Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2007 is: cavil • \KAV-il\ • verb : to raise trivial and frivolous objection Examples: It may seem petty to cavil at minor flaws given the film's excellence as a whole, but the ending did seem to lack some credibility. Did you know? "You must be joking!" That's just one of the things you might be tempted to exclaim if you found yourself quarreling with a caviler -- and you'd be right, etymologically speaking at least. "Cavil" derives from the Latin verb "cavillari," meaning "to jest" or "to raise silly objections," which in turn derives from the Latin noun "cavilla," meaning "raillery." In case you're wondering, "cavil" is not related to the adjective "cavalier" ("marked by or given to offhand and often disdainful dismissal of important matters"). "Cavalier," which is also a noun for a gentleman trained in arms and horsemanship, traces back via Middle French to the Late Latin "caballarius," meaning "horseman." 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, 2007 is: antithetical • \an-tuh-THET-ih-kul\ • adjective 1 : constituting or marked by the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences 2 : being in direct and unequivocal opposition Examples: Your suggestion is completely antithetical to my morals and beliefs. Did you know? "Antithetical" and "antithesis" entered English in the 16th century. Their etymological paths pass through Late Latin and ultimately lead to Greek (the Greek words "antitithenai" and "antithesis" mean "to oppose" and "opposition," respectively). The oldest sense of the English "antithesis" refers to a language pattern that contrasts parallel ideas, as in "action, not words" or "they promised freedom and provided slavery." "Antithetical" can mean "constituting or marked by such language patterns." For example, you could say "The phrase 'action, not words' is an antithetical construction." It is more common in current use, however, for "antithesis" to mean "the exact opposite" and for "antithetical" to mean "directly opposite." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2007 is: waddy • \WAH-dee\ • noun, West : cowboy Examples: "The cowboy of today is a sort of sophisticated waddy, driving trucks, flying airplanes and applying scientific resources to successful ranching." (Willard H. Porter, Chicago Tribune, July 3, 1988) Did you know? It's easier to rope a wild mustang than to round up the origin of "waddy." Some folks claim it comes from "wadding" (the material used in stuffing or padding) because waddies were once extra hands hired to fill in when extra cowhands were needed. But other evidence suggests that "waddy" originally referred to a cattle rustler, a usage that wouldn't support the "wadding" theory. There is also an Australian "waddy" meaning "stick" or "club," but definitive evidence of a connection between the Australian and American words remains elusive. All researchers can say with certainty is that "waddy" has been used to name a cowboy since at least the late 19th century. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2007 is: palmy • \PAH-mee\ • adjective 1 : marked by prosperity : flourishing 2 : abounding in or bearing palms Examples: "In Beaufort Road was a house, occupied in its palmier days, by Mr Shorthouse, a manufacturer of acids." (J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter, July 1964) Did you know? The palm branch has traditionally been used as a symbol of victory. It is no wonder then that the word "palm" came to mean "victory" or "triumph" in the late 14th century, thanks to the likes of Geoffrey Chaucer. Centuries later, Shakespeare would employ "palm" to create a new synonym for "triumphant" or "flourishing." His coinage is found in the tragedy Hamlet when the character Horatio speaks of the "palmy state of Rome / A little ere the mightiest Julius fell." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2007 is: sycophant • \SIK-uh-funt\ • noun : a servile self-seeking flatterer Examples: "I can't stand sycophants," said Rosemary, "so if you want that promotion, do your best and let your work speak for itself." Did you know? In ancient Greece, "sykophantēs" meant "slanderer." It derives from two other Greek words, "sykon" (meaning "fig") and "phainein" (meaning "to show or reveal"). How did fig revealers become slanderers? One theory has to do with the taxes Greek farmers were required to pay on the figs they brought to market. Apparently, the farmers would sometimes try to avoid making the payments, but squealers -- fig revealers -- would fink on them, and they would be forced to pay. Another possible source is a sense of the word "fig" meaning "a gesture or sign of contempt (as thrusting a thumb between two fingers)." In any case, Latin retained the "slanderer" sense when it borrowed a version of "sykophantēs," but by the time English speakers in the 16th century borrowed it as "sycophant," the squealers had become flatterers. 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, 2007 is: eupeptic • \yoo-PEP-tik\ • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or having good digestion 2 : cheerful, optimistic Examples: "The generous outpouring of writings devoted to public libraries . . . makes me positively eupeptic about the future of scholarship in this area." (E. A. Goedeken, Libraries & Culture, March 22, 2004) Did you know? "Eupeptic" first appeared around 1700 and was probably created from "eupepsia," a word meaning "good digestion." ("Eupepsia" was cooked up from "eu-," meaning "good," and "-pepsia," meaning "digestion," ingredients that are ultimately of Greek origin.) It seems reasonable that good digestion might enhance one's outlook on life -- and indeed, "eupeptic" can suggest a happy frame of mind as well as a happy digestive system. Along similar lines, someone with poor digestion might be cranky, and the antonymous counterparts of "eupeptic" and "eupepsia" -- "dyspeptic" and "dyspepsia" -- can suggest either indigestion or ill humor. *Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2007 is: jeopardy • \JEP-er-dee\ • noun 1 : exposure to or imminence of death, loss, or injury : danger 2 : the danger that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense Examples: Rather than risk placing his passengers in jeopardy, the pilot waited for the storm to pass before taking off. Did you know? Centuries ago, the Old French term "jeu parti" didn't mean "danger" but rather "an alternative" or, literally, "a divided game." That French expression was used for anything that represented an alternative viewpoint or gave two opposing viewpoints. "Jeu parti" passed into Anglo-French as "juparti," and from there it was borrowed into Middle English and respelled "jeopardie." At first, the English word was used to refer to the risks associated with alternative moves in the game of chess. Soon, however, the term came to be used more generally in the "risk" or "danger" sense that it has today. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2007 is: anchorite • \ANG-kuh-ryte\ • noun : a person who lives in seclusion usually for religious reasons Examples: The anchorite spent most of his days in his small, bare cell, engaged in prayer and meditation. Did you know? The term "anchor" was being used for religious hermits about 450 years before "anchorite" came into common use in our language. The reclusive "anchor" and "anchorite" are both derived from the Late Latin "anachoreta," which, in turn, can be traced to the Greek "anachōrein," meaning "to withdraw." Are they etymologically related to the kind of anchors you find on ships? Not exactly. The Latin root of sea-going "anchor," "anchora," probably influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the words that led to "anchorite" and the reclusive "anchor," but it is not a direct ancestor. 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, 2007 is: unbeknownst • \un-bih-NOHNST\ • adjective : happening or existing without the knowledge of someone specified Examples: Unbeknownst to Clarice, we had been planning a surprise baby shower for her for weeks. Did you know? "Unbeknownst" derives from "beknown," an obsolete synonym of "known." But for a word with a straightforward history, "unbeknownst" and its older and less common variant "unbeknown" have created quite a flap among usage commentators. Despite widespread use (including appearances in the writings of Charles Dickens, A.E. Housman, and E.B. White), the two words have been called everything from "obsolete" to "vulgar." Our evidence, however, shows that both can be considered standard. 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, 2007 is: pococurante • \POH-koh-kyoo-RAN-tee\ • adjective : indifferent, nonchalant Examples: At the ball, the snobbish debutante offended many would-be suitors by responding to their greetings in a pococurante manner. Did you know? The French writer Voltaire carefully named his characters in Candide (1759) to create allegories. He appended the prefix "pan-," meaning "all," to "glōssa," the Greek word for "tongue," to name his optimistic tutor "Pangloss," a sobriquet suggesting glibness and talkativeness. Then there is the apathetic Venetian Senator Pococurante, whose name appropriately means "caring little" in Italian. Voltaire's characters did not go unnoticed by later writers. Laurence Sterne used "Pococurante" in part six of Tristram Shandy, published three years after Candide, to mean "a careless person," and Irish poet Thomas Moore first employed the word as an adjective when he described Dublin as a poco-curante place in his memoirs of 1815. 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, 2007 is: candidate • \KAN-duh-dayt\ • noun 1 : one that aspires to or is nominated or qualified for an office, membership, or award 2 : one likely or suited to undergo or be chosen for something specified 3 : a student in the process of meeting final requirements for a degree Examples: Voters will have several appealing candidates to choose from in this election. Did you know? When a person running for public office in ancient Rome greeted voters in the Forum, the center of judicial and public business, he wore a toga that had been whitened with chalk. As a result, the Latin word for someone seeking office came to be "candidatus," meaning literally "clothed in white." "Candidatus," in turn, comes from the adjective "candidus," meaning "white." "Candidatus" was adopted into English as "candidate" at the beginning of the 17th century. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2007 is: belie • \bih-LYE\ • verb 1 a : to give a false impression of b : to present an appearance not in agreement with 2 a : to show (something) to be false or wrong b : to run counter to : contradict 3 : disguise Examples: Martin's easy banter and relaxed attitude belied his nervousness. Did you know? "What is a lie?" asked Lord Byron in Don Juan. He then answered himself: "'Tis but the truth in masquerade. . . ." The history of "belie" illustrates a certain connection between lying and disguising. In its earliest known use, around A.D. 1000, "belie" meant "to deceive by lying." By the 1200s, it was being used to mean "to tell lies about," using a sense similar to that of the modern word "slander." Over time its meaning softened, shifting from an act of outright lying to one of mere misrepresentation, and by the early 1700s, the word was being used in the sense "to disguise or conceal." Nowadays, "belie" suggests giving an impression at variance with the facts rather than telling an intentional untruth. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2007 is: xeriscape • \ZEER-uh-skayp\ • noun, often capitalized : a landscaping method developed especially for arid and semiarid climates that utilizes water-conserving techniques (as the use of drought-tolerant plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation) Examples: Jim is not green-thumbed, so when he relocated to Colorado, he really liked the low-maintenance xeriscape of his new home. Did you know? "Xēros" is the Greek word for "dry" that is the base for a handful of English words related to mainly dry printing ("xerography") and dry, or xerophilous, habitats and their plants. In the early 1980s, the Greek adjective was used to name a type of landscaping practiced primarily in the arid western regions of the United States. (The Water Department of Denver, Colorado, is credited with the word's coinage.) "Xeriscape," as it is called, uses plants that require little water and techniques that efficiently use water and reduce evaporation. 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, 2007 is: fuliginous • \fyoo-LIJ-uh-nus\ • adjective 1 a : sooty b : obscure, murky 2 : having a dark or dusky color Examples: London was a fuliginous city during the Industrial Revolution. Did you know? "Fuliginous" is a word with a dark and dirty past -- it derives from "fuligo," the Latin word for "soot." In an early sense (now obsolete), "fuliginous" was used to describe noxious bodily vapors once thought to be produced by organic processes. The "sooty" sense, which English speakers have been using since the early 1620s, can be used to describe everything from dense fogs and malevolent clouds to overworked chimney sweeps. "Fuliginous" can also be used to refer to something dark or dusky, as in Henry James' novel The Ambassadors, in which the character Waymarsh is described as having "dark fuliginous eyes." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2007 is: roorback • \ROOR-back\ • noun : a defamatory falsehood published for political effect Examples: "The attacks on my character are nothing but roorbacks drummed up by my opponent," insisted the candidate. Did you know? If you think dirty politics are new, think again. In the midst of the 1844 presidential campaign between James K. Polk and Henry Clay, a letter was published in a newspaper in Ithaca, New York, claiming that a reputable witness (one Baron von Roorback) had, while traveling in Tennessee, come across 43 slaves owned by Polk and branded with his initials. The letter caused an uproar that threatened to derail Polk's campaign until it was discovered that the whole thing was a hoax supposedly perpetrated by the opposing party. Baron von Roorback didn't even exist. The incident proved a political boomerang; Polk won the election and the name "roorback" became a byword for political dirty tricks. 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, 2007 is: lissome • \LISS-um\ • adjective 1 a : easily flexed b : lithe 2 : nimble Examples: Even though she hasn't danced in years, Maggie still has the lissome body of a ballerina. Did you know? "Lissome" (sometimes spelled "lissom") is a gently altered form of its synonym, "lithesome." While "lissome" tends to be the more popular choice these days, the two words have similar pasts. They both appeared in the second half of the 18th century, and they both trace back to the much older "lithe" ("supple" or "graceful"), which first appeared in English during the 14th century and comes from an Old English word meaning "gentle." "Lissome" can also be an adverb meaning "in a supple or nimble manner," but this use is rare. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 22, 2007 is: cineast • \SIN-ee-ast\ • noun : a devotee of motion pictures; also : moviemaker Examples: Ralph and Tory met -- and fell in love -- at a film festival, and within a year the two cineasts were engaged to be married. Did you know? "Cineast" is a French borrowing that made its American premiere in the mid-1920s. The French spliced together "ciné" and "-aste" to create "cinéaste," a word for a filmmaker or movie director. "Ciné" in French is just another word for "cinema," and "-aste" is a suffix that appears in words like "gymnaste" and "enthousiaste." "Cinéaste" underwent several changes once it was established in English. Some writers anglicized its spelling, shortening "-aste" to "-ast" (although "cineaste" and "cinéaste" are also still used). Others began to use "cineast" to mean "film buff," and that's the sense that is most 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 June 21, 2007 is: estival • \ESS-tuh-vul\ • adjective : of or relating to the summer Examples: On summer evenings, Carl would sit for hours on the porch enjoying the warmth of the estival breezes. Did you know? "Estival" and "festival" look so much alike that you might think they're very closely related, but that isn't the case. "Estival" traces back to "aestas," which is the Latin word for "summer" (and which also gave us "estivate," a verb for spending the summer in a torpid state -- a sort of hot-weather equivalent of hibernation). "Festival" also comes from Latin, but it has a different and unrelated root. It derives from "festivus," a term that means "festive" or "merry." "Festivus" is also the ancestor of "festive" and "festivity" as well as the much rarer "festivous" (which also means "festive") and "infestive," meaning "not merry, mirthless." 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, 2007 is: purview • \PER-vyoo\ • noun 1 a : the body or enacting part of a statute b : the limit, purpose, or scope of a statute 2 : the range or limit of authority, competence, responsibility, concern, or intention 3 : range of vision, understanding, or cognizance Examples: The court ruled that the student's T-shirt fell under the purview of the First Amendment. Did you know? You might guess that there is a connection between "purview" and "view." "Purview" comes from "purveu," a word often found in the legal statutes of 13th- and 14th-century England. These statutes, written in the Anglo-French, opened with the phrases "purveu est" and "purveu que," which translate literally to "it is provided" and "provided that." "Purveu" derives from "porveu," the past participle of the Old French verb "porveeir," meaning "to provide." "View" derives (via Middle English) from the past participle of another Anglo-French word, "veer," meaning "to see," and ultimately from the Latin "vidēre," an ancestor of "porveeir" meaning "to see." *Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2007 is: shoestring • \SHOO-string\ • noun 1 : shoelace 2 : a small sum of money : capital inadequate or barely adequate to the needs of a transaction Examples: For the first few years, Jillian and Georgia ran the business on a shoestring. Did you know? In earlier times, wandering peddlers offered townspeople a variety of items and trinkets, such as fabrics, embroidery materials, and even patent medicines. Another popular offering from these traveling salespeople was shoelaces. The fact that such vendors neither earned much money nor charged very much for their wares led to the connection of their literal shoestrings with a metaphorical application of "shoestring" to a very small amount of money. It's still not uncommon to hear of a business being operated on a shoestring (even if these days it's less likely that actual shoelaces are involved), but it's also possible to speak of "traveling on a shoestring" and even "gardening on a shoestring." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2007 is: resplendent • \rih-SPLEN-dunt\ • adjective : shining brilliantly : characterized by a glowing splendor Examples: Zoo visitors excitedly snapped pictures of the peacock fanning his resplendent tail. Did you know? "Resplendent" has a lot in common with "splendid" ("shining, brilliant"), "splendent" ("shining, glossy"), and "splendor" ("brightness or luster"). Each of those glowing terms gets its shine from the Latin verb "splendēre" ("to shine"). Etymologists believe "splendēre" might also be related to Middle Irish "lainn," meaning "bright." "Splendent," "splendor," and "resplendent" first showed their lustrous senses in English during the 15th century, but "splendid" didn't show up until over 175 years later; its earliest known use dates from 1624. 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, 2007 is: hawkshaw • \HAWK-shaw\ • noun : detective Examples: Though she risked being late for an appointment, Amanda could not bring herself to set the book down until the novel's hawkshaw had solved the mystery. Did you know? If you're a fan of mystery writing, you may have a favorite fictional detective. Perhaps it's Hercule Poirot (created by Agatha Christie), Lord Peter Wimsey (created by Dorothy L. Sayers), or Mike Hammer (created by Mickey Spillane). These and other famous sleuths from the mystery genre follow in the tradition of a fictional detective from the 19th century: Hawkshaw, a theatrical gumshoe introduced in the 1863 play The Ticket of Leave Man by British dramatist Tom Taylor. "Hawkshaw" gained further popularity as a general term for a detective when the name was used for a character in a comic strip by American cartoonist Gus Mager. 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, 2007 is: clandestine • \klan-DES-tun\ • adjective : marked by, held in, or conducted with secrecy : surreptitious Examples: The commander ordered the clandestine flights over enemy territory to gather more information about the opposing forces. Did you know? In 1658, the English poet John Milton wrote of "clandestine Hostility cover'd over with the name of Peace." Three and a half centuries later we use "clandestine" in much the same way. The word is often used as a synonym of "secret" and "covert," and it is commonly applied to actions that involve secrecy maintained for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose. It comes to us by way of Middle French from Latin "clandestinus," which is itself from "clam," meaning "secretly." 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, 2007 is: anabasis • \uh-NAB-uh-sis\ • noun 1 : a going or marching up : advance; especially : a military advance 2 : a difficult and dangerous military retreat Examples: In U.S. history class, we learned about General Sherman's famous anabasis through the South. Did you know? The first sense of "anabasis" follows logically enough from its roots. In Greek, the word originally meant "inland march"; it is derived from "anabainein," meaning "to go up or inland," which is formed by combining the prefix "ana-" ("up") and "bainein" ("to go"). The second and opposite sense, however, comes from an anabasis gone wrong. In 401 B.C., Greek mercenaries fighting for Cyrus the Younger marched into the Persian Empire only to find themselves cut off hundreds of miles from home. As a result, they were forced to undertake an arduous and embattled retreat across unknown territories. Xenophon, a Greek historian who accompanied the mercenaries on the march, wrote the epic narrative Anabasis about this experience, and consequently "anabasis" came to mean a dramatic retreat as well as an advance. *Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2007 is: roister • \ROY-ster\ • verb : to engage in noisy revelry : carouse Examples: Hugh didn't get much sleep last night because his neighbors were roistering until the wee hours of the morning. Did you know? As Hugo Williams asserts in The Times Literary Supplement (November 15, 1991), roistering tends to be "funnier, sillier and less harmful than standard hooliganism, being based on nonsense rather than violence." Roisterers might be chagrined to learn that the word "roister" derives from a Middle French word that means "lout" or "boor" ("rustre"). Ultimately, however, it is from the fairly neutral Latin word "rusticus," meaning "rural." In the 16th century, the original English verb was simply "roist," and one who roisted was a "roister." Later, we changed the verb to "roister" and the corresponding noun to "roisterer." 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, 2007 is: utmost • \UT-mohst\ • adjective 1 : situated at the farthest or most distant point : extreme 2 : of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, number, or amount Examples: Dustin has the utmost respect for his uncle, who returned to school after many years to attain his degree. Did you know? "Utmost" traces back to the Old English "Ūtmest," a superlative adjective formed from the adverb "Ūt," meaning "out." "Ūtmest" eventually evolved into "utmost," perhaps influenced by the spelling of the word "most." Not surprisingly, the earlier sense of "utmost" carries the same meaning as "outermost." The second sense of "utmost," meaning "of the greatest or highest degree," first appeared in English in the 14th century but didn't see frequent use until almost 400 years later. A related word is "utter," meaning "absolute" or "total," as in the phrase "utter chaos"; it comes from Old English "utera," meaning "outer," and ultimately from "Ūt." *Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2007 is: succor • \SUCK-er\ • noun 1 : relief; also : aid, help 2 : something that furnishes relief Examples: "The people lost all hope of succor, and fled to the mountains for refuge." (Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad) Did you know? If you're in need of an explanation of the origins of "succor," we can help. Middle English speakers adapted "socour," the predecessor of "succor," from the Anglo-French "sucors," which essentially had the same meaning as our modern word. "Sucors," in turn, derives from the Medieval Latin "succursus," itself a derivative of the Latin verb "succurrere," meaning "to run to the rescue" or "to bring aid." That Latin verb was a composite of the prefix "sub-" (meaning "from below") and the verb "currere" (meaning "to run"). "Succor" has been saving the day in English (as both a noun and a verb) since at least the 13th century. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 11, 2007 is: wimple • \WIM-pul\ • verb 1 : to cover with or as if with a wimple : veil 2 : to ripple 3 : to follow a winding course : meander Examples: In Herman Melville's Benito Cereno, the author describes the sun as being "wimpled by . . . low, creeping clouds." Did you know? "Wimple" is the name of the covering worn over the head and around the neck and chin by women in the late medieval period, as well as by some modern nuns. Its name is akin to Old Saxon "wimpal" and Middle Dutch "wimpel," both of which mean "veil" or "banner." Like the word "veil," "wimple" is also used as a verb meaning "cover" and was adopted by literary writers as a substitute for "ripple" and "meander," especially when writing about streams. "Over the little brook which wimpled along below towered an arch," James Russell Lowell once observed. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2007 is: Golconda • \gahl-KAHN-duh\ • noun : a rich mine; broadly : a source of great wealth Examples: The junk bond market proved to be a Golconda for unscrupulous traders during the 1980s, many of whom amassed huge fortunes by trading such bonds to the unwary. Did you know? In the 16th century, Golconda was the capital of the Qutb Shahi kingdom in southern India, near modern Hyderabad. The city was home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates in the region and was the center of a flourishing diamond trade. Magnificent diamonds were taken from the mines in the hills surrounding Golconda, including Darya-e Nur (meaning "sea of light"), at 185 carats, the largest and finest diamond of the crown jewels of Iran. By the 1880s, "Golconda" was being used generically by English speakers to refer to any particularly rich mine, and later to any source of great wealth. 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, 2007 is: obstinate • \AHB-stuh-nut\ • adjective 1 : perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion 2 : not easily subdued, remedied, or removed Examples: As usual, Cassie remained obstinate in her opinion even though the facts were clearly stacked against her. Did you know? If you're obstinate, you're just plain stubborn. "Obstinate," "dogged," "stubborn," "pertinacious," and "mulish" all mean that someone is unwilling to change course or give up a belief or plan. "Obstinate" suggests an unreasonable persistence; it's often a negative word. "Dogged," which can be more positive, implies that someone goes after something without ever tiring or quitting, while "pertinacious" suggests a persistence that can be annoying. "Stubborn" indicates a resistance to change, which may or may not be admirable. Someone who displays a really unreasonable degree of stubbornness could accurately be described as "mulish." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 8, 2007 is: thimblerig • \THIM-bul-rig\ • verb 1 : to cheat by trickery 2 : to swindle by a trick in which a small ball or pea is quickly shifted from under one to another of three small cups to fool the spectator guessing its location Examples: The appraiser looked closely at the painting and then reluctantly told us that we had been thimblerigged into buying a worthless copy. Did you know? The game of thimblerig seems innocent enough. The thimblerigger places a seed under one of three thimbles. He or she deftly scoots the thimbles around on a table, then asks the player to bet on which one hides the seed. But thimbleriggers are masters of sleight of hand and can move and manipulate the seed unfairly -- so the guileless player doesn't stand a chance of winning. (The poor bettor is probably unaware that "rig" has meant "to manipulate or control usually by deceptive or dishonest means" since the 1800s.) When the same sham is played with nutshells, it's called a "shell game," and there's a related game played with cards known as "three-card monte." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 7, 2007 is: askew • \uh-SKYOO\ • adjective : out of line : awry Examples: Jeff didn't realize that the bookshelf he had hung on the wall was slightly askew until he placed a pen on it and it rolled off the edge. Did you know? It's believed that "askew" was formed simply by attaching the prefix "a-" -- meaning, among other things, "in (such) a state or condition" -- to "skew." The word "skew," which derives via Middle English from Anglo-French "eschiver," meaning "to escape or avoid," can be a verb, adjective, or noun. But at the time of the first appearance of "askew" in English, in the middle of the 16th century, "skew" had only been established as a verb meaning "to take an oblique course or direction." At least one etymologist has suggested that "askew" might have been influenced by an Old Norse phrase, and that the same phrase might have also given us "askance." In the past, "askew" was used synonymously with "askance," as in, "She looked at me askew after my ill-timed joke." 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 6, 2007 is: canard • \kuh-NARD\ • noun 1 a : a false or unfounded report or story; especially : a fabricated report b : a groundless rumor or belief 2 : an airplane with horizontal stabilizing and control surfaces in front of supporting surfaces; also : a small airfoil in front of the wing of an aircraft that increases the aircraft's stability Examples: "Last week's storm," Chet declared, "showed us that the claim that lightning cannot strike the same place twice is nothing more than a canard." Did you know? In 16th-century France "vendre des canards à moitié" was a colorful way of saying "to fool" or "to cheat." The French phrase means, literally, "to half-sell ducks." No one now knows just what was meant by "to half-sell"; the proverb was probably based on some story widely known at the time, but the details have not survived. At any rate, the expression led to the use of "canard," the French word for "duck," with the meaning "a hoax" or "a fabrication." English speakers adopted this "canard" in the mid-1800s. The aeronautical sense of "canard," used from the early days of flying, comes from the stubby duck-like appearance of the aircraft. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 5, 2007 is: louche • \LOOSH\ • adjective : not reputable or decent Examples: Her novels are populated by louche characters wasting their days in brothels and seedy bars. Did you know? "Louche" ultimately comes from the Latin word "luscus," meaning "blind in one eye" or "having poor sight." This Latin term gave rise to the French "louche," meaning "squinting" or "cross-eyed." The French gave their term a figurative sense as well, taking that squinty look to mean "shady" or "devious." English speakers didn't see the need for the sight-impaired uses when they borrowed the term in the 19th century, but they kept the figurative one. The word is still quite visible today and is used to describe both people and places of questionable repute. 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 4, 2007 is: multifarious • \mul-tuh-FAIR-ee-us\ • adjective : having or occurring in great variety : diverse Examples: John listed his multifarious interests and activities on his college application. Did you know? Dictionary makers have dated the first appearance of "multifarious" in print as 1593 -- and rightly so -- but before that time another word similar in form and meaning was being used: "multifary," meaning "in many ways" and appearing (and disappearing) in the 15th century. Before either of the English words existed, there was the Medieval Latin word "multifarius" (same meaning as "multifarious"), from Latin "multifariam," meaning "in many places" or "on many sides." "Multi-," as you may know, is a combining form meaning "many." A relative of "multifarious" in English is "omnifarious" ("of all varieties, forms, or kinds"), created with "omni-" ("all") rather than "multi-." 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 3, 2007 is: ameliorate • \uh-MEE-lee-uh-rayt\ • verb : to make better or more tolerable Examples: Access to clean water would ameliorate living conditions within the village. Did you know? "Ameliorate" traces back to "melior," the Latin adjective meaning "better," and is a synonym of the verbs "better" and "improve." When is it better to use "ameliorate"? If a situation is bad, "ameliorate" indicates that the conditions have been made more tolerable. Thus, one might refer to drugs that ameliorate the side effects of chemotherapy; a loss of wages ameliorated by unemployment benefits; or a harsh law ameliorated by special exceptions. "Improve" and "better" apply when what is being made better can be good or bad (as in "the weather improved" and "she bettered her lot in life"), and they should certainly be chosen over "ameliorate" when something good is getting better still ("he improved his successful program"; "she bettered her impressive scores"). 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 2, 2007 is: jocose • \joh-KOHSS\ • adjective 1 : given to joking : merry 2 : characterized by joking : humorous Examples: In the office, Ellie's lively, jocose personality keeps everyone smiling and upbeat. Did you know? When you need a word to describe something (or someone) that causes or is intended to cause laughter, you might pick "jocose" or a synonym such as "humorous," "witty," "facetious," or "jocular." Of those terms, "humorous" is the most generic and can be applied to anything that provokes laughter. "Witty" suggests cleverness and a quick mind, while "facetious" is a word for something that is not meant to be taken seriously. "Jocose" and "jocular" both imply a habitual waggishness and a fondness for joking. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 1, 2007 is: demulcent • \dih-MULL-sunt\ • adjective : soothing Examples: The lozenges had a demulcent effect, and my sore throat was soon feeling much better. Did you know? "Demulcent" derives from the Latin verb "demulcēre," meaning "to soothe." "Demulcēre" in turn comes from a combination of the prefix "de-" and "mulcēre," an earlier verb that also means "to soothe." As an adjective, "demulcent" often applies to the soothing nature of some medicines, but you can also use it to describe such things as a soothing voice or a soothing demeanor. The noun "demulcent" is used for a gelatinous or oily substance that is capable of soothing inflamed or abraded mucous membranes and protecting them from further irritation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 31, 2007 is: wetware • \WET-wair\ • noun : the human brain or a human being considered especially with respect to human logical and computational capabilities Examples: With the right wetware at the helm, the company should be able to turn a sizeable profit. Did you know? When the computer terms "software" and "hardware" sprang to life in the mid-20th century, a surge of visions and inventions using the new technology immediately followed . . . along with a revival of the combining form "ware." An early coinage was "wetware," which began circuiting techie circles in the 1970s as a name for the software installed by Mother Nature (a.k.a. the brain). Other "ware" names for people and their noggins have made a blip in our language -- for example, "meatware" and "liveware" -- but none have become firmly established in the general lexicon like "wetware." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 30, 2007 is: gibe • \JYBE\ • verb : to utter taunting words Examples: The crowd began to gibe at the basketball player who kept missing free throws. Did you know? Confused about "jibe" and "gibe"? The distinction actually isn't as clear-cut as some commentators would like it to be. "Jibe" is used both for the verb meaning "to be in accord, agree" ("jibe with") and for the nautical verb and noun ("jibe the mainsail," "a risky jibe in heavy seas"). "Gibe" is used for the verb "to deride or tease" and the noun "a taunting remark." But "jibe" is a recognized variant of "gibe," so it also has taunting or teasing uses. "Gibe" has been used occasionally as a variant of "jibe," but this use is very rare, and many people consider it to be an error. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 29, 2007 is: hemidemisemiquaver • \hem-ih-dem-ih-SEM-ih-kway-ver\ • noun : a musical note with the time value of 1/64 of a whole note : sixty-fourth note Examples: The pianist's fingers became a blur flying over the keys as she played the difficult hemidemisemiquavers of the allegro movement. Did you know? Hemidemisemiquavers are the fastest musical notes that are commonly played, and performing them well can stretch human technique to its limit. The term is mainly used in Britain, where eighth notes are called "quavers," sixteenth notes are called "semiquavers," and thirty-second notes are called "demisemiquavers." In the United States, "hemidemisemiquaver" is likely to be used humorously, occurring especially as a clever substitute for "moment" or "bit," as in "the concert ended not a hemidemisemiquaver too soon." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 28, 2007 is: impertinent • \im-PER-tuh-nunt\ • adjective 1 : not pertinent : irrelevant 2 a : not restrained within due or proper bounds especially of propriety or good taste b : given to or characterized by insolent rudeness Examples: Clearly offended, Susan refused to answer an impertinent question about her marriage. Did you know? English speakers adopted both "impertinent" and "pertinent" from Anglo-French in the 14th century. Both words derive from the present participle of the Latin verb "pertinēre," meaning "to pertain." Initially, "impertinent" was used for things that are simply not relevant. Over time, it came to be used of things that are not only irrelevant but rudely or inappropriately so, and later for people who are just straight-out rude. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 27, 2007 is: flimflam • \FLIM-flam\ • verb : to subject to a deception or fraud Examples: Mrs. Grayson was one of several people in the neighborhood who were flimflammed into donating money to the phony charity. Did you know? English is full of words concerned with trickery and deception, ranging from the colorful "flimflam," "bamboozle," and "hornswoggle" to the more mundane "deceive," "mislead," and "delude." "Flimflam" first entered English as a noun meaning "deceptive nonsense" in the second half of the 16th century. A sense meaning "deception" or "fraud" soon developed. The verb use didn't show up until well into the next century. In addition to general deceiving or tricking, the verb "flimflam" is often used specifically to refer to swindling someone out of money. The ultimate origin of "flimflam" is uncertain, but the word is probably of Scandinavian origin and may be related to the Old Norse "flim," meaning "mockery." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 26, 2007 is: wallah • \WAH-luh\ • noun : a person who is associated with a particular work or who performs a specific duty or service -- usually used in combination Examples: "Location, location and location. That's what it's all about, trumpet the real-estate wallahs." (Tony Baker, The Advertiser, August 3, 2005) Did you know? "Wallah" comes from the Hindi suffix "-vālā," meaning "one in charge." Like its Hindi counterpart, "wallah" is commonly used in combination with other nouns. The first use of "wallah" appeared as "lootywallah" in a narrative penned by Officer Innes Munro describing his time deployed on the Coromandel Coast of India in the 1780s. "Looty," or "lootie," was a noun sometimes applied to a member of a band of marauders or robbers. In the narrative, Munro used the term to describe looting cavalrymen. In current writing, "wallah" is typically accompanied by words like "office" or "marketing." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 25, 2007 is: youthquake • \YOOTH-kwayk\ • noun : a shift in cultural norms influenced by the values, tastes, and mores of young people Examples: The dot-com industry was the epicenter of the youthquake of the 1990s. Did you know? The 1960s were a time of seismic social upheaval brought about by young people bent on shaking up the establishment. From politics to fashion to music, the ways of youth produced far-reaching cultural changes. Linguistically, the sixties saw the addition to English of such words as "flower child," "peacenik," "hippie," "love beads," "trippy," "vibe," "freak-out," and "love-in." Not surprisingly, they also saw the emergence of "youthquake." The first known use of "youthquake" in print comes from a 1966 article in McCall's: "the youthquake, as some call it ... has swept both sides of the Atlantic." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 24, 2007 is: apparatchik • \ah-puh-RAH-chik\ • noun 1 : member of a Communist apparat 2 : a blindly devoted official, follower, or member of an organization (as a corporation or political party) Examples: The boss seemed to prefer apparatchiks to anyone with a glimmer of independent thought. Did you know? In the context of the definition of "apparatchik" (a term English speakers borrowed from Russian), "apparat" essentially means "party machine." An "apparatchik," therefore, is a cog in the system of the Communist Party. The term is not an especially flattering one, and its negative connotations reflect the perception that some Communists were obedient drones in the great Party machine. In current use, however, a person doesn't have to be a member of the Communist Party to be called an "apparatchik"; he or she just has to be someone who mindlessly follows orders in an organization or bureaucracy. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 23, 2007 is: alfresco • \al-FRESS-koh\ • adjective or adverb : taking place or located in the open air : outdoor, outdoors Examples: Our neighbors are looking forward to the summer, when they'll be able to dine alfresco on their new patio. Did you know? In addition to describing a type of dining, "alfresco" can also describe a kind of painting. The word "fresco," which comes from the Italian adjective "fresco," meaning "fresh," refers to a method of painting on fresh plaster. Although the "outdoors" sense of "alfresco" is by far the most common in current use, the term is sometimes used to describe painting done in the fresco manner -- that is, on fresh plaster. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 22, 2007 is: foreshorten • \for-SHORT-un\ • verb 1 : to shorten by proportionately contracting in the direction of depth so that an illusion of projection or extension in space is obtained 2 : to make more compact : abridge, shorten Examples: We had a wonderful vacation, even if our time at the beach was foreshortened by two days of rain. Did you know? "Foreshorten" first appeared in a 1606 treatise on art by the British writer and artist Henry Peacham: "If I should paint ... an horse with his brest and head looking full in my face, I must of necessity foreshorten him behinde." Peacham's "foreshorten" probably comes from "fore-" (meaning "earlier" or "beforehand") plus "shorten." The addition of "fore-" to verbs was a routine practice in Peacham's day, creating such words as "fore-conclude," "fore-consider," "fore-instruct," and "fore-repent." "Foreshorten," along with words like "foresee" and "foretell," is one of the few "fore-" combinations to still survive. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 21, 2007 is: prothalamion • \proh-thuh-LAY-mee-un\ • noun : a song in celebration of a marriage Examples: The king requested that the court poet commemorate the marriage of the princess with a prothalamion. Did you know? In 1595, the newly-wed Edmund Spenser wrote a poem to his young bride. He gave this poem the title Epithalamion, borrowing a Greek word for a song or poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom. "Epithalamion," which eventually became established as an English word, can be traced to Greek words that mean "upon the bridal chamber." A year later, Spencer was inspired to write another nuptial poem -- this time in celebration of the marriages of the Earl of Worcester's two daughters. But since the ceremonies had not yet taken place, he did not want to call it an epithalamion. After some reflection, Spencer decided to separate "epi-" from "thalamion" and wed the latter with "pro-" ("before"), inventing a word that would become established in the language with the meaning "a song in celebration of a marriage." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 20, 2007 is: somnolent • \SAHM-nuh-lunt\ • adjective 1 : of a kind likely to induce sleep 2 a : inclined to or heavy with sleep : drowsy b : sleepy Examples: "I am no whit somnolent; I always hear best with my eyes shut." (Sir Walter Scott, The Legend of Montrose) Did you know? "Somnolent" first appeared in late 15th century in the redundant phrase "somnolent sleep." It came into English by way of Anglo-French from the Latin word "somnolentus," which itself comes from "somnus," meaning "sleep." Another offspring of "somnus" is "somnambulism," a synonym of "sleepwalking." "Insomnia" is also a member of this sleepy word family, though it might be considered the black sheep, since it means, of course, "the inability to sleep." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.