Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 16, 2009 is: pink • \PINK\ • verb 1 a : to perforate in an ornamental pattern b : to cut a saw-toothed edge on 2 a : pierce, stab b : to wound by irony, criticism, or ridicule Examples: "The sleek curtain requires no sewing; we pinked the edges to add a bit of detail." (Jennie Voorhees, Martha Stewart Living, April 2002) Did you know? Our unabridged dictionary, Webster's Third New International, includes 13 distinct entries for "pink," whereas our abridged volume, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate, satisfies itself with the five most common. (Words get distinct entries in our dictionaries when they have different etymologies or different parts of speech.) Today's "pink," the only verb of the five, is from a Middle English word meaning "to thrust." Of the remaining four, the only "pink" older than the verb (which dates to 1503) is a 15th century noun referring to a kind of ship. The next-oldest noun has since 1573 referred to a genus of herbs. The noun referring to the color pink and its related adjective date to 1678 and 1720, respectively. Evidence suggests that a new verb "pink" -- a synonym of the verb "pink-slip" -- is also emerging. 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 September 15, 2009 is: sternutation • \ster-nyuh-TAY-shun\ • noun : the act, fact, or noise of sneezing Examples: Julie knew that she had put on too much perfume when she entered the car and immediately heard a chorus of sternutation from the passengers. Did you know? "Sternutation" comes from Latin and is a descendant of the verb "sternuere," meaning "to sneeze." One of the earliest known English uses occurred in a 16th-century edition of a book on midwifery, in a passage about infants suffering from frequent "sternutation and sneesynge." The term has long been used in serious medical contexts, but also on occasion for humorous effect. In 1850, for example, author Grace Greenwood observed that U.S. senators from opposing political parties would often come together to share snuff: "And all three forget their sectional differences in a delightful concert of sternutation. No business is too grave, no speaker too eloquent, to be 'sneezed at.'" 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 September 14, 2009 is: intestate • \in-TESS-tayt\ • adjective 1 : having made no valid will 2 : not disposed of by will Examples: Mark and Joan worried about what would happen to their child if they died intestate, so they hired a lawyer to draw up a will soon after the baby was born. Did you know? "Intestate" was borrowed into English in the 14th century from Latin "intestatus," which was itself formed by combining the prefix "in-" ("not") and the adjective "testatus," meaning "having left a valid will." "Testatus," in turn, derives from the past participle of the verb "testari," meaning "to make a will." Approximately a century later, English speakers returned to "testatus" to coin the word "testate," which also means "having left a valid will." Other descendants of "testari" in English include "detest," "protest," and "testament," as well as "testator" ("a person who dies leaving a will or testament in force"). The antonym of "testator" is the noun "intestate," meaning "one who dies without a will." 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 September 13, 2009 is: peregrination • \pair-uh-gruh-NAY-shun\ • noun : an excursion especially on foot or to a foreign country : journey Examples: The eccentric millionaire set out on a peregrination around the world, in search of the perfect wine to complement his favorite meal. Did you know? We begin our narrative of the linguistic travels of "peregrination" with the Latin word "peregrinus," which means "foreign" or "foreigner." That term also gave us the words "pilgrim" and "peregrine," the latter of which once meant "alien" but is now used as an adjective meaning "tending to wander" and a noun naming a kind of falcon. (The peregrine falcon is so named because it was traditionally captured during its first flight -- or pilgrimage -- from the nest.) From "peregrinus" we travel to the Latin verb "peregrinari" ("to travel in foreign lands") and its past participle "peregrinatus." Our final destination is the adoption into English in the 16th century of both "peregrination" and the verb "peregrinate" ("to travel especially on foot" or "to traverse"). 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 September 12, 2009 is: munificent • \myoo-NIF-uh-sunt\ • adjective 1 : very liberal in giving or bestowing : lavish 2 : characterized by great liberality or generosity Examples: At the banquet, the president of the city's performing arts center thanked all the munificent subscribers and sponsors who made the theatrical season a success. Did you know? "Munificent" was formed back in the late 1500s when English speakers, perhaps inspired by similar words such as "magnificent," altered the ending of "munificence." "Munificence" in turn comes from "munificus," the Latin word for "generous," which itself comes from "munus," a Latin noun that is variously translated as "gift," "duty," or "service." "Munus" has done a fine service to English by giving us other terms related to service or compensation, including "municipal" and "remunerate." 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 September 11, 2009 is: causerie • \kohz-REE\ • noun 1 : an informal conversation : chat 2 : a short informal essay Examples: After the table was cleared and coffee was served, the dinner guests rose and continued their causerie in the other room. Did you know? "Causerie" first appeared in English in the early 19th century, and it can be traced back to French "causer" ("to chat") and ultimately to Latin "causa" ("cause, reason"). The word was originally used to refer to a friendly or informal conversation. Then, in 1849, the author and critic Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve began publishing a weekly column devoted to literary topics in the French newspaper Le Constitutionnel. These critical essays were called "Causeries du lundi" ("Monday chats") and were later collected into a series of books of the same name. After that, the word "causerie" acquired a second sense in English, referring to a brief, informal article or essay. 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 September 10, 2009 is: slough • \SLUFF\ • verb 1 : to cast off or become cast off 2 : to crumble slowly and fall away 3 : to get rid of or discard as irksome, objectionable, or disadvantageous -- usually used with off Examples: "As the war advanced the armies reluctantly sloughed off such amenities as two-man tents." (Paul Fussell, Wartime) Did you know? There are two verbs spelled "slough" in English, as well as two nouns, and both sets have different pronunciations. The first noun, referring to a swamp or a discouraged state of mind, is pronounced to rhyme with either "blue" or "cow." Its related verb, which can mean "to plod through mud," has the same pronunciation. The second noun, pronounced to rhyme with "cuff," refers to the shed skin of a snake (as well as anything else that has been cast off). Its related verb describes the action of shedding or eliminating something, just like a snake sheds its skin. This "slough" derives from Middle English "slughe" and is distantly related to a Middle High German word meaning "snakeskin." 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 September 9, 2009 is: ennead • \EN-ee-ad\ • noun : a group of nine Examples: Immediately following the show, viewers will be able to call or text in their votes for their favorite among this ennead of remaining contestants. Did you know? Since ancient times, various groups of people have considered nine to be a very special and sacred number. Legends and literature have long characterized groups of nine as having a special, in some cases magical, significance. Ancient Egyptians organized their gods into groups of nine; even today, their principal group of gods (headed by sun god Re-Atum) is called the "Great Ennead of Heliopolis." The "Ennead" English speakers use in that name traces to "ennea," the Greek word for "nine." "Ennead" is also used generally to refer to other groups of ancient gods. Furthermore, it is the name given to six sets of nine treatises by Greek philosopher Plotinus that were collected and organized by his 3rd-century disciple, Porphyry. 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 September 8, 2009 is: marmoreal • \marh-MOR-ee-ul\ • adjective : of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue especially in coldness or aloofness Examples: Mary sat silently in the corner of the room, her face expressing nothing but marmoreal calm. Did you know? Most marble-related words in English were chiseled from the Latin noun "marmor," meaning "marble." "Marmor" gave our language the word "marble" itself in the 12th century. It is also the parent of "marmoreal," which has been used in English since the mid-1600s. "Marbleize," another "marmor" descendant, came later, making its print debut around 1859. 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 September 7, 2009 is: ripsnorter • \RIP-SNOR-ter\ • noun : something extraordinary : humdinger Examples: "Inevitably, good and evil clash in a ripsnorter of a final battle, but along the way, there is action, adventure, danger, comic relief and -- always -- very good eating." (Sue Corbette, The Miami Herald, January 22, 1999) Did you know? English speakers of the mid-19th century already had the term "snorter" at their disposal if they wanted a colorful term for something extraordinary, but that didn't stop speakers in the U.S. from throwing the verb "rip" onto the front of the word to create "ripsnorter." And they didn't stop there: By the time the 20th century had reached its quarter mark, U.S. speakers had added "hummer," "humdinger" (probably an alteration of "hummer"), "pip" (from "pippin," a kind of crisp, tart apple and a term for a highly admirable person or thing), and "doozy" (thought to be an alteration of "daisy") to the catalog of words for the striking or extraordinary. 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 September 6, 2009 is: irenic • \eye-REN-ik\ • adjective : favoring, conducive to, or operating toward peace, moderation, or conciliation Examples: In an irenic gesture, the country has withdrawn its military forces from the border. Did you know? In Greek mythology, Eirene was one of the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons and natural order; in the Iliad the Horae are the custodians of the gates of Olympus. According to Hesiod, the Horae were the daughters of Zeus and a Titaness named Themis, and their names indicate their function and relation to human life. Eirene was the goddess of peace. Her name is also the Greek word for "peace," and it gave rise to "irenic" and other peaceable terms including "irenics" (a theological term for advocacy of Christian unity), "Irena" (the genus name of two species of birds found in southern Asia and the Philippines), and the name "Irene." 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 September 5, 2009 is: futurity • \fyoo-TOOR-uh-tee\ • noun 1 : time to come : future 2 : the quality or state of being future 3 : future events or prospects Examples: The motivational speaker exhorted us to change the way we live today, rather than looking always toward some vague distant futurity. Did you know? "Futurity" is a forward-looking word with a literate past. Its first known use is in Shakespeare's Othello, when the downtrodden Cassio, mystified about why Othello has turned against him, beseeches Desdemona to tell him whether his "offense be of such mortal kind / That nor my service past, nor present sorrows, / Nor purpos'd merit in futurity / Can ransom me into his love again." The term was also used by Benjamin Franklin ("I must one of these days go back to see him . . . but futurities are uncertain"), and Sir Walter Scott wrote of events "still in the womb of futurity" (that is, events that hadn't happened yet). Today, "futurity" often refers to a race, usually for two-year-old horses, in which the competitors are entered at birth or before, or to a race or competition for which entries are made well in advance of the event. 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 September 4, 2009 is: comminute • \KAH-muh-noot\ • verb : to reduce to minute particles : pulverize Examples: A mortar and pestle are used to comminute the herbs and roots before introducing them into the distilled alcohol. Did you know? What do "comminute," "pulverize," and "triturate" all have in common? All three words are derived from Latin and share the meaning "to reduce to small particles." "Comminute" can be traced back to the prefix "com-" and the verb "minuere," meaning "to lessen." "Pulverize" descends from a combination of "pulver-," meaning "dust" or "powder," with the suffix "-izare," which -- like the English "-ize" -- can mean "to cause to be." "Triturate" is borrowed from the past participle of the Latin "triturare," which means "to thresh." "Triturate" specifically refers to the use of rubbing or grinding to achieve pulverization, a process which could be said to resemble the use of rubbing to separate grains from harvested cereal plants. 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 September 3, 2009 is: bibelot • \BEE-buh-loh\ • noun : a small household ornament or decorative object : trinket Examples: Donna's children often tease her about her hobby of collecting quaint bibelots, which can be found everywhere throughout her house. Did you know? Can you think of a six-letter synonym of "bibelot" that starts with the letter "g"? No? How about an eight-letter one? Crossword puzzle whizzes might guess that the words we are thinking of are "gewgaw" and "gimcrack." But "bibelot," which English speakers borrowed from French in the late 1800s, has uses beyond wordplay. In addition to its general use as a synonym of "trinket," it can refer specifically to a miniature book of elegant design (such as those made by Tiffany and Faberge). It also appears regularly in the names of things as diverse as restaurants and show dogs. 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 September 2, 2009 is: inflammable • \in-FLAM-uh-bul\ • adjective 1 : flammable 2 : easily inflamed, excited, or angered : irascible Examples: The messenger trembled as he stuttered out the news of the army's defeat to the highly inflammable king. Did you know? "Combustible" and "incombustible" are opposites but "flammable" and "inflammable" are synonyms. Why? The "in-" of "incombustible" is a common prefix meaning "not," but the "in-" of "inflammable" is a different prefix. "Inflammable," which dates back to 1605, descends from Latin "inflammare" ("to inflame"), itself from "in-" (here meaning "in" or "into") plus "flammare" ("to flame"). "Flammable" also comes from "flammare," but didn't enter English until 1813. In the early 20th century, firefighters worried that people might think "inflammable" meant "not able to catch fire," so they adopted "flammable" and "nonflammable" as official safety labels and encouraged their use to prevent confusion. In general use, "flammable" is now the preferred term for describing things that can catch fire, but "inflammable" is still occasionally used with that meaning 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 September 1, 2009 is: holus-bolus • \hoh-lus-BOH-lus\ • adverb : all at once Examples: Incredibly, the company shuttered its factory holus-bolus, with no regard for the livelihoods of the men and women working there. Did you know? The story of "holus-bolus" is not a hard one to swallow. "Holus-bolus" originated in English dialect in the mid-19th century and is believed to be a waggish reduplication of the word "bolus." "Bolus" is from the Greek word "bolos," meaning "lump," and has retained that Greek meaning. In English, "bolus" has additionally come to mean "a large pill," "a mass of chewed food," or "a dose of a drug given intravenously." Considering this "lumpish" history, it's not hard to see how "holus-bolus," a word meaning "all at once" or "all in a lump," came about. 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 31, 2009 is: daedal • \DEE-dul\ • adjective 1 a : skillful, artistic b : intricate 2 : adorned with many things Examples: The filmmaker makes daedal use of lighting effects and camera angles to create a noirish atmosphere. Did you know? You might know Daedalus as the mythological prisoner who fashioned wings of feathers and wax to escape from the island of Crete with his son Icarus. But it was as architect and sculptor, one said to have designed a labyrinth for King Minos on Crete, that he earned his name. "Daedalus" (from Greek "daidalos") is Latin for "skillfully wrought." The same skillful Latin adjective gave English the adjectives "daedal" (in use since the 16th century) and "Daedalian" (or "Daedalean"), a synonym of "daedal." 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 30, 2009 is: jacquerie • \zhah-kuh-REE\ • noun : a peasants' revolt Examples: "In light of inadequate social safety nets and the probability of further economic turndowns, the regime's fear of an anti-government jacquerie is not far-fetched." (David Aikman, The American Spectator, March 2000) Did you know? The first jacquerie was an insurrection of peasants against the nobility in northeastern France in 1358, so-named from the nobles' habit of referring contemptuously to any peasant as "Jacques," or "Jacques Bonhomme." It took some time -- 150 years -- for the name of the first jacquerie to become a generalized term for other revolts. The term is also occasionally used to refer to the peasant class, as when Madame Defarge in Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities tells her husband to "consider the faces of all the world that we know, consider the rage and discontent to which the Jacquerie addresses itself with more and more of certainty every hour." 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 29, 2009 is: defile • \dih-FYLE\ • verb : to march off in a line Examples: "A long line of boys carrying crates of striped tulips, and of yellow and red roses, defiled in front of him, threading their way through the huge, jade-green piles of vegetables." (Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray) Did you know? The "defile" that means "to contaminate," a homograph of today's Word of the Day, dates back to the 14th century and is derived from the Old French verb "defouler," meaning "to trample on" or "mistreat." Today's word, on the other hand, arrived in English in the early 18th century. It is also from French, but is derived from the verb "défiler," formed by combining "de-" with "filer" ("to move in a column"). "Défiler" is also the source of the English noun "defile," which means "narrow passage or gorge." 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 28, 2009 is: chauffeur • \SHOH-fer\ • noun : a person employed to drive a motor vehicle Examples: The teenagers hired a limousine with a chauffeur to take them to the prom in style. Did you know? Here's a hot tip about the origins of today's word: the first chauffeurs were people employed to stoke a steam engine and keep it running. The literal meaning of the French noun "chauffeur" (from the verb "chauffer," meaning "to heat") is "one that heats." In the early days of automobiles, French speakers extended the word to those who drove the "horseless carriage," and it eventually developed an extended sense specifically for someone hired to drive other people. It was this latter sense that was borrowed into English in the late 19th century. Incidentally, the French word "chauffeur" derives from the same Anglo-French word that gave English speakers the verb "chafe," and ultimately can be traced back to the Latin verb "calēre" ("to be warm"). 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 27, 2009 is: eleemosynary • \el-ih-MAH-suh-nair-ee\ • adjective : of, relating to, or supported by charity Examples: "All politicians realize that senior citizens are the biggest contributors to eleemosynary causes … and are the most dependable source of volunteer hours for the public well-being." (Louis J. Finkle, The Biloxi Sun Herald [Mississippi], May 24, 2008) Did you know? While you may not agree with the grammarian who asserted that "a long and learned word like this should only be used under the stress of great need," you might find that remembering how to spell "eleemosynary" makes you tend to use its synonym "charitable" instead. The good people of early England had mercy on themselves when it came to spelling and shortened the root of "eleemosynary," the Latin "eleemosyna," to "ælmes," which they used as their word for "charity." (You may be more familiar with "alms," an "ælmes" derivative that came to denote food or money given to the poor.) The original Latin root was resurrected in the early 17th century to give us the spelling challenge of the adjective we feature 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 26, 2009 is: dead hand • \DED-HAND\ • noun 1 : an inalienable possession of property by a church or corporation 2 : the oppressive influence of the past Examples: "If newspapers wish to survive," said Edward, "then editors need to wrest free from the dead hand of print journalism and embrace the more dynamic capabilities of the Web." Did you know? Does "dead hand" make you picture a pale dismembered hand creeping slowly toward its next unsuspecting victim? If so, you're in for a surprise -- but not a scary one. "Dead hand" is a literal translation of the etymology of an older English word, "mortmain," which comes from the Old French words "morte" (meaning "dead") and "main" (meaning "hand"). In very unspooky terms, the words describe property that is left to a company, church, or charity in perpetuity. The "oppressive past influence" sense of both "mortmain" and "dead hand" developed from the idea of the dead exercising posthumous control over their property by dictating how it must be used after they die. 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 25, 2009 is: empyreal • \em-pye-REE-ul\ • adjective 1 : of or relating to the firmament : celestial 2 : sublime Examples: Night after night, the comet shone brightly against the empyreal tapestry of the sky. Did you know? "Empyreal" can be traced back to the Greek word for "fiery," "empyros," which was formed from the prefix "em-" ("in," "within," or "inside") and "-pyros," from "pyr," the Greek word for "fire." When "empyreal" entered the English language -- via the Late Latin "empyreus" or "empyrius"-- in the 15th century, it specifically referred to things related to the empyrean, the highest heaven or outermost heavenly sphere of ancient and medieval cosmology, which was often thought to contain or be composed of the element of fire. In the works of Christian writers -- such as Dante's Divine Comedy and John Milton's Paradise Lost -- this outermost heavenly sphere was associated with the Christian paradise. "Empyreal" is now also used more broadly in the senses of "celestial" and "sublime." 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 24, 2009 is: proffer • \PRAH-fer\ • verb : to present for acceptance : tender, offer Examples: Several recommendations were proffered by the financial board on how to reduce the city's debt without making drastic cuts in department budgets. Did you know? You may notice a striking similarity between "proffer" and "offer." Are the two words connected by etymology? Yes, indeed. "Proffer" comes from Anglo-French "profrer," which itself is an alteration of the earlier "porofrir." That word in turn combines "por-" (which means "forth" and is related to our "pro-") and "offrir" (which means "to offer" and is an ancestor of our word "offer"). "Proffer" entered English in the 14th century. A more literary word than plain "offer," it adds or puts stress on the idea of voluntariness, spontaneity, or courtesy on the part of the one doing the tendering. 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 23, 2009 is: qua • \KWAH\ • preposition : in the capacity or character of : as Examples: The school gym qua dance floor was where Oscar and Nanette fell in love. Did you know? Which way? Who? No, we’re not paraphrasing lines from the old Abbott and Costello routine "Who’s on First?"; we’re referring to the etymology of "qua," a term that comes to us from Latin. It can be translated as "which way" or "as," and it is a derivative of the Latin "qui," meaning "who." "Qua" has been serving English in the capacity of a preposition since the 17th century. It’s a learned but handy little word that led one 20th-century usage writer to comment: "Qua is sometimes thought affected or pretentious, but it does convey meaning economically." 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 22, 2009 is: animadversion • \an-uh-mad-VER-zhun\ • noun 1 : a critical and usually censorious remark -- often used with "on" 2 : adverse criticism Examples: The film critic seems to have offered animadversions on nearly every movie made this year. Did you know? "Animadversion" comes ultimately from the Latin phrase "animum advertere," meaning "to turn the mind to." It is easy to see how we also get "adverse" and "adversary" from "advertere," especially when we remember that "to turn to" easily becomes "to turn against." Other English words descended from "advertere" include "advert," meaning "to turn the attention (to)" or "to make reference (to)," and "advertise." 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 21, 2009 is: spear-carrier • \SPEER-kair-ee-er\ • noun 1 a : a member of an opera chorus b : a bit actor in a play 2 : a person whose actions are of little significance or value in an event or organization Examples: Although the former aide was only a spear-carrier in the then-President's administration, his recently published memoir, which points an accusatory finger at several key players, is causing quite a stir. Did you know? "Spear-carrier" began to be used for a person having a non-speaking or supernumerary role in opera or theater in the 1950s. The name likely came from the nondescript, often spear-carrying soldiers who appear in the background or as walk-ons in plays about ancient Rome or Greece. Off-stage, "spear-carrier" refers to a person having a minimal role in the undertaking of some major event or in the workings of some major organization. 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 20, 2009 is: contemn • \kun-TEM\ • verb : to view or treat with contempt : scorn Examples: Jacob believes that any rational scientist must contemn theories of magic and the supernatural. Did you know? "Contemn" is derived from the Latin verb "contemnere," a word formed by combining "con-" and "temnere" ("to despise"). Surprisingly, our verb may have come within a hair's breadth of being spelled "contempn." The Middle French word "contempner" arrived in Middle English as "contempnen," but that extra "p" disappeared, leaving us with "contemn." You may be wondering about the connection between "contemn" and "contempt," and not surprisingly, they are related. "Contempt" comes from Latin "contemptus," which comes from "contemnere." "Contemn" first turned up in print in the 15th century; "contempt" dates from the 14th 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 August 19, 2009 is: inordinate • \in-OR-dun-ut\ • adjective : exceeding reasonable limits : immoderate Examples: Mary complained that she had to spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up after her two sloppy roommates. Did you know? At one time if something was "inordinate," it did not conform to the expected or desired order of things. That sense, synonymous with "disorderly" or "unregulated," is now archaic, but it offers a hint at the origins of "inordinate." The word traces back to the Latin verb "ordinare," meaning "to arrange," combined with the negative prefix "in-." "Ordinare" is also the ancestor of such English words as "coordination," "subordinate," "ordination," and "ordain." "Ordinare" did not give us "order," "orderly," or "disorderly," but the root of those words is the same Latin noun ("ordo") from which "ordinare" itself derives. 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 18, 2009 is: canicular • \kuh-NIK-yuh-ler\ • adjective : of or relating to the dog days (the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere) Examples: During the canicular heat of August, many of the town's residents venture to the local swimming hole in search of a way to stay cool. Did you know? The Latin word "canicula," meaning "small dog," is the diminutive form of "canis," source of the English word "canine." "Canicula" is also the Latin name for Sirius, the star that represents the hound of Orion in the constellation named for that hunter from Roman and Greek mythology. Because the first visible rising of Sirius occurs during the summer, the hot sultry days that occur from early July to early September came to be associated with the Dog Star. The Greeks called this time of year "hēmerai kynades," which the Romans translated into Latin as "dies caniculares," or as we know them in English, "the dog days." 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 17, 2009 is: trichologist • \trih-KAH-luh-jist\ • noun : a person who specializes in hair and scalp care; broadly : a person whose occupation is the dressing or cutting of hair Examples: "You don't need to pay a trichologist or rely on hair-loss cure advertisements in magazines: your GP can conduct a series of blood tests to locate the problem." (David Fentonis, The Times [London], July 4, 2009) Did you know? Although you can accurately call the person who cuts your hair your "trichologist" if you want to, the term is usually applied as it is in our example sentence: to someone who studies and treats hair and scalp ailments. The "trich" in "trichologist" is the Greek "trich-," stem of "thrix," meaning "hair." This root makes an appearance in a number of other similarly technical-sounding words, such as "trichiasis" ("a turning inward of the eyelashes often causing irritation of the eyeball"), "trichome" ("an epidermal hair structure on a plant"), and "trichotillomania" ("an abnormal desire to pull out one's hair"). 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 16, 2009 is: abstemious • \ab-STEE-mee-us\ • adjective : marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol; also : reflecting such restraint Examples: Anthony's midlife heart attack opened his eyes to the importance of taking care of his body and turned him to a more abstemious and healthful lifestyle. Did you know? "Abstemious" and "abstain" look alike, and both have meanings involving self-restraint or self-denial. So they must both come from the same root, right? Yes and no. Both get their start from the Latin prefix "abs-," meaning "from" or "away," but "abstain" traces to "abs-" plus the Latin verb "tenēre" (meaning "to hold"), while "abstemious" gets its "-temious" from a suffix akin to the Latin noun "temetum," meaning "intoxicating drink." 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 15, 2009 is: chorography • \kuh-RAH-gruh-fee\ • noun 1 : the art of describing or mapping a region or district 2 : a description or map of a region; also : the physical conformation and features of such a region Examples: This highly detailed and embellished perspective drawing of the city and the surrounding lands is a fine example of 16th-century chorography. Did you know? The word "chorography" was borrowed in the 16th century from Latin "chorographia," which in turn comes from Greek "chōrographia," a combination of "chōros" ("place") and "graphia" ("writing"). Chorography was distinguished from geography in that the former was concerned with smaller regions and specific locations whereas the latter was concerned with larger regions or with the world in general. The maps and the art of mapping that once were the field of chorography have since passed into the spheres of geography and topography. As with the art it names, the word "chorography" is now primarily encountered in historical discussions of geography and cartography. 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, 2009 is: El Dorado • \el-duh-RAH-doh\ • noun 1 : a city or country of fabulous riches held by 16th century explorers to exist in South America 2 : a place of fabulous wealth or opportunity Examples: "To outsiders, California’s Silicon Valley looks like a contemporary El Dorado." (Time Magazine, Sept. 3, 1984) Did you know? In the early 1500s, Spanish conquistadores heard tales of an Amazonian king who regularly coated his body with gold dust, then plunged into a nearby lake to wash it off while being showered with gold and jewels thrown by his subjects. The Spaniards called the city ruled by this flamboyant monarch "El Dorado," Spanish for “gilded one,” and the story of the gold-covered king eventually grew into a legend of a whole country paved with gold. These days, “El Dorado” can also used generically for any place of vast riches, abundance, or opportunity. It is also the name of actual cities in Arkansas and Kansas. 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, 2009 is: ingratiate • \in-GRAY-shee-ayt\ • verb : to gain favor or favorable acceptance for by deliberate effort -- usually used with "with" Examples: Even though the candidate is doing everything he can to ingratiate himself with voters, he still finds himself trailing in the polls. Did you know? Seventeenth-century English speakers combined the Latin noun "gratia," meaning "grace" or "favor," with the English prefix "in-" to create the verb "ingratiate." When you ingratiate yourself, you are putting yourself in someone's good graces to gain their approval or favor. English words related to "ingratiate" include "gratis" and "gratuity." Both of these reflect something done or given as a favor through the good graces of the giver. 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, 2009 is: florilegium • \flor-uh-LEE-jee-um\ • noun : a volume of writings : anthology Examples: This florilegium of British poetry up to 1760 includes the classics that we have all come to love along with a few relatively unknown gems that are sure to delight and inspire. Did you know? Editors who compile florilegia (to use the plural form of today's word) can be thought of as gathering a bouquet of sweet literary blossoms. English speakers picked up "florilegium" from a New Latin word that derives from Latin "florilegus," which can be translated as "culling flowers." In fact, "florilegium" initially applied to a collection of flowers, and later to books about flowers, but it wasn't long before the word began to be used for (as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it) "a collection of the flowers of literature." And "florilegium" isn't the only English collecting term with a floral heritage; its synonym "anthology" comes from the Greek word for "flower gathering." 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, 2009 is: dernier cri • \dairn-yay-KREE\ • noun : the newest fashion Examples: When it came to shopping for a new wardrobe for school, Jacqueline tended to ignore the dernier cri and would instead pick clothes that suited her own tastes. Did you know? Paris has long been the last word in fashion, but hot designer clothes from the city's renowned runways aren’t the only stylish French exports. Words, too, sometimes come with a French label. "Dernier cri," literally "last cry," is one such chic French borrowing. The word is no trendy fad, however. More than a century has passed since "dernier cri" was the latest thing on the English language scene (and cut-steel jewelry was declared the dernier cri by the Westminster Gazette of December 10, 1896), but the term (unlike cut-steel) remains as modish as ever. Other fashionable French words have walked the runways of the English language since then: "blouson" (1904); "couture" (1908); "culotte" (1911); "lamé" (a clothing fabric, 1922); and "bikini" (1947), to name a few. 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, 2009 is: expatiate • \ek-SPAY-shee-ayt\ • verb 1 : to move about freely or at will : wander 2 : to speak or write at length or in detail Examples: The middle schoolers grew restless as Mr. Donald expatiated on Pluto's classification as a dwarf planet. Did you know? The Latin antecedent of "expatiate" is "exspatiari," which combines the prefix "ex-" ("out of") with "spatiari" ("to take a walk"), itself from "spatium" ("space" or "course"). "Exspatiari" means "to wander from a course" and, in the figurative sense, "to digress." But when English speakers began using "expatiate" in 1538, we took "wander" as simply "to move about freely." In a similar digression from the original Latin, we began using "expatiate" in a figurative sense of "to speak at length." That's the sense of the word most often used these days, usually in combination with "on" or "upon." 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, 2009 is: cantankerous • \kan-TANK-uh-rus\ • adjective : difficult or irritating to deal with Examples: The workers were glad when their cantankerous old boss finally retired, and they have not missed his browbeating criticisms and endless complaints. Did you know? It's irritating, but we're not absolutely sure where "cantankerous" comes from. Etymologists think it probably derived from the Middle English word "contack" (or "contek"), which meant "contention" or "strife." Their idea is that "cantankerous" may have started out as "contackerous" but was later modified as a result of association or confusion with "rancorous" (meaning "spiteful") and "cankerous" (which describes something that spreads corruption of the mind or spirit). Considering that a cantankerous person generally has the spite associated with "contack" and "rancor," and the noxious and sometimes painful effects of a "canker," that theory seems plausible. What we can say with conviction is that "cantankerous" has been used in English since at least the late 1700s. 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, 2009 is: sparge • \SPAHRJ\ • verb 1 : sprinkle, bespatter; especially : spray 2 : to agitate (a liquid) by means of compressed air or gas entering through a pipe Examples: Part of the disinfecting process at the new water treatment plant may involve sparging the water with ozone bubbles. Did you know? Etymologists think that "sparge" likely came to English by way of the Middle French word "espargier," itself from Latin "spargere," meaning "to scatter." ("Spargere" is also the source of "disperse," "intersperse," and "sparse," among others.) Although "sparge" has been a synonym for "sprinkle" since the late 16th century, you're now most likely to come across this word in one of two contexts. The first is a process called "air sparging," in which air is injected into groundwater to help remediate contamination. The second is the process of beer making, during which mash is sparged -- that is, sprayed with hot water to extract the wort. In The New World Guide to Beer, author Michael Jackson describes the process by which one particular beer is made, saying that "it is brewed only from first running, without sparging...." 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, 2009 is: smithereens • \smih-thuh-REENZ\ • noun : fragments, bits Examples: Had the ceramic vase fallen off the mantel, it would have smashed into smithereens. Did you know? Despite its American sound and its common use by the fiery animated cartoon character Yosemite Sam, "smithereens" did not originate in American slang. Although no one is entirely positive about its precise origins, scholars think that "smithereens" likely developed from the Irish word "smidiríní," which means "little bits." That Irish word is the diminutive of "smiodar," meaning "fragment." Written record of the use of "smithereen" dates back to 1829. 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, 2009 is: demean • \dih-MEEN\ • verb : to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner Examples: Sylvia was proud of the polite way her young children demeaned themselves in front of the dinner guests. Did you know? There are two words spelled "demean" in English. The more familiar "demean" -- "to lower in character, status, or reputation" -- comes straight from "mean," the adjective that means "spiteful." Today's featured word, on the other hand, comes from the Anglo-French verb "demener" ("to conduct"), which in turn comes from Latin "minare," meaning "to drive." This verb has been with us since the 14th century and is generally used in contexts specifying a type of behavior: "he demeaned himself in a most unfriendly manner"; "she demeaned herself as befitting her station in life"; "they knew not how to demean themselves in the king's presence." As you may have already guessed, the noun "demeanor," meaning "behavior," comes from this "demean." 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, 2009 is: philoprogenitive • \fill-uh-proh-JEN-uh-tiv\ • adjective 1 : tending to produce offspring : prolific 2 : of, relating to, or characterized by love of offspring Examples: "As the multitudes born in the philoprogenitive years following World War II leave the labor force after 2010, the retired population will mushroom." (A.F. Ehrbar, Fortune, August 1980) Did you know? "Philoprogenitive" (a combination of "phil-," meaning "loving" or "having an affinity for," and Latin "progenitus," meaning "begot" or "begotten") can refer to the production of offspring or to the loving of them. Nineteenth-century phrenologists used the word to designate the "bump" or "organ" of the brain believed to be the seat of a parent's instinctual love for his or her children. Despite the word's scientific look and sound, however, it appears, albeit not very frequently, in all types of writing -- technical, literary, informal, and 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 August 4, 2009 is: tantivy • \tan-TIV-ee\ • adverb : in a headlong dash : at a gallop Examples: Once the school bell sounded signaling dismissal, the children rose from their desks and headed tantivy for the exits. Did you know? "Tantivy" is also a noun meaning "a rapid gallop" or "an impetuous rush." Although its precise origin isn't known, one theory has it that "tantivy" represents the sound of a galloping horse's hooves. The noun does double duty as a word meaning "the blare of a trumpet or horn." The second use probably evolved from confusion with "tantara," a word for the sound of a trumpet that came about as an imitation of that sound. Both "tantivy" and "tantara" were used during foxhunts; in the heat of the chase people may have jumbled the two. 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, 2009 is: daymare • \DAY-mair\ • noun : a nightmarish fantasy experienced while awake Examples: Through therapy, the patient has begun to experience some relief from the daymares she's been having since the traumatic event. Did you know? Long ago, the word "nightmare" designated an evil spirit that made its victims feel like they were suffocating in their sleep (prompting physician-botanist William Turner to introduce "a good remedy agaynst the stranglyng of the nyght mare" in 1562). By the early 1700s, the Age of Reason had arrived, nightmares were bad dreams, and "daymare" was a logically analogous choice when English speakers sought a word for a frightening and uncontrollable fantasy, a run-away daydream. And since the 1800s, when Charles Dickens wrote "a monstrous load that I was obliged to bear, a daymare that there was no possibility of breaking in, a weight that brooded on my wits" in David Copperfield, we’ve been using "daymare" figuratively. For example, today we might refer to "a logistical daymare." 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, 2009 is: levigate • \LEV-uh-gayt\ • verb 1 : polish, smooth 2 a : to grind to a fine smooth powder while in moist condition b : to separate (fine powder) from coarser material by suspending in a liquid Examples: The formula in the old pharmacopoeia first instructs the reader to levigate zinc oxide and calcium carbonate with linseed oil. Did you know? "Levigate" comes from Latin "levigatus," the past participle of the verb "levigare" ("to make smooth"). "Levigare" is derived in part from "levis," the Latin word for "smooth." "Alleviate" and "levity" can also be traced back to a Latin "levis," and the "levi-" root in both words might suggest a close relationship with "levigate." This is not the case, however. The Latin "levis" that gives us "alleviate" and "levity" does not mean "smooth," but "light" (in the sense of having little weight). One possible relative of "levigate" in English is "oblivion," which comes from the Latin "oblivisci" ("to forget"), a word which may be a combination of "ob-" ("in the way") and the "levis" that means "smooth." 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, 2009 is: gallimaufry • \gal-uh-MAW-free\ • noun : hodgepodge Examples: I was ready to leave the flea market, when, on one table, among a gallimaufry of undistinguished objects, I caught sight of an exquisite silver spoon engraved with my initials. Did you know? If the word "gallimaufry" doesn't make your mouth water, it may be because you don't know its history. In the 16th century, Middle-French speaking cooks made a meat stew called "galimafree." It must have been a varied dish, because English speakers chose its name for any mix or jumble of things. If "gallimaufry" isn't to your taste, season your speech with one of its synonyms: "hash" (which can be a muddle or chopped meat and potatoes), "hotchpotch" (a stew or a hodgepodge), or "potpourri" (another stew turned medley). 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, 2009 is: tribulation • \trib-yuh-LAY-shun\ • noun : distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution; also : a trying experience Examples: Over the past year, Sara and Brian have experienced all the trials and tribulations that come with owning one’s first home. Did you know? The writer and Christian scholar Thomas More, in his 1534 work "A dialoge of comforte against tribulation," defined the title word as "euery such thing as troubleth and greueth [grieveth] a man either in bodye or mynde." These days, however, the word "tribulation" is typically used as a plural count noun, paired with its alliterative partner "trial," and relates less to oppression and more to any kind of uphill struggle. "Tribulation" derives via Middle English and Old French from the Latin verb "tribulare" (to oppress or afflict), related to "tribulum," a noun meaning "threshing board." 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, 2009 is: jackleg • \JACK-leg\ • adjective 1 a : characterized by unscrupulousness, dishonesty, or lack of professional standards b : lacking skill or training : amateur 2 : designed as a temporary expedient : makeshift Examples: "Ted Dawson was a pretty good jackleg carpenter." (Stephen King, It) Did you know? Don't call someone "jackleg" unless you're prepared for that person to get angry with you. Throughout its more than 150-year-old history in English, "jackleg" has most often been used as a term of contempt and deprecation, particularly in reference to lawyers and preachers. Its form echoes that of the similar "blackleg," an older term for a cheating gambler or a worker opposed to union policies. Etymologists know that "blackleg" appeared over a hundred years before "jackleg," but they don't have any verifiable theories about the origin of either term. 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, 2009 is: con amore • \kahn-uh-MOR-ee\ • adverb 1 : with love, devotion, or zest 2 : in a tender manner -- used as a direction in music Examples: I'm not usually one to cry at weddings, but I found myself dabbing my eyes with a tissue as bride and groom recited their vows, con amore. Did you know? "No matter what the object is, whether business, pleasures, or the fine arts; whoever pursues them to any purpose must do so con amore." Wise words -- and the 18th-century Englishman who wrote them under the pseudonym Sir Thomas Fitzosborne may have been drawing on his own experience. At the time those words were written (around 1740), the author, whose real name was William Melmoth, had recently abandoned the practice of law to pursue his interest in writing and classical scholarship, which were apparently his true loves. In any case, by making use of "con amore," a term borrowed from Italian, Melmoth gave us the first known use of the word in English prose. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.