in lieu of") and "lieutenant" since the 14th century.