Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 21, 2014 is: perforce • \per-FORSS\ • adverb : by force of circumstances Examples: The author of the history was a court historian and his account is perforce biased in favor of the aristocracy. "Beyond an initial campaign or two, European monarchs lack the money to continue their wars and must perforce borrow it from somewhere." - From a blog by Kenneth Anderson on WashingtonPost.com, February 9, 2014 Did you know? English speakers borrowed "par force" from Anglo-French in the 14th century. "Par" meant "by" (from Latin "per") and the Anglo-French word "force" had the same meaning as its English equivalent, which was already in use by then. At first, "perforce" meant quite literally "by physical coercion." That meaning is no longer used today, but it was still prevalent in William Shakespeare's lifetime (1564-1616). "He rush'd into my house and took perforce my ring away," wrote the Bard in The Comedy of Errors. The "force of circumstances" sense of "perforce" had also come into use by Shakespeare's day. In Henry IV, Part 2, we find "... your health; the which, if you give o'er to stormy passion, must perforce decay." 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, 2014 is: rearguard • \REER-gahrd\ • adjective : of or relating to resistance especially to sweeping social forces Examples: "Even as some of API’s own members are inching toward compromise on relatively modest proposals like cap and trade legislation the lobbying group seems to be fighting a rearguard battle."- From an article by Adam Federman on Counterpunch.org, February 12, 2014 "Democracy seems no better suited than dictatorship to saving rainforests because money talks in both, and from generation to generation, rearguard battles against the devastation have been handed off."- From an article by Edward Hoagland in Harper's, March 2009 Did you know? As a noun, "rearguard" refers to the soldiers that are stationed at the rear of a body to protect it from attack especially during retreat. (The troops at the front are called the vanguard.) A rearguard action, then, is the defensive or delaying fight waged as resistance against the encroaching enemy. It is through figurative extension that the phrase "rearguard action," and consequently "rearguard" as an adjective, has become applied to other means of indirect resistance, often by a small force against a more powerful one. 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, 2014 is: orthography • \or-THAH-gruh-fee\ • noun 1 a : the art of writing words with the proper letters according to standard usage b : the representation of the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols 2 : a part of language study that deals with letters and spelling Examples: English orthography was not yet regularized in Shakespeare's time, so words often had many different spellings. "There's no active pro-Russian policy, as there was under the czars or the Soviets-simply a slow creep of money away from education budgets and new laws reinforcing Cyrillic orthography and the use of Russian in classrooms." - From an article by Britt Peterson in The Boston Globe, February 16, 2014 Did you know? "It's a damn poor mind that can only think of one way to spell a word!" That quote, ascribed to Andrew Jackson, might have been the motto of early English spelling. The concept of orthography (a term that derives from the Greek words "orthos," meaning "right or true," and "graphein," meaning "to write") was not something that really concerned people until the introduction of the printing press in England in the second half of the 15th century. From then on, English spelling became progressively more uniform and has remained fairly stable since the 1755 publication of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language (with the notable exception of certain spelling reforms, such as changing "musick" to "music," that were championed by Noah Webster). 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, 2014 is: verboten • \ver-BOH-tun\ • adjective : forbidden; especially : prohibited by dictate Examples: The teacher made clear on the first day of class that the use of electronic devices would be verboten. "This was not, perhaps, all that surprising since marijuana remains verboten under federal law to this day…." - From a column by James Gill in The Advocate (New Orleans, Louisiana), January 30, 2014 Did you know? Despite its spelling, the adjective "verboten" has nothing to do with "verb," or any of the other words in our language related to Latin "verbum." Rather, "verboten" comes from German, which got it from Old High German "farboten," the past participle of the verb "farbioten," meaning "to forbid." ("Forbid" itself derives from Old English "forbeodan," a relative of "farbioten.") "Verboten," which first appeared in English in 1916, is used to describe things that are forbidden according to a law or a highly regarded authority. There also exists a noun "verboten," meaning "something forbidden by authority" (as in "well-established verbotens"), but this use is quite rare and is typically entered only in large, unabridged dictionaries. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 17, 2014 is: hegira • \hih-JYE-ruh\ • noun : a journey especially when undertaken to escape from a dangerous or undesirable situation : exodus Examples: "Shimmering in the sun-flashed dust of ten thousand hoofs, she saw pass, from East to West, across a continent, the great hegira of the land-hungry Anglo-Saxon. " - From Jack London's 1913 novel The Valley of the Moon "Integrity-and-ingredient-driven spots like Franny's and Frankies 457 Court Street Spuntino promulgated the then-quirky notion that it was worth making the hegira all the way from Manhattan to Brooklyn to eat excellent food." - From an article by Jeff Gordinier in The New York Times, January 1, 2014 Did you know? In the year A.D. 622, the prophet Muhammad was forced to flee his native city, Mecca, to escape persecution from those who rejected his message. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, migrated with a number of his followers to Medina, where they were guaranteed protection by local clans. This event, which traditionally marks the beginning of the Islamic era, is known in Arabic as the "Hijra"-literally, "departure." That Arabic term passed into Medieval Latin (where it was modified to "Hegira") and from there it eventually made its way into English. By the mid-18th century, English speakers were using "hegira" for other journeys, too-especially arduous ones. 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, 2014 is: laissez-faire • \less-ay-FAIR\ • noun 1 : a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs beyond the minimum necessary for the maintenance of peace and property rights 2 : a philosophy or practice characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with individual freedom of choice and action Examples: "Laissez-faire is all well and good until something goes wrong." - John Gutfreund, quoted in The New York Times Book Review, April 18, 2010 "The International Olympic Committee said Monday that they were pleased at how athletes were using social media.… 'We take a very laissez-faire attitude,' IOC spokesman Mark Adams says." - From an article by Kelly Whiteside in USA Today, February 11, 2014 Did you know? The French phrase "laissez-faire" literally means "allow to do," with the idea being "let people do as they choose." The origins of "laissez-faire" are associated with the Physiocrats, a group of 18th-century French economists who believed that government policy should not interfere with the operation of natural economic laws. The actual coiner of the phrase may have been French economist Vincent de Gournay, or it may have been François Quesnay, considered the group's founder and leader. The original phrase was "laissez faire, laissez passer," with the second part meaning "let (things) pass." "Laissez-faire," which first showed up in an English context in 1825, can still mean "a doctrine opposing governmental interference in economic affairs," but it is also used in broader contexts in which a "hands-off" or "anything-goes" policy or attitude is adopted. 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, 2014 is: inroad • \IN-rohd\ • noun 1 : a sudden hostile incursion : raid 2 : an advance or penetration often at the expense of someone or something - usually used in plural Examples: "We began to find the country thinly inhabited, and the people rather confined to live in fortified towns, as being subject to the inroads and depredations of the Tartars, who rob in great armies…." - From Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe "Jones is at the crest of a wave of British snowboarders who have been making inroads on a discipline traditionally dominated by Americans." - From an Associated Press article by Will Graves, February 9, 2014 Did you know? "Inroad" is a combination of "in" and "road," both of which are pretty mundane, as far as words go. But the first-and oldest-meaning of "inroad" hints at a meaning of "road" other than the "way for traveling" one. Beginning back in the days of Old English, "road" referred to an armed hostile incursion made on horseback. ("Raid" comes from this use of "road" and also formerly specified incursions on horseback.) "Road" has lost all of its former violent connotations, and "inroad" is shedding its as well. While inroads are often made at the expense of someone or something, they are at times simply advances, as when an artist is said to be making inroads into a community. 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, 2014 is: exhort • \ig-ZORT\ • verb : to incite by argument or advice : urge strongly Examples: The celebrity speaker exhorted all citizens to get out and vote on Election Day. "What I will do is exhort him to come clean about the difference between Windows 8 and Windows RT that directly impacts customers." - From a blog by James Kendrick on ZDNet, February 7, 2014 Did you know? "Exhort" is a 15th-century coinage. It derives from the Latin verb "hortari," meaning "to incite," and it often implies the ardent urging or admonishing of an orator or preacher. People in the 16th century apparently liked the root "-hort," but they couldn't resist fiddling around with different prefixes to create other words similar in meaning to "exhort." They came up with "adhort" and "dehort." "Adhort" was short-lived and became obsolete after the 17th century. "Dehort" was similar to "exhort" and "adhort" but with a more specific meaning of "to dissuade." It had a better run than "adhort," being used well into the late 19th century, but it is now considered archaic. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 13, 2014 is: fantod • \FAN-tahd\ • noun 1 a : a state of irritability and tension b : fidgets 2 : an emotional outburst : fit Examples: "The idea of such a sum-$140,000!-dropping into the lap of a 19-year-old gave me the fantods." - From an article by Lucy Ferriss in The New York Times, June 28, 2009 "When you listen to the podcast, you'll also hear … the glaring statistics that should give any sensible parent the howling fantods. For instance, he mentions that there's a 1-in-2 chance that a newborn will, at some point, be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes." - From an article by Christopher Heimerman in the Daily Gazette (Sterling, Illinois), January 18, 2014 Did you know? "You have got strong symptoms of the fantods; your skin is so tight you can't shut your eyes without opening your mouth." Thus, American author Charles Frederick Briggs provides us with the oldest recorded use of "fantods" in 1839. Mark Twain used the word to refer to uneasiness or restlessness as shown by nervous movements-also known as the "fidgets"-in Huckleberry Finn: "They was all nice pictures, I reckon, but I didn't somehow seem to take to them, because … they always give me the fantods." The exact origin of "fantod" remains a mystery, but it may have arisen from English dialectal "fantigue"-a word (once used by Dickens) that refers to a state of great tension or excitement and may be a blend of "fantastic" and "fatigue." 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, 2014 is: artless • \AHRT-lus\ • adjective 1 : lacking art, knowledge, or skill : uncultured 2 a : made without skill : crude b : free from artificiality : natural 3 : free from guile or craft : sincerely simple Examples: The senator's folksy demeanor and seemingly artless candor belie the man's shrewd and calculating political sensibilities. "'Pat and Dick' is in many ways a rather artless book, and its prose offers precious few pleasures, but it does open a crack wider the window into a marriage that has interested and puzzled this country for a long time and doubtless will continue to do so far longer." - From a review by Jonathan Yardley in The Washington Post, January 26, 2014 Did you know? "Artless," "ingenuous," and "naive" all refer to freedom from pretension or calculation, but there are subtle differences in their uses. "Ingenuous" implies an inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings, while "naive" suggests a credulous lack of worldly wisdom. "Artless" generally indicates an appearance of utter naturalness, one in which a person is (or seems to be) innocent of the effect of his or her speech or behavior on others. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 11, 2014 is: jingoism • \JING-goh-iz-im\ • noun : extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy Examples: When the war began many people were caught up in a wave of jingoism. "Putting First World War icon Lord Kitchener on the £2 coin was attacked as 'jingoism' by Labour last night. The famous soldier and former Secretary of State for War will appear on the coin as part of 100th anniversary commemorations of the outbreak of the conflict." - From an article by James Lyons at mirror.co.uk, January 14, 2014 Did you know? "Jingoism" originated during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, when many British citizens were hostile toward Russia and felt Britain should intervene in the conflict. Supporters of the cause expressed their sentiments in a music-hall ditty with this refrain: "We don't want to fight, yet by jingo if we do, We've got the ships, we've got the men, We've got the money, too!" Someone holding the attitude implied in the song became known as a "jingo" or "jingoist," and the attitude itself was dubbed "jingoism." The "jingo" in the tune is probably a euphemism for "Jesus." 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, 2014 is: gritty • \GRIT-ee\ • adjective 1 : containing or resembling grit 2 : courageously persistent : plucky 3 : having strong qualities of tough uncompromising realism Examples: I admire her gritty determination to succeed. "The first child of Johnny, Rosanne may not have her father's gritty charisma but she shares his sense of truth in music, with a sensuous, poised style all her own." - From an article by Neil McCormick in the Daily Telegraph (London), February 8, 2014 Did you know? "Gritty" comes from "grit" ("small hard granules"), which in turn derives (via Middle English) from the Old English word for "sand" or "gravel." "Grit" has been around since before the 12th century, but the first appearance of "gritty" in print in English was near the end of the 16th century, when it was used in the sense of "resembling or containing small hard granules." "Grit" entered American slang in the early 19th century with the meaning "courage or persistence," and, within about 20 years, "gritty" followed suit with a corresponding "plucky" sense. By the 19th century's end, "gritty" was also being used to describe a literary style that was rough and coarse. 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, 2014 is: billingsgate • \BIL-ingz-gayt\ • noun : coarsely abusive language Examples: A steady stream of billingsgate could be heard coming from the basement after my father hit his thumb with his hammer. "Today, billingsgate rules the waves; the airwaves, that is, thanks to George Carlin and the other First Amendment activists who have followed him on stage." - From an article by David Rossie in the Press & Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, New York), March 11, 2012 Did you know? From the time of the Roman occupation until the early 1980s, Billingsgate was a fish market in London, England, notorious for the crude language that resounded through its stalls. In fact, the fish merchants of Billingsgate were so famous for their swearing that their feats of vulgar language were recorded in British chronicler Raphael Holinshed's 1577 account of King Leir (which was probably Shakespeare's source for King Lear). In Holinshed's volume, a messenger's language is said to be "as bad a tongue … as any oyster-wife at Billingsgate hath." By the middle of the 17th century, "billingsgate" had become a byword for foul language. 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, 2014 is: cleave • \KLEEV\ • verb 1 : to divide by or as if by a cutting blow : split 2 : to separate into distinct parts and especially into groups having divergent views 3 : to penetrate or pass through something by or as if by cutting Examples: The ship's bow cleaved through the water. "Of course, single-item restaurants are nothing new. .... But they don't usually serve something so divisive as polenta. You see, the slow-cooked dish of maize cleaves opinion like a Justin Bieber concert. You either love it or loathe it-and ever has it been so." - From an article by Samuel Muston in The Independent (London), January 31, 2014 Did you know? "Cleave" has two homographs. There is "cleave" meaning "to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly," as in "The family cleaves to tradition." That "cleave" comes from Old English "clifian" ("to adhere"). The second "cleave" (our featured word today) derives from Old English "cleōfan," meaning "to split." It inflects similarly to the verb "speak": "cleaved," "clove," "cloven," and "cleaving" (with the occasional past tense "cleft"). The other "cleave" inflects regularly, with the exception of "clove" or "clave" as options to denote the past. 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, 2014 is: froward • \FROH-erd\ • adjective : habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition Examples: The nanny informed the parents that she would seek employment elsewhere if the froward child could not be compelled to be more obedient. "I first saw [the great-tailed grackles] during that amazing week in Texas three years ago and looked forward to renewing our acquaintance. By the end of the trip I was happy to be rid of them-pushy, froward little party-crashing beasts that make rude, high-pitched squeals and constantly invite themselves to dinner, filching from unattended plates." - From an article in the Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho), September 30, 2010 Did you know? Once upon a time, in the days of Middle English, "froward" and "toward" were opposites. "Froward" meant "moving or facing away from something or someone"; "toward" meant "moving or facing in the direction of something or someone." (The suffix "-ward" is from Old English "-weard," meaning "moving, tending, facing.") "Froward" also meant "difficult to deal with, perverse"; "toward" meant "willing, compliant, obliging." Each went its own way in the end: "froward" lost its "away from" sense as long ago as the 16th century and the "willing" sense of "toward" disappeared in the 18th century. A third relative, "untoward," developed in the 15th century as a synonym for "froward" in its "unruly or intractable” sense, and later developed other meanings, including "improper or indecorous." 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, 2014 is: soothsayer • \SOOTH-say-er\ • noun : a person who predicts the future by magical, intuitive, or more rational means : prognosticator Examples: The host of the radio show jokingly introduced the pundit as "a soothsayer of the old-fashioned sort, possessed of a mystical ability to predict the winner of any election." "New York Fashion Week kicks off Thursday, which means hundreds of women will trot about the city in weather-inappropriate shoes, and fashion soothsayers will scrutinize every stitch on the catwalks to make their trend predictions." - From an article by Christopher Muther in The Boston Globe, February 6, 2014 Did you know? The origins of today's word are straightforward: a "soothsayer" is someone who says sooth. You may, however, find that less than enlightening! "Sooth" is an archaic word meaning "truth" or "reality" that dates from Old English and was used until about the first half of the 17th century. (It is believed to share an ancestor with words suggesting truthfulness and reality in Old Norse, Greek, Old High German, Sanskrit, Latin, and Gothic languages.) "Soothsayer" itself has been documented in print as far back as the 14th century. Today, it is also a moniker of the insect the mantis, whose name means "prophet" in Greek. 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, 2014 is: disinterested • \diss-IN-truss-tud\ • adjective 1 a : not having the mind or feelings engaged : not interested b : no longer interested 2 : free from selfish motive or interest : unbiased Examples: To avoid any conflicts of interest, the company hired disinterested consultants to determine how to reorganize the company most efficiently. "It received only four sparsely attended performances in Handel's lifetime because Protestant Londoners were disinterested in a heroine who was a Roman Catholic saint and they missed the uplifting choruses and jubilant interludes featured in earlier oratorios like 'Messiah.'" - From a music review by Vivien Schweitzer in The New York Times, February 4, 2014 Did you know? "Disinterested" and "uninterested" have a tangled history. "Uninterested" originally meant "impartial," but this sense fell into disuse during the 18th century. About the same time, the sense of "disinterested" describing someone not having the mind or feelings engaged also disappeared, only to have "uninterested" take its place. The original sense of "uninterested" is still out of use, but the original ("not interested") sense of "disinterested" revived in the early 20th century. The revival has come under frequent attack as an illiteracy and a blurring or loss of a useful distinction. However, actual usage shows that writers and speakers use these words with intention. For instance, a writer may choose "disinterested" in preference to "uninterested" for emphasis, as in "a supremely disinterested child." Further, "disinterested" has developed a sense meaning "no longer interested," which is clearly distinguishable from "uninterested." 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, 2014 is: magnum opus • \MAG-num-OH-pus\ • noun : a great work; especially : the greatest achievement of an artist or writer Examples: Moby-Dick is widely regarded as Herman Melville's magnum opus. "The 'visual album' came to us intimately, a surprise delivered in the night without PR apparatuses or label hype machines, with a magical, delectable set of videos to match. That it's already been hailed by almost every critical body as a magnum opus is no wonder, considering both the delightful unexpectedness of its delivery and its stunning, detailed lushness." - From a review by Devon Maloney in The Village Voice, January 15, 2014 Did you know? You probably recognize "magnum" ("great") as a Latin word that shows up in altered forms in several English words, and perhaps you can also come up with a few that are related to "opus" ("work"). "Magnitude," "magnanimous," "opulent," and "operate" are some obvious relations of the two. "Magnum opus," which entered English in the late 18th century, retains the original Latin spelling and the literal meaning "great work." Although the term most often refers to literary productions, it has been used to describe many kinds of great works, including paintings, movies, construction projects, and even surgical techniques. 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, 2014 is: decoct • \dih-KAHKT\ • verb 1 : to extract the flavor of by boiling 2 : boil down, concentrate Examples: The author has tried to decoct the positions the players in this complex situation have taken into two camps: those who are for the changes and those who are against them. "Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is far better known as a bottled astringent than a native shrub. Its medicinal uses date back to the Native Americans, who taught Europeans how to identify the plant and decoct its leaves and stems into the now-familiar tonic." - From an article by David Taft in the New York Times, December 1, 2013 Did you know? "Decoct" boils down to a simple Latin origin: the word "decoquere," from "de-," meaning "down" or "away," and "coquere," meaning "to cook" or "to ripen." "Decoct" itself is quite rare. Its related noun "decoction," which refers to either an extract obtained by decocting or the act or process of decocting, is slightly more common but still much less recognizable than some other members of the "coquere" family, among them "biscuit," "biscotti," "cook," and "kitchen." Other "coquere" descendants include "concoct" ("to prepare by combining raw materials" or "to devise or fabricate"), "concoction" ("something concocted"), and "precocious" ("exceptionally early in development or occurrence" or "exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age"). 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, 2014 is: cerebral • \suh-REE-brul\ • adjective 1 a : of or relating to the brain or the intellect b : of, relating to, affecting, or being the cerebrum 2 a : appealing to intellectual appreciation b : primarily intellectual in nature Examples: The movie is a cerebral thriller that rewards the viewer's careful attention with intricate plot turns. "When Beadles was at Utah, he played left tackle. At Denver, he's moved inside as a guard. But he still plays with the same cerebral approach that has helped build a fine career with the Broncos." - From an article by Gordon Monson in the Salt Lake Tribune, January 25, 2014 Did you know? English borrowed its word "cerebrum" directly from the Latin word for "brain," but the adjective "cerebral" took a slightly more circuitous route into our language, reaching English by way of French "cerebral." "Cerebrum" has been used in our language as a name for the brain since the early 1600s, though the more specific scientific sense, referring just to the large upper part of the brain, didn't develop until later. "Cerebral" has been appearing in print in English since at least 1816. Other brainy descendants of "cerebrum" in English include "cerebellum" (the part of the brain between the brain stem and the back of the cerebrum) and "cerebrate," which arrived in English in 1915 with the meaning "to use the mind" or "to think." 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, 2014 is: plaintiff • \PLAYN-tif\ • noun : a person who brings a legal action Examples: In the end, the jury found for the plaintiff, and ordered the company to pay a significant amount in damages. "Together, Prince's lawyers allege, these websites 'constitute an interconnected network of bootleg distribution which is able to broadly disseminate unauthorised copies of Prince's musical compositions and live performances.' The plaintiffs cited shared bootlegs such as Prince's 24 March 2011 performance in Charlotte, North Carolina…." - From an article by Sean Michaels at guardian.co.uk, January 27, 2014 Did you know? We won't complain about the origins of "plaintiff," although "complain" and "plaintiff" are distantly related; both can be traced back to "plangere," a Latin word meaning "to strike, beat one's breast, or lament." "Plaintiff" comes most immediately from Middle English "plaintif," itself an Anglo-French borrowing tracing back to "plaint," meaning "lamentation." (The English word "plaintive" is also related.) Logically enough, "plaintiff" applies to the one who does the complaining in a legal case. 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, 2014 is: cheeseparing • \CHEEZ-pair-ing\ • noun 1 : something worthless or insignificant 2 : miserly economizing Examples: "My wants were few, and I had no more desire for personal spending than had Ambrose, in his time, but this cheeseparing on the part of my godfather induced in me a sort of fury that made me determined to have my way and use the money that was mine." - From Daphne du Maurier's 1951 novel My Cousin Rachel "While many charities have undergone painful downsizing, they fear that their operating model won't survive the relentless cheeseparing the government is indulging in." - From an article by Randeep Ramesh in The Guardian (London), May 15, 2013 Did you know? Those familiar with William Shakespeare's history play Henry IV may recall how the portly Falstaff remembered the thin Justice Shallow "like a man made after supper of a cheese-paring." Falstaff's unusual food simile is one not easily forgotten, and people began to associate "cheese-parings" (bits of cheese trimmed off a larger portion) with other things of little significance and value. In the 19th century, the meaning of "cheeseparing" was extended to "miserly economizing." (Presumably, the practice of paring off the rind so as to waste the minimum of cheese was viewed as an excessive form of frugality.) 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, 2014 is: zeitgeber • \TSYTE-gay-ber\ • noun : an environmental agent or event that provides the stimulus setting or resetting a biological clock of an organism Examples: "Food availability seems to be a weaker zeitgeber than light. Although food is more essential than light for an animal's survival, light exerts a finer control than food availability over the activity rhythm." - From Roberto Refinetti's 2006 book Circadian Physiology, Second Edition "Night-shift workers also struggle, he says, because they don't get the environmental and social cues that help adjust the circadian clock. The most important of these cues, called zeitgebers … is sunlight. But a zeitgeber could also be a scrambled-egg breakfast or children coming home from school in the afternoon." - From an article by Tara Parker-Pope in New York Times Magazine, November 20, 2011 Did you know? Zeitgebers are nature's alarm clocks-both biologically and etymologically. The word "zeitgeber" derives from a combination of two German terms, "Zeit," which means "time," and "Geber," which means "giver"-so a "zeitgeber" is literally a "time giver." In nature, zeitgebers tend to be cyclic or recurring patterns that help keep the body's circadian rhythms operating in an orderly way. For plants and animals, the daily pattern of light and darkness and the warmer and colder temperatures between day and night serve as zeitgebers, cues that keep organisms functioning on a regular schedule. For humans, societally imposed cycles, such as the schedule of the work or school day and regular mealtimes, can become zeitgebers as well. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 26, 2014 is: picayune • \pik-ee-YOON\ • adjective : of little value : paltry; also : petty, small-minded Examples: Jeanne only had picayune criticisms in regard to the new ad campaign, but that didn't stop her from voicing them at the meeting. "Currently, in our gridlocked federal government, we've read numerous accounts about legislators who won't work together because they don't like one another or suffered some kind of picayune slight." - From an article in Suburban Trends (Morris, New Jersey), January 12, 2014 Did you know? In the 19th century, in Louisiana and other southern states, a picayune was a small coin (specifically, a Spanish half real) with a low monetary value. The coin's name derives from "picaioun," a word that means "small coin" in Occitan (a language spoken in Southern France). It ultimately derives from the Occitan word "pica," which means "to jingle" and which was created to mimic the sound of coins jingling. The real as a monetary unit fell out of use, however, and "picayune" joined "two bits" in the category of small amounts of money whose name eventually came to be used instead for things that are paltry and small. 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, 2014 is: solatium • \soh-LAY-shee-um\ • noun : a compensation (as money) given as solace for suffering, loss, or injured feelings Examples: The judge ordered the company to pay a solatium to each of the unjustly fired workers. "The amount of cash a politician was required by tradition to dispense regularly in the form of wedding gifts and funeral solatiums for people in his ever-expanding constituency was now, by itself, enough to bankrupt most wealthy men." - From Robert Whiting's 1999 book Tokyo Underworld : The Fast Times and Hard Life of an American Gangster in Japan Did you know? In legal circles, a solatium is a payment made to a victim as compensation for injured feelings or emotional pain and suffering (such as the trauma following the wrongful death of a relative), as distinct from payment for physical injury or for damaged property. Like many legal terms, "solatium," which first appeared in English in the early 19th century, is a product of Latin, where the word means "solace." The Latin noun is related to the verb "solari," which means "to console" and from which we get our words "solace" and "console." 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, 2014 is: sashay • \sa-SHAY\ • verb 1 : to make a chassé 2 a : walk, glide, go b : to strut or move about in an ostentatious or conspicuous manner c : to proceed or move in a diagonal or sideways manner Examples: A parade of fashion models sashayed down the catwalk in the designer's latest creations. "Marching bands, such as the Baltimore City Entertainers, brought cheers from the crowd as dancers clad in white, turquoise and purple sashayed through the street." - From an article by Julie Scharper in The Baltimore Sun, January 21, 2014 Did you know? The French verb "chassé" ("to make a sliding dance step") danced into English unaltered in the early 19th century, but as the word gained popularity in America people often had difficulty pronouncing and transcribing its French rhythms. By 1836, "sashay" had begun to appear in print in American sources. Authors such as Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, and John Updike have all since put their names on the word's dance card and have enjoyed the liveliness and attitude "sashay" adds to descriptions of movement. They and many, many others have helped "sashay" slide away from its French dance origins to strut its stuff in descriptions of various walks and moves. 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, 2014 is: tangerine • \TAN-juh-reen\ • noun 1 a : any of various mandarin oranges that have usually deep orange skin and pulp; broadly : the fruit of a mandarin b : a tree producing tangerines 2 : a moderate to strong reddish orange Examples: The room was painted a cool gray color and the floor was a darker gray, but in the corner were two chairs upholstered in a bold tangerine. "There's not much seasonal produce in Ohio in January, but in Florida and California, this month is the height of the citrus season. Oranges, grapefruits and tangerines are not just for breakfast and snacks." - From an article by Harry S. Conte in the Newark Advocate (Ohio), January 21, 2014 Did you know? When today's Word of the Day was first used in the early 18th century it was an adjective we'd borrowed from French to describe people or things from or relating to the Moroccan city of Tangier. (The French name for "Tangier" is "Tanger.") Within about a hundred years the noun "tangerine" was being used to refer to the fruit we now know by that name. Although tangerines were at one time thought to be native to Morocco, they are now thought to be indigenous to southeast Asia. As our definition explains, tangerines are technically a kind of mandarin orange-and "mandarin" is another word we got from the French. The French "mandarine" is most likely originally from the Portuguese word "mandarim," which etymologists believe is probably from the color of a Chinese mandarin's robes. 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, 2014 is: teem • \TEEM\ • verb 1 : to become filled to overflowing 2 : to be present in large quantity Examples: By mid-morning the theme park will already be teeming with visitors. "Dispensing with the last installment's cumbersome mythology, this one gets back to basics, dumping the hero on a desert planet teeming with lethal critters and determined bounty hunters." - From a movie review by Tom Russo in The Boston Globe, January 12, 2014 Did you know? The verb "teem" and the noun "team" are not just homophones, they are also etymological kin. "Teem" is derived from Old English "tīman" or "tæman," which originally meant "to bring forth offspring" or "to become pregnant" and which is related to the ancestor of "team," the Old English noun "tēam," meaning "offspring, lineage, or group of draft animals." "Team" can still be used to refer to a brood of young animals, especially pigs or ducks, but both "teem" and "team" have otherwise largely left their offspring-related senses behind. 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, 2014 is: small beer • \SMAWL-BEER\ • noun 1 : weak or inferior beer 2 : something of small importance : trivia Examples: The money we spend on cable is small beer compared to the mortgage payment we have to come up with every month. "The main drink was 'small beer', which had a low alcohol content-just enough to preserve it-and was drunk by almost everyone, from children to old men, instead of water." - From an article by Alex Fensome in The Dominion Post (New Zealand), January 13, 2014 Did you know? "Small beer" dates from Shakespeare's day. The Bard didn't coin it (he would have been just a child in 1568, the date of the first documented instance of "small beer"), but he did put the term to good use. In Henry VI, Part 2, for example, the rebel Jack Cade declares that, when he becomes king, he will "make it felony to drink small beer." In Othello, Desdemona asks Iago to describe a "deserving woman." Iago responds by listing praises for ten lines, only to conclude that such a woman would be suited "to suckle fools, and chronicle small beer"; in other words, to raise babies and keep track of insignificant household expenses. Desdemona quickly retorts, declaring Iago's assertion a "most lame and impotent conclusion." 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, 2014 is: senescence • \sih-NESS-unss\ • noun 1 : the state of being old : the process of becoming old 2 : the growth phase in a plant or plant part (as a leaf) from full maturity to death Examples: Vera avoids the pitfalls of senescence by exercising daily and staying active in her community. "Butler's book grew out of the experience of her father's long-drawn-out senescence, enabled primarily by the installation of a pacemaker in his heart that kept it beating long after his other faculties withered." - From a book review by Michelle Dean in The Christian Science Monitor, October 24, 2013 Did you know? "Senescence" can be traced back to Latin "senex," meaning "old." Can you guess which other English words come from "senex"? "Senile" might come to mind, as well as "senior." But another one might surprise you: "senate." This word for a legislative assembly dates back to ancient Rome, where the "Senatus" was originally a council of elders composed of the heads of patrician families. There's also the much rarer "senectitude," which, like "senescence," refers to the state of being old (specifically, to the final stage of the normal life span). 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, 2014 is: arch • \AHRCH\ • adjective 1 : principal, chief 2 a : mischievous, saucy b : marked by a deliberate and often forced playfulness, irony, or impudence Examples: The novel is never mocking or arch in its tone-a marked departure from the writer's usual style. "Bloomberg was harshly criticized for the slow response, especially in Queens and Brooklyn, to a December 2010 blizzard that dumped 20 inches (50 centimeters) of snow on the Big Apple, three times more than on Friday. De Blasio had been among his arch critics at the time." - From an article on TheRawStory.com by Agence France-Presse, January 4, 2014 Did you know? As a prefix, "arch-" appears in a number of titles referring to positions of superiority, such as "archduke" and "archbishop." Ultimately deriving (via Latin and French) from the Greek verb "archein" ("to begin, rule"), it can also mean "chief " (as in "archnemesis") or "extreme" (as in "archconservative"). In the 17th century, as the "extreme" sense of "arch" came to be used frequently to describe rogues, knaves, and other clever and mischievous sorts, "arch" eventually settled into use as an adjective to describe one with impish or playful qualities. Use of the word has since extended to describe actions or remarks meant to be ironic, cutting, or condescending. 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, 2014 is: redoubtable • \rih-DOUT-uh-bul\ • adjective 1 : causing fear or alarm : formidable 2 : illustrious, eminent; broadly : worthy of respect Examples: The theater has hired a redoubtable director to direct its upcoming production. "The study's authors-Jason Grissom, Benjamin Master, and the redoubtable Susannah Loeb-assigned researchers to shadow 100-plus principals in the Miami-Dade school district and document their actions in five-minute intervals." - From an article by Karin Chenoweth in the Huffington Post, January 16, 2014 Did you know? The word "redoubtable" is worthy of respect itself, if only for its longevity; it has been used in English for things formidable since at least the 15th century. This "dread"-ful term comes to us through Middle English from the Anglo-French verb "reduter," meaning "to dread," and ultimately derives from "duter," meaning "to doubt." Things or people that are formidable and alarming can also inspire awe and even admiration, however, and it wasn't long before the meaning of "redoubtable" was extended from "formidable" to "illustrious" and "worthy of respect." 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, 2014 is: probity • \PROH-buh-tee\ • noun : adherence to the highest principles and ideals : uprightness Examples: 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 Senate has confirmed Jeh Johnson, once the Pentagon's top lawyer, to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Johnson brings a sharp legal mind and reputation for probity to the job." - From an editorial in The New York Times, December 26, 2013 Did 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, 2014 is: lorn • \LORN\ • adjective : desolate, forsaken Examples: "One large saucepan lay lorn near the doorstep, a proof that Foster was human." - From Arnold Bennett's 1910 novel Clayhanger "It's a bit unsettling here seeing slides, climbing structures, and the like lost in lone, lorn decay." - From a photography exhibit review by Mark Feeney in The Boston Globe, December 2, 2011 Did you know? "Lorn" and "forlorn" are synonyms that can both mean "desolate" or "forsaken." The similarity in form and meaning of the two words is hardly a coincidence. "Lorn" comes down to us from "loren," the Middle English past participle of the verb "lesen" ("to lose"), itself a descendent of the Old English "lēosan." Similarly, "forlorn" comes from the Middle English "forloren," a descendent of Old English verb "forlēosan," which also means "to lose." The "for-" in "forlorn" is a no longer productive prefix meaning, among other things, "completely," "excessively," or "to exhaustion." Nowadays, "forlorn" is considerably more common than "lorn." "Lorn" does, however, appear as the second element in the compound "lovelorn" ("bereft of love or of a lover"). 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, 2014 is: crepitate • \KREP-uh-tayt\ • verb : to make a crackling sound : to make a series of short, sharp noises Examples: Most of the tiny town's residents had something to contribute to the bonfire, and it burned brightly and crepitated loudly late into the night. "A familiar synthetic beat starts the disc…. The band slowly fills in around the pulse, wind blowing through tunnels, factories moaning, yawning infrastructure, broken, creaking. Embers of some final blast crepitating." - From a music review by David King in Metroland, October 17, 2013 Did you know? "Crepitate" comes from the Latin word "crepitare," meaning "to crackle." It has been used with this meaning since the late 1820s, but it had a previous life: about 200 years prior it was used to mean "to break wind." That meaning is now obsolete, and the word has no embarrassing remnants. In addition to its general use as a synonym of "crackle," "crepitate" also has a specific medical meaning-"to produce or experience crepitation." "Crepitation" here refers to a grating or crackling sound or sensation, such as that produced by the fractured ends of a bone moving against each other. 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, 2014 is: Cupid • \KYOO-pid\ • noun : the Roman god of erotic love 2 not capitalized : a figure that represents Cupid as a naked usually winged boy often holding a bow and arrow Examples: I purchased a large Valentine's Day card decorated with hearts and cupids. "Ever since opening Seventh Sister Bakery at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue three years ago, Ms. Lang has been playing cupid with her regulars…." - From an article by Zosia Bielski in The Globe and Mail (Canada), January 11, 2014 Did 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, 2014 is: serendipity • \sair-un-DIP-uh-tee\ • noun : the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also : an instance of this Examples: We found the restaurant by pure serendipity, rather than careful research, but it turned out to be the best deal in town. "Many young people today have never had the experience of getting lost.… They have not experienced the pleasure of wandering while lost and discovering by serendipity interesting new places." - From an op-ed by Katie Davis and Howard Gardner in the Seattle Times, January 7, 2014 Did you know? In the mid-1700s, English author Horace Walpole stumbled upon an interesting tidbit of information while researching a coat of arms. In a letter to his friend Horace Mann he wrote: "This discovery indeed is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word, which as I have nothing better to tell you, I shall endeavor to explain to you: you will understand it better by the derivation than by the definition. I once read a silly fairy tale, called 'The Three Princes of Serendip': as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of…." Walpole's memory of the tale (which, as it turns out, was not quite accurate) gave "serendipity" the meaning it retains to this day. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 12, 2014 is: deracinate • \dee-RASS-uh-nayt\ • verb 1 : uproot 2 : to remove or separate from a native environment or culture; especially : to remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences from Examples: The old-fashioned gardening book recommended deracinating every other plant in the row to allow the survivors room to grow. "My dilemma was that, on one hand, I am one of those who, by accident of birth, finds herself the daughter of an earl and has insider knowledge of the framework the bill is trying to overhaul. On the other hand, I don't use my title and am deracinated from that life." - From an article by Liza Campbell in The Guardian, January 14, 2014 Did you know? There is a hint about the roots of "deracinate" in its first definition. "Deracinate" was borrowed into English in the late 16th century from Middle French and can be traced back to the Latin word "radix," meaning "root." Although "deracinate" began life referring to literal plant roots, it quickly took on a second metaphorical meaning suggesting removal of anyone or anything from native "roots" or culture. Other offspring of "radix" include "eradicate" ("to pull up by the roots" or "to do away with as completely as if by pulling up by the roots") and "radish" (a crisp edible root). Though the second sense of "deracinate" mentions racial characteristics and influence, the words "racial" and "race" derive from "razza," an Italian word of uncertain origin. 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, 2014 is: filch • \FILCH\ • verb : to appropriate furtively or casually : to steal (something that is small or that has little value) Examples: After Devin admitted to filching a candy bar from the convenience store, he apologized to the owner but was not allowed in the store again. "(Shia) LaBeouf directed a 2012 short film, HowardCantour.com. Until Dec. 16, one would have imagined that he wrote the film, too. But no, as BuzzFeed revealed (as though the saga lacked intellectual-property intrigue!), he had filched the plot from 'Justin M. Damiano,' a 2007 comic by artist Daniel Clowes." - From a post by Jack Dickey on TIME.com, December 23, 2013 Did 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 Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Bard was fond of "filch" in both its literal and figurative uses; Iago says to Othello, "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 February 10, 2014 is: anodyne • \AN-uh-dyne\ • adjective 1 : serving to alleviate pain 2 : not likely to offend or arouse tensions : innocuous Examples: I felt nervous in their presence and couldn't muster anything more than an anodyne question about the weather. "The cuisine of Spain is largely misunderstood in the United States, where what passes for Spanish food is all too often an anodyne assemblage of yellow rice, green sauce and red peppers." - From a restaurant review by Erica Marcus in Newsday (New York), January 3, 2014 Did you know? "Anodyne" came to English via Latin from Greek "anōdynos" ("without pain"), and it has been used as both an adjective and a noun ("something that relieves pain") since the 16th century. It has sometimes been used of things that dull or lull the senses and render painful experiences less so. Edmund Burke used it this way, for example, in 1790 when he referred to flattery as an "anodyne draft of oblivion" that renders one (in this particular case, the deposed king Louis XVI) forgetful of the flatterer's true feelings. In the 1930s, a newer second sense began appearing in our vocabulary. Now, in addition to describing things that dull pain, "anodyne" can also refer to that which doesn't cause discomfort in the first place. 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, 2014 is: regnant • \REG-nunt\ • adjective 1 : exercising rule : reigning 2 a : having the chief power : dominant b : of common or widespread occurrence Examples: There was increasing pressure on the regnant king to produce an heir. "As Washington considers how to save the Postal Service, it ought to cast its eyes toward Europe, where mail delivery is one of the few areas where privatization is regnant." - From an article by Troy Senik in the Orange County Register (California), October 17, 2013 Did you know? The etymology of "regnant" is fairly straightforward: English speakers borrowed the word sometime around 1600 from Latin. "Regnant" is derived from the Latin verb "regnare," meaning "to reign." "Regnare," in turn, traces back to the noun "regnum," meaning "reign," which derives from "rex," the Latin word for "king." Other descendants of "regnum" include "interregnum" ("a period between two successive reigns or regimes"), "regnal" ("of or relating to a king or his reign"), and even "reign" itself. 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, 2014 is: parvenu • \PAHR-vuh-noo\ • noun : one who has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it Examples: Washington old-timers viewed the young senator as an upstart parvenu. "Today, Denver continues to reflect the brash carelessness of the parvenu, flush and arrogant with sudden riches." - From an article by Susan Barnes-Gelt in the Denver Post, November 24, 2013 Did you know? French has been generous in providing us with terms for obscure folks who suddenly strike it rich. In addition to "parvenu," French has loaned us "nouveau riche," "arriviste," and "roturier," all of which can describe a rich person of plebeian origins, especially one who is a bit snobby. Those colorful and slightly disparaging terms for the newly moneyed clearly show their French heritage, but it may be harder to see the French background of a term Massachusetts locals once used for coastal merchants made rich through the fishing trade: "codfish aristocracy." "Codfish" comes from Middle English, but "aristocracy" passed into English via Middle French. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 7, 2014 is: chowderhead • \CHOW-der-hed\ • noun : dolt, blockhead Examples: "No matter how hard I have tried I cannot stop them from yelling 'Chowderhead!' and trying to poke one another's eyes out…." - From Elizabeth Berg's 2002 novel True to Form "Many of my fellow Americans enjoy the sport of football…. If you're like me, you often opine that you could run the team, the program, or the franchise in immeasurably greater fashion than the millionaire chowderheads currently employed to do so." - From an article by Timothy Geigner at Techdirt.com, January 1, 2014 Did you know? The "chowder" in "chowderhead" is neither New England nor Manhattan (though one could speculate that a chowderhead has either type of clam chowder for brains). "Chowderhead" is a mispronunciation of "jolterhead," a derivative of the 16th-century insult "jolt head." Before being extended to a thickheaded person (i.e., a blockhead), the term "jolt head" was used literally for a large, heavy head. The etymology of "jolt head" is obscure; the term is likely connected somehow to the "jolt" that means "an abrupt jerky blow or movement," but the exact nature of the connection is not known. 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, 2014 is: meed • \MEED\ • noun : a fitting return or recompense Examples: For his valor displayed on the field of battle, the knight was rewarded with his due meed of praise and gratitude from the king. "At the time, and thanks to Berger, it won its meed of attention because it was worth lots of money." - From an article by Christopher Hitchens in The Times Literary Supplement, October 5-10, 1990 Did you know? The word "meed" is one of the oldest terms in our language, having been part of English for about 1,000 years. An early form of the word appeared in the Old English classic Beowulf, and it can be found in works by literary luminaries including Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, John Milton, Alexander Pope, and Ben Jonson. Its Old English form, "mēd," is akin to terms found in the ancestral versions of many European languages, including Old High German, Old Swedish, and ancient Greek. In Modern English, the venerable "meed" is most likely to be found in poetic contexts. 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, 2014 is: soigné • \swahn-YAY\ • adjective 1 : dressed with great care and elegance : well-groomed, sleek 2 : elegantly maintained or designed Examples: Wearing a fetching evening gown, Alyssa looked soigné and sophisticated and ready for the night's events. "'Nijinsky' opens in 1919 in a hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland, where the artist gave his final performance before sinking into madness, surviving until 1950. This solo performance in a soigne ballroom uncorks a flood of memories…." - From a dance review by Allan Ulrich in the San Francisco Chronicle, February 15, 2013 Did you know? Not surprisingly, "soigné" comes from French, where it serves as the past participle of the verb "soigner," meaning "to take care of." It first appeared in English in the 19th century and can be used to describe such things as an elegant wardrobe, a fancy restaurant, or the extravagant meal one might enjoy at such a restaurant. It can also be used to describe people, as in an article about fashion designer Donna Karan: "Though her name is really pronounced 'Karen,' people said it with a glamorous continental inflection; it suited their image of a fashion designer: aloof, soigné, different from you and me." (Josh Patner, The New York Times, April 11, 2004) 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 4, 2014 is: refulgence • \rih-FULL-junss\ • noun : a radiant or resplendent quality or state : brilliance Examples: The winning photo captured the refulgence of a full moon on a clear autumn night. "The sound the Philadelphia players mustered from the heroic opening bars of Brahms's Third Symphony was the orchestra's own, showing the richness and refulgence that are this institution's legacy." - From a review by Steve Smith in The New York Times, April 30, 2012 Did you know? "The full bow of the crescent moon peeps above the plain and shoots its gleaming arrows far and wide, filling the earth with a faint refulgence, as the glow of a good man's deeds shines for a while upon his little world after his sun has set, lighting the fainthearted travellers who follow on towards a fuller dawn." So British author Sir Henry Rider Haggard described the light of the moon in King Solomon's Mines. Haggard's example reflects both the modern meaning and the history of "refulgence." That word derives from Latin "refulgēre," which means "to shine brightly" and which is itself a descendant of the verb "fulgēre," meaning "to shine." By the way, "fulgēre" also underlies "effulgence," a shining synonym of "refulgence." 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 3, 2014 is: simpatico • \sim-PAH-tih-koh\ • adjective 1 : agreeable, likeable 2 : being on the same wavelength : congenial, sympathetic Examples: Even though they weren't always simpatico with regard to the direction of their company, Jerry and Michael managed to be successful partners for more than 35 years. "Regular readers might be sick of my saying this, but there's nothing that will help you drink better wine more than getting to know a merchant or three, and letting them get to know you (or at least your palate). No holding back on your end, and you’ll know fairly quickly if you’ve found a simpatico soul." - From an article by Bill Ward in the Minnesota Star Tribune, December 24, 2013 Did you know? "Simpatico," which derives from the Greek noun "sympatheia," meaning "sympathy," was borrowed into English from both Italian and Spanish. In those languages, the word has been chiefly used to describe people who are well-liked or easy to get along with; early uses of the word in English reflected this, as in Henry James's 1881 novel The Portrait of a Lady, in which a character says of another's dying cousin, "Ah, he was so simpatico. I’m awfully sorry for you." In recent years, however, the word's meaning has shifted. Now we see it used to describe the relationship between people who get along well or work well together. 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 2, 2014 is: malversation • \mal-ver-SAY-shun\ • noun 1 : misbehavior and especially corruption in an office, trust, or commission 2 : corrupt administration Examples: The city council impeached the mayor for administrative misconduct and malversation, charging that he has used his office primarily for personal gain. "The Office of the Ombudsman is still evaluating the plunder cases filed three months ago by the Department of Justice…. Included in the first batch of cases were 34 respondents, while at least 10 more legislators were charged, this time with malversation, early last month." - From an article by Christian V. Esguerra in the Philippines Daily Inquirer, December 30, 2013 Did you know? The form "mal-" is often a bad sign in a word, and "malversation" is no exception. In Middle French, "mal-" (meaning "bad," from the Latin word for "bad," "malus") teamed up with "verser" ("to turn, handle," from the Latin verb "vertere," "to turn ") to create "malverser," a verb meaning "to be corrupt." This in turn led to the French noun "malversation," which was adopted by English speakers in the mid-16th century. Some other "mal-" words that entered English from Middle French are "maladroit" ("inept"), "malcontent" ("discontented"), and "maltreat" ("to treat badly"). 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 1, 2014 is: pusillanimous • \pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-mus\ • adjective : lacking courage and resolution : marked by contemptible timidity Examples: The senator resorted to mudslinging, calling his opponent "a pusillanimous pawn of special interest groups." "Here's the pusillanimous and unprincipled attitude of the RUSU [Reading University Student Union] and its sad ilk, offered in their own words: modern university students should not do anything to give offense, and if anyone claims offense, they should stop whatever they are doing immediately." - From a blog post by Ken White at Popehat.com, October 23, 2013 Did you know? Do you know someone who has a small, weak spirit, someone whose reserve of inner strength is too small to draw from in times of danger and adversity? If so, you'll find "pusillanimous" to be the perfect descriptor for that person. The Latin roots of this derisive adjective are "pusillus," meaning "very small" (and related to "pusus," meaning "boy") and "animus," which means "spirit" and is the ancestor to many words in our language, including "animal" and "animate." "Pusillanimous" first appeared in English in the 16th century, but it gained prominence in the 1970s when Vice President Spiro Agnew famously accused his ideological rivals of "pusillanimous pussyfooting." 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 January 31, 2014 is: aerie • \AIR-ee\ • noun 1 : the nest of a bird on a cliff or a mountaintop 2 : an elevated often secluded dwelling, structure, or position Examples: Members of the royal family were seated in an aerie flanking the stage. "Besides scoring an aerie in the tallest, and most exquisitely renovated, building on the park, Mr. Alexander has nearly 2,000 feet of outdoor space divided among four terraces, one of which is 40 feet wide and provides views of the Chrysler Building." - From an article by Robin Finn in The New York Times, September 15, 2013 Did you know? English poet John Milton put a variant of "aerie" to good use in Paradise Lost (1667), writing, "… there the eagle and the stork / On cliffs and cedar tops their eyries build." But Milton wasn't the first to use the term, which comes to us via Medieval Latin and Old French and probably traces to an earlier Latin word for "nest" or "lair." English speakers had been employing "aerie" as a word for a bird's nest for more than a century when Milton penned those words. Eventually, "aerie" was applied to human dwellings as well as birds' nests. At first, this sense referred to dwellings nestled high up in mountains or hills. These days, you're also likely to hear high-rise city apartments or offices referred to as "aeries." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.