Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 25, 2020 is: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 March 24, 2020 is: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 March 23, 2020 is: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 March 22, 2020 is: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 March 21, 2020 is: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 March 20, 2020 is: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 March 19, 2020 is: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 March 18, 2020 is: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 March 17, 2020 is: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 March 16, 2020 is: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 March 15, 2020 is: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 March 14, 2020 is: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 March 13, 2020 is: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 March 12, 2020 is: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 March 11, 2020 is: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 March 10, 2020 is: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 March 9, 2020 is: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 March 8, 2020 is: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 March 7, 2020 is: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 March 6, 2020 is:oleaginous \oh-lee-AJ-uh-nus\ adjective1 : resembling or having the properties of oil : oily; also : containing or producing oil2 : marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or qualityExamples:The clerk's charm is in the eye of the beholder: where some see a quick smile and ready compliment, others see an oleaginous demeanor."The antagonists (calling them villains would go too far) were superbly embodied by Catherine Cook as Marcellina …, Greg Fedderly as the oleaginous Basilio, and James Creswell as Dr. Bartolo…." — Joshua Kosman, The San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Oct. 2019Did you know?The oily oleaginous slipped into English via Middle French oleagineux, coming from Latin oleagineus, meaning "of an olive tree." Oleagineus itself is from Latin olea, meaning "olive tree," and ultimately from Greek elaia, meaning "olive." Oleaginous was at first used in a literal sense, as it still can be. An oleaginous substance is simply oily, and an oleaginous plant produces oil. The word took on its extended "ingratiating" sense in the 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 March 5, 2020 is:filch \FILCH\ verb: to steal secretly or casuallyExamples:"Last November, thieves broke into a jewel room at the Royal Palace in Dresden, Germany, and took off with an array of precious jewelry…. One piece they failed to filch, however, was the Dresden Green, an elaborate diamond hat pin crafted around an extremely rare, almond-shaped celadon-green diamond." — Sebastian Smee, The Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2020"The family that lived there previously had been in it for 50 years, so it hadn't been abandoned like so many other fixer-uppers near downtown. That was good news because many of the home's small treasures—vintage glass doorknobs, wall sconces—hadn't been filched or damaged." — Richard A. Marini, The San Antonio Express-News, 6 Aug. 2019Did you know?"I am glad I am so acquit of this tinder-box: his thefts were too open; his filching was like an unskilful singer—he kept not time." So says Falstaff in William Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Bard was fond of filch in both its literal and figurative uses; Iago, for example, says to Othello, "But he that filches from me my good name / Robs me of that which not enriches him / And makes me poor indeed." Filch derives from the Middle English word filchen ("to attack" or "to steal") and perhaps from Old English gefylce ("band of men, troop, army"). As a noun, filch once referred to a hooked staff used by thieves to snatch articles out of windows and from similar places, but this use is now obsolete.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 March 4, 2020 is:albeit \awl-BEE-it\ conjunction: even though : althoughExamples:Kara's big break as an actress came in a big-budget Academy Award-nominated movie, albeit in a minor role where she played a hotel clerk."He admitted hitting a home run at Wrigley was 'a dream come true,' albeit with a big twist. Originally the dream had him wearing a Cubs uniform." — Paul Sullivan, The Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2019Did you know?Albeit dates to the 14th century and comes from a Middle English word meaning, literally, "all (or completely) though it be." Its heritage is clear in its pronunciation, which is as though it were three words instead of one: all, be, it. In the early 20th century, albeit was accused of being archaic. That descriptor was never quite accurate; the word had mostly been holding steady at "not-terribly-common" since at least the mid-18th century. When albeit began to see a marked increase in use in the mid-20th century, several usage commentators proclaimed that it was making a comeback, and its "archaic" descriptor was fully recognized as no longer apt.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 March 3, 2020 is:rectitudinous \rek-tuh-TOO-duh-nus\ adjective1 : characterized by the quality of being honest and morally correct2 : piously self-righteousExamples:The senatorial candidate's supporters insist that he is possessed of a rectitudinous character and a spotless record."In a personal boycott of the Mongol regime, with its prejudicial attitude toward many native-born Chinese scholars, Ni took to living a fugitive's life on houseboat, always on the move, painting soundless little vistas of river and sky, with thin bare trees standing as symbols of his own rectitudinous isolation." — Holland Cotter, The New York Times, 30 Sept. 2010Did you know?Rectitudinous comes to us straight from Late Latin rectitudin-, rectitudo (English added the -ous ending), which itself ultimately derives from the Latin word rectus, meaning both "straight" and "right." (Other rectus descendants in English include rectitude, of course, and rectilinear, rectangle, and rectify.) In one of its earliest known print appearances, in the year 1897, it was used in the phrase "notoriously and unctuously rectitudinous." Although rectitude often expresses an admirable moral integrity, rectitudinous has always had a less flattering side. It can suggest not only moral uprightness but also a displeasing holier-than-thou attitude.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 March 2, 2020 is:perquisite \PER-kwuh-zut\ noun1 : a privilege, gain, or profit incidental to regular salary or wages; especially : one expected or promised2 : gratuity, tip3 : something held or claimed as an exclusive right or possessionExamples:One of the job's perquisites is use of a company car."American consumers want choices, employers like using health insurance as a perquisite and competition improves efficiency." — Chris Tomlinson, The Houston Chronicle, 15 Dec. 2019Did you know?Looking to acquire a job loaded with perquisites, or "perks" (a synonym of perquisites)? Don't give up the search! Make plenty of inquiries, send out an exquisitely crafted resume, and follow up with queries. Your quest may result in your conquering of the job market. After all, today's word perquisite derives from Latin perquirere, which means "to search for thoroughly." That Latin word, in turn, is from the verb quaerere, meaning "to ask" or "to seek." Seven other words in this paragraph are from quaerere as well—acquire, inquiries, exquisitely, queries, conquering, quest, and, of course, perk (which was formed by shortening and altering perquisite).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 March 1, 2020 is:interpolate \in-TER-puh-layt\ verb1 a : to alter or corrupt (something, such as a text) by inserting new or foreign matterb : to insert (words) into a text or into a conversation2 : to insert between other things or parts : intercalate3 : to estimate values of (data or a function) between two known values4 : to make insertions (as of estimated values)Examples:"But his reputation rested equally on his abilities as a composer and arranger for large ensembles, interpolating bebop's crosshatched rhythms and extended improvisations into lush tapestries." — Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times, 26 Jan. 2020"Both movies interpolate familiar actors' evocatively animated faces into stylized worlds; the effect is gorgeous but unsettling, less like watching a movie in a new medium than like watching it in a dream." — Judy Berman, Time, 9 Sept. 2019Did you know?Interpolate comes from Latin interpolare, a verb with various meanings, among them "to refurbish," "to alter," and "to falsify." (The polare part comes from polire, meaning "to polish.") Interpolate entered English in the 17th century and was applied early on to the alteration (and in many cases corruption) of texts by insertion of additional material. Modern use of interpolate still suggests the insertion of something extraneous or spurious, as in "she interpolated her own commentary into the report."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 February 29, 2020 is:untenable \un-TEN-uh-bul\ adjective1 : not able to be defended2 : not able to be occupiedExamples:Faced with a budget deficit, the company's CEO made the untenable decision to lay off several upper management employees while still making sure he received a salary bonus."At noon on February 20, tanks from the 8th Panzer Regiment slammed into the British two miles north of Kasserine Pass on Highway 17. For the next six hours, the Tommies yielded one untenable hill after another." — Rick Atkinson, An Army at Dawn, 2002Did you know?Untenable and its opposite tenable come to us from Old French tenir ("to hold, have possession of") and ultimately from Latin tenēre ("to hold, occupy, possess"). We tend to use untenable in situations where an idea or position is so off base that holding onto it is unjustified or inexcusable. One way to hold onto the meaning of untenable is to associate it with other tenēre descendants whose meanings are associated with "holding" or "holding onto." Tenacious ("holding fast") is one example. Others are contain, detain, sustain, maintain, and retain.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 February 28, 2020 is:coax \KOHKS\ verb1 : to influence or gently urge by caressing or flattering : wheedle 2 : to draw, gain, or persuade by means of gentle urging or flattery 3 : to manipulate with great perseverance and usually with considerable effort toward a desired state or activityExamples:"Toasting the pine nuts until they're properly golden brown to the center and not just on the surface is key in coaxing out maximum flavor." — Molly Willett, Bon Appétit, December 2019/January 2020"Recycling is still important, but it's not the whole answer to our problem with getting rid of 'stuff.' What we really need is to shut our eyes and ears to the advertising that coaxes us to buy more, and spend our money on only the things we really need." — Dorothy Turcotte, The Grimsby Lincoln (Ontario) News, 6 Jan. 2020Did you know?In the days of yore, if you made a "cokes" of someone, you made a fool of them. Cokes—a now-obsolete word for "fool"—is believed to be the source of the verb coax, which was first used in the 16th century (with the spelling cokes) to mean "to make a fool of." Soon, the verb also took on the kinder meaning of "to make a pet of." As might be expected, the act of "cokesing" was sometimes done for personal gain. By the 17th century, the word was being used in today's senses that refer to influencing or persuading people by kind acts or words. By the 19th century, the spelling cokes had fallen out of use, along with the meanings "to make a fool of" and "to make a pet of."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 27, 2020 is:trenchant \TREN-chunt\ adjective1 : keen, sharp2 : vigorously effective and articulate; also : caustic3 a : sharply perceptive : penetratingb : clear-cut, distinctExamples:"Felix had a confident, gayly trenchant way of judging human actions which Mr. Wentworth grew little by little to envy; it seemed like criticism made easy." — Henry James, The Europeans, 1878"Whether you view it as a trenchant treatise on the contemporary effects of Marxism, or just a wonderfully odd glimpse into a fading star of the fashion industry, Celebration is at turns beguiling, fascinating, and true, which is what one should want and need out of a documentary." — Josh Kupecki, The Austin Chronicle, 18 Oct. 2019Did you know?The word trenchant comes from the Anglo-French verb trencher, meaning "to cut," and may ultimately derive from the Vulgar Latin trinicare, meaning "to cut in three." Hence, a trenchant sword is one with a keen edge; a trenchant remark is one that cuts deep; and a trenchant observation is one that cuts to the heart of the matter. Relatives of trenchant in English include the noun trench ("a long ditch cut into the ground") and the verb retrench ("to cut down or pare away" or "to cut down expenses").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 February 26, 2020 is:injunction \in-JUNK-shun\ noun1 : the act or an instance of enjoining : order, admonition2 : a court order requiring a party to do or refrain from doing a specified actExamples:The family gathered in the room to hear the matriarch's dying injunctions."The Benton County district filed a lawsuit asking for the division of fees to be declared unconstitutional and seeking an injunction to have the disputed money held in escrow." — Tom Sissom, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 22 Jan. 2020Did you know?Injunction derives, via Anglo-French and Late Latin, from the Latin verb injungere, which in turn is based on jungere, meaning "to join." Like our verb enjoin, injungere means "to direct or impose by authoritative order or with urgent admonition." (Not surprisingly, enjoin is also a descendant of injungere.) Injunction has been around in English since at least the 15th century, when it began life as a word meaning "authoritative command." In the 16th century, it developed a legal second sense applying to a court order. It has also been used as a synonym of conjunction, another jungere descendant meaning "union," but that sense is extremely rare.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 February 25, 2020 is:dissemble \dih-SEM-bul\ verb1 : to hide under a false appearance2 : to put on the appearance of : simulate3 : to put on a false appearance : to conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretenseExamples:"The front room of the gallery will feature the artist's new work presented in large scale and a salon style arrangement of miniature vignettes that dissemble various elements of his inhabited landscapes." — The Register-Star (Hudson, New York), 14 Nov. 2019"She nodded again, and her eyes closed. It was very pleasant to Darrow that she made no effort to talk or to dissemble her sleepiness. He sat watching her till the upper lashes met and mingled with the lower, and their blent shadow lay on her cheek; then he stood up and drew the curtain over the lamp, drowning the compartment in a bluish twilight." — Edith Wharton, The Reef, 1912Did you know?We don't have anything to hide: dissemble is a synonym of disguise, cloak, and mask. Disguise implies a change in appearance or behavior that misleads by presenting a different apparent identity ("The prince disguised himself as a peasant"). Cloak suggests a means of hiding a movement or an intention ("The military operation was cloaked in secrecy"). Mask suggests some often obvious means of hiding or disguising something ("The customer smiled to mask her discontent"). Dissemble (from Latin dissimulare, meaning "to disguise or conceal") stresses the intent to deceive, especially about one's own thoughts or feelings, and often implies that the deception is something that would warrant censure if discovered.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 February 24, 2020 is:acumen \AK-yoo-mun\ noun: keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination especially in practical mattersExamples:The author's detective possesses a superior acumen that enables her to solve the most bizarre and puzzling of mysteries."Much of Pei's business acumen was shaped early on in his career, in the late 1940s. After receiving his master's from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard, he taught for two years alongside Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus School, whom he had also studied under." — Spencer Bailey and Alex Scimecca, Fortune, 19 May 2019Did you know?A keen mind and a sharp wit can pierce the soul as easily as a needle passes through cloth. Remember the analogy between a jabbing needle and piercing perception, and you will readily recall the history of acumen. Our English word retains the spelling and figurative meaning of its direct Latin ancestor, a term that literally means "sharp point." Latin acūmen traces to the verb acuere, which means "to sharpen" and is related to acus, the Latin word for "needle." In its earliest English uses, acumen referred specifically to a sharpness of wit. In modern English, it conveys the sense that someone is perceptive enough to grasp a situation quickly and clever enough to apply that ability.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 February 23, 2020 is:misbegotten \miss-bih-GAH-tun\ adjective1 : unlawfully conceived : illegitimate2 a : having a disreputable or improper origin : ill-conceivedb : contemptible, deformedExamples:The city's misbegotten attempt to install new traffic signals at the busy intersection only caused greater confusion for motorists."Stillness fills the remaining six pictures. Paradoxically, each presents evidence of human activity: a harbor city, a partly constructed building, a garbage truck, a muddy road, a cat sitting curbside and a rusty engine from a military plane that crashed in 1942 and now rests in the landscape, like a misbegotten icon." — David Pagel, The Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2019Did you know?In the beginning, there was the Old English begiten, and begiten begot the Middle English begotyn, and begotyn begot the modern English begotten, and from thence sprung misbegotten. That description may be a bit flowery, but it accurately traces the path that led to misbegotten. All of the Old English and Middle English ancestors listed above basically meant the same thing as the modern begotten, the past participle of beget, meaning "to father" or "to produce as an effect or outgrowth." That linguistic line brought forth misbegotten by adding the prefix mis- (meaning "wrong," "bad," or "not") in the mid-1500s.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 February 22, 2020 is:pontificate \pahn-TIF-uh-kayt\ verb1 : to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way2 a : to officiate as a pontiffb : to celebrate pontifical massExamples:Stan loves to hear himself talk and will often pontificate on even the most trivial issues."If a talker's objective through nonstop chatter is to impress others, I have a life lesson worth sharing. People generally are resentful and/or bored by hearing another pontificate about the greatness of themselves." — Mike Masterson, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 28 Dec. 2019Did you know?In ancient Rome, the pontifices were powerful priests who administered the part of civil law that regulated relationships with the deities recognized by the state. Their name, pontifex, derives from the Latin words pons, meaning "bridge," and facere, meaning "to make," and some think it may have developed because the group was associated with a sacred bridge over the river Tiber (although there is no proof of that). With the rise of Catholicism, the title pontifex was transferred to the Pope and to Catholic bishops. Pontificate derives from pontifex, and in its earliest English uses it referred to things associated with such prelates. By the late 1800s, pontificate was also being used derisively for individuals who spoke as if they had the authority of an ecclesiastic.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 February 21, 2020 is:numismatic \noo-muz-MAT-ik\ adjective1 : of or relating to the study or collection of coins, tokens, and paper money2 : of or relating to currency : monetaryExamples:Andrew brought his father's collection of 19th-century coins to an antique dealer to find out if any were of numismatic value."Many a well-meaning metal detector enthusiast has taken aggressive measures to clean the old coins they unearth—including harsh scrubbing and abrasives like sandpaper. The coin may come out as bright and shiny as the day it was new, but its value can be destroyed in the process. Whatever the condition of the coin, it's probably better to consult with a local coin collectors' or numismatic group or experts before doing anything that can't be reversed." — Mason Dockter, The Sioux City (Iowa) Journal, 30 Oct. 2019Did you know?The first metal coins are believed to have been used as currency by the Lydians, a people of Asia Minor, during the 7th century B.C.E., and it is likely that folks began collecting coins not long after that. The name that we give to the collection of coins today is numismatics, a word that also encompasses the collection of paper money and of medals. The noun numismatics and the adjective numismatic came to English (via French numismatique) from Latin and Greek nomisma, meaning "coin." Nomisma in turn derives from the Greek verb nomizein ("to use") and ultimately from the noun nomos ("custom" or "law"). From these roots we also get numismatist, referring to a person who collects coins, medals, or paper money.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 February 20, 2020 is:judgment \JUJ-munt\ noun1 a : the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparingb : an opinion or estimate so formed2 a : the capacity for judging : discernmentb : the exercise of this capacity3 a : a formal utterance of an authoritative opinionb : an opinion so pronounced4 : a formal decision given by a court5 : a divine sentence or decisionExamples:Theresa showed good judgment by clearing her family out of the house as soon as she smelled gas."The March hotel-tax increase and a $900 million housing bond proposal on the November ballot await judgment from voters." — Michael Smolens, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2020Did you know?Judgment can also be spelled judgement, and usage experts have long disagreed over which spelling is the preferred one. Henry Fowler asserted that "the OED [Oxford English Dictionary] prefers the older & more reasonable spelling. Judgement is therefore here recommended…." William Safire held an opposite opinion, writing, "My judgment is that Fowler is not to be followed on his spelling of judgement." Judgement is in fact the older spelling, but it dropped from favor and for centuries judgment was the only spelling to appear in dictionaries. That changed when the OED (Fowler's source) was published showing judgement as an equal variant. Today, judgment is more popular in the U.S., whereas both spellings make a good showing in Britain.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 February 19, 2020 is:eradicate \ih-RAD-uh-kayt\ verb1 : to do away with as completely as if by pulling up by the roots2 : to pull up by the rootsExamples:Widespread, global vaccination has been successful in eradicating smallpox."The golf-cart fleet is fully powered by lithium batteries, food and horticultural waste is processed into fertilizer for the course, and a simple edict that every agronomy worker must handpick 15 weeds daily before quittin' time has all but eradicated the need for chemical treatments." — Max Alder, The Golf Digest, 16 Dec. 2019Did you know?Given that eradicate first meant "to pull up by the roots," it's not surprising that the root of eradicate means, in fact, "root." Eradicate, which first turned up in English in the 16th century, comes from eradicatus, the past participle of the Latin verb eradicare. Eradicare, in turn, can be traced back to the Latin word radix, meaning "root" or "radish." Although eradicate began life as a word for literal uprooting, by the mid-17th century it had developed a metaphorical application to removing things the way one might yank an undesirable weed up by the roots. Other descendants of radix in English include radical and radish. Even the word root itself is related; it comes from the same ancient word that gave Latin radix.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 February 18, 2020 is:dissemble \dih-SEM-bul\ verb1 : to hide under a false appearance2 : to put on the appearance of : simulate3 : to put on a false appearance : to conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretenseExamples:"The front room of the gallery will feature the artist's new work presented in large scale and a salon style arrangement of miniature vignettes that dissemble various elements of his inhabited landscapes." — The Register-Star (Hudson, New York), 14 Nov. 2019"She nodded again, and her eyes closed. It was very pleasant to Darrow that she made no effort to talk or to dissemble her sleepiness. He sat watching her till the upper lashes met and mingled with the lower, and their blent shadow lay on her cheek; then he stood up and drew the curtain over the lamp, drowning the compartment in a bluish twilight." — Edith Wharton, The Reef, 1912Did you know?We don't have anything to hide: dissemble is a synonym of disguise, cloak, and mask. Disguise implies a change in appearance or behavior that misleads by presenting a different apparent identity ("The prince disguised himself as a peasant"). Cloak suggests a means of hiding a movement or an intention ("The military operation was cloaked in secrecy"). Mask suggests some often obvious means of hiding or disguising something ("The customer smiled to mask her discontent"). Dissemble (from Latin dissimulare, meaning "to disguise or conceal") stresses the intent to deceive, especially about one's own thoughts or feelings, and often implies that the deception is something that would warrant censure if discovered.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 February 17, 2020 is:probity \PROH-buh-tee\ noun: adherence to the highest principles and ideals : uprightnessExamples:The tale of young George Washington's refusal to tell a lie after cutting down his father's cherry tree was told to us as grade schoolers to illustrate his probity."The schoolmaster was often the most trusted man in America's rural school districts. While some of his students might hold different opinions, the schoolmaster's probity, impartiality and wisdom were valued by the community." — Dan Krieger, The San Luis Obispo (California) Tribune, 21 Sept. 2019Did you know?Probity and its synonyms honesty, honor, and integrity all mean uprightness of character or action, with some slight differences in emphasis. Honesty implies a refusal to lie or deceive in any way. Honor suggests an active or anxious regard for the standards of one's profession, calling, or position. Integrity implies trustworthiness and incorruptibility to a degree that one is incapable of being false to a trust, responsibility, or pledge. Probity, which descends from Latin probus, meaning "honest," implies tried and proven honesty or integrity.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 February 16, 2020 is:stipulate \STIP-yuh-layt\ verb1 : to make an agreement or covenant to do or forbear something : contract2 : to demand an express term in an agreement3 : to specify as a condition or requirement (as of an agreement or offer)4 : to give a guarantee ofExamples:"The county charter stipulates that county council appoint four citizens—two from each of the major political parties—to the election board. Those four then select a fifth member, who may be of any political affiliation, to serve as chairperson." — Eric Mark, The Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania), 9 Jan. 2020"If Zendaya's grandfather inspired Rue's hoodie, it was her grandmother who inspired her second collection in collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger, Tommy x Zendaya.… She was also motivated by the diversity of body types in her family tree to stipulate that the lines she works on also come in plus sizes…." — Jessica Chia, Allure, 21 Nov. 2019Did you know?Like many terms used in the legal profession, stipulate has its roots in Latin. It derives from stipulatus, the past participle of stipulari, a verb meaning "to demand a guarantee (from a prospective debtor)." Stipulate has been a part of the English language since the 17th century. In Roman law, oral contracts were deemed valid only if they followed a proper question-and-answer format; stipulate was sometimes used specifically of this same process of contract making, though it also could be used more generally for any means of making a contract or agreement. The "to specify as a condition or requirement" meaning of stipulate also dates to the 17th century, and is the sense of the word most often encountered in current use.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 February 15, 2020 is:vinaceous \vye-NAY-shus\ adjective: of the color of red wineExamples:The dove had a slight vinaceous tinge on its breast and tail."My Warwickshire venison was even better…; the seared loin was medium-rare, with a gorgeous vinaceous colour at its centre." — Zoe Williams, The Telegraph (London), 19 Feb. 2012Did you know?The first recorded evidence of vinaceous in English dates from 1678, shortly before the accession of Mary II. If ever the queen used vinaceous, she was probably in the confines of her landscaped garden, admiring the vinaceous shades of petals or studying the vinaceous cap of a mushroom; since its beginning, vinaceous has flourished in the earthy lexicon of horticulture and mycology. It has also taken flight in the ornithological world as a descriptive word for the unique red coloring of some birds, like the vinaceous purple finch.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 February 14, 2020 is:Cupid \KYOO-pid\ noun1 : the Roman god of erotic love2 not capitalized : a figure that represents Cupid as a naked usually winged boy often holding a bow and arrowExamples:I purchased a large Valentine's Day card decorated with hearts and cupids."St. Clair said the library won't actively purchase more cake pan designs, but would welcome additional holiday themed designs such as a Christmas tree, a jack o'lantern, cupid or a witch." — Pamela Thompson, The Ashland (Nebraska) Gazette, 13 Dec. 2019Did you know?According to Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Mercury, the messenger god, and Venus, the goddess of love. In Roman times, the winged "messenger of love" was sometimes depicted in armor, but no one is sure if that was intended as a sarcastic comment on the similarities between warfare and romance, or a reminder that love conquers all. Cupid was generally seen as a good spirit who brought happiness to all, but his matchmaking could cause mischief. Venus wasn't above using her son's power to get revenge on her rivals, and she once plotted to have the beautiful mortal Psyche fall in love with a despicable man. But the plan backfired: Cupid fell in love with Psyche, and she eventually became his immortal wife.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 February 13, 2020 is:gustatory \GUSS-tuh-tor-ee\ adjective: relating to or associated with eating or the sense of tasteExamples:"December may be full of sparkling holiday soirees, intimate dinners with friends or boisterous family gatherings. This glorious gustatory time is perfect for preparing luscious hors d'oeuvres, creative cocktails, delectable desserts and time-honored traditional treats." — Robin Glowa, The Ridgefield (Connecticut) Press, 14 Dec. 2019"But I recently discovered that all the aforementioned fatteners aren't the Most Dangerous Food at your friendly neighborhood/highway-side convenience store. No. It's this dang-near-basketball-size, strawberry-cheese muffin. I encountered this gustatory Public Enemy No. 1 recently when I got gas at a convenience store in southwest Little Rock, then decided to go inside. Just for coffee, mind you." — Helaine Williams, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 17 Nov. 2019Did you know?Gustatory is a member of a finite set of words that describe the senses with which we encounter our world, the other members being visual, aural, olfactory, and tactile. Like its peers, gustatory has its roots in Latin—in this case, the Latin word gustare, meaning "to taste." Gustare is a somewhat distant relative of several common English words, among them choose and disgust, but it is a direct ancestor of gustatory, gustation, meaning "the act or sensation of tasting," and degustation, meaning "the action or an instance of tasting especially in a series of small portions."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 February 12, 2020 is:resile \rih-ZYLE\ verb: recoil, retract; especially : to return to a prior positionExamples:"Sir Keir Starmer, who has also announced his candidacy, said his aim was also to restore 'trust' in Labour. The manifesto, he conceded, was 'overloaded,' yet he did not resile from its ambitions." — The Telegraph (London), 6 Jan. 2020"Morrison is determined for the card trials to succeed, with community support, and won't resile from his view that the best form of welfare remains a job. Critics of the program misconceive what welfare is about, he says." — Max Koslowski, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 Sept. 2019Did you know?Resile is a resilient word: it's been in use in English since the early 1500s. It's also a cousin of resilient, and both words derive from the Latin verb resilire, which means "to jump back" or "recoil." (Resilire, in turn, comes from salire, meaning "to leap.") Resilient focuses on the ability of something to "bounce back" from damage, whereas resile generally applies to someone or something that withdraws from an agreement or "jumps back" from a stated position. Resile is a word that shows up only occasionally in U.S. sources; it is more common in British and especially Australian English.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 February 11, 2020 is:obloquy \AH-bluh-kwee\ noun1 : a strongly condemnatory utterance : abusive language2 : the condition of one that is discredited : bad reputeExamples:The manager walked quickly back to the dugout as insults and obloquy rained down from the stands."During [literary critic Harold Bloom's] extremely prolific career, his audience was split between adulation and obloquy." — Benjamin Ivry, The Forward, 14 Oct. 2019Did you know?English speakers can choose from several synonyms to name a tongue-lashing. Abuse is a good general term that usually stresses the anger of the speaker and the harshness of the language, as in "scathing verbal abuse." Vituperation often specifies fluent, sustained abuse; "a torrent of vituperation" is a typical use of this term. Invective implies vehemence comparable to vituperation but may suggest greater verbal and rhetorical skill; it may also apply especially to a public denunciation, as in "blistering political invective." Obloquy, which comes from the Late Latin ob- (meaning "against") plus loquī (meaning "to speak"), suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace; a typical example of its use is "subjected to obloquy and derision."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 February 10, 2020 is:debonair \deb-uh-NAIR\ adjective1 : suave, urbane2 : lighthearted, nonchalantExamples:"Bacs, 47, has sharp features, including a pointed nose; he carries permanent stubble and slicks back his silvered hair, in the style of a debonair, world-conquering James Bond villain." — Cam Wolf, GQ, May 13, 2019"The fat kolaches and muffins go fast, but that still leaves treats to take home: piercingly sweet lemon bars, debonair key lime tarts, and petite, fairy-tale-perfect chocolate cakes peeking out from cascades of pink icing." — Patricia Sharpe, The Texas Monthly, April 2019Did you know?In Anglo-French, someone who was genteel and well-brought-up was described as deboneire—literally "of good family or nature" (from the three-word phrase de bon aire). When the word was borrowed into English in the 13th century, it basically meant "courteous," a narrow sense now pretty much obsolete. Today's debonair incorporates charm, polish, and worldliness, often combined with a carefree attitude (think James Bond). And yes, we tend to use this sense mostly, though not exclusively, of men. The "carefree" characteristic of a debonair person influenced the modern "lighthearted, nonchalant" sense of the word, as illustrated by film critic Owen Gleiberman: "It wouldn't be wrong to call Ocean's Eleven a trifle, but it's a debonair trifle made with high-wire effrontery, the kind that can't be faked. This giddy and glancing charade is one of the most sheerly pleasurable movies to come out this year…."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 February 9, 2020 is:expunge \ik-SPUNJ\ verb1 : to strike out, obliterate, or mark for deletion2 : to efface completely : destroy3 : to eliminate from one's consciousnessExamples:As part of the plea bargain, the defendant's record will be expunged after 100 hours of community service."Now, court officials and prosecutors are bracing for a possible flood of people seeking to expunge their criminal records beginning Jan. 1 under a new law passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham." — Colleen Heild and Katy Barnitz, The Albuquerque Journal, 29 Dec. 2019Did you know?In medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, a series of dots was used to mark mistakes or to label material that should be deleted from a text, and those deletion dots can help you remember the history of expunge. They were known as puncta delentia. The puncta part of the name derives from the Latin verb pungere, which can be translated as "to prick or sting" (and you can imagine that a scribe may have felt stung when their mistakes were so punctuated in a manuscript). Pungere is also an ancestor of expunge, as well as a parent of other dotted, pointed, or stinging terms such as punctuate, compunction, poignant, puncture, and pungent.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 February 8, 2020 is:lenticular \len-TIK-yuh-ler\ adjective1 : having the shape of a double-convex lens2 : of or relating to a lens3 : provided with or utilizing lenticulesExamples:Amateur astronomers might be interested in what the observatory markets as the "largest lenticular telescope on Earth.""This is not the first time Boulder County has been enthralled by a strange cloud formation. In 2017, a spaceship-shaped group of lenticular clouds made its way across the county and onto social media." — Mitchell Byars, The Boulder (Colorado) Daily Camera, 20 June 2019Did you know?"Lentil-shaped"—that's the meaning of Latin lenticularis, the parent of English's lenticular. It's an appropriate predecessor because a double-convex lens is one that is curved on both sides, giving it a shape similar to that of a lentil. English speakers borrowed the Latin term in the 15th century. Lenticularis, in turn, derives from lenticula, which is the source of the English word lentil and a diminutive of the Latin form lent-, lens, meaning "lentil." You probably won't be too surprised to learn that lent-, lens also gave English the word lens.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 February 7, 2020 is:infantilize \IN-fun-tye-lyze\ verb1 : to make or keep infantile2 : to treat as if infantileExamples:"Food manufacturers have been infantilizing us by selling calorie-dense, salty, sweet stuff in brightly colored packages with exciting punctuation for a very long time. And we're buying it." — Tamar Haspel, The Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2019"In China, we like to believe we honor the elderly. We pamper them with gifts of fancy fruit baskets, imported foods and other indulgences. But this shallow perspective on aging infantilizes the elderly and neglects to preserve their dignity." — Frankie Huang, The New York Times, 7 Dec. 2019Did you know?Infantilize is just a baby, relatively speaking. It first saw the light of day in the early 1900s, when social scientists started using the term to discuss the ways in which treating humans as helpless can prolong or encourage their dependency on others. The adjective infantile, which gave birth to infantilize, is far more mature: it dates to the 17th century. Infantile sometimes literally means "relating to infants"—that is, to children in the first year of life—but it also has a broader meaning. If you chide someone for their infantile behavior, you rebuke the person for acting immaturely or childishly.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 February 6, 2020 is:canard \kuh-NARD\ noun1 a : a false or unfounded report or story; especially : a fabricated reportb : a groundless rumor or belief2 : 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 can increase the aircraft's performanceExamples:"Naysayers have been saying that theater is dying, of course, only since the moment it was born. And as a theater critic, I work to debunk that persistent canard." — Lily Janiak, The San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Dec. 2019"NHL players can't play in the Olympics because—though contrary to every publicly available metric—the league continues to trot out the canard about how interrupting the season is injurious to teams' financial health. Yes, players can get hurt in midseason competition…. Players also get hurt in exhibition games, but the owners have never considered canceling those matches that in essence are meaningless." — Larry Brooks, The New York Post, 14 Dec. 2019Did 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 of "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.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 February 5, 2020 is:ancillary \AN-suh-lair-ee\ adjective1 : of lower or secondary class or rank : subordinate, subsidiary2 : providing additional help or support : auxiliary, supplementaryExamples:One ancillary benefit of Beatrice's job at the movie theater is the ability to catch an early glimpse of new releases."Ohio's medical marijuana industry has spawned dozens of growers, dispensaries and processors, and while those businesses receive the most attention, an entire industry of ancillary companies has also sprung up." — Patrick Cooley, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, 2 Jan. 2020Did you know?Ancillary derives from the English word ancilla, a rare word that means "an aid to achieving or mastering something difficult." That word derives from Latin, in which it means "female servant." While English ancilla is unlikely to be encountered except in very specialized contexts (such as philosophy or quantum computing, ancillary picks up on the notion of providing aid or support in a way that supplements something else. In particular, the word often describes something that is in a position of secondary importance, such as the "ancillary products in a company's line."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.