cordial

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 13, 2010 is: cordial • \KOR-jul\  • adjective 1 : tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate 2 a : sincerely or deeply felt b : warmly and genially affable Examples: "Whenever I went out, I heard on all sides cordial salutations, and was welcomed with friendly smiles." (Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre) Did you know? "Cordial" shares the Latin root "cor" with "concord" (meaning "harmony") and "discord" (meaning "conflict"). "Cor" means "heart," and each of these "cor" descendants has something to do with the heart, at least figuratively. "Concord," which comes from "con-" (meaning "together" or "with") plus "cor," suggests that one heart is with another. "Discord" combines the prefix "dis-" (meaning "apart") with "cor," and it implies that hearts are apart. When "cordial" was first used in the 14th century, it literally meant "of or relating to the heart," but this sense has not been in use since the 17th century. Today anything that is "cordial," be it a welcome, a hello, or an agreement, comes from the heart in a figurative sense. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.