Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 2, 2012 is: yuppify • \YUP-uh-fye\ • verb : to make appealing to yuppies; also : to infuse with the qualities or values of yuppies Examples: While rent prices in the city have fallen, the neighborhoods that were relatively recently yuppified remain too expensive for most city residents. "Celebrating 60 years of racing in 2009, Darlington Raceway ... is the grand-dad of all NASCAR tracks, the first ever to host a major race. While it's not as plush as the new, ritzier raceways built to accommodate the sport's push to yuppify its ranks, this is still an impressive sight right on Highway 52 and a bit of living history." - From Jim Morekis' 2009 Moon South Carolina guidebook (Moon Handbooks) Did you know? "Yuppie" and "yuppify" are products of the 1980s, but they owe a debt to predecessors from the 1960s and 1970s. "Hippie" (a long-haired unconventionally dressed young person who rejects societal mores; from "hip," meaning "cool") first appeared in print in 1953. "Yippie" (a politically active hippie; from Youth International Party) followed "hippie" into the language in 1968. "Gentrification" and "gentrify" (referring to the effects of influxes of relatively affluent people into deteriorating neighborhoods; from "gentry") made their debuts in 1964 and 1972, respectively. "Yuppie" (a young well-paid professional who lives and works in or near an urban area; probably from young urban professional; influenced by "hippie" and "yippie") hit the press in 1981. "Yuppify" and "yuppification" (patterned after "gentrify" and "gentrification") joined the lexicon in 1984. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 1, 2012 is: abeyance • \uh-BAY-unss\ • noun 1 : a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested 2 : temporary inactivity : suspension Examples: Our plans to go for a bike ride were in abeyance until the weather cleared up. "The remaining $5,000 of the fine is held in abeyance and will not have to be paid unless additional violations are committed by the Venice baseball program during the probationary period."-From an article by Dennis Maffezzoli in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida), January 23, 2012 Did you know? "Abeyance" has something in common with "yawn." Today, "yawn" implies sleep or boredom, but years ago it could also signify longing or desire ("Full many men know I that yawn and gape after some fat and rich benefice"-Thomas Hoccleve, 1420). The Old French word for "yawn" was "baer," which joined the prefix "a-" ("in a state or condition of") to form "abaer," a verb meaning "to expect" or "await." There followed Anglo-French "abeyance," which referred to a state of expectation-specifically, a person's expectation of inheriting a title or property. But when we adopted "abeyance" into English in the 16th century, we applied the expectation to the property itself: a property or title "in abeyance" is in temporary limbo, waiting to be claimed by a rightful heir or owner. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 29, 2012 is: bosky • \BAH-skee\ • adjective 1 : having abundant trees or shrubs 2 : of or relating to a woods Examples: As we drove away from the city, apartment buildings gave way to homes with yards, then at last to a bosky landscape dominated by tall pines. "In 1863, when two brothers were abducted by armed gangsters and marched into a forest, their appeal to a local saint resulted in their abductors letting them go. Amusingly, though, the artist's skill extends only to the most crucial details: the blindfold, the guns, the bosky scene."-From an article by Jenny Gilbert in The Independent (London), November 20, 2011 Did you know? "Bosk," "busk," "bush"-in Middle English these were all variant spellings of a word meaning "shrub." "Bush" is still familiar to the modern ear, and "busk" can still be heard in a few places in the dialects of northern Britain. "Bosk" too survived in English dialects, although it disappeared from the written language, and in the early 17th century it provided the root for the woodsy adjective "bosky." Since its formation, "bosky" has been firmly rooted in our language, and its widespread popularity seems to have resurrected its parental form. By 1815 "bosk" (also spelled "bosque") had reappeared in writing, but this time with the meaning "a small wooded area." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 28, 2012 is: livelong • \LIV-lawng\ • adjective : whole, entire Examples: They worked hard all the livelong day and finally fell into their beds, exhausted, well past sundown. "The sass and vigour of American politics and attendant media coverage is a thing to behold. All you have to do is turn on the darn TV and there it is … playing out in late-night shows, in prime time and all the livelong day on the all-news channels." -- From an article by John Doyle in The Globe and Mail (Toronto), November 9, 2011 Did you know? "I've been workin' on the railroad, all the livelong day." So goes the American folk standard, and nowadays when we encounter the word "livelong" it is typically in the phrase "all the livelong day" or something similar. Although we don't see "livelong" much in prose anymore poets still love the word, possibly for its two distinct, alliterative syllables. Despite the resemblance, "livelong" does not mean the same thing as "lifelong" (as in "a lifelong friend"). In fact, the words are not closely related: the "live" in "livelong" derives from "lef," a Middle English word meaning "dear or beloved." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 27, 2012 is: viva voce • \vye-vuh-VOH-see\ • adverb : by word of mouth : orally Examples: According to the town's bylaws, members of the town council must vote viva voce or by a show of hands. "He was examined according to standard inquisitorial procedures derived from Roman law and medieval practice. Interrogators put questions to the accused who answered viva voce, in writing, or both, as demanded." -- From Donald Weinstein's 2011 book Savonarola: the Rise and Fall of a Renaissance Prophet Did you know? "Viva voce" derives from Medieval Latin, where it translates literally as "with the living voice." In English it occurs in contexts, such as voting, in which something is done aloud for all to hear. Votes in Congress, for example, are done viva voce -- members announce their votes by calling out "yea" or "nay." While the phrase was first used in English as an adverb in the 16th century, it can also appear as an adjective (as in "a viva voce examination") or a noun (where it refers to an examination conducted orally). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 26, 2012 is: empirical • \im-PEER-uh-kul\ • adjective 1 : originating in or based on observation or experience 2 : relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory 3 : capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment 4 : of or relating to empiricism Examples: The students have collected plenty of empirical data from their experiments. "Those empirical studies have found that teens are up to three times more likely than adults to falsely confess under police interrogation to crimes they never committed." -- From an editorial by Laura H. Nirider in the Chicago Tribune, December 23, 2011 Did you know? When "empirical" first appeared as an adjective in English, it meant simply "in the manner of an empiric." An empiric was a member of an ancient sect of doctors who practiced medicine based exclusively on experience, as contrasted with those who relied on theory or philosophy. The name "empiric" derives from Latin "empiricus," itself from Greek "empeirikos" ("experienced"). It ultimately traces back to the verb "peiran," meaning "to try, attempt, or experiment." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 25, 2012 is: conclave • \KAHN-klayv\ • noun 1 : a private meeting or secret assembly 2 : a gathering of a group or association Examples: "The shadowy world of Ministers' meetings and security service conclaves ... was never explored." -- From an article by Mary Riddell in The Observer, February 2004 "On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Lin and other village leaders met to discuss their options and decided to call off the public protests and to reopen access to the village.… After that conclave, the village leaders held a rally with more than 1,000 residents in a public square and told the audience about the new agreement." -- From an article by Edward Wong in The New York Times, December 22, 2011 Did you know? Ever wonder what happens behind locked doors? The etymology of "conclave" begs this question as the word comes from a Latin term meaning "room that can be locked up." The English word formerly had the same meaning, but that use is now obsolete. Today, "conclave" refers not to the locked rooms but to the private meetings and secret assemblies that occur within them. "Conclave" is especially likely to refer to a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals who have secluded themselves to choose a pope, but it can refer to other types of private or secret meetings as well. The meaning of "conclave" has also expanded to include gatherings that are not necessarily secret or private but simply involve people with shared interests. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 24, 2012 is: henchman • \HENCH-mun\ • noun 1 : a trusted follower : a right-hand man 2 : a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantage 3 : a member of a gang Examples: The play opens with the main character, a gangster, onstage surrounded by his henchmen. "[U.S. Attorney George E.Q.] Johnson vigorously took the fight to Capone and his henchmen, successfully prosecuting Capone's brother Ralph, Frank Nitti, the Guzik brothers Harry and Sam, and the beer barons Terry Druggan and Frankie Lake." -- From an article by Stephan Benzkofer in the Chicago Tribune, January 15, 2012 Did you know? The earliest known examples of today's word in written English show it being used as a term for a squire or a page, but the word may have seen earlier use with the meaning "groom." It first appeared in Middle English at the beginning of the 15th century and is a combination of Old English "hengest" ("a male horse") and "man." In the late 1700s, "henchman" began to be used for the personal attendant of a Scottish Highland chief. This sense, made familiar to many English readers by Sir Walter Scott, led to the word's use in the broader sense of "right-hand man," which in turn evolved into the other meanings. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 23, 2012 is: exegesis • \ek-suh-JEE-sis\ • noun : exposition, explanation; especially : an explanation or critical interpretation of a text Examples: For his senior thesis, John wrote an exegesis of the novels of D. H. Lawrence. "Were it not for another mini-exegesis hanging alongside 'Witness,' uninitiated viewers might have trouble interpreting this large-scale painting as a response to Ethiopia's drought and famine of the 1980s." -- From a review by Kevin J. Kelley in Seven Days (Burlington, Vermont), October 5, 2011 Did you know? Theological scholars have long been preoccupied with interpreting the meanings of various passages in the Bible. In fact, because of the sacred status of the Bible in both Judaism and Christianity, biblical interpretation has played a crucial role in both of those religions throughout their histories. English speakers have used the word "exegesis" -- a descendant of the Greek term "exegeisthai," meaning "to explain" or "to interpret" -- to refer to explanations of Scripture since the early 17th century. Nowadays, however, academic writers interpret all sorts of texts, and "exegesis" is no longer associated mainly with the Bible. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 22, 2012 is: abjure • \ab-JOOR\ • verb 1 a : to renounce upon oath b : to reject solemnly 2 : to abstain from : avoid Examples: The expatriate solemnly *abjured his allegiance to his native land. "Gingrich delivered a lengthy speech to a Jewish Republican organization during which he abjured even the mention of Romney's name." -- From an article by Niall Stanage at thehill.com, January 30, 2011* Did you know? Just as a jury swears to produce an unbiased verdict, and a witness swears to tell the truth on pain of perjury, those who abjure their former ways "swear them away." "Abjure" (as well as "jury" and "perjury") comes from Latin "jurare," which means "to swear" (and which in turn is based on the root "jus," meaning "law"), plus the prefix "ab-," meaning "away." These days, we can casually abjure (that is, abstain from) vices such as smoking or overeating, but in the 15th and 16th centuries to abjure was a matter of renouncing something under oath--and sometimes a matter of life and death. For example, during the Spanish Inquisition, individuals were given the choice between abjuring unacceptable beliefs and being burned at the stake. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 21, 2012 is: copious • \KOH-pee-us\ • adjective 1 a : yielding something abundantly b : plentiful in number 2 : full of thought, information, or matter 3 : lavish, abundant Examples: After a copious harvest, the tribe holds a lavish feast accompanied by lively dancing and rituals honoring the gods. "In addition to beer and popcorn, football fans who crowded into the Super Bowl stadium in Indianapolis over the weekend were consuming copious amounts of data from wireless networks." -- From a post by Brian X. Chen on the New York Times' Bits blog, February 7, 2012 Did you know? "Copious" derives from Latin "copia" ("abundance"), which in turn combines the prefix "co-" and "ops" ("wealth" or "power"). "Copious" and "opulent" (also from "ops"), along with "ample," "plentiful," and "abundant," all mean "more than sufficient." "Ample" implies a generous sufficiency to satisfy a particular requirement ("ample proof"). "Copious" puts emphasis upon largeness of supply more than on fullness or richness ("copious toasts to the bride and groom"). "Plentiful" implies a rich, and usually more than sufficient, supply ("a plentiful supply of textbooks"). "Abundant" suggests a greater or richer supply than "plentiful" does ("moved by the abundant offers to help"). But use "opulent" when the supply is both abundant and infused with a richness that allows an extra measure of gratification ("the opulent blossoms of the cherry trees"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 20, 2012 is: duende • \doo-EN-day\ • noun : the power to attract through personal magnetism and charm Examples: The magician was not only a talented illusionist; he also had the duende that kept the audience rapt throughout the entire show. "It took all my nerve to dance in front of people who have been steeped in this tradition their whole lives. It was over in a flash, and in that moment tears filled my eyes. Maybe what I felt wasn't duende -- nobody ripped a shirt or slapped his face -- but it was close enough for me." -- From an article by Toni Messina on NPR.org, August 10, 2011 Did you know? The word "duende" refers to a spirit in Spanish, Portuguese, and Filipino folklore and literally means "ghost" or "goblin" in Spanish. It is believed to derive from the phrase "dueño de casa," which means "owner of a house." The term is traditionally used in flamenco music or other art forms to refer to the mystical or powerful force given off by a performer to draw in the audience. The Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca wrote in his essay "Teoria y Juego del Duende" ("Play and Theory of the Duende") that duende "is a power and not a behavior . . . a struggle and not a concept." Nowadays the term appears in a broader range of contexts to refer to one's unspoken charm or allure. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 19, 2012 is: extemporaneous • \ek-stem-puh-RAY-nee-us\ • adjective 1 : composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the moment : impromptu 2 : provided, made, or put to use as an expedient : makeshift Examples: A group of revelers at the pub launched into an extemporaneous rendition of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling." "Members give prepared speeches at their own pace and receive constructive, supportive feedback from assigned evaluators. There also is an extemporaneous speaking session at each meeting to give members an opportunity to practice speaking without preparation." -- From the Club News feature in Times-Picayune (New Orleans), January 19, 2012 Did you know? "Extemporaneous," which comes from Latin "ex tempore" ("out of the time"), joined the English language sometime in the mid-17th century. The word "impromptu" was improvised soon after that. In general usage, "extemporaneous" and "impromptu" are used interchangeably to describe off-the-cuff remarks or speeches, but this is not the case when they are used in reference to the learned art of public speaking. Teachers of speech will tell you that an extemporaneous speech is one that has been thoroughly prepared and planned but not memorized, whereas an impromptu speech is one for which absolutely no preparations have been made. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 18, 2012 is: critique • \kruh-TEEK\ • noun : an act of criticizing; especially : a critical estimate or discussion Examples: All Sherry wanted to do was offer critiques of other people's plans; she never had any suggestions of her own. "In their first critique of the Banning Ranch development plans, California Coastal Commission staff members found that the proposed project would be unlikely to meet state standards." -- From an article by Mike Reicher in the Daily Pilot (California), January 19, 2012 Did you know? "Critique" is an alteration of an archaic word that referred generally to criticism. "Critique" itself dates to the early 18th century and originally referred to a piece of writing that criticized a literary or artistic work. The words "criticism," "critique," and "review" overlap in meaning. "Criticism" usually means "the act of criticizing" or a "remark or comment that expresses disapproval," but it can also refer to the activity of making judgments about the qualities of books, movies, etc. (as in "literary criticism")."Critique" is a somewhat formal word that typically refers to a careful judgment in which someone gives an opinion about something. "Review" can refer to an essay analyzing a literary or artistic work, but can also sometimes imply a more casual or personal opinion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 17, 2012 is: comix • \KAH-miks\ • noun : comic books or comic strips Examples: Raw, founded by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly in 1980, was the leading avant-garde comix journal of its time. "[George Kuchar] became involved in comix through his neighbor in San Francisco in the 1980s, Art Spiegelman; he went on to do many comix storyboards as well as underground comix." -- From an article by Charles Bernstein and Susan Bee in The Brooklyn Rail, December, 2011 Did you know? Comix (which are typically understood as distinct from comics in that they intend a mature audience) got their start in the 1960s. Our earliest evidence of the word "comix" used as a generic term dates to 1969, but it had begun appearing in the titles of specific works a little earlier than that: one example is the title of R. Crumb's highly influential Zap Comix, first published in 1968. The kind of alteration that changed "comics" to "comix" isn't a 20th century phenomenon: the word "pox," as in "chicken pox," began as "pocks" but has been spelled with an "x" since around 1475. A similar kind of alteration, though in this case going from a simpler spelling to a less intuitive one, is the word "phat," which is most likely a variation of "fat." "Phat" dates to 1963. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 16, 2012 is: rabble • \RAB-ul\ • noun 1 : a disorganized or confused collection of things 2 a : a disorganized or disorderly crowd of people : mob b : the lowest class of people Examples: He hasn't become comfortable glad-handing the voters as a gubernatorial candidate and always appears to be merely condescending to an unpleasant stroll among the rabble. "Recently, the publicity department at Morrow Books told the blogging rabble that it might cut off the flow of requested free books if the bloggers failed to cite those books online." -- From an article by Bob Hoover in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 8, 2012 Did you know? "Rabble" has been with the English language since its appearance in Middle English (as "rabel") in the late 1300s. It may have come from the Middle English verb "rabel" which meant "to babble." (Despite the similarity in sound and meaning, however, "babble" and "rabble" are unrelated.) The verb "rabel" is related to Middle Dutch "rabbelen" and Low German "rabbeln," meaning "to chatter." So how do we get from babbling to crowds of people? The connection may be the idea of confusion. "Rabble," in its earliest uses could not only indicate a pack of animals, swarm of insects, or a confused collection of things, but could also indicate a confused or meaningless string of words. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 15, 2012 is: abnegate • \AB-nih-gayt\ • verb 1 : deny, renounce 2 : surrender, relinquish Examples: The mayor has ordered the city's finance control board to abnegate its powers. "Meanwhile, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is charged with protecting reliability, abnegated its statutory responsibilities as the rule was being written." -- From an article in The Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2011 Did you know? There's no denying that the Latin root "negare" has given English some useful words. That verb, which means "to deny," is the ultimate source of the noun "abnegation," a synonym of "denial" that began appearing in English manuscripts in the 14th century. By the 17th century, people had concluded that if there was a noun "abnegation," there ought to be a related verb "abnegate," and so they created one by a process called "back-formation" (that's the process of trimming a suffix or prefix off a long word to make a shorter one). But "abnegate" and "abnegation" are not the only English offspring of "negare." That root is also an ancestor of other nay-saying terms such as "deny," "negate," and "renegade." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 14, 2012 is: aubade • \oh-BAHD\ • noun 1 : a song or poem greeting the dawn 2 a : a morning love song b : a song or poem of lovers parting at dawn 3 : morning music Examples: The play opens with the heroine's lover awakening her with a sweet aubade. "The score, in five movements, has a French flavor, no doubt inspired by the harp. The second movement is an aubade, the old troubadour form that French composers love." -- From a music review by Mark Swed in the Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2011 Did you know? "Aubade" is a French word that first romanced speakers of the English language during the 1670s. In French it means "dawn serenade," and that is the meaning that English-speakers originally fell in love with. As the relationship of "aubade" with the English language grew, its meanings became a little more intimate. It blossomed into a word for a song or poem of lovers parting at dawn. Later it came to refer to songs sung in the morning hours. The affair between "aubade" and the dawn began with the Old Occitan word "auba," meaning "dawn." "Auba" itself is believed to come from Latin "albus," meaning "white." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 13, 2012 is: mutt • \MUT\ • noun 1 : a stupid or insignificant person : fool 2 : a mongrel dog : cur Examples: Dogs were revered in ancient Egypt, but only royals were permitted to own purebred dogs -- commoners could keep only mutts. "At this time of year, when many people are in desperate financial straits, it's appropriate to ask why anyone would spend $4,000 to bring a mutt from Afghanistan to the United States." -- From an article about rescuing dogs from Afghanistan, by Lona O'Connor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, January 4, 2012 Did you know? "Mutt" can now be used with either affection or disdain to refer to a dog that is not purebred, but in the word's early history, in the U.S. around the turn of the 20th century, it could also be used to describe a person -- and not kindly: "mutt" was another word for "fool." The word's history lies in another insult. It comes from "muttonhead," another Americanism that also means essentially "fool." "Muttonhead" had been around since the early 19th century but it was not unlike an older insult with the same meaning: people had been calling one another "sheep's heads" since the mid-16th century. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 12, 2012 is: vade mecum • \vay-dee-MEE-kum\ • noun 1 : a book for ready reference : manual 2 : something regularly carried about by a person Examples: Her latest book is an accessible and amusing vade mecum of the English literary tradition. "Well into the 20th century, John Barlow's Ideal Handbook, the vade mecum of the rifleman, carried instructions for molding the Keene bullet." -- From Dan Shideler's book Gun Digest 2012 Did you know? "Vade mecum" is Latin for "go with me" (it derives from the Latin verb "vadere," meaning "to go"). In English, "vade mecum" has been used (since at least 1629) of manuals or guidebooks sufficiently compact to be carried in a deep pocket. But from the beginning, it has also been used for such constant companions as gold, medications, and memorized gems of wisdom. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 11, 2012 is: catercorner • \KAT-ee-kor-ner\ • adverb or adjective : in a diagonal or oblique position : kitty-corner Examples: The café was catercorner to the salon, so after I got my hair cut I walked across the intersection to get some lunch. "Also new to downtown is the Mars & Beyond exhibit in the Rialto building (catercorner from Sparkroot), which opened on October 22." -- From an article by Carolyn Classen in the Tucson Citizen, November 8, 2011 Did you know? "Catercorner" also has the variants "kitty-corner" and "catty-corner," but despite appearances, no cats were involved in the creation of this word. "Cater" derives from the Middle French noun "quatre" (or "catre"), which means "four." English speakers adopted the word to refer to the four-dotted side of a die -- a side important in several winning combinations in dice games. Perhaps because the four spots on a die can suggest an X, "cater" eventually came to be used dialectically with the meaning "diagonal" or "diagonally." This "cater" was combined with "corner" to form "catercorner." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 10, 2012 is: ludic • \LOO-dik\ • adjective : of, relating to, or characterized by play : playful Examples: The members of the acting troupe had become well-known for their ludic behavior, evidenced by the practical jokes they played on each other off-stage. "Accompanied by his trademark mirror-written notes -- often unrelated to the images -- Leonardo sketches, scribbles and jots his way through the myriad questions that puzzle his ludic, mercurial mind." -- From a review of a museum exhibit by Rachel Spence in Financial Times, January 9, 2012 Did you know? Here's a serious word, just for fun. That is to say, it means "fun," but it was created in all seriousness around 1940 by psychologists. They wanted a term to describe what children do, and they came up with "ludic activity." That may seem ludicrous -- why not just call it "playing"? -- but the word "ludic" caught on, and it's not all child's play anymore. It can refer to architecture that is playful, narrative that is humorous and even satirical, and literature that is light. "Ludic" is ultimately from the Latin noun "ludus," which refers to a whole range of fun things -- stage shows, games, sports, even jokes. The more familiar word "ludicrous" also traces back to the same source. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 9, 2012 is: adulation • \aj-uh-LAY-shun\ • noun : excessive or slavish admiration or flattery Examples: The star was somewhat embarrassed by the adulation of his teenage fans. "I think that I was somebody who was pretty immature emotionally, and when thrust into a situation that was very abnormal of fame and adulation, I wasn't really equipped to deal with it very well. And I think my life goals up to that point were just: get a record deal…." -- Musician Trent Reznor in a December 19, 2011 interview on National Public Radio Did you know? If "adulation" makes you think of a dog panting after its master, you're on the right etymological track; the word ultimately derives from the Latin verb "adulari," meaning "to fawn on" (a sense used specifically of the affectionate behavior of dogs) or "to flatter." "Adulation," which came to us from Latin by way of Old French, can be traced back as far as the 14th century in English. The verb "adulate," the noun "adulator," and the adjective "adulatory" later joined the language. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 8, 2012 is: prescind • \prih-SIND\ • verb : to withdraw one's attention Examples: If we prescind from the main issue for a moment, there is much to be gained by studying some corollary questions. "For my purposes, we may happily prescind from the metaphysics." -- From John Collins' 2011 book The Unity of Linguistic Meaning Did you know? "Prescind" derives from the Latin verb "praescindere," which means "to cut off in front." "Praescindere," in turn, was formed by combining "prae-" ("before") and "scindere" ("to cut" or "to split"). So it should come as no surprise that when "prescind" began being used during the 17th century, it referred to "cutting off" one’s attention from a subject. An earlier (now archaic) sense was even clearer about the etymological origins of the word, with the meaning "to cut short, off, or away" or "to sever." Other descendants of "scindere" include "rescind" and the rare "scissile" ("capable of being cut"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 7, 2012 is: cacography • \ka-KAH-gruh-fee\ • noun 1 : bad spelling 2 : bad handwriting Examples: The letter was marred by cacography and poor punctuation, among other flaws. "I sprang out of the car, sensing that I was different, and that I had only begun to comprehend the enigmas underlying mankind and cacography." -- From Jeff Deck's 2011 book The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time Did you know? In its earliest use in the 16th century, "cacography" meant not "incorrect spelling" but "a bad system of spelling." Today people worry about misspelling words, but back then there was little need for such concern. English spelling was far from standardized; people spelled words any way that made sense to them. Not every one was happy with such laxity, however, and over the coming centuries spelling reformers pressed for regularization. Some reformers thought spelling should reflect the etymological background of words; others thought words should be spelled the way they sound. And of course, everyone believed his or her own way of spelling was the best. Our present inconsistent system was arrived at over time. Today "cacography" usually suggests deviation from the established standards. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 6, 2012 is: propinquity • \pruh-PING-kwuh-tee\ • noun 1 : nearness of blood : kinship 2 : nearness in place or time : proximity Examples: Many of the retirement community's residents cite the propinquity of the area's various cultural offerings as a significant reason for their choice of the facility. "Canada was faced with the overwhelming propinquity of the United States; it was just next door -- for almost nine thousand kilometres." -- From Derek Lundy's 2011 book Borderlands: Riding the Edge of America Did you know? "Propinquity" and its cousin "proximity" are related through the Latin root "prope," which means "near." That root gave rise to "proximus" (the parent of "proximity") and "propinquus" (an ancestor of "propinquity"). "Proximus" is the superlative of "prope" and thus means "nearest," whereas "propinquus" simply means "near" or "akin," but in English "propinquity" conveys a stronger sense of closeness than "proximity." (The latter usually suggests a sense of being in the vicinity of something.) The distinctions between the two words are subtle, however, and they are often used interchangeably. "Propinquity" is believed to be the older of the two words, first appearing in English in the 14th century; "proximity" followed a century later. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 5, 2012 is: circumvent • \ser-kum-VENT\ • verb 1 : to hem in 2 : to make a circuit around 3 : to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or stratagem Examples: Even though a clear detour route has been marked for all to use, some motorists have sought their own creative ways to circumvent the road construction. "But [non-disclosure agreements] are increasingly rare. Many states do not enforce them; there are easy ways for those with malicious intent to circumvent them; and pursuing legal action is more expensive than most startup companies can afford." -- From an article by Yasine Armstrong in the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Journal, December 19, 2011 Did you know? If you’ve ever felt as if someone were circling around the rules, you have an idea of the origins of "circumvent" -- it derives from the Latin "circum," meaning "circle," and "ventus," the past participle of the Latin verb "venire," meaning "to come." The earliest uses of "circumvent" referred to a tactic of hunting or warfare in which the quarry or enemy was encircled and captured. Today, however, "circumvent" more often suggests avoidance than entrapment; it typically means to "get around" someone or something, as in our example sentences. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 4, 2012 is: lymphatic • \lim-FAT-ik\ • adjective 1 a : of, relating to, or produced by lymph, lymphoid tissue, or lymphocytes b : conveying lymph 2 : lacking physical or mental energy : sluggish Examples: Because of the snowstorm, the day was a lazy one and the whole family felt lymphatic. "Tonsils are collections of lymphatic tissue on both sides of the back of the mouth." -- From an article by Dr. Rhonda Patt in the Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), January 3, 2012 Did you know? Lymph is a pale liquid in the body that helps maintain fluid balance and removes bacteria from tissues. Today, we understand that lymph plays an important role in the body's immune system. In the past, however, it was commonly believed that an excess of lymph caused sluggishness -- hence the "sluggish" meaning of "lymphatic." The word "lymph" comes from Latin "lympha" ("water" or "water goddess"), which itself may be a modification of the Greek word "nymphē," meaning "nymph." Both "lymph" and its related adjective "lymphatic" have been used in English since the mid-17th century. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 3, 2012 is: gam • \GAM\ • verb 1 : to have a visit or friendly conversation with 2 : to spend or pass (as time) talking Examples: The two strangers discovered that they had a lot in common as they gammed the hours away on the long train ride. "It always was -- and still is, for that matter -- infuriating to be ignored when superiors are gamming on about an operation in which you are the one about to risk life and limb." -- From Robert N. Macomber's 2010 novel The Darkest Shade of Honor Did you know? "But what is a gam? You might wear out your index-finger running up and down the columns of dictionaries, and never find the word." So says the narrator, who calls himself Ishmael, of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. These days you will indeed find "gam" entered in dictionaries; Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the noun "gam" as "a visit or friendly conversation at sea or ashore especially between whalers." (It can also mean "a school of whales.") Melville’s narrator explains that when whaling ships met far out at sea, they would hail one another and the crews would exchange visits and news. English speakers have been using the word "gam" to refer to these and similar social exchanges since the mid-19th century. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 2, 2012 is: stiction • \STIK-shun\ • noun : the force required to cause one body in contact with another to begin to move Examples: Tire quality can affect stiction at the start of an auto race. "Stiction is stationary friction. Starting the bolt turning takes more force than keeping it turning. The tighter the bolt, the more stiction can affect torque readings." -- From an article by Jim Kerr in the Winnipeg Free Press, December 30, 2011 Did you know? "Stiction" has been a part of the English language since at least 1946, when it appeared in a journal of aeronautics. The word is a combination of the "st-" of "static" ("of or relating to bodies at rest") and the "-iction" of "friction" ("the force that resists relative motion between two bodies in contact"). So, basically, it means "static friction" (or to put it another way, as in our second example sentence, "stationary friction"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 1, 2012 is: heyday • \HAY-day\ • noun : the period of one's greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity Examples: In its heyday, the circus was a major form of entertainment for small-town America. "Here is Hemingway both in his heyday, soaring on the accolades of The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, and his decline, precipitated by alcoholism and two airplane crashes that may have well left him with undiagnosed brain injuries." -- From a blog post by Alexander Nazaryan on the New York Daily News’ PageViews blog, December 13, 2011 Did you know? In its earliest appearances in English, in the 16th century, "heyday" was used as an interjection that expressed elation or wonder (similar to our word "hey," from which it derives). Around the same time, "heyday" saw use as a noun meaning "high spirits." (This sense can be seen in Act III, Scene IV of Hamlet, when the Prince of Denmark tells his mother, "You cannot call it love; for at your age / The heyday in the blood is tame….") It wasn’t until the 18th century that English speakers, perhaps interpreting the "day" of the second syllable to mean "a time or period," began using "heyday" to refer to the period when one’s achievement or popularity has reached its zenith. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 31, 2012 is: gambol • \GAM-bul\ • verb : to skip about in play : frisk, frolic Examples: The children scamper and gambol about the playground with seemingly endless energy. "Strong binoculars … allow patrons to spy on the sea otters, pelicans, cormorants and other creatures that gambol among the bay kelp." -- From an article by Peter Magnani in the San Jose Mercury News, October 10, 2011 Did you know? In Middle French, the noun "gambade" referred to the frisky spring of a jumping horse. In the early 1500s, the English word "gambol" romped into print as both a verb and a noun. (The noun means "a skipping or leaping about in play.") The English word is not restricted to horses, but rather can be used of any frolicsome creature. It is a word that suggests levity and spontaneity, and it tends to be used especially of the lively activity of children or animals engaged in active play. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 30, 2012 is: elixir • \ih-LIK-ser\ • noun 1 a : a substance held to be capable of changing metals into gold b : a substance held to be capable of extending life c : cure-all d : a medicinal concoction 2 : a sweetened usually alcoholic liquid Examples: While the new sports complex should bring some much-needed job growth to our struggling region, we should not regard it as the elixir for all of our economic woes. "At Frederick Douglass Blvd. and 147th St., he noticed the giant wall mural boasting of the powers of an elixir, Omega Oil." -- From an article by Sherryl Connelly, Daily News (New York), January 2, 2012 Did you know? "Elixir" has roots in the practice of alchemy; it was used in the Middle Ages as the word for a substance believed able to alter base metals into gold. Its later use for a drug purported to prolong one’s life led to its use in the names of medicines of mostly questionable effectiveness. Today, it is often used generally for anything thought capable of remedying all ills or difficulties, be they physical or otherwise. The word came to us via Middle English and Medieval Latin from Arabic "al-iksīr"; it probably ultimately derives from a Greek word meaning "desiccative powder." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 29, 2012 is: Cook's tour • \COOKS-TOOR\ • noun : a rapid or cursory survey or review Examples: The guide gave the group a Cook's tour of the types of sea life that they might encounter on their dive. "Remain in the party zone. Do not drag other guests on an adventurous cook's tour of the property, sneak beyond closed doors, explore the master bath instead of the powder room, or snoop in the medicine cabinet." -- From an article by Krys Stefansky in The Virginian-Pilot, December 12, 2011. Did you know? In 1841, British missionary Thomas Cook convinced a British railway to run a special train to a temperance meeting, then proceeded to find passengers for the trip, an event regarded as the beginning of organized tourism. Within a few years, Cook was setting up excursions on a regular basis, and by the century's end, the Thomas Cook & Son travel agency was orchestrating travel around the world. The agency's tours were famously well-organized, but they were also known for herding travelers hurriedly from location to location. A Cook's tourist might see an impressive array of famous sites, but often only in superficial glimpses. Over time, English speakers started using "Cook's tour" for any hurried tour, and later, for any rushed activity or cursory review. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 28, 2012 is: bright-line • \BRYTE-lyne\ • adjective : providing an unambiguous criterion or guideline especially in law Examples: The company's new reimbursement policy makes a bright-line distinction between acceptable and unacceptable travel expenses. "The NFL needs to have a bright-line rule for the use of electronics devices during games." -- From a post by Mike Florio at nbcsports.com, January 13, 2012 Did you know? In the first half of the 20th century, courts began referring to a "bright line" that could or could not be drawn to make clear-cut distinctions between legal issues. Early users may have been influenced by the term "bright line," used by physicists to refer to the distinct color lines in the light spectrum. Before that, judges were content with wording that was more prosaic, such as "line of demarcation." In the second half of the 20th century, we began using "bright-line" as an adjective. Nonlegal types looking for unambiguous distinctions in other walks of life took a shine to "bright-line" sometime in the 1980s. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 27, 2012 is: arbalest • \AHR-buh-list\ • noun : a crossbow especially of medieval times Examples: The destructive power of the arbalest was so greatly feared during the 1100s that some governments tried to outlaw its use. "During forensic examination, it was established that the murder was made using [an] arbalest. " -- From an article in States News Service, January 19, 2011 Did you know? The arbalest was the distance weapon of choice for medieval armies. It was first mentioned in 1100 in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of Saxon England. In 1622 British historian Peter Heylyn wrote that Richard the Lion-Hearted, the 12th-century English monarch, was "slain by a shot from an Arbalist." The crossbow's name is one of many terms that came into English from Old French when the Normans took control of England after the Battle of Hastings; our word is adapted from "arbaleste," the French name of the weapon. The French, in turn, derived their word from a combination of Latin "arcus" (meaning "bow") and "ballista" ("an ancient crossbow for hurling large missiles"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 26, 2012 is: loath • \LOHTH\ • adjective : unwilling to do something contrary to one's way of thinking : reluctant Examples: She was loath to admit her mistakes. "Doctors are loath to testify against colleagues guilty of malpractice." -- From an article by Tammerlin Drummond in the Contra Costa Times (California), December 21, 2011 Did you know? Many usage commentators point out that the spelling of "loath" the adjective is distinct from "loathe," the verb that means "to dislike greatly." Merriam-Webster dictionaries record "loathe" (along with "loth") as a variant spelling for the adjective, at the same time indicating that the spelling with an "e" is not as common as the form without it. Both words hark back to Old English, and the "e" ending in each has come and gone over the centuries -- but if you want to avoid the ire of those who like to keep the language tidy, stick with "loath" for the adjective and "loathe" for the verb. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 25, 2012 is: intercalate • \in-TER-kuh-layt\ • verb 1 : to insert (as a day) in a calendar 2 : to insert between or among existing elements or layers Examples: Over the centuries, people of various cultures have intercalated months and days to bring their calendars into alignment with the seasonal year. "The fossiliferous deposits of the Tatrot Formation outcropping in the area consist of pale pinkish-orange brown clays, brownish grey siltstones and shale, and greenish grey fine to medium grained sandstones intercalated with dark grey conglomerates…." -- From an article by M. A. Khan, et al., in the Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, December 31, 2011 Did you know? "Intercalate" was formed from the Latin prefix "inter-," meaning "between" or "among," and the Latin verb "calare," meaning "to proclaim" or "to call." It was originally associated with proclaiming the addition of a day or month in a calendar. An instance of intercalation occurred in the earliest versions of the Roman calendar, which originally consisted of 304 days and 10 months and was determined by the lunar cycle. When the Romans realized that they had overlooked a two-month cycle during the winter, the king "intercalated" the months January and February. Eventually, the word's use broadened to include other kinds of insertion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 24, 2012 is: contaminate • \kun-TAM-uh-nayt\ • verb 1 a : to soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association b : to make inferior or impure by admixture 2 : to make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements Examples: Lucy ended up with a serious infection when her wound became contaminated by bacteria. "Indian meal moths are the most common type of pantry pests, and with the female moth laying up to 200 eggs per week, they can quickly contaminate the entire pantry." -- From an article by Arrow Exterminators in Business Wire, November 17, 2011 Did you know? "Contaminate," "taint," "pollute," and "defile" mean to make impure or unclean. "Contaminate" implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source (logically enough, as it derives from a Latin word that is a cousin to "contingere," meaning "to have contact with"). "Taint" stresses a loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contact ("tainted meat"). "Pollute," sometimes interchangeable with "contaminate," may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy ("the polluted waters of the river"). "Defile" implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration ("defile a hero's memory with slander"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 23, 2012 is: yegg • \YEG\ • noun : safecracker; also : robber Examples: "The cops grabbed him and another yegg for a Philadelphia store burglary." -- From the James Lardner and Thomas Reppetto book, NYPD: A City and Its Police, 2001 "According to police the yeggs, apparently knowing exactly where the money was, punched a six-inch hole in the corner of the safe." -- From an article in the Eastern Express Times, November 26, 2011 Did you know? "Safecracker" first appeared in print in English around 1825, but English speakers evidently felt that they needed a more colorful word for this rather colorful profession. No one is quite sure where "yegg" came from. It first appeared in the New York Evening Post on June 23, 1903, in an article about "the prompt breaking up of the organized gangs of professional beggars and yeggs." By 1905, it had acquired the variant "yeggmen," which was printed in the New York Times in reference to unsavory characters captured in the Bowery District. "Yegg" has always been, and continues to be, less common than "safecracker," but it still turns up once in a while. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 22, 2012 is: leonine • \LEE-uh-nyne\ • adjective : of, relating to, suggestive of, or resembling a lion Examples: "The world wanders into many strange by-paths of affection. The love of a mother for her children is dominant, leonine, selfish, and unselfish." -- From Theodore Dreiser's 1912 novel The Financier "At 72, the leonine pianist [McCoy Tyner] didn't make the instrument shudder as he did earlier in his career. But, at its best, his set still produced more sound and fury, more brilliant colors and bursts of dissonance, than most of his peers could match." -- From a review by Howard Reich in the Chicago Tribune, December 21, 2011 Did you know? "Leonine" derives from Latin "leo," meaning "lion," which in turn comes from Greek "lēon." "Lēon" gave us an interesting range of words: "leopard" (which is "lēon" combined with "pardos," a Greek word for a panther-like animal); "dandelion" (which came by way of the Anglo-French phrase "dent de lion" -- literally, "lion's tooth"); and "chameleon" (which uses the combining form from Greek that means "on the ground"); as well as the names "Leon" and "Leonard." But the dancer's and gymnast's leotard is not named for its wearer's cat-like movements. Rather, it was simply named after its inventor, Jules Leotard, a 19th-century French aerial gymnast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 21, 2012 is: weltschmerz • \VELT-shmairts\ • noun, often capitalized 1 : mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state 2 : a mood of sentimental sadness Examples: As I grew older and encountered more of life's hardships, I found myself plunging into a state of weltschmerz. "Fortunately books exist -- at least for now -- and reading remains a popular indoor activity, as well as one of the top strategies for avoiding family conflict and general Weltschmerz while creating the appearance of productivity." -- From an article by James Hannaham in The Village Voice, November 23, 2011 Did you know? The word "weltschmerz" initially came into being as a by-product of the Romanticism movement in Europe of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The poets of the Romantic era were a notably gloomy bunch, unwilling or unable to adjust to those realities of the world that they perceived as threatening their right to personal freedom. "Weltschmerz," which was formed by combining the German words for "world" ("Welt") and "pain" ("Schmerz"), aptly captures the melancholy and pessimism that often characterized the artistic expressions of the era. The term was coined in German by the Romantic author Jean Paul (pseudonym of Johann Paul Friedrich Richter) in his 1827 novel Selina, but it wasn't adopted into English until the 1860s. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 20, 2012 is: darling • \DAHR-ling\ • noun 1 : a dearly loved person 2 : favorite Examples: The youngest of three children, she was always her parents' little darling. "A darling of Martha Stewart and Alice Waters, the Meyer -- nicknamed 'the gourmet lemon' -- also has become a favorite of California gardeners." -- From an article by Debbie Arrington in the Sacramento Bee, December 14, 2011 Did you know? The origins of "darling" can be found in the very heart of the English language; its earliest known uses can be traced back to Old English writings from the 9th century. Old English "deorling" was formed by attaching the Old English suffix "-ling" ("one associated with or marked by a specified quality") with the adjective "dēore," the ancestor of our adjective "dear" ("regarded very affectionately or fondly," "highly valued or esteemed," "beloved"). English speakers appear to have developed a fondness for "darling" and have held on to it for over a thousand years now. And though its spelling has changed over time -- including variations such as "dyrling," "derlinge," and "dearling" -- "darling" has maintained its original sense of "one dearly loved." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 19, 2012 is: fustian • \FUSS-chun\ • noun 1 : a strong cotton and linen fabric 2 : high-flown or affected writing or speech; broadly : anything high-flown or affected in style Examples: Readers with a low tolerance for fustian may be put off by the writer's style, but there is no denying that his arguments have merit. "To be wearing plain dimity and fustian in a room full of satin, velvet and diamonds took an effort of will." -- From Daisy Goodwin's 2011 novel The American Heiress Did you know? "Fustian" has been used in English for a kind of cloth since the 13th century, but it didn't acquire its high-flown sense until at least three centuries later. One of the earliest known uses of the "pretentious writing or speech" sense occurs in Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus when Wagner says, "Let thy left eye be diametarily [sic] fixed upon my right heel, with quasi vestigiis nostris insistere," and the clown replies, "God forgive me, he speaks Dutch fustian." The precise origins of the word "fustian" aren't clear. English picked it up from Anglo-French, which adopted it from Medieval Latin, but its roots beyond that point are a subject of some dispute. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 18, 2012 is: junket • \JUNK-ut\ • noun 1 : a dessert of sweetened flavored milk set with rennet 2 a : a festive social affair b : trip, journey: as (1) : a trip made by an official at public expense (2) : a promotional trip made at another's expense Examples: The senator has been criticized for going on expensive junkets to foreign countries. "It's a little embarrassing, but when I saw a report that Gov. Sean Parnell was just returning from a junket to Europe, I was surprised. I hadn't noticed he was gone. Awkward." -- From an op-ed by Shannyn Moore in the Anchorage Daily News, November 21, 2011 Did you know? The road "junket" has traveled has been a long one, with frequent stops for food along the way. Since at least the 15th century, the word has named various comestibles, ranging from curds and cream to sweet confections. By the 16th century, "junket" had also come to mean "banquet." Apparently, traveling must have been involved to reach some junkets, because eventually that term was also applied to pleasure outings or trips (whether or not food was the focus). Today, the word usually refers either to a trip made by a government official and paid for by the public, as in our example sentences, or to a free trip by a member of the press to a place where something, such as a new movie, is being promoted. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 17, 2012 is: graupel • \GROU-pul ("OU" is as in "cloud")\ • noun : granular snow Examples: As we sat inside, enjoying the cozy warmth of the fire, the storm deposited an inch of graupel on the deck. "In counties adjacent to the Illinois-Wisconsin border, graupel (snow enveloped by super-cooled water droplets) or small hail was reported in Kenosha, Racine, Lake Geneva, Wauconda, and Huntley." -- From a weather report by Tom Skilling in the Chicago Tribune, October 28, 2011 Did you know? The word "graupel" is Germanic in origin; it is the diminutive of "Graupe," meaning "pearl barley." According to etymologists, there does seem to be a grain of truth in the assumption that the word grew from the Slavic word "krupa," which has the same meaning. "Graupel" was first seen in an 1889 weather report and has been whirling around in the meteorology field ever since to describe "pellets of snow" or "soft hail" (the latter phrase is an actual synonym of "graupel"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 16, 2012 is: ostensible • \ah-STEN-suh-bul\ • adjective 1 : intended for display : open to view 2 : being such in appearance : plausible rather than demonstrably true or real Examples: The ostensible reason for the meeting was to review the budget, but the whole thing was really just a ruse to get him to the surprise party. "The ostensible purpose of federal guarantees for student loans was to make college more affordable. In fact they did the opposite, by fueling the massive tuition hikes." -- From an editorial by Jack Kelly in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 6, 2011 Did you know? Like its synonyms "apparent" and "seeming," "ostensible" implies a discrepancy between what appears to be and what actually is. "Apparent" suggests appearance to unaided senses that may not be borne out by more rigorous examination ("the apparent cause of the accident"). "Seeming" implies a character in the thing being observed that gives it the appearance of something else ("the seeming simplicity of the story"). "Ostensible," which descends from the Latin word "ostendere" ("to show"), suggests a discrepancy between a declared or implied aim or reason and the true one. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 15, 2012 is: xylography • \zye-LAH-gruh-fee\ • noun : the art of making engravings on wood especially for printing Examples: Francine uses a rubber-stamping technique in her art that is reminiscent of Chinese xylography. "Also known as wood block printing, xylography proved to be cheaper and more efficient for printing Chinese, with its thousands of characters, so movable type did not supplant it there until modern times." -- From Christopher I. Beckwith's 2011 book Empires of the Silk Road Did you know? "Xylography" didn't appear in print in English until 1816, but it is linked to printing practices that are much older. In fact, the oldest known printed works (from Japan and China in the 8th and 9th centuries) were made by xylography, a printing technique that involves carving text in relief upon a wooden block, which is then inked and applied to paper. This method of wood-block printing appeared in Europe in the 14th century, and eventually inspired Johannes Gutenberg to create individual and reusable pieces of type out of metal. These days, "xylography" can also describe the technique of engraving wood for purely artistic purposes. English speakers picked up the word from French, where it was formed as a combination of "xyl-," meaning "wood," and "-graphie," which denotes writing in a specified manner. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 14, 2012 is: crucible • \KROO-suh-bul\ • noun 1 : a vessel in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted 2 : a severe test 3 : a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development Examples: Living in the crucible that was Paris in the spring of 1968, Remi got to witness firsthand the angry confrontations between workers, students, and government. "'Desire' -- it's the perfect name for Pedro Almodóvar's production company, the crucible for all his films including Law of Desire, the movie that helped make a star out of a young Spanish actor named Antonio Banderas." -- From a film review by Lawrence Osborne in Newsweek, October 3, 2011 Did you know? "Crucible" looks like it should be closely related to the Latin combining form "cruc-" ("cross"), but it isn't. It was forged from the Medieval Latin "crucibulum," a noun for an earthen pot used to melt metals, and in English it first referred to a vessel of a very heat-resistant material (such as porcelain) used for melting a substance that requires a high degree of heat. But the resemblance between "cruc-" and "crucible" probably encouraged people to start using "crucible" to mean "a severe trial." That sense is synonymous with one meaning of "cross," a word that is related to "cruc-." The newest sense of "crucible" ("a situation in which great changes take place" -- as in "forged in the crucible of war") recalls the fire and heat that would be encountered in the original heat-resistant pot. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2012 is: thole • \THOHL\ • verb : endure Examples: "There was now temptation to resist, as well as pain to thole." -- From Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novel Kidnapped "She moved closer to him and he noticed her faint perfume. Her cheeks were rosy red, and a tiny drip hung from the end of her nose. She was cold, but she was tholing it so as not to spoil his fun." -- From Patrick Taylor's 2010 novel An Irish Country Christmas Did you know? "Thole" is one of the English language's oldest words -- it existed in Middle English in its current form and in Old English with the form "tholian" -- but in these modern times it tholes only in the corners of England's northern dialects. It has the same origin as "tolerate": both come from the Greek word "tlēnai," meaning "to bear." Unrelated to this "thole" is the (also very old) noun "thole," which can be used as a synonym of "peg" or "pin" or can refer to either of a pair of pins set in the gunwale of a boat to hold an oar in place. This "thole" comes from Greek "tylos," meaning "knob" or "callus." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.