Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 22, 2010 is: lily-livered • \LILL-ee-LIV-erd\ • adjective : lacking courage : cowardly Examples: "I regret not hurling myself into university life because I was too … lily-livered to live a little." (Laura Barton, The Guardian [London], August 16, 2001) Did you know? The basis of the word "lily-livered" lies in an old belief. Years ago, people thought that health and temperament were the products of a balance or imbalance of four bodily fluids, or humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. It was believed that a deficiency of yellow bile, or choler, the humor that governed anger, spirit, and courage, would leave a person’s liver colorless or white. Someone with this deficiency, and so white-livered, would be spiritless and a coward. "Lily-livered" and "white-livered" have been used synonymously since the 16th century, but "lily-livered" is now the more common expression, probably because of its alliteration. 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 May 21, 2010 is: amerce • \uh-MERSS\ • verb : to punish by a fine whose amount is fixed by the court; broadly : punish Examples: "A freeman is not to be amerced for a small offence save in accordance with the manner of the offence.…" (Magna Carta, 1215) Did you know? If you break the law, you could find yourself "at the mercy" of the court. As you await your punishment (hoping that the judge will in fact be merciful), you may want to ponder the history of "amerce." It begins with the Old French phrase "a merci," meaning "at (one's) mercy," which in turn gave rise to the Anglo-French verb "amercier" (same meaning as "amerce"). Middle English speakers adopted the French word as "amercien," which was later modernized to "amerce." In addition to the legal use, "amerce" can also be used in a more general sense for the infliction of any sort of punishment, monetary or otherwise. 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 May 20, 2010 is: bully pulpit • \BULL-ee-PULL-pit\ • noun : a prominent public position (as a political office) that provides an opportunity for expounding one's views; also : such an opportunity Examples: Mariah has used her position on the city council as a bully pulpit to denounce the corruption in the mayor’s office. Did you know? "Bully pulpit" comes from the 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, who observed that the White House was a bully pulpit. For Roosevelt, "bully" was an adjective meaning "excellent" or "first-rate" -- not the noun "bully" ("a blustering browbeating person") that's so common today. Roosevelt understood the modern presidency's power of persuasion and recognized that it gave the incumbent the opportunity to exhort, instruct, or inspire. He took full advantage of his bully pulpit, speaking out about the danger of monopolies, the nation's growing role as a world power, and other issues important to him. Since the 1970s, "bully pulpit" has been used as a term for an office -- especially a political office -- that provides one with the opportunity to share one's views. 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 May 19, 2010 is: translucent • \trans-LOO-sunt\ • adjective 1 : not transparent but clear enough to allow light to pass through 2 : free from disguise or falseness Examples: The translucent window glass gave us enough daylight to work without allowing people standing outside to see in. Did you know? Look closely and you will see the same three letters in "translucent" and "elucidate," letting the family relationship between the two words shine through. Both terms descend from the Latin word "lucēre," meaning "to shine." ("Translucent" is from "lucēre" plus "trans-," which means "through.") When you "elucidate" something, you make it clear by explaining it in a way that can be easily understood -- you "shed light on" it. "Lucēre" is also the root of another bright and shining English word, "lucid," which can mean either "bright with light" or "clear and easy to understand." 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 May 18, 2010 is: gravamen • \gruh-VAY-mun\ • noun : the material or significant part of a grievance or complaint Examples: The gravamen of Walter's letter to the editor was that the newspaper frequently reported on the school system's failures but rarely covered its successes and improvements. Did you know? "Gravamen" is not a word you hear every day, but it does show up occasionally in modern-day publications. It comes from the Latin verb "gravare," meaning "to burden," and ultimately from the Latin adjective "gravis," meaning "heavy." Fittingly, "gravamen" refers to the part of a grievance or complaint that gives it weight or substance. In legal contexts, "gravamen" is used, synonymously with "gist," to refer to the grounds on which a legal action is sustainable. "Gravis" has given English several other weighty words, including "gravity," "grieve," and the adjective "grave," meaning "important" or "serious." 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 May 17, 2010 is: embezzle • \im-BEZZ-ul\ • verb : to appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use Examples: The company’s senior accounts manager was able to embezzle thousands of dollars from his employer by way of a loophole in accounting procedures. Did you know? English has a lot of verbs that mean to steal -- some more specific than others. "Pilfer," "purloin," "rob," "swipe," "plunder," "filch," and "thieve" are some noted examples. "Embezzle" differs from these by stressing the improper appropriation of property to which a person is entrusted -- often in the form of company funds. First appearing in English in the 15th century, "embezzle" derives via Middle English from the Anglo-French "embesiller," meaning "to make away," formed from the prefix "en-" and the verb "besiller," meaning "to steal or plunder." Related to "embezzle" is "bezzle," a verb used in some British English dialects to mean "to waste or plunder" or "to drink or eat to excess." 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 May 16, 2010 is: Promethean • \pruh-MEE-thee-un\ • adjective : of, relating to, or resembling Prometheus, his experiences, or his art; especially : daringly original or creative Examples: The Olympics showcase Promethean performances by athletes who are always pushing the limits of human ability. Did you know? As some versions of the story go in Greek mythology, Prometheus (one of the Titan giants) modeled humans from clay and then taught them agriculture and all the arts of civilization. He also stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. So inventive was he that anything that bears the stamp of creativity and originality can still be called "Promethean." Zeus, however, had wanted the human race to perish, so Prometheus' actions were also disobedient. Hence "Promethean" can also mean defiant of authority or limits. As punishment for his disobedience, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock where an eagle daily tore at his liver. Thus, any suffering on a grand scale can also be called Promethean -- though this sense is not as common as the others. 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 May 15, 2010 is: derrick • \DAIR-ik\ • noun 1 : a hoisting apparatus employing a tackle rigged at the end of a beam 2 : a framework or tower over a deep drill hole (as of an oil well) for supporting boring tackle or for hoisting and lowering Examples: "But there is another type of field that is equally important to Kern County; the oil field, with its derrick rising from the soil like a shunt to coax the earth’s fossil fuel to the surface." (Whitney Otto, How to Make an American Quilt) Did you know? During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, London was the home of a notorious executioner named Derick. Among those he beheaded was the Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, who according to a street ballad of the time had once saved the life of the ungrateful executioner. While members of the nobility were accorded the courtesy of beheading, it was the lot of commoners to be hanged, and those sent to face the rope at the hands of the executioner Derick nicknamed the gallows at Tyburn after him. Throughout the 17th century, "derick" was used as a name for both hangman and gallows. After the days of public hangings, the word "derrick" was adopted as a name for a number of less ominous frameworks or towers. 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 May 14, 2010 is: substantive • \SUB-stun-tiv\ • adjective : having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned Examples: “There are substantive gestures available to a President that do not involve the use of force or photo ops.” (Joe Klein, Time, December 8, 2008) Did you know? "Substantive" was borrowed into Middle English from the Anglo-French adjective "sustentif," meaning "having or expressing substance," and can be traced back to the Latin verb "substare," which literally means "to stand under." Figuratively, the meaning of "substare" is best understood as "to stand firm" or "to hold out." Since the 14th century, we have used "substantive" to speak of that which is of enough "substance" to stand alone, or be independent. By the 19th century the word evolved related meanings, such as "enduring" and "essential." It also shares some senses with "substantial," such as "considerable in quantity." 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 May 13, 2010 is: mirage • \muh-RAHZH\ • noun 1 : an illusion sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over hot pavement that looks like a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted 2 : something illusory and unattainable like a mirage Examples: "Over the sunny dunes, those distant childhood promises of a better tomorrow shimmer like a mirage in the desert heat." (Condé Nast Traveler, September 1994) Did you know? A mirage is a sort of optical illusion, a reflection of light that can trick the mind into interpreting the sight as an apparently solid thing. It makes sense, therefore, that the word "mirage" has its roots in the concept of vision. "Mirage" was borrowed into English at the dawn of the 19th century from the French verb "mirer" ("to look at"), which also gave us the word "mirror." "Mirer" in turn derives from Latin "mirari" ("to wonder at"). "Mirari" is also the ancestor of the English words "admire," "miracle," and "marvel," as well as the rare adjective "mirific" (meaning "marvelous"). 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 May 12, 2010 is: fructuous • \FRUK-chuh-wus\ • adjective : fruitful Examples: "The parents in our 1924 drama, like most parents past and forevermore, are praying mainly for a sound baby, with all the stuff for a long, fructuous life." (Ed Hayes, Orlando Sentinel, May 11, 2008) Did you know? In Latin the word "fructus" means both "fruit" and "enjoyment" or "use." A rich crop of English derivatives grew from that root, including "fructuous," "fructose" (a sugar found in fruits), "fruition" ("the state of bearing fruit"), "usufruct" ("the right to use or enjoy something"), and even "fruit" itself. "Fructuous" comes from the Middle French adjective "fructueux" and the Latin adjective "fructuosus," both ultimately derived from "fructus." 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 May 11, 2010 is: navel-gazing • \NAY-vul-GAY-zing\ • noun : useless or excessive self-contemplation Examples: Instead of more of the feel-good lyrics and beats that launched her to stardom, the songs on the diva’s sophomore release border on tedious philosophizing and navel-gazing. Did you know? If you are scratching your head over something, then you are probably in a state of puzzled contemplation. But if you are staring at your navel, you could either be indulging in some useless self-contemplation or in a state of deep meditation. If the latter, the technical term for your activity would be "omphaloskepsis," which is a form of meditation that has been practiced by mystics for centuries. Navel-gazing is a pop form of omphaloskepsis that is devoid of any serious meditative value. The word has been used more or less disparagingly since its first appearance in 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 May 10, 2010 is: yeasty • \YEE-stee\ • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or resembling yeast 2 a : immature, unsettled b : marked by change c : full of vitality d : frivolous Examples: "In that yeasty time in the mid-sixties when I went to work as a reporter in Paris, the world was about to pop." (Raymond Sokolov, Why We Eat What We Eat) Did you know? The word "yeast" has existed in English for as long as the language has existed. Spellings have varied over time -- in Middle English it was "yest" and in Old English "gist" or "geist" -- but the word's meaning has remained basically the same for centuries. In its first documented English uses in the 1500s, the adjective "yeasty" described people or things with a yellowish or frothy appearance similar to the froth that forms on the top of fermented beverages (such as beers or ales). Since then, a number of extended, figurative senses of "yeasty" have surfaced, all of which play in some way or another on the excitable, chemical nature of fermentation, such as by connoting unsettled activity or significant change. 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 May 9, 2010 is: elephantiasis • \el-uh-fun-TYE-uh-sis\ • noun 1 : enlargement and thickening of tissues; specifically : the enormous enlargement of a limb or the scrotum caused by obstruction of lymphatics by filarial worms 2 : an undesirable usually enormous growth, enlargement, or overdevelopment Examples: "Their feature film debuts with stylish efficiency until they succumb to the effects elephantiasis that overtakes virtually every Hollywood action film by the finale." (Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer [North Carolina], February 22, 2008) Did you know? In Latin "elephantiasis" referred to a kind of leprosy in which the skin takes on the appearance of an elephant's hide. The word is still used in the medical field for various infectious skin diseases in which the affected part becomes grossly enlarged. The first known figurative use of "elephantiasis" is by English author George Meredith in a letter dated December 22, 1866. In that letter, he ribs an acquaintance for his exaggerated description of the size of a mackerel, telling him that he has "become the victim of a kind of mental elephantiasis." 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 May 8, 2010 is: hoity-toity • \hoy-tee-TOY-tee\ • adjective Examples: "I’m a simple man with down-home values," said Ray. "You won’t catch me hanging out with the hoity-toity crowd at trendy art galleries or chichi nightclubs." Did you know? Today we most often use "hoity-toity" as an adjective, but before it was an adjective it was a noun meaning "thoughtless giddy behavior." The noun, which first appeared in print in 1668, was probably created as a singsongy rhyme based on the dialectal English word "hoit," meaning "to play the fool." The adjective "hoity-toity" can stay close to its roots and mean "foolish" (". . . as though it were very hoity-toity of me not to know that royal personage." -- W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor’s Edge), but in current use it more often means "pretentious." 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 May 7, 2010 is: intoxicate • \in-TAHK-suh-kayt\ • verb 1 : poison 2 a : to excite or stupefy by alcohol or a drug especially to the point where physical and mental control is markedly diminished b : to excite or elate to the point of enthusiasm or frenzy Examples: “He encouraged them, cajoled them, tried to intoxicate them with learning....” (Luisa Yanez, The Miami Herald, July 22, 2005) Did you know? For those who think that alcohol and drugs qualify as poisons, the history of "intoxicate" offers some etymological evidence to bolster your argument. “Intoxicate” traces back to “toxicum,” the Latin word for “poison” -- and the earliest meaning of "intoxicate" was just that: "to poison." This sense is now extremely rare, and we currently talk about such harmless things as flowers and perfume having the power to intoxicate. "Toxicum" turns up in the etymologies of a number of other English words including "toxic" ("poisonous"), "intoxicant" ("something that intoxicates") and "detoxify" ("to remove a poison from"), as well as a number of the names for various poisons themselves. 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 May 6, 2010 is: plagiary • \PLAY-jee-air-ee\ • noun 1 : one that plagiarizes 2 : plagiarism Examples: It’s still unclear if the historian was engaged in deliberate plagiary or was simply sloppy with the citation of his sources. Did you know? "Plagiarius," the Latin source of "plagiary," literally means "kidnapper." "Plagiarius" has its roots in the noun "plagium," meaning both "kidnapping" and "the netting of game," and ultimately in the noun "plaga," meaning "net." The literal sense of "plagiarius" was adopted into English; in the 17th and early 18th century, a kidnapper might be referred to as a "plagiary," and, in the legalese of the time, kidnapping was "plagium." But "plagiarius" also had a couple of figurative meanings -- "seducer" and "literary thief." It is the latter that has made the most enduring contribution to the English language. A "plagiary" could also be one who commits literary theft (now usually referred to as a "plagiarist") or the act or product of such theft (now, more commonly, "plagiarism"). 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 May 5, 2010 is: nosocomial • \nah-suh-KOH-mee-ul\ • adjective : acquired or occurring in a hospital Examples: Mariah had expected to be out of the hospital today, but she was told that she had developed a nosocomial infection that would need to be monitored by the staff for at least 24 hours. Did you know? "Nosocomial" is a word that usually occurs in formal medical contexts; specifically, in reference to hospital-acquired sickness. We hope you never encounter "nosocomial" as part of your own medical diagnosis, but if you do, you might want to remember that the term descends from "nosocomium," the Late Latin word for "hospital." "Nosocomium" in turn traces to the Greek "nosos," meaning "disease." That root has given English other words as well, including "zoonosis" ("a disease communicable from animals to humans under natural conditions") and "nosology" ("a classification or list of diseases" or "a branch of medical science that deals with classification of diseases"). 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 May 4, 2010 is: sarcasm • \SAHR-kaz-um\ • noun 1 : a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain 2 a : a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language that is usually directed against an individual b : the use or language of sarcasm Examples: "I grew up with an indifferent mother in a house where sarcasm reigned." (Nancy Davidoff Kelton, The Boston Globe, March 21, 2010) Did you know? If you've ever been hurt by a remark full of cutting sarcasm, you have some insight into the origins of the word. "Sarcasm" can be traced back to the Greek verb "sarkazein," which initially meant "to tear flesh like a dog." "Sarkazein" eventually developed extended senses of "to bite one's lips in rage," "to gnash one's teeth," and eventually "to sneer." "Sarkazein" led to the Greek noun "sarkasmos," ("a sneering or hurtful remark"), iterations of which passed through French and Late Latin before arriving in English as "sarcasm" in the mid-16th century. Even today sarcasm is often described as sharp, cutting, or wounding, reminiscent of the original meaning of the Greek 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 May 3, 2010 is: repine • \rih-PYNE\ • verb 1 : to feel or express dejection or discontent : complain 2 : to long for something Examples: "They saw less of each other, and Robyn was aware that this did not cause her to repine as much as perhaps it should have done." (David Lodge, Nice Work) Did you know? In longing, one can "repine over" something ("repining over her lost past"), or one can "pine for" something. The two words, used thus, mean close to the same thing, but not exactly. "Pining" is intense longing for what one once knew. "Repine" adds an element of discontent to any longing -- an element carried over from its first sense ("to feel or express dejection or discontent"), which has been in use since the 16th century. (Washington Irving used the first sense in his 1820 work The Sketch Book: "Through the long and weary day he repines at his unhappy lot.") "Pine" and "repine" are from Old English "pinian" ("to suffer") and probably ultimately from Latin "poena" ("punishment"). "Poena" also gave us our word "pain." 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 May 2, 2010 is: artifice • \AHR-tuh-fus\ • noun 1 a : clever or artful skill : ingenuity b : an ingenious device or expedient 2 a : an artful stratagem : trick b : false or insincere behavior Examples: "When it comes to beauty and fashion, it's all about artifice and deception…. We lengthen our lashes, paint our nails and lips … and always and forever are on the lookout for clothes that hide our flaws…." (Ellen Warren, Chicago Tribune, April 1, 2010) Did you know? Do great actors display artifice or art? Sometimes a bit of both. "Artifice" stresses creative skill or intelligence, but also implies a sense of falseness and trickery. "Art" generally rises above such falseness, suggesting instead an unanalyzable creative force. Actors may rely on some of each, but the personae they display in their roles are usually artificial creations. Therein lies a lexical connection between "art" and "artifice." "Artifice" derives from "artificium," Latin for "artifice" (that root also gave English "artificial"). "Artificium" in turn developed from "ars," the Latin root underlying the word "art" (and related terms such as "artist" and "artisan"). 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 May 1, 2010 is: pianistic • \pee-uh-NISS-tik\ • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of the piano 2 : skilled in or well adapted to piano playing Examples: “[Pianist Yuja] Wang performed as if she were claiming ownership of some of Prokofiev's pianistic ideas.” (Edward Ortiz, Sacramento Bee [California], May 23, 2009) Did you know? The origin of "pianistic" won’t surprise anyone -- it’s ultimately from "piano," of course. But the "-istic” suffix is less than ubiquitous and bears some attention. It is used from time to time to create adjectives that correspond to nouns ending primarily in "-ism" or "-ist." (In this case, both "pianism" and "pianist" outdate "pianistic," although only by a few years.) The pedigree of "-istic" isn’t too surprising; etymologists report that it comes from Middle French ("-istique"), Latin ("-isticus"), and ultimately Greek ("-istikos"). As with words formed from the suffix "-ic," words ending in "-istic" can sometimes find life as nouns -- for example, "autistic" and "characteristic." 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 April 30, 2010 is: spelunker • \spih-LUNK-er\ • noun : one who makes a hobby of exploring and studying caves Examples: Our favorite B horror movie is about a group of spelunkers who discover a colony of zombies in a cavern. Did you know? "Spelunker" sounds like the noise a pebble makes when you drop it down a deep hole and into dark, hidden water far below. But there's nothing dark or obscure about the etymology of the term. We borrowed "spelunker" from Latin "spelunca," which in turn derives from Greek "spelynx." When you get to the bottom of things, you find that both the Latin and Greek words mean "cave." Although "spelunker" might sound neat, be careful: some cave-exploring enthusiasts prefer the term "caver." 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 April 29, 2010 is: palimpsest • \PAL-imp-sest\ • noun 1 : writing material (as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased 2 : something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface Examples: "Canada, like any country, is a palimpsest, an overlay of classes and generations." (Margaret Atwood, New York Times Book Review, March 10, 1985) Did you know? In olden days, writing surfaces were so rare that they were often used more than once. "Palimpsest" originally described an early form of recycling in which an old document was erased to make room for a new one when parchment ran short. Fortunately for modern scholars, the erasing process wasn't completely effective, so the original could often be distinguished under the newer writing. De republica, by Roman statesman and orator Cicero, is one of many documents thus recovered from a palimpsest. Nowadays, the word "palimpsest" can refer not only to such a document but to anything that has multiple layers. 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 April 28, 2010 is: clement • \KLEM-unt\ • adjective 1 : inclined to be merciful : lenient 2 : mild Examples: Alex Marsh is considered a clement judge -- the type who lets first-time offenders off the hook and gives repeat offenders the minimum required jail time. Did you know? Defendants in court cases probably don't spend much time worrying about inclement weather. They're too busy hoping to meet a clement judge so they will be granted clemency. They should hope they don't meet an inclement judge! "Clement," "inclement," and "clemency" all derive from the Latin "clemens," which means "mild" or "calm." All three terms can refer to an individual's degree of mercy or to the relative pleasantness of the weather. 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 April 27, 2010 is: soi-disant • \swah-dee-ZAHNG (the NG is not pronounced, but the vowel is nasal\ • adjective : self-proclaimed, so-called Examples: "It's one of the few soi-disant walking boots we've seen this month that you might be able to, you know, walk in." (The Times [London], March 3, 2010) Did you know? "Soi-disant," which in French means literally "saying oneself," is one of hundreds of French terms that entered English in the 17th and 18th centuries, during the period known as the Enlightenment. Even as political antipathies between France and England were being played out on battlefields in Europe and America, English speakers were peppering their speech and writing with French. "Soi-disant" first began appearing in English texts in 1752 as a disparaging term for someone who styles or fancies him- or herself in some role. "Crepe," "vis-a-vis," "etiquette," and "sang-froid" are a few of the other French terms that became naturalized in English at that time. 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 April 26, 2010 is: spilth • \SPILTH\ • noun 1 : the act or an instance of spilling 2 a : something spilled b : refuse, rubbish Examples: "A spilth of water fell from the bird as it climbed through the hot air to clear the lakeside trees, and a drop of lake water clung for a moment to the leaf of an ilex." (Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan) Did you know? "Spilth" is formed from the verb "spill" and the noun suffix "-th." This suffix comes to us from Old English and is used to indicate an act or process (as in "spilth" or the more familiar "growth") or a state or condition (as in "breadth" or "length"). The earliest known use of "spilth" is in Shakespeare's Timon of Athens (c. 1607-08): "When our vaults have wept / With drunken spilth of wine…." In the senses of an act of spilling or of something spilled, English speakers today are much more likely to use the noun "spill" or sometimes "spillage," a word which, like "spilth," combines the verb "spill" with a suffix ("-age," this time borrowed from Old French) that can indicate an act or process. 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 April 25, 2010 is: repartee • \rep-er-TEE\ • noun 1 a : a quick and witty reply b : a succession or interchange of clever retorts : amusing and usually light sparring with words 2 : adroitness and cleverness in reply Examples: The talk show host is a skillful interviewer whose deft use of repartee and quick-witted banter keeps his show moving at a lively, almost manic, pace. Did you know? One person often noted for her repartee was Dorothy Parker, writer and legendary member of the Algonquin Round Table. Upon hearing that Calvin Coolidge had died, she replied, "How can they tell?" The taciturn Coolidge obviously didn’t have a reputation for being the life of the party, but he himself came out with a particularly famous repartee on one occasion. When a dinner guest approached him and told him she had bet someone she could get him to say more than two words, he replied, "You lose." "Repartee," our word for such a quick, sharp reply (and for skill with such replies) comes from the French "repartie," of the same meaning. "Repartie" comes from the French verb "repartir," meaning "to retort." 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 April 24, 2010 is: hale • \HAIL\ • adjective : free from defect, disease, or infirmity : sound; also : retaining exceptional health and vigor Examples: "He was a rich and powerful noble, then in his sixty-second year, but hale and sturdy, a great horseman and hunter and a pious man." (Edith Wharton, "Kerfol") Did you know? When you need a word to describe someone or something in good health, you might pick "hale" or a synonym such as "healthy," "sound," or "robust." Of those terms, "healthy" is the most general, implying full strength and vigor or simply freedom from signs of disease. "Sound" generally emphasizes the complete absence of defects of mind or body. "Robust" implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly and usually suggests muscular strength as well as the ability to work or play long and hard. "Hale" applies especially to robustness in later life. The phrase "hale and hearty" is often used to describe an older person who retains the physical qualities of youth 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 April 23, 2010 is: collogue • \kuh-LOHG\ • verb 1 : intrigue, conspire 2 : to talk privately : confer Examples: "If there was noise, as there often was even at dawn -- a huddle of men colloguing, a woman deliriously chanting the Mysteries -- his arrival would cause much of it to die." (Joseph O'Connor, Star of the Sea) Did you know? "Collogue" has been with us since the 17th century, but beyond that little is known about its origin. In Samuel Johnson's 1755 dictionary, he defined "collogue" as "to wheedle, to flatter; to please with kind words." The "intrigue or conspire" meaning of "collogue" was also common in Johnson's day, but Johnson missed it; his oversight suggests that sense of the word was probably part of a dialect unfamiliar to him. The earliest known use of the "confer" sense of the word is found in an 1811 letter by Sir Walter Scott: "We shall meet and collogue upon it." 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 April 22, 2010 is: alacrity • \uh-LAK-ruh-tee\ • noun : promptness in response : cheerful readiness Examples: "The good-humoured little attorney tapped at Mr. Pickwick's door, which was opened with great alacrity by Sam Weller." (Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers) Did you know? "I have not that alacrity of spirit / Nor cheer of mind that I was wont to have," says Shakespeare’s King Richard III in the play that bears his name. When Shakespeare penned those words some 400 years ago, "alacrity" was less than a hundred years old. Our English word derives from the Latin word "alacer," which means "lively." It denotes physical quickness coupled with eagerness or enthusiasm. Are there any other words in English from Latin "alacer"? Yes -- "allegro," which is used as a direction in music with the meaning "at a brisk lively tempo.” It came to us via Italian (where it can mean "merry") and is assumed to be ultimately from "alacer." 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 April 21, 2010 is: hawthorn • \HAW-thorn\ • noun : any of a genus (Crataegus) of spring-flowering spiny shrubs or small trees of the rose family with glossy and often lobed leaves, white or pink fragrant flowers, and small red fruits Examples: Susan said that for her, one of the signs that spring had truly arrived was the flowering of the hawthorn. Did you know? A hawthorn is a thorny shrub or tree which can be planted into a hedge, and this fact provides a hint about the origins of the plant's name. The word "hawthorn" traces back to the Old English word "hagathorn," a combination of "haga" ("hedge") and "thorn" (same meaning as the modern "thorn" or "thornbush"). "Haga" was also used in Old English for the hawthorn itself, but by the 12th century the "thorn" had been added to its name. 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 April 20, 2010 is: tousle • \TOW-zul\ • verb : dishevel, rumple Examples: Vic stood in front of the mirror and tousled his hair, trying to master the cool, disheveled look. Did you know? "Tousle" is a word that has been through what linguists call a "functional shift." That's a fancy way of saying it was originally one part of speech, then gradually came to have an additional function. "Tousle" started out as a verb back in the 15th century. By the late 19th century, "tousle" was also being used as a noun meaning "a tangled mass (as of hair)." Etymologists connect the word to an Old High German word meaning "to pull to pieces." 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 April 19, 2010 is: frowsy • \FROW-zee\ • adjective 1 : musty, stale 2 : having a slovenly or uncared-for appearance Examples: "Just a little effort and elbow grease applied to a frowsy courtyard, patio or side yard will reap rewards year round." (Elizabeth Bettendorf, St. Petersburg Times [Florida], April 6, 2007) Did you know? The exact origins of this approximately 330-year-old word may be lost in some frowsy, old book somewhere, but some etymologists have speculated that "frowsy" (also spelled "frowzy") shares a common ancestor with the younger, chiefly British word "frowsty," a synonym of "frowsy" in both its senses. That ancestor could be the Old French word "frouste," meaning "ruinous" or "decayed," or the now mostly obsolete English word "frough" or "frow," meaning "brittle" or "fragile." The English dramatist Thomas Otway is the first person (as far as we know) to have used "frowsy" in print. In his comedy "The Souldier's Fortune," published in 1681, the character Beau refers to another character as "a frouzy Fellmonger." 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 April 18, 2010 is: paean • \PEE-un\ • noun 1 : a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph 2 : a work that praises or honors its subject : encomium, tribute Examples: "I'm supposed to write a paean to Spring for my creative writing course, but all this rain just makes me depressed and uninspired," sighed Jessica. Did you know? According to the poet Homer, the Greek god Apollo sometimes took the guise of Paean, physician to the gods. The earliest musical paeans were hymns of thanksgiving and praise that were dedicated to Apollo. They were sung at events ranging from boisterous festivals to public funerals, and were the traditional marching songs of armies heading into battle. Over time, the word became generalized, and it is now used for any kind of tribute. 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 April 17, 2010 is: omnium-gatherum • \ahm-nee-um-GA-thuh-rum\ • noun : a miscellaneous collection (as of things or persons) Examples: The book, a collection of short stories, is an omnium-gatherum of works by various writers. Did you know? English abounds in Latin phrases. They roll off the learned tongue like peas off a fork. "Tabula rasa"; "ab ovo"; "a posteriori"; "deus ex machina"; "ex cathedra"; "mea culpa"; "terra firma"; "vox populi"; "ad hominem"; "sub rosa." "Omnium-gatherum" belongs on that list too, right? Not exactly. "Omnium-gatherum" sounds like Latin, and indeed “omnium” (the genitive plural of Latin "omnis," meaning "all") is the real thing. But "gatherum" is simply English "gather" with "-um" tacked on to give it a classical ring. We're not suggesting, however, that the phrase is anything less than literate. After all, the first person known to have used it was John Croke, a lawyer educated at Eton and Cambridge in the 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 April 16, 2010 is: cap-a-pie • \kap-uh-PEE\ • adverb : from head to foot Examples: Katie’s maid of honor, dressed cap-a-pie in purple satin, hurried up the walkway toward the church. Did you know? Think of a medieval knight riding off to battle completely encased (from head to foot, as it were) in armor. Knights thus outfitted were said to be "armed cap-a-pie." The term "cap-a-pie," which has been used in English since at least the 16th century, descends from the Middle French phrase "de cap a pe," meaning "from head to foot." Nowadays, it is generally extended to more figurative armor, as in "armed cap-a-pie against criticism." "Cap-a-pie" has also been credited with parenting another English phrase. Some people think the expression "apple-pie order," meaning "perfect order," may have originated as a corruption of "cap-a-pie order." The evidence for that theory is far from orderly, however, and it must be regarded as speculative. 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 April 15, 2010 is: scour • \SKOW-er\ • verb 1 : to move about quickly especially in search 2 : to go through or range over in or as if in a search Examples: "Then came the excitement of trying to locate the fallen quail, and now the dog became a major partner, for he scoured the terrain this way and that.…" (James Michener, Texas, 1985) Did you know? There are two verbs "scour" in English. One means to clean something by rubbing it hard with a rough object; that sense, from the 14th century, probably derives via Middle Dutch and Old French from a Late Latin verb meaning "to clean off." Today’s "scour," however, dates from the 13th century and is believed to derive via Middle English from Old Norse "skŪr," meaning "shower" (it also shares a distant relationship with our word "shower"). Many disparate things can be scoured. For example, one can scour an area (as in "scoured the woods in search of the lost dog") or publications (as in "scouring magazine and newspaper articles"). 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 April 14, 2010 is: vulnerable • \VUL-nuh-ruh-bul\ • adjective 1 : capable of being physically or emotionally wounded 2 : open to attack or damage : assailable Examples: James made sure to install the latest antivirus software on his computer so it would not be vulnerable to cyber attacks. Did you know? "Vulnerable" is ultimately derived from the Latin noun "vulnus" ("wound"). "Vulnus" led to the Latin verb "vulnerare," meaning "to wound," and then to the Late Latin adjective "vulnerabilis," which became "vulnerable" in English in the early 1600s. "Vulnerable" originally meant "capable of being physically wounded" or "having the power to wound" (the latter is now obsolete), but since the late 1600s, it has also been used figuratively to suggest a defenselessness against non-physical attacks. In other words, someone (or something) can be vulnerable to criticism or failure as well as to literal wounding. When it is used figuratively, "vulnerable" is often followed by the preposition "to." 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 April 13, 2010 is: cordial • \KOR-jul\ • adjective 1 : tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate 2 a : sincerely or deeply felt b : warmly and genially affable Examples: "Whenever I went out, I heard on all sides cordial salutations, and was welcomed with friendly smiles." (Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre) Did you know? "Cordial" shares the Latin root "cor" with "concord" (meaning "harmony") and "discord" (meaning "conflict"). "Cor" means "heart," and each of these "cor" descendants has something to do with the heart, at least figuratively. "Concord," which comes from "con-" (meaning "together" or "with") plus "cor," suggests that one heart is with another. "Discord" combines the prefix "dis-" (meaning "apart") with "cor," and it implies that hearts are apart. When "cordial" was first used in the 14th century, it literally meant "of or relating to the heart," but this sense has not been in use since the 17th century. Today anything that is "cordial," be it a welcome, a hello, or an agreement, comes from the heart in a figurative sense. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 12, 2010 is: frog-march • \FROG-march\ • verb : to seize from behind roughly and forcefully propel forward Examples: When the patron became loud and belligerent, a hulking bouncer swiftly pinned him in a half nelson and frog-marched him out the door. Did you know? There are a couple variations of the "frog's march" used to carry off an unruly person. The first involves carrying the person face downward by the arms and legs; when this is done by four people each holding a limb, the person's body resembles a stretched out frog. In another version the person is carried off by his collar and the seat of his pants, again giving the image of a frog but this time with limbs uselessly flailing about. These ways of moving a person gave us the verb "frog-march" in the late 19th century. The verb was also extended to cover more general, less frog-like, methods of removal, such as forcing the intractable individual forward with arms held in back or at the sides. 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 April 11, 2010 is: bravado • \bruh-VAH-doh\ • noun 1 a : blustering swaggering conduct b : a pretense of bravery 2 : the quality or state of being foolhardy Examples: The kayakers attempted the rapids out of sheer bravado, and capsized as a result; fortunately, they escaped with only some mild bruises and scrapes. Did you know? "Bravado" ultimately traces to the Old Italian adjective "bravo," meaning "courageous" or "wild." Nowadays, the wildness once associated with "bravado" has been tamed to an overbearing boldness that comes from arrogance or a position of power. Celebrities, political or corporate giants, and the schoolyard bully may all show "bravado" (though they often turn out to be not so tough after all). "Bravado" is also used for show-offish, daring acts that seem reckless and inconsistent with good sense, but might, nonetheless, be applauded with shouts of "Bravo!" when successful. The spectacular feats of stuntmen come to mind, for example. 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 April 10, 2010 is: tatterdemalion • \tatt-er-dih-MAIL-yun\ • adjective 1 : ragged or disreputable in appearance 2 : being in a decayed state or condition : dilapidated Examples: "What he wants to do is to get the tatterdemalion main building into shape so that it can be used as a retreat for priests and laymen, perhaps with profitable results." (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post, August 15, 2007) Did you know? The exact origin of "tatterdemalion" is uncertain, but it’s probably connected to either the noun "tatter" ("a torn scrap or shred") or the adjective "tattered" ("ragged" or "wearing ragged clothes"). We do know that "tatterdemalion" has been used in print since the 1600s. In its first documented use in 1608, it was used as a noun (as it still can be) to refer to a person in ragged clothing -- the type of person we might also call a ragamuffin. ("Ragamuffin," incidentally, predates "tatterdemalion" in this sense. Like "tatterdemalion," it may have been formed by combining a known word, "rag," with a fanciful ending.) Within half a dozen years of the first appearance of "tatterdemalion," it came to be used as an adjective to describe anything or anyone ragged or disreputable. 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 April 9, 2010 is: waif • \WAYF\ • noun 1 a : a piece of property found (as washed up by the sea) but unclaimed b : stolen goods thrown away by a thief in flight 2 a : something found without an owner and especially by chance b : a stray person or animal; especially : a homeless child Examples: The book is about a charming 10-year-old waif who embarks on a series of adventures with a scruffy canine sidekick. Did you know? Today's "waif" came from Anglo-French "waif," meaning "stray" or "unclaimed," and, further back, probably from a Scandinavian ancestor. It entered English in the 14th century and was followed approximately a century later by another "waif," this one meaning "a pennant or flag used to signal or to show wind direction," which English speakers derived independently, possibly from the same Scandinavian word. In its earliest uses, today's word referred to a piece of unclaimed property. It eventually developed other extended meanings before acquiring the "stray person or animal" sense. The skinny appearance typical of waifs resulted in the word being applied to people with skinny body types, beginning in the 1980s, though this sense hasn't yet found a home on the pages of our dictionaries. 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 April 8, 2010 is: inkling • \INK-ling\ • noun 1 : a slight indication or suggestion : hint, clue 2 : a slight knowledge or vague notion Examples: "She gained some inkling of the character of Hanson's life when, half asleep, she looked out into the dining-room at six o'clock and saw him silently finishing his breakfast." (Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie) Did you know? Originating in English in the early 16th century, "inkling" derives from Middle English "yngkiling," meaning "whisper or mention," and perhaps further from the verb "inclen," meaning "to hint at." It also shares a distant relationship with the Old English noun "inca," meaning "suspicion." An early sense of the word meant "a faint perceptible sound or undertone" or "rumor," but now people usually use the word to refer to a tiny bit of knowledge or information that a person receives about something. One related word you might not have heard of is the verb "inkle," a back-formation of "inkling" that occurs in some British English dialects and means "to have an idea or notion of." 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 April 7, 2010 is: eloquent • \EL-uh-kwunt\ • adjective 1 : marked by forceful and fluent expression 2 : vividly or movingly expressive or revealing Examples: Because Max is such an eloquent speaker, he was asked to give the toast at his grandfather's 75th birthday party. Did you know? Since "eloquent" can have to do with speaking, it makes sense that it comes from the Latin verb "loqui," which means "to speak." "Loqui" is the parent of many "talkative" offspring in English. "Loquacious," which means "given to fluent or excessive talk," also arose from "loqui." Another "loqui" relative is "circumlocution," a word that means someone is talking around a subject to avoid making a direct statement ("circum-" means "around"). And a "ventriloquist" is someone who makes his or her voice sound like it’s coming from another 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 April 6, 2010 is: tantalize • \TAN-tuh-lyze\ • verb : to tease or torment by or as if by presenting something desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of reach Examples: The older brother mercilessly tantalized the younger one, repeatedly holding out the ball to him only to snatch it back at the last second. Did you know? Pity poor King Tantalus of Phrygia. The mythic monarch offended the ancient Greek gods. As punishment, he was plunged up to his chin in water in Hades, where he had to stand beneath overhanging boughs of a tree heavily laden with ripe, juicy fruit. But though he was always hungry and thirsty, Tantalus could neither drink the water nor eat the fruit. Anytime he reached for them, they would retreat from him. Our word "tantalize" is taken from the name of the eternally tormented king. 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 April 5, 2010 is: sward • \SWORD\ • noun 1 : a portion of ground covered with grass 2 : the grassy surface of land Examples: "Students in flip-flops slap lazily across the green swards of campuses as bell music peals from the campaniles." (Sally Jenkins, The Washington Post, August 31, 2005) Did you know? "Sward," which sprouted up in the English language more than 500 years ago, is currently used more frequently as a surname than as a noun having to do with lawns and the like. Still, you'll find the occasional reference to a "green sward" or "grassy sward" in newspapers. And the term pops up in a number of old novels, such as in this quote from Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles: "The sun was so near the ground, and the sward so flat, that the shadows of Clare and Tess would stretch a quarter of a mile ahead of them...." "Sward" at one time referred to skin or rind, and especially to the rind of pork or bacon, although this meaning is now archaic. The word comes from the Old English "sweard" or "swearth," meaning "skin" or "rind." 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 April 4, 2010 is: irrupt • \ih-RUPT\ • verb 1 : to rush in forcibly or violently 2 : to undergo a sudden upsurge in numbers especially when natural ecological balances and checks are disturbed 3 : to become active or violent especially suddenly : erupt Examples: The stadium irrupted in applause for the local high school choir's outstanding rendition of the national anthem. Did you know? "Irrupt" and "erupt” have existed as discrete words since the 1800s. Both are descendants of the Latin verb "rumpere," which means "to break," but "irrupt" has affixed to it the prefix "ir-" (in the sense "into") while "erupt" begins with the prefix "e-" (meaning "out"). So "to irrupt" was originally to rush in, and "to erupt" was to burst out. But it's sometimes hard to distinguish the precise direction of a violent rush, and "irrupt" came to be used as a synonym of "erupt" in the senses "to become active or violent especially suddenly" and "to break forth," as in our example sentence. 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 April 3, 2010 is: dossier • \DOSS-yay\ • noun : a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject Examples: The suspect's dossier listed two arrests for grand theft auto and several more for breaking and entering. Did you know? Gather together various documents relating to the affairs of a certain individual, sort them into separate folders, label the spine of each folder, and arrange the folders in a box. "Dossier," the French word for such a compendium of spine-labeled folders, was picked up by English speakers in the late 19th century. It comes from "dos," the French word for "back," which is in turn derived from "dorsum," Latin for "back." Our word "dorsal" ("situated on the back"), as in the dorsal fin of a whale, comes from the same Latin source. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.