Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2009 is: verbatim • \ver-BAY-tim\ • adverb : in the exact words : word for word Examples: Irene used a tape recorder during her interviews so that she could quote her subjects verbatim. Did you know? Latin has a phrase for "exactly as written": "verbatim ac litteratim," which literally means "word for word and letter for letter." Like the "verbatim" in that Latin phrase, the English "verbatim" means "word for word." As you may have noticed, there's a "verb" in "verbatim" -- and that's no mere coincidence. Both "verb" and "verbatim" are derived from the Latin word for "word," which is "verbum." Other common English words that share this root include "adverb," "proverb," and "verbose." Even the word "word" itself is related. "Verbatim" can also be an adjective meaning "being in or following the exact words" (as in "a verbatim report") and a rarer noun referring to an account, translation, or report that follows the original word for word. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 25, 2009 is: hyperbole • \hye-PER-buh-lee\ • noun : extravagant exaggeration Examples: The food in the restaurant was quite good, but it couldn't live up to the hyperbole that had been used to describe it in the advertisement. Did you know? In the 5th century B.C. there was a rabble-rousing Athenian, a politician named Hyperbolus, who often made exaggerated promises and claims that whipped people into a frenzy. But even though it sounds appropriate, Hyperbolus' name did not play a role in the development of the modern English word "hyperbole." That noun does come to us from Greek (by way of Latin), but from the Greek verb "hyperballein," meaning "to exceed," not from the name of the Athenian demagogue. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 24, 2009 is: lanuginous • \luh-NOO-juh-nus\ • adjective : covered with down or fine soft hair : downy Examples: "The Leaves of the young Branches are like those of the Quince, green without, and white and lanuginous underneath, and serve for Food for the Elephants." (Monfieur Pomet, "Figs," History of Druggs, 1709) Did you know? You're likely to come across "lanuginous" in only a few contexts, botany and spelling bees being the best candidates. In other contexts, the more common term is "downy." "Lanuginous" has an unsurprising pedigree. It's from the Latin word "lanuginosus," which is in turn from "lanugo," the Latin word for "down." ("Lanugo" is also an English word used especially to refer to the soft woolly hair that covers the fetus of some mammals.) "Lanugo" itself is from "lana," meaning "wool," a root also at work in "lanolin," the term for wool grease that's refined for use in ointments and cosmetics. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2009 is: skosh • \SKOHSH\ • noun : a small amount : bit, smidgen Examples: The barista sprinkled a skosh of fresh ginger onto the milky surface of the latte. Did you know? The word "skosh" comes from the Japanese word "sukoshi," which is pronounced "skoh shee" and means "a tiny bit" or "a small amount." The Japanese word was shortened by U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan after World War II. Later, in the Korean War, a small soldier was often nicknamed "Skosh." In civilian-speak, "skosh" can be used as a noun (as in our example sentence) or adverbially (as in "I'm a skosh tired"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2009 is: pachydermatous • \pack-ih-DER-muh-tuss\ • adjective 1 : of or relating to the pachyderms 2 a : thick, thickened b : callous, insensitive Examples: With 18 eventful years in office behind him, the senator has developed a pachydermatous layer of self-protection that the latest media attacks cannot penetrate. Did you know? Elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses -- it was a French zoologist named Georges Cuvier who in the late 1700s first called these and other thick-skinned, hoofed mammals "Pachydermata." The word, from Greek roots, means "thick-skinned" in New Latin (the Latin used in scientific description and classification). In the 19th century, we began calling such animals "pachyderms," and we also began using the adjective "pachydermatous" to refer, both literally and figuratively, to the characteristics and qualities of pachyderms -- especially their thick skin. American poet James Russell Lowell first employed "pachydermatous" with the figurative "thick-skinned" sense in the mid-1800s: "A man cannot have a sensuous nature and be pachydermatous at the same 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 July 21, 2009 is: nyctalopia • \nik-tuh-LOH-pee-uh\ • noun : reduced visual capacity in faint light (as at night) : night blindness Examples: Bernard suffers from progressive nyctalopia; as a result, he can no longer drive at night. Did you know? "Nyctalopia" comes to us from the Latin word "nyctalops," which means "suffering from night blindness." It is ultimately derived from the Greek word "nyktalops," which was formed by combining the word for "night" ("nyx") with the words for "blind" and "eye" ("alaos" and "ōps," respectively). English speakers have been using "nyctalopia" to refer to reduced vision in faint light or at night since the 17th century. We added the somewhat more pedestrian "night blindness" to the lexicon in the 18th century. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 20, 2009 is: adust • \uh-DUST\ • adjective : scorched, burned Examples: The adust landscape of volcanic rock and sand can be particularly beautiful at sunset. Did you know? "Adust" comes from Latin "adustus," the past participle of "adurere" ("to set fire to"), a verb formed from the Latin prefix "ad-" and the verb "urere" ("to burn"). It entered the English language in the early 15th century as a medical term related to the four bodily humors -- black bile, blood, phlegm, and yellow bile -- which were believed at the time to determine a person's health and temperament. "Adust" was used to describe a condition of the humors in which they supposedly became heated or combusted. Adust black bile in particular was believed to be a source of melancholy. The association with melancholy gave rise to an adjectival sense of "adust" meaning "of a gloomy appearance or disposition," but that sense is now considered archaic. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 19, 2009 is: bardolater • \bar-DAH-luh-ter\ • noun : a person who idolizes Shakespeare Examples: "[Abraham] Lincoln was a lifelong Bardolater and serial Shakespeare-quoter, as Mr. [Barack] Obama noted in remarks at the recent reopening of Ford's Theater." (Barry Edelstein, The New York Times, April 26, 2009) Did you know? George Bernard Shaw once described a Shakespeare play as "stagy trash." Another time, Shaw said he'd like to dig Shakespeare from the grave and throw stones at him. Shaw could be equally scathing toward Shakespeare's adoring fans. He called them "foolish Bardolaters," wrote of "Bardolatrous" ignoramuses, and called blind Shakespeare worship "Bardolatry." Oddly enough, Shaw didn't despise Shakespeare or his work (on the contrary, he was, by his own admission, an admirer), but he disdained those who placed the man beyond reproach. The word "bardolater," which Shaw coined by blending Shakespeare's epithet -- "the Bard" -- with an affix that calls to mind "idolater," has stuck with us to this day, though it has lost some of its original critical sting. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 18, 2009 is: reiterate • \ree-IT-uh-rayt\ • verb : to state or do over again or repeatedly sometimes with wearying effect Examples: Megan rolled her eyes as her mother reiterated the rules for the umpteenth time. Did you know? Can you guess the meaning of "iterate," a less common relative of "reiterate"? It must mean simply "to state or do," right? Nope. Actually, "iterate" also means "to state or do again." It's no surprise, then, that some usage commentators have insisted that "reiterate" must always mean "to say or do again AND AGAIN." No such nice distinction exists in actual usage, however. Both "reiterate" and "iterate" can convey the idea of a single repetition or of many repetitions. "Reiterate" is the older of the two words -- it first appeared in the 15th century, whereas "iterate" turned up around 1533. Both stem from the Latin verb "iterare," which is itself from "iterum" ("again"), but "reiterate" took an extra step, through Latin "reiterare"("to repeat"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2009 is: omnibus • \AHM-nih-bus\ • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or providing for many things at once 2 : containing or including many items Examples: At the beginning of the school year, teachers held an omnibus meeting to tie up many of the loose ends that were left unaddressed over the summer. Did you know? The adjective "omnibus" may not have much to do with public transportation, but the noun "omnibus" certainly does -- it not only means "bus,"but it's also the word English speakers shortened to form "bus." The noun "omnibus" originated in the 1820s as a French word for long, horse-drawn vehicles that transported people along the main thoroughfares of Paris. Shortly thereafter, omnibuses -- and the noun "omnibus" -- arrived in New York. But in Latin, "omnibus" simply means "for all." Our adjective "omnibus," which arrived in the mid-1800s, seems to hark back to that Latin "omnibus," though it may also have been at least partially influenced by the English noun. An "omnibus bill" containing numerous provisions, for example, could be likened to a bus loaded with people. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 16, 2009 is: etiquette • \ET-ih-kut\ • noun : the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life Examples: According to Miss Manners, it is a myth that newlyweds have up to a year to write thank-you notes for wedding gifts; rather, etiquette dictates that the notes should be sent as soon as possible. Did you know? One definition of the French word "étiquette" is "ticket" or "label attached to something for identification." In 16th-century Spain, the French word was borrowed (and altered to "etiqueta") to refer to the written protocols describing orders of precedence and behavior demanded of those who appeared in court. Eventually, "etiqueta" came to be applied to the court ceremonies themselves as well as the documents which outlined the requirements for them. Interestingly, this then led to French speakers of the time attributing the second sense of "proper behavior" to their "étiquette," and in the middle of the 18th century English speakers finally adopted both the word and the second meaning from the French. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 15, 2009 is: fractious • \FRAK-shus\ • adjective 1 : tending to be troublesome : unruly 2 : quarrelsome, irritable Examples: The class was fractious and uncontrollable when Mr. Douglas first took over as teacher, but he now has the students disciplined, focused, and ready to learn. Did you know? The Latin verb "frangere" ("to break or shatter") has many modern English relations. Dishes that are "fragile" can break easily. A person whose health is easily broken might be described as "frail." A "fraction" is one of the many pieces into which a whole can be broken. But "fraction" also once meant "disharmony" or "discord" -- that is, a "rupture in relations." From this noun sense came the adjective "fractious," meaning "unruly" or "quarrelsome." Though the "disharmony" sense of the noun is now obsolete, "fractious" is still common today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2009 is: grudging • \GRUH-jing\ • adjective 1 : unwilling, reluctant 2 : done, given, or allowed unwillingly, reluctantly, or sparingly Examples: Lydia's father greeted her new boyfriend with a rather cold and grudging handshake. Did you know? More than five hundred years have passed since English jurist Sir John Fortescue observed, "Somme . . . obtayne gretter rewardis than thei have disserved, and yit grugge, seying they have [too] litill." Fortescue's "grugge" (an early spelling of the verb "grudge") meant "to grumble and complain," just like its Middle English forerunner, "grucchen," and the Anglo-French word "grucer," which gave rise to the English forms. English speakers had adopted the "complaining" sense of "grudge" by the late 1400s, and by 1500 they had added the extended sense "reluctant." That second sense may have developed because people associated "grudge" with the related word "begrudge" (meaning "to give reluctantly"). "Grudging," which developed from "grudge," made its English debut around 1533. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2009 is: brachiate • \BRAY-kee-ayt\ • verb : to progress by swinging from hold to hold by the arms Examples: Sarah sat on the park bench and watched as her five-year-old son confidently brachiated along the monkey bars. Did you know? Certain members of the ape family, such as the gibbon, have the ability to propel themselves by grasping hold of an overhead tree branch (or other projection) and swinging the body forward. (Chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans are less likely to travel in this manner, due to the weight of their bodies; when they do, it is only for very short distances.) The word for this action, "brachiate," derives from "bracchium," the Latin word for "arm." "Brachiate" shares etymological ancestors with such words as "bracelet" (an ornamental band or chain worn around the wrist) and "brachiopod" (a category of marine organisms with armlike feeding organs called lophophores). Another relative is "pretzel." That word’s German root, ''Brezel,'' is related to the Latin ''brachiatus,'' meaning ''having branches like arms.'' See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2009 is: usufruct • \YOO-zuh-frukt\ • noun 1 : the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to another 2 : the right to use or enjoy something Examples: Dorothy's will bequeathed one-third of her estate to her husband; the remaining two-thirds was bequeathed to him as a lifetime usufruct, later to be donated to charity. Did you know? Thomas Jefferson said, "The earth belongs in usufruct to the living." He apparently understood that when you hold something in usufruct, you gain something of significant value, but only temporarily. The gains granted by usufruct can be clearly seen in the Latin phrase from which the word developed, "usus et fructus," which means "use and enjoyment." Latin speakers condensed that phrase to "ususfructus," the term English speakers used as the model for our modern word. "Usufruct" has been used as a noun for the legal right to use something since at least the 1630s. Any right granted by usufruct ends at a specific point, usually the death of the individual who holds 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 July 11, 2009 is: weird • \WEERD\ • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or caused by witchcraft or the supernatural 2 : of strange or extraordinary character : odd, fantastic Examples: "Again was I suddenly recalled to my immediate surroundings by a repetition of the weird moan from the depths of the cave." (Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars) Did you know? You may know today’s word as a generalized term describing something unusual, but "weird" also has older meanings that are more specific. "Weird" derives from the Old English noun "wyrd," essentially meaning "fate." By the 8th century, the plural "wyrde" had begun to appear in texts as a gloss for "Parcae," the Latin name for the Fates -- three goddesses who spun, measured, and cut the thread of life. In the 15th and16th centuries, Scots authors employed "werd" or "weird" in the phrase "weird sisters" to refer to the Fates. William Shakespeare adopted this usage in Macbeth, in which the "weird sisters" are depicted as three witches. Subsequent adjectival use of "weird" grew out of a reinterpretation of the "weird" used by Shakespeare. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2009 is: brogue • \BROHG\ • noun 1 : a heavy shoe often with a hobnailed sole 2 : a stout oxford shoe with perforations and usually a wing tip Examples: Even though his brogues are scuffed and old, John prefers them to his new loafers. Did you know? Did you expect "brogue" to be defined as "an Irish accent"? You're probably not alone. The reason our definition is different is because "brogue" has two homographs (words that are spelled -- and in this case pronounced -- the same but have different origins or parts of speech). "Brogue" the shoe comes from the Irish word "bróg," which probably derives from an Old Norse term meaning "leg covering." "Brogue" the accent comes from a different Irish word, "barróg," which means "accent" or "speech impediment." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2009 is: inexorable • \i-NEK-suh-ruh-bul\ • adjective : not to be persuaded, moved, or stopped : relentless Examples: These ancient ruins have slowly succumbed to the inexorable ravages of time. Did you know? The Latin antecedent of "inexorable" is "inexorabilis," which is itself a combination of the prefix "in-," meaning "not," plus "exorabilis," meaning "pliant" or "capable of being moved by entreaty." "Exorabilis" in turn derives ultimately from the Latin verb "orare," meaning "to speak or plead." It's a fitting etymology for "inexorable." You can beseech and implore until you're blue in the face, but that won't have any effect on something that's inexorable. "Inexorable" has been a part of the English language since the 1500s. Originally, it was often applied to persons, or sometimes to personified things ("deaf and inexorable laws"). These days, it is usually applied to things, as in "inexorable monotony" or "an inexorable trend." In such cases, it essentially means "unyielding" or "inflexible." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2009 is: lamster • \LAM-ster\ • noun : a fugitive especially from the law Examples: "The vast majority of identity-changers become scurrying lamsters, spinning an endless wheel of lies and deception…." (Christopher Loudon, The Financial Post [Toronto, Canada], September 23, 1995) Did you know? Lamsters as a class are probably as old as the law from which they flee, but the term "lamster" didn't sneak into our language until the early 1900s, less than ten years after the appearance of the noun "lam," meaning "sudden or hurried flight especially from the law" (as in the phrase "on the lam"). Both words have an old verb relation, though. "Lam" has meant "to beat soundly" or "to strike or thrash" since the late 16th century, but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it developed another meaning: "to flee hastily." The origins of the verb are obscure, but etymologists suggest that it is Scandinavian in origin and akin to the Old Norse "lemja," meaning "to thrash." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2009 is: cloying • \KLOY-ing\ • adjective : disgusting or distasteful by reason of excess; also : excessively sweet or sentimental Examples: Although Kelsey usually likes romantic novels, she found this one so cloying that she couldn’t even finish it. Did you know? "Can one desire too much of a good thing?" asks Rosalind in William Shakespeare's play As You Like It. "Cloying" suggests that you can, because it implies a repugnant excess of something that might be pleasing in smaller doses. An exploration into the history of "cloying," however, leads us eventually to roots that are neither sweet nor excessive, but rather tough as nails. "Cloying" derives from the verb "cloy," which now means "to supply or indulge to excess," but which once meant "to clog" and earlier "to prick a horse with a nail in shoeing." "Cloy" itself traces via Middle English to Anglo-French "encloer" (which also meant "to prick a horse with a nail in shoeing") and ultimately to the Latin "clavus," meaning "nail." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2009 is: scilicet • \SKEE-lih-ket\ • adverb : to wit, namely Examples: "All appointments must be approved by the United States of America, scilicet, the President of the United States," stated the bill concerning the restructuring of the island's government. Did you know? "Scilicet" is a rare word that most often occurs in legal proceedings and instruments. It is from Latin "scire" ("to know") and "licet" ("it is permitted"), which is also a root of "videlicet" -- a synonym of "scilicet." Licet," in turn, descends from the Latin verb "licēre," which means "to be permitted" and is the ultimate source of the English words "leisure" and "license." "Scire" has also made other contributions to English, giving us such words as "conscience," "conscious," and "science." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2009 is: diurnal • \dye-ER-nul\ • adjective 1 : recurring every day 2 : of, relating to, or occurring in the daytime Examples: "I like walking early mornings when the nocturnal wildlife quietly withdraws as the diurnal wildlife noisily rouses for another day." (Kevin J. Cook, Fort Collins Coloradoan, June 29, 2008) Did you know? Can you guess which of the following words have the same Latin root as our word du jour, "diurnal"? A. journey B. dial C. quotidian D. diary E. meridian F. journal G. circadian H. daily The answer: all of them except "daily" (it's from Old English, not Latin). "Diurnal" and all of the other terms in our little quiz (and "du jour," too) come ultimately from "dies," the Latin word for "day." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2009 is: invigilate • \in-VIJ-uh-layt\ • verb : to keep watch : supervise, monitor Examples: Theodore sat in his favorite chair on the back deck, sipped his coffee, and invigilated the activities of his grandchildren as they played in the yard. Did you know? Keep your eyes open and you're sure to spot a few relatives of today's word. "Invigilate" is a descendant of the Latin verb "vigilare," meaning "to stay awake." As you may have guessed, "vigilare" is the ancestor of our adjective "vigilant" ("alertly watchful"), and it also gives us "reveille" ("a signal to wake up in the morning," via French "reveiller") and "surveillance" ("close watch, supervision," via French "survéiller"). "Invigilate" has been a part of the English language since the mid-16th century. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2009 is: zeugma • \ZOOG-muh\ • noun : the use of a word to modify two or more words in such a way that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense with only one Examples: "Torpedoes hit their mark! Ship and many hopes sink!" said the headline, employing vivid zeugma. Did you know? "Zeugma, like the pun, is economical: it contracts two sentences into one . . . it links unrelated terms -- mental with moral, abstract with physical, high with low -- and thus generates surprise." (Walter Redfern, Puns) "Zeugma," which has been a part of the English language since the 15th century, comes from Greek, where it literally means "joining." The Greek word has another connection to English as well. In the early 1970s, a chemistry professor named Paul Lauterbur developed a technique for producing images of internal organs. He called it "zeugmatography," because it involved the joining of magnetic fields. Lauterbur was awarded a Nobel Prize, but the name he chose didn’t stick. The technique is known today as magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2009 is: abject • \AB-jekt\ • adjective 1 : sunk to or existing in a low state or condition 2 : very low in spirit or hope : wretched 3 : expressing or offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit Examples: Morris was in an abject and lonely state after Olivia left him -- but then he met Penny and his world brightened again. Did you know? "Abject" comes from "abjectus," the past participle of the Latin verb "abicere," meaning "to cast off." Its original meaning in English was "cast off" or "rejected," but it is now used to refer more broadly to things in a low state or condition. "Abject" shares with "mean," "ignoble," and "sordid" the sense of being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity. "Abject" may imply degradation, debasement, or servility ("abject poverty"). "Mean" suggests having such repellent characteristics as small-mindedness, ill temper, or cupidity ("mean and petty satire"). "Ignoble" suggests a loss or lack of some essential high quality of mind or spirit ("an ignoble scramble after material possessions"). "Sordid" is stronger than all of these in stressing physical or spiritual degradation and lowness ("a sordid story of murder and revenge"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2009 is: periphrasis • \puh-RIFF-ruh-sis\ • noun 1 : use of a longer phrasing in place of a possible shorter form of expression 2 : an instance of periphrasis Examples: The college English teacher warned her students against padding their essays with periphrases solely to reach the required length. Did you know? It's easy enough to point out the origins of "periphrasis": the word was borrowed into English in the early 16th century via Latin from Greek "periphrazein," which in turn comes from the prefix "peri-," meaning "all around," and the verb "phrazein," "to point out." Two common descendants of "phrazein" in English are "phrase" and "paraphrase," the latter of which combines "phrazein" with the prefix "para-," meaning "closely resembling." Another "phrazein" descendant is the less familiar word "holophrasis," meaning "the expression of a complex of ideas in a single word or in a fixed phrase." (The prefix "holo-" can mean "completely.") See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 30, 2009 is: oenophile • \EE-nuh-fyle\ • noun : a lover or connoisseur of wine Examples: Only an astute oenophile like Simon would know that 2002 was not the best year for that particular Barolo. Did you know? "It has become quite a common proverb that in wine there is truth," wrote the 1st-century A.D. Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder. The truth about the word "wine" is that it goes back to Latin "vinum," but it is also a distant relative of the Greek word for wine, which is "oinos." Indeed, Latin borrowed from the Greek to create a combining form that means "wine," "oeno-." Modern French speakers combined "oeno-" with "-phile" (Greek for "lover of") to create "oenophile" before we adopted it from them around 1930. Etymologically-inclined oenophiles are sure to know that "oenology," for the science of wine making, and "oenologist," for one versed in oenology (more often spelled "enology" and "enologist") also trace back to the Greek root. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 29, 2009 is: skimble-skamble • \skim-bul-SKAM-bul\ • adjective : rambling and confused : senseless Examples: "What a lark it is to tag along after constantly astonished Alice as she meets up with all those skimble-skamble Lewis Carroll creations," raved one theater critic of an adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Did you know? One of the best examples of "skimble-skamble" used in context is also its first known use. It occurs in Shakespeare's Henry IV when Hotspur speaks of Mortimer's father: "Sometimes he angers me / With telling me of the moldwarp and the ant, / Of the dreamer Merlin and his prophecies, / And of a dragon and a finless fish… / And such a deal of skimble-skamble stuff…." After reading Hotspur's rambling, we can clearly understand the word's meaning, but from whence did the Bard come up with the word? More than likely, he coined the word as a reduplication of "scamble," a word meaning "to stumble along" that was widely used during his time but is now only heard in some English dialects. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 28, 2009 is: founder • \FOUN-der\ • verb 1 : to make or become disabled or lame 2 : to give way : collapse 3 : to become submerged : sink 4 : to come to grief : fail Examples: As the vessel began to founder, the captain ordered everyone on board to prepare to abandon ship. Did you know? "Founder" comes from Middle English "foundren," meaning "to send to the bottom" or "collapse." That word came from the Middle French verb "fondrer," and ultimately from the Latin noun "fundus," meaning "bottom." When something "founders," it usually hits the bottom in one sense or another. A foundering horse -- that is, a disabled one -- is likely to collapse to the ground. When a ship founders, it sinks to the bottom of the sea. "Founder" has a broader, figurative sense, too -- if your marriage or your career is foundering it isn't doing well and is therefore headed downward. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2009 is: roman à clef • \roh-mahn-ah-KLAY\ • noun : a novel in which real persons or actual events figure under disguise Examples: Critics quickly identified the ex-press secretary’s new novel as a roman a clef with characters closely resembling figures from the current presidential administration. Did you know? "Unlock the fiction, open the door and see the very real people behind it," wrote Jeff Simon in The Buffalo News (March 19, 1998). That can be easily done when a roman à clef uses fictitious names to present thinly veiled depictions of well-known people or events. But what if only a few insiders know the real people or incidents? In the 1800s, such romans a clef sometimes included a key, a list matching fictional characters with their real-life counterparts, that helped readers recognize the players. Such keys made "roman a clef" (from a French phrase meaning "a novel with a key") an apt term for such works. Nowadays, there are no published keys in a roman à clef -- merely veiled (or sometimes blatant) references that connect fact with fiction. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2009 is: crescent • \KRESS-unt\ • adjective : marked by an increase : increasing Examples: "The people love me, and the sea is mine; / My powers are crescent, and my auguring hope / Says it will come to th' full." (William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra) Did you know? You probably know "crescent" as the shape of a moon that is less than half-illuminated. These days, "crescent" is generally used of either a waxing or waning moon, but that wasn't always the case. Originally, it referred only to the increasing illumination phase that immediately follows the new moon. That original meaning nicely reflects the meaning of the word's Latin ancestor "crescere," which means "to grow." The meaning of "crescere" also shines through when we use "crescent" as an adjective meaning "increasing" or "growing." English speakers have been using "crescent" in this way since 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 June 25, 2009 is: desolate • \DESS-uh-lut\ • adjective 1 : devoid of inhabitants and visitors : deserted 2 : joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through separation from a loved one 3 a : showing the effects of abandonment and neglect : dilapidated b : barren, lifeless c : devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope : gloomy Examples: The landscape looks truly desolate in the winter, but when it blossoms in the spring, it can be surprisingly beautiful. Did you know? Something that is desolate is literally or figuratively "abandoned," so you probably won't be surprised to learn that "desolate" has its roots in the Latin verb "desolare," meaning "to abandon." The Middle English word "desolat" comes from the past participle of "desolare," which in turn combines the prefix "de-" and the adjective "solus," meaning "alone." "Desolate" is not at all alone in this family of words. Some other familiar descendants of "solus" include "solitary," "sole," "solo," "solitude," and "soliloquy." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2009 is: cavalcade • \kav-ul-KAYD\ • noun 1 a : a procession of riders or carriages b : a procession of vehicles or ships 2 : a dramatic sequence or procession : series Examples: The crowds cheered and waved as the cavalcade of fire trucks rolled through the streets along the parade route. Did you know? When "cavalcade" was first used in English, it meant "a horseback ride" or "a march or raid made on horseback." Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, used it this way in his 1647 History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England : "He had with some Troops, made a Cavalcade or two into the West." From there came the "procession of riders" meaning and eventual applications to processions in a broader sense. "Cavalcade" came to English via French from the Old Italian noun "cavalcata," which in turn came from an Old Italian verb, "cavalcare," meaning "to go on horseback." Ultimately, these words came from the Latin word "caballus," meaning "horse." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2009 is: corvine • \KOR-vyne\ • adjective : of or relating to the crows : resembling a crow Examples: "Many residents of cities along the Pomona and San Bernardino freeways say, yes, indeed, they've noticed an increase in their corvine neighbors." (Edmund Newton, Los Angeles Times, December 17, 1989) Did you know? Few people crow about "corvine" -- it's not often you'll come across the word -- but it has been part of the English language since the mid-17th century. Like most taxonomic terms, "corvine" has a purely Latin pedigree. "Corvine" is from Latin "corvinus," which in turn is from Latin "corvus," meaning "raven." (The word "raven" itself is from the Old English term "hræfn," which is akin to "hraban," the Old High German word for "raven," and also to "corvus.") Another word from "corvus" is "cormorant," which refers to a dark-colored seabird and comes from Old French words meaning "raven" and "of the sea." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 22, 2009 is: plethora • \PLETH-uh-ruh\ • noun : an excessive quantity or fullness; also : profusion Examples: A plethora of books on the American Civil War stood out among the many titles stacked here and there in the professor's office. Did you know? "Plethora" comes from a similar Greek word meaning "fullness." It was first used in English in the 16th century to describe a supposed medical condition marked by an excess volume of blood causing swelling and a reddish complexion. Later, the medical use of "plethora" was extended to indicate related medical conditions (such as an excess volume of bodily fluid or the red-skinned appearance of some newborns). These days, however, "plethora" is more often used in a general, non-medical sense, with the meaning "excess" or "abundance." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 21, 2009 is: improvident • \im-PRAH-vuh-dunt\ • adjective : not provident : not foreseeing and providing for the future Examples: Judy’s bankruptcy is the result of several years of improvident borrowing with little thought as to how she would ever manage to repay her debts. Did you know? "Improvident" descends from Latin "providēre" plus the negative prefix "im-." "Providēre," which literally means "to see ahead," comes from "pro-," meaning "forward," and "vidēre," meaning "to see." Six of the seven words below are also descendants of "providēre." Can you guess which one is the exception? provide improvise providence improvement provision prudent purvey "Provide," "improvise," "providence," "provision," "prudent," and "purvey" all trace back to "providēre." That means "improvement" is the right answer to our quiz. "Improvement" traces back instead to the Latin verb "prodesse," which means "to be beneficial." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2009 is: staccato • \stuh-KAH-toh\ • adjective 1 a : cut short or apart in performing : disconnected b : marked by short clear-cut playing or singing of tones or chords 2 : abrupt, disjointed Examples: "I could see the bass clearing the water and spread my legs to steady myself in the staccato swells of the rip." (Peter Kaminsky, The New York Times, December 25, 1994) Did you know? English has borrowed a number of words from Italian that instruct on how a piece of music should be played. Examples include "allegro" ("at a brisk lively tempo"), "adagio" ("at a slow tempo"), and "fortissimo" ("very loud"). The instruction "staccato" describes music composed of tones that are short and noncontinuous rather than smoothly flowing together (a style noted by the instruction "legato"). "Staccato" derives from the past participle of the Italian verb "staccare," meaning "to detach," and can now describe anything -- not just sounds - made, done, or happening in an abrupt or disjointed way. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2009 is: gravitate • \GRAV-uh-tayt\ • verb 1 : to move under the influence of gravitation 2 a : to move toward something b : to be drawn or attracted especially by natural inclination Examples: Left to their own devices in a department store, children will naturally gravitate toward the toy aisle. Did you know? English has several weighty words descended from the Latin "gravitas," meaning "weight." The first to arrive on the scene was "gravity," which appeared in the early 16th century. (Originally meaning "dignity or sobriety of bearing," it quickly came to mean "weight" as well.) Next came "gravitation" (used to describe the force of gravity) and "gravitate" -- both mid-17th century arrivals. "Gravitate" once meant "to apply weight or pressure," but that use is now obsolete. In the late 17th century, it was recorded in the sense "to move under the effect of gravitation." It then acquired a more general sense of "to move toward something" (as toward a specific location), and finally a metaphorical third sense of "to be attracted" (as toward a person or a vocation). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2009 is: short shrift • \SHORT-SHRIFT\ • noun 1 : barely adequate time for confession before execution 2 a : little or no attention or consideration b : quick work Examples: Parents are complaining that, due to recent budget cuts, physical education and arts programs have been given short shrift in the local schools. Did you know? The word "shrift" is an archaic noun referring to the confession or absolution of sins. These days, "shrift" is rarely encountered on its own, but it does keep frequent company with "short" in the phrase "short shrift." The earliest known use of the phrase comes from William Shakespeare's play Richard III, in which Lord Hastings, who has been condemned by King Richard to be beheaded, is told by Sir Richard Ratcliffe to "Make a short shrift" as the king "longs to see your head." Shakespeare uses this phrase quite literally ("keep your confession short"), but since at least the 19th century the phrase has been used figuratively to refer to a small or inadequate amount of time or attention given to something. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2009 is: preeminent • \pre-EM-uh-nunt\ • adjective : having paramount rank, dignity, or importance : outstanding, supreme Examples: Carrie considered herself lucky to have one of the country’s preeminent novelists as her writing professor. Did you know? What is noteworthy about the following sentence? "Mount McKinley is a prominent eminence in the Alaskan landscape." You very likely recognized two words that are closely related to "preeminent" -- "prominent" and "eminence." All three words are rooted in the Latin verb stem "-minēre," meaning "to stand out." But did you note as well the related word "mount"? Not too surprisingly, "-minēre" is related to "mons," the Latin word for "mountain." That relationship leads us in turn to "paramount," a word closely related in meaning to "preeminent." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2009 is: occiput • \AHK-sih-put\ • noun : the back part of the head or skull Examples: "So let me suggest that everyone put away their pitchforks and firebrands and stop trying to 'bury the hatchet' by planting it in the other fellow's occiput." (Allan Falk, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, May 7, 2007) Did you know? "Occiput" came to English from Latin, where it was created from "ob-," meaning "against," and "capit-" or "caput," meaning "head." Its adjectival form, "occipital," meaning "of, relating to, or located within or near the occiput or the occipital bone," abounds in medical texts but is found in literary ones too, as in George Eliot's description of the coiffure of the "young ladies who frizzed their hair, and gathered it all into large barricades in front of their heads, leaving their occipital region exposed without ornament, as if that, being a back view, was of no consequence…" in Scenes of Clerical Life. Another "caput" derivation is "sinciput," a word used to refer to either the forehead or the upper half of the skull. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2009 is: complaisant • \kum-PLAY-sunt\ • adjective 1 : marked by an inclination to please or oblige 2 : tending to consent to others' wishes Examples: Derek was a complaisant boy, always happy to oblige whenever his mother or father asked him to go on an errand. Did you know? The homophones "complaisant" and "complacent" are often confused -- and no wonder. Not only do they look and sound alike, but they also both derive ultimately from Latin "complacēre," meaning "to please greatly." "Complacent" usually means "self-satisfied" or "unconcerned," but it also shares with "complaisant" the sense of "marked by an inclination to please or oblige." This sense of "complacent" is an old one, but that hasn't kept language critics from labeling it as an error -- and on the whole, modern writers do prefer "complaisant" for this meaning. Conversely, "complaisant" is sometimes mistakenly used in contexts such as "complaisant about injustices," where "complacent," with its sense of "marked by self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies," should go. One aid is to remember that with the preposition "about," you probably want "complacent." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2009 is: flout • \FLOUT\ • verb 1 : to treat with contemptuous disregard : scorn 2 : to indulge in scornful behavior Examples: Shawn gets annoyed by pedestrians who flout traffic laws by crossing the street outside of the crosswalk. Did you know? Watch out when using "flaunt" and "flout." Critics have been complaining about the confusion of these two words since the early 1900s. "Flaunt" means "to display ostentatiously," and most usage commentators consider it an error to use "flaunt" with the meaning "to treat with contemptuous disregard" (even though some admit to doing it themselves). Many educated writers have used "flaunt" in the "flout" sense for years, but the notoriety of the controversy is so great, and the belief that it's wrong to use "flaunt" for "flout" is so deep-seated, that we think you would do best to keep the two words distinct. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 13, 2009 is: potboiler • \PAHT-boy-ler\ • noun : a usually inferior work (as of art or literature) produced chiefly for profit Examples: After gazing at the lake's serene beauty, Susie sat down in a nearby Adirondack chair and opened up a potboiler for some mindless entertainment. Did you know? "Potboiler" draws its meaning from what was once the heartbeat of the home, the hearth and its boiling pot. In the days before modern conveniences, it was essential to maintain a fire within a home's hearth for warmth and domestic activities. In order "to make the pot boil" or "to keep the pot boiling" for cooking, one needed fuel, and to acquire fuel one typically needed an income. When artistic and literary works, especially inferior ones, became the means of keeping the pot boiling in some homes during the 19th century, it didn't take long for the literati to criticize such works as insignificant potboilers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2009 is: links • \LINKS\ • noun plural 1 : sand hills especially along the seashore 2 : golf course Examples: Numerous celebrity golfers took to the links this weekend to raise money for charity. Did you know? The game of golf originated on the sandy hills of Scotland, on a type of terrain known as "links" or "linksland." Eventually, the game's layout came to be called by the same name as the land, and "links" developed the meaning of "a golf course built on the coastline," which eventually broadened to include any golf course. "Links" is ultimately derived from the Old English word "hlincas" (the plural of "hlinc," meaning "ridge"). Recorded evidence of "hlinces" (a variant of "hlincas") goes back as far as 931, but "links" began appearing in English only in the 15th century. Britain has a number of old-fashioned links courses (built to resemble the Scottish landscape and located on the coastline), and there are a few in the United States 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 June 11, 2009 is: effrontery • \ih-FRUN-tuh-ree\ • noun : shameless boldness : insolence Examples: The other guests at the party were astonished by the effrontery of Patrick’s insulting behavior toward the host. Did you know? To the Romans, the shameless were "without forehead," at least figuratively. "Effrontery" derives from Latin "effrons," a word that combines the prefix "ex-" (meaning "out" or "without") and "frons" (meaning "forehead" or "brow"). The Romans never used "effrons" literally to mean "without forehead," and theorists aren't in full agreement about the connection between the modern meaning of "effrontery" and the literal senses of its roots. Some explain that "frons" can also refer to the capacity for blushing, so a person without "frons" would be "unblushing" or "shameless." Others theorize that since the Romans believed that the brow was the seat of a person's modesty, being without a brow meant being "immodest," or again, "shameless." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2009 is: flamboyant • \flam-BOY-ant\ • adjective 1 : characterized by waving curves suggesting flames 2 : marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior Examples: The circus performers were easily identifiable by their flamboyant costumes and stage makeup. Did you know? If you've ever heard of a dessert served flambé, you already have some insight into the origins of today's word. "Flamboyant," which was borrowed into English from French in the 19th century, can be traced back to Old French "flambe," meaning "flame." In its earliest uses "flamboyant" referred to a style of architecture, often in the florid French Gothic style, which featured waving curves that suggested flames. Eventually, the word developed a more general second sense for anything eye-catching or showy. As you have no doubt guessed, Old French "flambe" is also the origin of the English adjective "flambé." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 9, 2009 is: appreciable • \uh-PREE-shuh-bul\ • adjective : capable of being perceived or measured Examples: "The banker's speech was fluent, but it was also copious, and he used up an appreciable amount of time in brief meditative pauses." (George Eliot, Middlemarch) Did you know? "Appreciable," like the verb "appreciate," comes from the Late Latin verb "appretiare" ("to appraise" or "to put a price on"). It is one of several English adjectives that can be applied to something that can be detected, felt, or measured. Specifically, "appreciable" applies to what is highly noticeable or definitely measurable, whereas "perceptible," which is often paired with "barely" or "scarcely," applies to what can be discerned to a minimal extent. "Sensible" refers to something that is clearly perceived; a sensible difference in someone's expression is easily detected. "Palpable" applies to something that, if it doesn't have actual physical substance, is nevertheless quite noticeable via the senses ("a palpable chill in the air"). "Tangible" is used for something capable of being handled or grasped, either physically or mentally ("tangible evidence"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 8, 2009 is: vignette • \vin-YET\ • noun 1 : a running ornament or design (as of vine leaves, tendrils, and grapes) on a page 2 a : a picture (as an engraving or photograph) that shades off gradually into the surrounding paper b : the pictorial part of a postage stamp 3 a : a short descriptive literary sketch b : a brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie) Examples: As a writing exercise, Jamie filled her journal with vignettes about her teachers and classmates. Did you know? "Vignette" comes from Middle French "vignete," the diminutive form of the noun "vigne," meaning "vine." In English, the word was first used in the mid-18th century for a design or illustration that ran along the blank border of a page, or one that marked the beginning or end of a chapter. Such designs got their name because they often looked like little vines. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that usage of “vignette” had shifted to cover a brief literary sketch or narrative, as we commonly see it used 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 June 7, 2009 is: altruism • \AL-troo-iz-um\ • noun : unselfish interest in the welfare of others Examples: Julian’s altruism is evident in the way he spends his time, including the ten hours per week that he spends volunteering at the homeless shelter. Did you know? "Altruism" refers to a quality possessed by people whose focus is on something other than themselves, and its root reveals the object of those generous tendencies. "Altruism" derives from the French word "autrui," meaning "other people." "Autrui" in turn developed from the Old French term "autre," which means "other" and which itself comes from Latin "alter," also meaning "other." That Latin source eventually caused a curious thing to happen. Under the influence of "alter," the French "autrui" gave rise to the "altrui-" of both the French "altruisme" and the English "altruism." The English term has been in use since at least the mid-1800s. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.