Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 15, 2011 is: apocryphal • \uh-PAH-kruh-ful\ • adjective : of doubtful authenticity Examples: Claims that a pack of hyenas had taken up residence near the campsite were believed to be apocryphal until their tracks were discovered last week. "The story, perhaps apocryphal but certainly reasonable, goes that he was never the same after injuring his right shoulder in the minors when an overzealous coach forced him to participate in an intense throwing drill without warming up." -- From a blog post by Chad Finn on Boston.com, July 7, 2011 Did you know? In Bible study, the term "Apocrypha" refers to sections of the Bible that are not sanctioned as belonging to certain official canons. In some Protestant versions these sections appear between the Old and New Testaments. More generally, the word refers to writings or statements whose purported origin is in doubt. Consequently, the adjective "apocryphal" describes things like legends and anecdotes that are purported to be true by way of repeated tellings but that have never been proven or verified and therefore most likely are not factual. Both "apocrypha" and "apocryphal" derive via Latin from the Greek verb "apokryptein," meaning "to hide away," from "kryptein" ("to hide"). 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 August 14, 2011 is: gumption • \GUMP-shun\ • noun 1 : (chiefly dialect) common sense, horse sense 2 : enterprise, initiative Examples: Mr. Walters hoped that at least one of his young sales clerks would have the gumption to apply for the vacant assistant manager position. "Plans for the relocation and expansion of Vacaville's homeless shelter have hit a snag, but it looks like a little gumption and the city's support could keep the project from derailing." -- From an article by Kimberly K. Fu in the Contra Costa (California) Times, July 10, 2011 Did you know? English speakers have had gumption (the word, that is) since the early 1700s. The term's exact origins aren't known, but its earliest known uses are found in British and especially Scottish dialects (which also include the forms rumblegumption and rumgumption). In its earliest uses, gumption referred to intelligence or common sense, especially when those qualities were combined with high levels of energy. By the 1860s, American English speakers were also using gumption to imply ambition or tenacity, but it wasn't until the early 1900s that gumption began to appear in English texts as a direct synonym of courage or get-up-and-go. American showman P.T. Barnum also claimed that gumption named a particular kind of hard cider, but that sense is far from common today. 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 August 13, 2011 is: predial • \PREE-dee-ul\ • adjective : of or relating to land or its products Examples: "The lease of a predial estate, when the time has not been specified, is presumed to be for one year.…" -- From the 1993 edition of the Louisiana Civil Code "The new rustic servitudes were conceived as property rights attached to the land itself and considered predial servitudes." -- From Cynthia Jordan Bannon's 2009 book Gardens and Neighbors Did you know? "Predial" is used for land matters; for example, there's "predial tax" (real estate tax) or "predial larceny" (stealing crops from the fields). The state of Louisiana employs "predial" in numerous sections of its Civil Code (and is distinguished from other states by its use of the word). The word derives from the Latin noun for "landed property," "praedium." "Praedium" in turn is based on "praed-," meaning "bondsman" -- that is, one who is legally liable for the debt of another. 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 August 12, 2011 is: fillip • \FIL-up\ • verb 1 a : to strike by holding the nail of a finger against the ball of the thumb and then suddenly releasing it from that position b : to make a filliping motion with 2 : to project quickly by or as if by a fillip : snap 3 : to urge on : stimulate Examples: Inexplicably, Carl walked up to his baby sister and filliped her on the nose. "'Moonlight Mile' is everything that Lehane readers have come to expect: a tight story filliped with unexpected turns, delivered in prose that goes down easily." -- From a book review by Robin Vidimos in The Denver Post, October 31, 2010 Did you know? Like "flip" and "flick," "fillip" is considered a phonetic imitation of the sharp release of a curled-up finger aimed to strike something. Language history suggests that people were "filliping" in the 15th-century, well before they were "flipping" (1567) and "flicking" (1629). Specifically, "fillip" describes a strike or gesture made by the sudden straightening of a finger curled up against the thumb -- a motion commonly referred to as "a flick." It didn't take long before the sensational stinging smartness of filliping was extended to figurative use. "I mark this in our old Mogul's wine; it's quite as deadening to some as filliping to others," observes Herman Melville's Dutch sailor of wine's "stimulating" effect in Moby Dick. 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 August 11, 2011 is: adventitious • \ad-ven-TISH-us\ • adjective 1 : coming from another source and not inherent or innate 2 : arising or occurring sporadically or in other than the usual location Examples: "As sand accumulates, the stems elongate, and adventitious roots develop, allowing the plants to seek out water and nutrients in successive layers of accumulating sand." -- From Julie Laity's 2008 book Deserts and Desert Environments "Lately, however, a new kind of biography has been slouching into view. There is, in fact, a mini-boom in multiple lives, books that explore the adventitious connections between assorted near-contemporaries." -- From an article by Robert McCrum in The Observer (England), July 10, 2011 Did you know? "Adventitious" is an adventitious word: it comes to English from the Latin "adventicius," meaning "coming from outside." This, in turn, comes from "adventus," the past participle of the verb "advenire," meaning "to arrive" or "to happen." That verb is also a source of several other English words, including "advent" (which, in its uncapitalized form, can refer to any coming or arrival), "adventure" (a word whose earliest sense was "chance happening"), and "avenue" (a means of arrival). 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 August 10, 2011 is: sarcophagus • \sahr-KAH-fuh-gus\ • noun : a stone coffin; broadly : coffin Examples: After archeologists unearthed the sarcophagus, they opened it up to discover, along with the king’s body, almost a hundred gold coins. "Mark your calendars now for 'Ancient Egypt - Art and Magic.' It's a diverse collection from as far back as 6,000 years and includes precious jeweled objects, tomb reliefs and large mummy cases that held the remains of dignitaries and royalty, called sarcophagi."-- From an article in St. Petersburg Times (Florida), June 24, 2011 Did you know? Body-eating coffins might sound like the stuff of horror films, but "flesh-eating stone" does play a role in the etymology of "sarcophagus." That creepy-sounding phrase is a literal translation of "sarkophagos," the Greek word that underlies our English term. It's not clear whether the Romans truly believed that a certain type of limestone from the region around Troy would dissolve flesh (and thus was desirable for making coffins). That assertion came from Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, but he also reported such phenomena as dog-headed people and elephants who wrote Greek. But there’s no doubt that the ancient Greek word for the limestone, "sarkophagos," was formed by combining "sark-," meaning "flesh," with a derivative of "phagein," a verb meaning "to eat." 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 August 9, 2011 is: diluvial • \duh-LOO-vee-ul\ • adjective : of, relating to, or brought about by a flood Examples: Archeologists studying diluvial deposits found along the river delta could make estimates from that evidence on just how far certain Paleolithic species had migrated. "When regions were drained after long-standing inundations they had accumulated rich diluvial and alluvial soil valuable for growing a wide variety of crops and also for pasturage for sheep, cattle, goats and horses." -- From Joseph Roisman and Ian Worthington's 2010 book A Companion to Ancient Macedonia Did you know? Late Latin "diluvialis" means "flood." It’s from Latin "diluere" ("to wash away") and ultimately from "lavere" ("to wash"). English "diluvial" and its variant "diluvian" initially referred to the Biblical Flood. Geologists, archaeologists, fossilists, and the like used the words, beginning back in the mid-1600s, to mark a distinct geological turning point associated with the Flood. They also used "antediluvian" and "postdiluvian" to describe the periods before and after the Flood. It wasn’t until the 1800s that people started using "diluvial" for floods and flooding in general. American educator and essayist Caroline M. Kirkland, one early user of this sense, wrote, "Much of our soil is said to be diluvial -- the wash of the great ocean lakes as they overflowed towards the south," in her essay Forest Life in 1850. 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 August 8, 2011 is: retrocede • \ret-roh-SEED\ • verb 1 : to go back : recede 2 : to cede back (as a territory) Examples: A congressman introduced a bill to retrocede the land to its original owner, but it was defeated. "Once upon a time -- more than 160 years ago -- Arlington County and part of the city of Alexandria fell within the District's limits, completing a full diamond that spanned the Potomac River. Or at least it did until 1847, when the federal government retroceded those territories back to Virginia." -- From a blog post by Matt Bevilacqua on Washington City Paper, July 9, 2011 Did you know? "Retrocede" was formed by combining the prefix "retro-," meaning "back" or "backward," with the Latin verb "cedere," meaning "to go." It was borrowed into English in the mid-17th century with a very similar meaning. "Retrocede" has a bit of a twist, however, because "cedere" can also mean "cede" ("to yield or assign"); the "cede back" meaning of "retrocede" traces back through French and Medieval Latin to this other meaning of "cedere." Other descendants of "cedere" include "accede," "concede," "intercede," "precede," "recede," "secede," and even "cede" itself. 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 August 7, 2011 is: calenture • \KAL-un-chur\ • noun : a fever formerly supposed to affect sailors in the tropics Examples: "The dairy was certainly worth looking at: it was a scene to sicken for with a sort of calenture in hot and dusty streets -- such coolness, such purity, such fresh fragrance of new-pressed cheese, of firm butter, of wooden vessels perpetually bathed in pure water. …" -- From George Eliot's novel Adam Bede, 1859 "I always associate [the restaurant chain] Little Chef with rollicking rides along provincial arterial roads, the kind of interminable drives during which one begins to appreciate the delusion known as calenture. Sailors, in the days before steam and out of sight of land for months, would sometimes begin to hallucinate and, seeing the waves as green fields, try and walk off across them." -- From an article by Will Self in New Statesman, November 15, 2010 Did you know? In addition to being plagued by scurvy and homesickness, sailors of yore who dared the tropics also had calenture to worry about. Given a case of this fever they were likely to imagine that the sea was actually a green field and to leap into it. Our earliest evidence of the word in English is from the late 16th century. Such potent imagery destined the word for figurative use also, as in the Adam Bede quote above. "Calenture" has its origins in a Spanish word of the same meaning, "calentura," which itself traces to Latin "calēre," meaning "to be warm." Other words from "calēre" include "calorie," "cauldron," and "scald." 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 August 6, 2011 is: variegated • \VAIR-ee-uh-gay-tud\ • adjective 1 : having discrete markings of different colors 2 : various, diverse, varied Examples: The flower has bright variegated petals. "Both directors, committed to close psychological observation and day-to-day realism, also draw on a rich and variegated native tradition that is evident in their work without being obvious." -- From a film festival review by A. O. Scott in The New York Times, March 23, 2011 Did you know? "Variegated" has been adding color to our language since the mid-17th century. It has been used in botany to describe the presence of two or more colors in the leaves, petals, or other parts of plants, and it also appears in the names of some animals (such as "variegated cutworm"). It can be used by the general speaker to refer to anything marked with different colors ("a variegated silk robe") or to things that are simply various and diverse ("a variegated collection"). "Variegated" has a variety of relatives in English -- it is ultimately derived from the Latin root "varius," meaning "varied," which also gave us "vary," "various," and "variety." 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 August 5, 2011 is: paradise • \PAIR-uh-dyce\ • noun a : the garden where according to the Bible Adam and Eve first lived : Eden b : an intermediate place or state where the souls of the righteous await resurrection and the final judgment c : the dwelling place of God and of the blessed dead : Heaven 2: a place or state of bliss, felicity, or delight Examples: With its shallow outfields, the new ballpark is a batter's paradise. "Santa Rosa County could be considered nature's playground -- a paradise filled with unique things to see and do." -- From an article by Clairen Reese in Pensacola News Journal, July 6, 2011 Did you know? "Paradise" ultimately comes from an Iranian word that the Greeks modified into "paradeisos," meaning "enclosed park." In Hellenistic Greek, "paradeisos" was also used in the Septuagint -- an early Greek translation of Jewish scriptures -- in reference to the Garden of Eden. Early Christian writers also used "paradeisos" for both Heaven and for the place where righteous souls await resurrection. These senses of "paradeisos" entered into Late Latin as "paradisus," and then into Anglo-French (and later, Middle English) as "paradis." Though originally used in theological senses in English, "paradise" has also come to refer to more earthly states and places of delight as well. 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 August 4, 2011 is: irrefragable • \ih-REF-ruh-guh-bul\ • adjective 1 : impossible to refute 2 : impossible to break or alter Examples: In his opening statement, the prosecutor told the jury that he would be providing them with irrefragable proof that the defendant had committed the crime. "It is an irrefragable truth that each human life has its special needs and unique giftedness." -- From an opinion column by Ramnath Subramanian in the El Paso Times, June 2, 2011 Did you know? Since at least 1533, "irrefragable" has been used as an English adjective modifying things (such as arguments or data) that are impossible to refute. It derives from the Late Latin adjective "irrefragabilis" (of approximately the same meaning), which is itself derived from the Latin verb "refragari," meaning "to oppose or resist." "Irrefragable" rather quickly developed a second sense referring to things (such as rules, laws, and even objects) that cannot be broken or changed. There was once also a third sense that applied to inflexible or obstinate people. 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 August 3, 2011 is: bower • \BOW-er\ • noun 1 : an attractive dwelling or retreat 2 : a lady's private apartment in a medieval hall or castle 3 : a shelter made with tree boughs or vines twined together : arbor Examples: Bryan knelt down before Maura -- who was seated on a bench in the bower -- took her hand, and asked her if she would marry him. "With its urban parks and backyard bowers, and its many varieties of flowering and hardwood trees, Memphis sometimes seems more forest than city." -- From an article by John Beifuss in The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), July 21, 2011 Did you know? "Bower" derives from Old English "bur," meaning "dwelling," and was originally used of attractive homes or retreats, especially rustic cottages. In the Middle Ages, "bower" came to refer to a lady's personal hideaway within a medieval castle or hall: her private apartment. Today's "arbor" sense combines the pastoral beauty of a rustic retreat with the privacy of a personal apartment. Although its tranquil modern meaning belies it, "bower" is distantly related to the far more roughshod "bowery," which is the name of a district in New York City at one time known mostly for its flophouses and pawn shops. The Bowery got its name from a Dutch term for a dwelling or farm that shares a common ancestor with the terms that gave rise to "bower." 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 August 2, 2011 is: sic • \SIK\ • adverb : intentionally so written -- used after a printed word or passage to indicate that it exactly reproduces an original Examples: His letter said the people were “very freindly [sic] to me.” "A subsequent memo … concluded that the 'doctors will submit one invoice which will include the special payments formally [sic] being made to their spouses along with there [sic] normal consulting services fee.'" -- From an article by James B. Stewart in The New York Times, June 25, 2011 Did you know? The adverb "sic," usually enclosed in brackets, is a word editors use in the reproduction of someone else's speech or writing to indicate that an unexpected form exactly reproduces the original and is not a copier's mistake. "Sic" comes from Latin, in which it means "so" or "thus." Though it's a useful tool, some usage commentators feel it is bad manners to use a "sic" to needlessly call attention to someone's error or to deride the language of a less-educated person. 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 August 1, 2011 is: Lammas • \LAM-us\ • noun 1 : August 1 originally celebrated in England as a harvest festival -- called also Lammas Day 2 : the time of the year around Lammas Day Examples: "A traditional activity on Lammas is to craft corn dollies out of soaked, dried corn husks." -- From the 2007 book Sacred Land by Clea Danaan "She had a dim recollection of an essay one of her students had written. It concerned the Celtic celebration of the harvest. The festival of Lammas, or the celebration of bread, where all the women of the village would come together and prepare the bread, this being seen as a sacred ritual in itself." -- From Tara Heavey's 2010 novel Winter Bloom Did you know? The word "Lammas" evolved from Old English "hlāfmæsse" ("hlāf" meaning "loaf" and "mæssse" meaning "mass"). It originated from the fact that on August first of each year, the early English church celebrated the harvesting of the first ripe grain by consecrating loaves made from it -- hence, "loaf mass." Shakespeareans will be sure to add that the eve of Lammas is Juliet's birthday, as her nurse tells us in Romeo and Juliet, "Come Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen." In addition, the phrase "latter Lammas" was used humorously to refer to a day that will never come, as in "he will pay at latter Lammas." 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 July 31, 2011 is: facsimile • \fak-SIM-uh-lee\ • noun 1 : an exact copy 2 : a system of transmitting and reproducing graphic matter (as printing or still pictures) by means of signals sent over telephone lines Examples: "Applications may not be submitted electronically or via facsimile and must be received by the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts by 5 p.m. July 20." --From an article in the Belleville (Illinois) News-Democrat, June 22, 2011 "People can continue to see a facsimile of the Emancipation Proclamation as part of the Henry Ford’s 'Discovering the Civil War' exhibit that runs through Sept. 5 at the Dearborn museum." -- From an article by Cassandra Spratling in the Detroit Free Press, June 22, 2011 Did you know? The facsimile machine (or "fax machine") has been a staple of the modern office for a while now, and its name is much, much older. "Fac simile" is a Latin phrase meaning "make similar." English speakers began using "facsimile" as a noun meaning "an exact copy" in the late 1600s. In this sense, a facsimile might be a handwritten or hand drawn copy, or even a copy of a painting or statue. (Today, we also use the phrase "a reasonable facsimile" for a copy that is not exact but fairly close.) In the 1800s, people developed facsimile technology that could reproduce printed material via telegraph. Now, of course, we use telephone lines or wireless technology, and we usually call the resulting facsimile a "fax." 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 July 30, 2011 is: gullible • \GULL-uh-bul\ • adjective : easily duped or cheated Examples: Carl's sister couldn't believe that he was gullible enough to fall for yet another urban legend. "Tattooed carnies urged gullible visitors to try their luck at the ring toss and water gun race. Shrieking men, women, and children rode the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Matterhorn, and bumper cars." -- From Greg Cox's 2011 novel Warehouse 13: A Touch of Fever Did you know? A recent commenter on our Web site asked, "Is gullibility a word"? Yes, it's entered as a run-on at our entry for "gullible," along with "gullibly." All three of these words descend from the verb "gull," meaning "to deceive or take advantage of." The verb "gull" was borrowed into English from Anglo-French in the mid-16th century. Another relative is the noun "gull," referring to a person who is easy to cheat -- no relation to the familiar word for a sea bird, which is of Celtic origin. 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 July 29, 2011 is: slaphappy • \SLAP-hap-ee\ • adjective 1 : dazed and confused : punch-drunk 2 : buoyantly or recklessly carefree or foolish : happy-go-lucky Examples: The students were all a little slaphappy after pulling an all-nighter to finish their group project by morning. "Leslie Nielsen, the straight-faced comic, was the master of the one-line joke. As the less-than-suave Lt. Frank Drebin or the slap-happy doctor in 'Airplane,' Nielsen used his droll wordplay to become one of the most memorable comics of all time." -- From a blog post by Melissa Bell on WashingonPost.com, November 29, 2010 Did you know? "Slaphappy" hits a lot of the same spots as "punch-drunk": when you suffer a blow to the head, you become confused and silly for a while. The "dazed and confused" sense of "slaphappy" first appeared in English in 1936, and by the following year it was being used to describe those who behave with such abandon it’s as though they’ve had the common sense knocked out of them. A 1937 article in the New York Herald Tribune called Ernest Hemingway, a writer known to have had an adventurous lifestyle, "the slaphappy litterateur." Often you will see the word spelled with a hyphen ("slap-happy"), but the closed compound is more common. 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 July 28, 2011 is: gallivant • \GAL-uh-vant\ • verb 1 : to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex 2 : to travel, roam, or move about for pleasure Examples: After graduating from college, Maureen spent a year gallivanting all over Europe before coming back home to find a job. "I never was one to gallivant around in order to be seen. I was much more interested in looking." -- From Shirley MacLaine's 2011 book I'm Over All That: And Other Confessions Did you know? Back in the 14th century, a young man of fashion (or a ladies' man) was called a "gallant." By the late 1600s, "gallant" was being used as a verb to describe the process a paramour used to win a lady's heart; "to gallant" became a synonym of "to court." Etymologists think that the spelling of the verb "gallant" was altered to create "gallivant," which originally meant "to act as a gallant" or "to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex." Nowadays, however, "gallivant" is more likely to describe wandering than romancing. 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 July 27, 2011 is: volition • \voh-LISH-un\ • noun 1 : an act of making a choice or decision; also : a choice or decision made 2 : the power of choosing or determining : will Examples: The employee left the company of his own volition. "I'd been promoting a novel non-stop for four months, advancing through my schedule without volition, feeling more and more like the graphical lozenge on a media player's progress bar." -- From an article by Jonathan Franzen in The New Yorker, April 18, 2011 Did you know? "Volition" ultimately derives from the Latin verb "velle," meaning "to will" or "to wish." (The adjective "voluntary" descends from the same source.) English speakers borrowed the term from French in the 17th century, using it at first to mean "an act of choosing." Its earliest known English use appeared in Thomas Jackson's 1615 Commentaries upon the Apostle's Creed: "That such acts, again, as they appropriate to the will, and call volitions, are essentially and formally intellections, is most evident." The second sense of "volition," meaning "the power to choose," had developed by the mid-18th 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 July 26, 2011 is: exterminate • \ik-STER-muh-nayt\ • verb : to get rid of completely usually by killing off Examples: We finally had to call a professional to exterminate the cockroaches in our apartment. "The movie-like game would feature a pesky race of aliens called The Seekers, who were out to exterminate humanity." -- From Harold Goldberg's 2011 book All Your Base Are Belong to Us: How Fifty Years of Video Games Conquered Pop Culture Did you know? Originally, to exterminate something was to banish it or drive it away. And it is this meaning that can be found in the Latin origin of "exterminate." "Exterminate" comes from "exterminatus," the past participle of "exterminare," meaning "to drive beyond the boundaries." The Latin word "exterminare" was formed from the prefix "ex-" ("out of" or "outside") and "terminus" ("boundary"). Not much more than a century after its introduction to English, "exterminate" came to denote destroying or utterly putting an end to something. And that's the use with which the word is usually employed today. 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 July 25, 2011 is: grotesque • \groh-TESK\ • adjective 1 : fanciful, bizarre 2 : absurdly incongruous 3 : departing markedly from the natural, the expected, or the typical Examples: Gargoyles with twisted faces and grotesque features leered down from the medieval cathedral. "At a private event earlier this year, chef Ryan Poli sent out what looked like birds' nests filled with cracked eggs, inside of which were black particles…. These goodies were the highlight of the evening: rich, earthy, a little grotesque-looking -- and funny." -- From an article by David Hammon in Chicago Sun-Times, May 11, 2011 Did you know? During the Italian Renaissance, Romans of culture took a great interest in their country's past and began excavating ancient buildings. During their excavations, they uncovered chambers (known in Italian as "grotte," in reference to their cavelike appearance) decorated with artwork depicting fantastic combinations of human and animal forms interwoven with strange fruits and flowers. The Italian word "grottesca" became the name for this unique art style, and by 1561 it had mutated into the English noun "grotesque." The adjective form of "grotesque" was first used in the early 17th century to describe the decorative art but is now used to describe anything bizarre, incongruous, or unusual. 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 July 24, 2011 is: confection • \kun-FEK-shun\ • noun 1 : something put together from varied material 2 a : a fancy dish or sweetmeat; also : a sweet food b : a work of fine or elaborate craftsmanship c : a light but entertaining theatrical, cinematic, or literary work Examples: Her novels are delightful confections, perfect for those relaxing reads by the pool. "President Michael Sorenson explains that the company processes fruit into juice, purees, essences and custom mixes for use in the making of beverages, sauces, bakery items, confections and other products." -- From an article by Chris Petersen in Food and Drink, June 22, 2011 Did you know? A "confection" is "confected" from several different ingredients or elements. Most confections are sweet, but the word can also be used to refer to any finely worked piece of craftsmanship. In other words, the lacy box containing chocolate confections can be a confection itself. The verb "confect" (meaning "put together from varied material") comes from Latin "confectus," the past participle of "conficere," meaning "to prepare." "Conficere" joins the prefix "con-" with the common Latin verb "facere," meaning "to make" or "to do." "Factory," "manufacture," and "benefactor" are among the many relations. 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 July 23, 2011 is: panache • \puh-NAHSH\ • noun 1 : an ornamental tuft (as of feathers) especially on a helmet 2 : dash or flamboyance in style and action : verve Examples: Ever the showman, he not only caught the ball, he made a diving catch and caught it with panache. "During the war, Donovan wanted panache to be shown by his 'cowboys' at the OSS, and he usually got more panache than results." -- From Gary Wills' 2010 book Bomb Power: The Modern Presidency and the National Security State Did you know? Few can match the panache of French poet and soldier Cyrano de Bergerac. In his dying moments, he declared that the one thing left to him was his panache, and that assertion at once demonstrates the meaning of the word and draws upon its history. "Panache" derives via Middle French from Late Latin "pinnaculum," meaning "small wing" or "gable," a root that also gave English the word "pinnacle." In both French and English, "panache" originally referred to a showy, feathery plume on a hat or helmet; its "dashing" figurative sense developed from the verve and swagger of one bold enough to wear such an adornment in public. When the dying Cyrano turned his huge nose heavenward and spoke of his panache, his nose became the literal and figurative pinnacle of a multifaceted pun. 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 July 22, 2011 is: adumbrate • \AD-um-brayt\ • verb 1 : to foreshadow vaguely : intimate 2 : to suggest, disclose, or outline partially 3 : overshadow, obscure Examples: In her second book, the author developed ideas that she had only adumbrated in her first work. "Some of Shakespeare's other early comedies came even closer to adumbrating certain features of Romeo and Juliet: notably, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, with its locale, its window scene, its friar and rope, its betrothal and banishment, its emphasis upon the vagaries of love." -- From an essay by Sara Munson Deats in the 2010 guide Romeo and Juliet Did you know? You aren't likely to find "adumbrate" in children's stories or on the sports pages. That's not because this shady word is somehow off-color, but rather because it tends to show up most often in academic or political writing. In fact, some usage commentators find it too hard for "ordinary" use (although they are hard-pressed to define "ordinary"). Art and literary critics have long found it useful, and it's a definite candidate for those oft-published "lists of words you should know" (especially for vocabulary tests). You might remember "adumbrate" better if you know that it developed from the Latin verb "adumbrare," which in turn comes from "umbra," the Latin word for "shadow." To "adumbrate," then, is to offer a shadowy view of something. 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 July 21, 2011 is: sagacious • \suh-GAY-shus\ • adjective 1 : of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment : discerning 2 : caused by or indicating acute discernment Examples: Uncle John tried to stump Natalie with a series of riddles, but for each one the sagacious child managed to deduce the correct answer. "However, the new learning from Arab and ancient Greek sources recovered in the twelfth century showed that even the most sagacious ancient authors, including the likes of Ptolemy himself, believed in astrology." -- From James Hannam’s 2011 book The Genesis of Science Did you know? You might expect the root of "sagacious" to be "sage," which means "wise" or "wise man," but that wouldn't be a wise assumption. Despite their similarities, the two words are not all that closely related. "Sagacious" traces back to "sagire," a Latin verb meaning "to perceive keenly." It’s also related to the Latin adjective "sagus" ("prophetic"), which is the ancestor of our verb "seek." Etymologists believe that "sage" comes from a different Latin verb, "sapere," which means "to taste," "to have good taste," or "to be wise." 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 July 20, 2011 is: netsuke • \NETS-kay\ • noun : a small and often intricately carved toggle (as of wood, ivory, or metal) used to fasten a small container to a kimono sash Examples: During the Tokugawa period in Japan, from 1603-1868, netsuke were indispensable items of dress as well as fine works of miniature art. "After our lunch he'd open the sliding doors of the long vitrine that took up most of one wall of the sitting-room and would get out the netsuke one by one. The hare with the amber eyes. The young boy with the samurai sword and helmet. A tiger, all shoulder and feet, turning around to snarl." -- From Edmund de Waal's 2010 book The Hare with Amber Eyes Did you know? Netsuke -- the word in English can be pluralized as either "netsuke" or "netsukes" -- were traditionally part of a man's dress, used to attach a medicine box, pipe, or tobacco pouch to the sash (called an "obi") of a Japanese man's traditional kimono. Because the members of the newly risen merchant class, ranking below the samurai, were not permitted to wear jewelry, netsuke took the place of other personal adornment. With the end of the Tokugawa regime, leading to new customs of dress and the introduction of the cigarette shortly thereafter, netsuke became obsolete, though some were still carved to supply the demand of foreign residents and tourists. 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 July 19, 2011 is: convoluted • \KAHN-vuh-loo-tud\ • adjective 1 : having many twists and curves 2 : involved, intricate Examples: According to my sister’s convoluted reasoning, I still owed her $20. "Given a plot so convoluted as to be almost nonsensical -- one of Shakespeare's few originals -- Carpenter's majestic if wrongheadedly noble Titus and Ross' sinister Tamora keep us fixed on the central action." -- From a review by Robert Hurwitt in The San Francisco Chronicle, June 6, 2011 Did you know? "Convoluted" and "convolution" (a noun referring to a folded, winding shape, such as one of the ridges of the brain) are from Latin "volvere," meaning "to roll." "Volvere" has given English many words, but one of the following is NOT from "volvere." Can you pick it out? vaultvoluminousvolleyvolubledevolve The path from "vault" to "volvere" leads (rather convolutedly) through Middle English, Anglo-French, and Vulgar Latin to Latin "volutus," past participle of "volvere." "Voluble" meant "rolling easily" before it meant "speaking readily," and "voluminous" first meant "consisting of many folds." "Devolve" ("to pass down," as in "the stewardship devolved upon the son") once meant literally "to roll down." The word that doesn’t belong is "volley." It’s from Latin "volare," meaning "to fly." 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 July 18, 2011 is: anacoluthon • \an-uh-kuh-LOO-thahn\ • noun : syntactical inconsistency or incoherence within a sentence; especially : a shift in an unfinished sentence from one syntactic construction to another Examples: Shakespeare uses anacoluthon to express the king's emotion in this line from Henry V: "Rather proclaim it, Westmorelan, through my host, / That he which hath no stomach to this fight, / Let him depart." "The anacoluthon is not a trope of meaning, like metaphor or metonymy, but it is rather a disruption in a meaningful pattern." -- From Yasco Horsman's 2011 book Theaters of Justice Did you know? Looking at examples of -- never mind that, we can't think of any -- let us look at the history of "anacoluthon." (Or maybe we can think of an example. The shift in the preceding sentence from "looking at examples of" to "let us look at the root of" is one!) "Anacoluthon" traces back to Greek "anakolouthos," which means "inconsistent" and is a compound of "an-" ("not") and "akolouthos" ("following"). Anacolutha (the word's plural form) frequently occur in speech and in literary writing especially to express excited or distraught emotion or thoughts. 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 July 17, 2011 is: propitious • \pruh-PISH-us\ • adjective 1 : favorably disposed : benevolent 2 : being of good omen : auspicious 3 : tending to favor : advantageous Examples: A time of high unemployment is not the most propitious moment to start searching for a new job. "The fact that at least one of Johnny's old buddies, a wiseguy named Skinny, immediately began calling the bridal suite from the hotel bar downstairs was not a propitious omen for the marriage." -- From Howie Carr's 2011 book Hitman: The Untold Story of Johnny Martorano: Whitey Bulger's Enforcer and the Most Feared Gangster in the Underworld Did you know? "Propitious," which comes to us through Middle English from the Latin word "propitius" (same meaning as "propitious"), is a synonym of "favorable" and "auspicious." All three essentially mean "pointing toward a happy outcome," with some differences of emphasis. "Favorable" implies that the persons involved in a situation are approving or helpful, or that circumstances are advantageous ("favorable weather conditions"). "Auspicious" usually applies to a sign or omen that promises success before or at the start of an event ("an auspicious beginning"). "Propitious" may also apply to beginnings, but it often suggests a continuing promising condition ("propitious conditions for an alliance"). 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 July 16, 2011 is: beguile • \bih-GHYLE\ • verb 1 : to deceive by cunning means 2 : to draw notice or interest by wiles or charm 3 : to cause (as time) to pass pleasantly Examples: Samantha managed to beguile her classmates into doing the work for her. "She is considerably younger than Goldman, 25 to his 47 when they meet, and at times, her youth seems to be part of what fascinates and beguiles Goldman, who describes himself as immature, an occasional 'man-boy.'" -- From a book review by Robin Romm in the New York Times, April 7, 2011 Did you know? "Deceive," "mislead," "delude," and "beguile" all mean to lead astray or frustrate, usually by underhandedness. "Deceive" implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness (as in "they tried to deceive me about the cost"). "Mislead" implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional (as in "I was misled by the confusing sign"). "Delude" implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth (as in "we were deluded into thinking we were safe"). "Beguile" stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving (as in "they were beguiled by false promises"), and more generally describes the use of that charm to capture another’s attention. 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 July 15, 2011 is: juggernaut • \JUG-er-nawt\ • noun 1 : a large heavy truck 2 : a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path Examples: Led by their talented shooting guard, the high school’s basketball team was a juggernaut, winning the state championship three years in a row. "During most of the year, Claire Handleman pays the rent working at Del Posto, the Bastianich-Batali Italian juggernaut that won four stars from the New York Times last year." -- From an article by Keith Wagstaff on the Village Voice Fork in the Road blog, June 16, 2011 Did you know? In the early 14th century, Franciscan missionary Friar Odoric brought to Europe the story of an enormous carriage that carried an image of the Hindu god Vishnu (whose title was "Jagannāth," literally, "lord of the world") through the streets of India in religious processions. Odoric reported that some worshippers deliberately allowed themselves to be crushed beneath the vehicle's wheels as a sacrifice to Vishnu. That story was probably an exaggeration or misinterpretation of actual events, but it spread throughout Europe anyway. The tale caught the imagination of English listeners, and by the 19th century, they were using "juggernaut" to refer to any massive vehicle (such as a steam locomotive) or to any other enormous entity with powerful crushing capabilities. 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 July 14, 2011 is: lenient • \LEEN-yunt\ • adjective 1 : exerting a soothing or easing influence : relieving pain or stress 2 : of mild and tolerant disposition; especially : indulgent Examples: The judge decided to be lenient because it was a first offense, but warned that the defendant would not be so lucky a second time. "Portugal agreed yesterday to accept an international aid plan of $116 billion that the country's caretaker prime minister, Jose Socrates, suggested would involve more lenient conditions than those imposed on Greece and Ireland in return for similar bailouts." -- From an article by Raphael Minder in the Boston Globe, May 4, 2011 Did you know? "Lenient" is a word with a soothing history. It derives from the Latin verb "lenire," meaning "to soothe" or "to soften" (itself from "lenis," meaning "soft or mild"). The first, now archaic, sense of "lenient" referred to something soothing that relieved pain and stress. That meaning was shared by "lenitive," an earlier derivative of "lenire" that was commonly used with "electuary" ("lenitive electuary" being a medicated paste prepared with honey or another sweet and used by veterinarians to alleviate pain in the mouth). Linguists also borrowed "lenis" to describe speech sounds that are softened -- for instance, the "t" sound in "gutter" is lenis. By way of comparison, the "t" sound in "toe" is fortis. 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 July 13, 2011 is: flivver • \FLIV-er\ • noun : a small cheap usually old automobile Examples: Kevin plans to keep his new convertible off the roads during the harsh, cold months when streets are salted and sanded, so he is looking for a flivver to use as a winter beater. "She shook my hand -- a man's strong grip -- and then drove away in her flivver." -- From a story by Stephen King in his 2010 book Full Dark, No Stars Did you know? In 1908, Henry Ford changed the world with the Model T, the first affordable automobile. English speakers quickly coined an array of colorful terms for the Model T and the other relatively inexpensive cars that followed it. No one is sure why cheap cars came to be called "flivvers," but we do know that in the early 1900s that colorful term was also used as a slang verb meaning "to fail," as in "If this film flivvers, I'll be in trouble." In Flappers 2 Rappers: American Youth Slang, author Tom Dalzell lists "flivver" (which made its print debut in 1910, just two years after the Model T hit the streets) among a number of terms applied to "the humble Ford." Others included "bone crusher," "bouncing Betty," "Henry's go-cart," "puddle jumper," "Spirit of Detroit," and "Tin Lizzie." 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 July 12, 2011 is: chasten • \CHAY-sun\ • verb 1 : to correct by punishment or suffering : discipline; also : purify 2 a : to prune (as a work or style of art) of excess, pretense, or falsity : refine b : to cause to be more humble or restrained : subdue Examples: He was very arrogant as a younger man, but he has been sufficiently chastened by life's hardships and is now more cognizant of his own failings and weaknesses. "Because good people do terrible things, humans rely on systems of justice and fairness and rules and regulations to chasten ourselves and mete punishment out to the guilty." -- From an article by Mark Matousek on The Huffington Post, June 14, 2011 Did you know? If you say you would "castigate" or "chastise" someone in order to "chasten" them, you demonstrate a good knowledge of the origin of "chasten" -- all three verbs derive from the Latin verb "castigare," meaning "to punish." The trio shares an initial sense of "to subject to severe and often physical punishment," but all three verbs are now as likely to refer to a verbal dressing-down as a physical lesson. "Chasten" (which arrived in English via Anglo-French "chastier") can also be used to mean "to prune of excess, pretense, or falsity." This led to the more general sense of "to make more subdued," although the humility can be imposed by a humiliating situation as easily as by a strict taskmaster. 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 July 11, 2011 is: raiment • \RAY-munt\ • noun : clothing, garments Examples: "On their arrival the station was lively with straw-hatted young men, welcoming young girls who bore a remarkable family likeness to their welcomers, and who were dressed up in the brightest and lightest of raiment." -- From Thomas Hardy’s 1895 novel Jude the Obscure Did you know? If you seek a fancy word to describe the clothes on your back, you have no shortage of colorful options. There's "apparel" and "attire," certainly, as well as "garments." "Habiliments" and "vestments" suggest clothes of a particular profession (as in "a clergyman’s vestments"), while "garb" is effective for describing clothes of a particular style (as in "traditional Scottish garb"). If slang is more your game, try "duds," "rags," or "threads." "Raiment" tends to appear mostly in classical contexts, though it pops up from time to time in contemporary English from authors looking to add a touch of formality. "Raiment" derives from Middle English, where it was short for "arrayment," from the verb "arrayen" ("to array"). 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 July 10, 2011 is: eccentric • \ik-SEN-trik\ • adjective 1 a : deviating from an established or usual pattern or style b : deviating from conventional or accepted usage or conduct 2 a : deviating from a circular path; especially : elliptical b : located elsewhere than at the geometrical center; also : having the axis or support so located Examples: Down the road from us lives an eccentric old man who claims that he can communicate with the birds that roost in his yard. "Behind him at a distance, golfers on the university course attempted to lop small white balls onto large, green, eccentric circles of really short grass." -- From an article by Ed Cullen in The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA), April 19, 2011 Did you know? "Eccentric" comes to us through Middle English from the Medieval Latin word "eccentricus," but it is ultimately derived from a combination of the Greek words "ex," meaning "out of," and "kentron," meaning "center." The original meaning of "eccentric" in English was "not having the same center" (as in "eccentric spheres"). In this sense, it contrasts with "concentric," meaning "having a common center" (as in "concentric circles, one within another"). But since at least 1630, English speakers have also used "eccentric" to describe individuals who are figuratively off-center. It can also be used to describe something that doesn't follow a truly circular path, as in "an eccentric orbit." 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 July 9, 2011 is: dreadnought • \DRED-nawt\ • noun 1 : a warm garment of thick cloth; also : the cloth 2 : battleship 3 : one that is among the largest or most powerful of its kind Examples: "In 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sank the British dreadnought HMS Hood in the North Atlantic, killing all but three of the 1,418 men on board." -- From a "This Day in History" article by the Associated Press, May 24, 2011 "But a plain old Pontiac Bonneville, dating from the mid-'60s, is more impressive for its latent historical integrity…. In my neighborhood, this dreadnought from the V-8 era of pre-EPA profligacy has been haunting the curb for months." -- From an article by Brian Miller in the Seattle Weekly, March 23, 2011 Did you know? "Fear nothing" -- that is essentially what "dread" plus "nought" means. The name might seem a strange one for a garment, but if you consider that dreadnoughts were worn onboard ships, you can appreciate the colorful name perhaps as much as the seafaring men must have appreciated the thick protection dreadnoughts offered from the elements. The clothes and the cloth, first called "fearnought" in the late 18th century, came long before the battleship. Not until 1906 did the British Navy launch HMS Dreadnought, the first battleship to have a main armament consisting entirely of big guns all of the same caliber. All ships of this type were then called "dreadnoughts." That particular type of battleship soon became obsolete, but their legacy lives on in the extended third sense of "dreadnought." 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 July 8, 2011 is: penchant • \PEN-chunt\ • noun : a strong and continued inclination; broadly : liking Examples: Susan's penchant for mathematics helped her to become a successful electrical engineer. "She had a penchant for helping others and became a lifelong volunteer, particularly after her retirement." -- From an obituary in The Burlington Free Press, June 2, 2011 Did you know? Like its synonyms "leaning," "propensity," and "proclivity," "penchant" implies a strong instinct or liking for something. But these four words, while similar, are also distinguished by subtle differences. "Leaning" usually suggests a liking or attraction not strong enough to be decisive or uncontrollable ("a student with artistic leanings"), whereas "propensity" tends to imply a deeply ingrained and usually irresistible inclination ("a propensity to offer advice"). "Proclivity" frequently suggests a strong, natural proneness to something objectionable or evil ("a proclivity for violence"). "Penchant," a descendant of Latin "pendere" ("to weigh"), typically implies a strongly marked taste in the person or an irresistible attraction in the object ("a penchant for taking risks"). 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 July 7, 2011 is: chaffer • \CHAFF-er\ • verb 1 a : haggle, exchange, barter b : to bargain for 2 : to exchange small talk : chatter Examples: "In its market-places men chaffered for game and peaches, sea-fish, and wine made of rice and spices…." -- From Eileen Power's 1924 book Medieval People "Those booths and kiosks were empty, though. The people who should have crowded the square, bargaining and chaffering, stood hushed, crowded back around its edges…." -- From David Weber's 2010 novel A Mighty Fortress Did you know? In the 1200s, the noun "chaffer" was originally used in the sense of "traffic" or "trade." This noun (also then spelled "chaffere," "cheffere," and "cheapfare") was formed as a combination of "chep," meaning "trade" or "bargaining," and "fare," meaning "journey." The verb "chaffer" appeared in the 1300s and originally meant "to trade, buy, and sell." Later, however, both the verb and the noun took on the senses referring to haggling and barter. 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 July 6, 2011 is: hard-boiled • \HAHRD-BOYLD\ • adjective 1 a : devoid of sentimentality : tough b : of, relating to, or being a detective story featuring a tough unsentimental protagonist and a matter-of-fact attitude towards violence 2 : hardheaded, practical Examples: The young tycoon proved that to be successful in the cutthroat world of business you need to occasionally put aside hard-boiled business practices and go with your gut instincts. "At the beginning of his career, in his classic spaghetti westerns, he combined two classic American types -- the hard-boiled agent from the crime fiction of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler and the lonesome cowboy from the long-established western -- and created characters who dominated through their utter self-possession." -- From an article by Stephen Marche in Esquire, November 1, 2010 Did you know? As a writer of local color, Mark Twain often used colloquialisms and regionalisms that were unfamiliar to many of his readers. When some of these expressions eventually caught on in the language at large, they were traced back to Twain. For example, he is credited with the first printed use of "blow up" ("to lose self-control") in 1871, of "slop" ("effusive sentimentality") in 1866, and of the phrase "sweat out" ("to endure or wait through the course of") in 1876. "Hard-boiled" is documented as being first used by Twain in 1886 as an adjective meaning "hardened." Apparently, Twain and others saw the boiling of an egg to harden the white and yolk as a metaphor for other kinds of hardening. 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 July 5, 2011 is: cobalt • \KOH-bawlt\ • noun 1 : a tough lustrous silver-white magnetic metallic element that is related to and occurs with iron and nickel and is used especially in alloys 2 : a strong greenish blue : cobalt blue Examples: Cobalt was used for centuries to impart a blue color to glazes and ceramics before it was isolated by Swedish chemist Georg Brandt around 1735. "In the afternoon when the sun lights the stucco buildings across the street, it's possible to count a dozen different colors of paint, all fading together on the highest parts of the wall: yellow, ochre, brick, blood, cobalt, turquoise." -- From Barbara Kingsolver's 2009 novel The Lacuna Did you know? The metallic element "cobalt" ultimately draws its name from folklore. In Middle High German, "kobolt" denoted a usually helpful household elf that engaged in nasty pranks only when it was offended. Later, early Modern German "Kobold" came to refer to a variety of less helpful goblins inhabiting fields and mountains. The variant "Kobolt" in the 16th century was applied by German miners to ores containing the metal cobalt, which they considered to be worthless; they believed that mountain goblins had spoiled adjacent silver ores, or had stolen the silver within the ore. The metal itself in relatively pure form was not produced and described until the 17th century, when "cobalt," with its first letter influenced by New Latin "cobaltum," became part of the international language of science. 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 July 4, 2011 is: rarefied • \RAIR-uh-fyde\ • adjective 1 : being less dense 2 : of, relating to, or interesting to a select group : esoteric 3 : very high Examples: Cartography is one of those rarefied fields at which only a select few can actually earn a living. "Mr. Obama was the first American president invited to speak in the hall, joining a rarefied list that includes Charles de Gaulle, Nelson Mandela and Pope Benedict XVI." -- From an article by Mark Landler in The New York Times, May 26, 2011 Did you know? "Rarefied" was formed from the verb "rarefy," which derives from a combination of Latin "rarus" ("thin" or "rare") with "facere" ("to make") and has meant "to make thin" since the 14th century. In its original uses back in the 1600s, the adjective "rarefied" was on the lean side too; it meant "made less dense" (as in "the fog lifted and we could breathe more easily in the rarefied air"). By the 16th century, "rarefy" had gained the sense "to refine or purify." Over time "rarefied" followed suit; by the 1940s it was being used to mean "only for the select." 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 July 3, 2011 is: enervate • \EN-er-vayt\ • verb 1 : to reduce the mental or moral vigor of 2 : to lessen the vitality or strength of Examples: Dehydration and prolonged exposure to the sun had enervated the shipwrecked crew, leaving them almost too weak to hail the passing vessel. "This is a life-saving practice because it greatly helps reduce the stress and tension that both wears our physical organism and enervates our energies, which is our life force and vitality." -- From an article by Lama Surya Das on The Huffington Post, June 4, 2011 Did you know? "Enervate" is a word that some people use without really knowing what it means. They seem to believe that because "enervate" looks a little bit like "energize" and "invigorate" it must share their meaning -- but it is actually their antonym. "Enervate" comes from the Latin word "enervare," which was formed from the prefix "e-," meaning "out of," and "-nervare" (from "nervus," meaning "sinew or nerve"). So, etymologically at least, someone who is enervated is "out of nerve." 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 July 2, 2011 is: brouhaha • \BROO-hah-hah\ • noun : a state of commotion or excitement : hubbub, uproar Examples: There was much brouhaha in the tabloids over the young actress’s sudden marriage to the much older entertainment mogul. "Maybe, like Columbus, we'll find that the world of demand for Warhol is bigger than we thought it was. Meanwhile, the sums traded for these top lots are staggering, and the brouhaha surrounding them adds to the conviction of some that regulation lurks just around the corner." -- From an article by Adam Lindemann in the New York Observer, May 10, 2011 Did you know? There is a bit of a brouhaha over the etymology of "brouhaha." Some etymologists think the word is onomatopoeic in origin, but others believe it comes from the Hebrew phrase "bārŪkh habbā’," meaning "blessed be he who enters" (Psalms 118:26). Although we borrowed our spelling and meaning of "brouhaha" directly from French in the late 19th century, etymologists have connected the French derivation to that frequently recited Hebrew phrase, distorted to something like "brouhaha" by worshippers whose knowledge of Hebrew was limited. Thus, once out of the synagogue, the word first meant "a noisy confusion of sound" -- a sense that was later extended to refer to any tumultuous and confused situation. 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 July 1, 2011 is: supposititious • \suh-pah-zuh-TISH-us\ • adjective 1 a : fraudulently substituted : spurious b : of a child (1) : falsely presented as a genuine heir (2) : illegitimate 2 a : imaginary b : of the nature of or based on a supposition : hypothetical Examples: "I sat looking at Peggotty for some time, in a reverie on this supposititious case: whether, if she were employed to lose me like the boy in the fairy tale, I should be able to track my way home again by the buttons she would shed." -- From Charles Dickens' 1850 novel David Copperfield "If I had Clark for a son, I would probably take my supposititious heir to lunch myself." -- From Tim Sandlin's 2010 novel Social Blunders Did you know? The Latin verb "supponere," meaning "substitute," has several legitimate heirs in English, including "supposititious" (which dates from the early 17th century) and "supposition" (a 15th century addition). The "fraudulent" and "illegitimate" meanings of "supposititious" trace back to "supponere" in a fairly direct route, whereas the "imaginary" and "hypothetical" meanings were influenced by the meanings of "supposition." In legal contexts, "supposititious" is primarily used in its earlier senses, as in "a supposititious (fraudulent) will" or "the child was supposititious (illegitimate)." When something hypothetical is being considered, the adjective "suppositious" is often preferred over "supposititious." 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 June 30, 2011 is: extenuate • \ik-STEN-yuh-wayt\ • verb 1 : to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of by making partial excuses : mitigate 2 : to lessen the strength or effect of Examples: Don't even try to extenuate their vandalism of the cemetery with the old refrain of "Boys will be boys." "At my university (as at others I've known), circumstances may extenuate plagiarism, but they never excuse it." -- From an article by Clifford Orwin in The Globe and Mail (Canada), June 15, 2011 Did you know? You have probably encountered the phrase "extenuating circumstances," which is one of the more common ways that this word turns up in modern times. "Extenuate" was borrowed into English in the 16th century from Latin "extenuatus," the past participle of the verb "extenuare," which was itself formed by combining "ex-" and the verb "tenuare," meaning "to make thin." In addition to the surviving senses, "extenuate" once meant "to make light of" and "to make thin or emaciated"; although those senses are now obsolete, the connection to "tenuare" can be traced somewhat more clearly through them. In addition, "extenuate" gave us the adjective "extenuatory," meaning "tending to make less." 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 June 29, 2011 is: mantic • \MAN-tik\ • adjective : of or relating to the faculty of divination : prophetic Examples: Ever since we visited that fortune teller at the carnival, Mary has shown a strong interest in astrology and the other mantic arts. "Like everyone else, I was in awe of her mantic abilities, and I think she looked upon my storytelling endeavors with indulgence, having known both my father and my grandfather in their prime." -- From Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya's 2011 novel The Storyteller of Marrakesh Did you know? The adjective "mantic" comes from the Greek word "mantikos," which itself derives from "mantis," meaning "prophet." The mantis insect got its name from this same source, supposedly because its posture -- with the forelimbs extended as though in prayer --reminded folks of a prophet. Not surprisingly, the combining form "-mancy," which means "divination in a (specified) manner" (as in "necromancy" and "pyromancy"), is a relative of "mantic." A less expected, and more distant, relative is "mania," meaning "insanity marked by uncontrollable emotion or excitement" or "excessive enthusiasm." "Mania" descends from Greek "mainesthai" ("to be mad"), a word akin to "mantis" and its offspring. And indeed, prophesying in ancient Greece was sometimes believed to be "inspired madness." 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 June 28, 2011 is: amanuensis • \uh-man-yuh-WEN-sis\ • noun : one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript Examples: Marco worked as an amanuensis for a judge who needed to compose his opinions orally while recovering from cataract surgery. "As early as the 1840s and 1850s, the Ohio Cultivator published women's columns that spoke vividly for women's rights and honed the talents of two important abolitionist feminists, Hanna Maria Tracy Cutler and Frances Dana Gage, who is now best remembered as the amanuensis for Sojourner Truth's 'Ain't I a Woman' speech." -- From Frances W. Kaye's 2011 book Goodlands: A Meditation and History on the Great Plains Did you know? In Latin, the phrase "servus a manu" translates loosely as "slave with secretarial duties." (The noun "manu," meaning "hand," gave us words such as "manuscript," originally meaning a document written or typed by hand.) In the 17th century the second part of this phrase was borrowed into English to create "amanuensis," a word for a person who is employed (willingly) to do the important but sometimes menial work of transcribing the words of another. While other quaint words, such as "scribe" or "scrivener," might have similarly described the functions of such a person in the past, these days we’re likely to call him or her a "secretary," or maybe an "administrative assistant." 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 June 27, 2011 is: hyperborean • \hye-per-BOR-ee-un\ • adjective 1 : of or relating to an extreme northern region : frozen 2 : of or relating to any of the arctic peoples Examples: Pauline possessed an impressive tolerance of cold winters, for which she credited her hyperborean ancestors from northern Canada. "She came through the door tugging him awkwardly by the wrist … and settled into a chair in the waiting room while Elvira's parrot gnawed at the wicker bars of its cage and the little air conditioner I keep in the front window churned out its hyperborean drafts." -- From a story by T. Coraghessan Boyle in his 2010 collection Wild Child Did you know? In ancient Greek mythology, the "Hyperboreoi" were a people who lived in a northern paradise of perpetual sunshine beyond the reaches of the god of the north wind. Their name located them within the Greek world; it combined the prefix "hyper-," meaning "above," and "Boreas," the Greek name for the north wind. When "hyperborean" first appeared in our language in the 15th century, it named those legendary folk. By the late 1500s, though, the word was being used more generally for anything relating to the far north or the people who lived there. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.