Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2013 is: frisson • \free-SAWN\ • noun : a brief moment of emotional excitement : shudder, thrill Examples: The emotionally-charged scene adds a frisson of tension to the play's final act. "By the end of the book the party is over, but it is hard to feel any frisson of regret when the party was so little fun when it was going on." - From an article by Douglas Murray in The Spectator, May 11, 2013 Did you know? "I feel a shiver that's not from the cold as the band and the crowd go charging through the final notes…. That frisson, that exultant moment...." That's how writer Robert W. Stock characterized the culmination of a big piece at a concert in 1982. His use of the word "shiver" is apt given that "frisson" comes from the French word for "shiver." "Frisson" traces to Old French "friçon," which in turn derives from "frictio," Latin for "friction." What does friction-normally a heat generator-have to do with thrills and chills? Nothing, actually. The association came about because "frictio" (which derives from Latin "fricare," meaning "to rub") was once mistakenly taken to be a derivative of "frigēre," which means "to be cold." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2013 is: fungible • \FUN-juh-bul\ • adjective 1 : being of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation 2 : interchangeable 3 : flexible Examples: Since fruits and vegetables are regarded as fungible in this diet, you are allowed a total of five servings of either or both. "Oil is a fungible commodity and its prices are determined in the global market." - From an article by Gal Luft in The Wichita Eagle (Kansas), May 30, 2013 Did you know? "Fungible"-which derives from the Latin verb "fungi," meaning "to perform" (no relation to the noun "fungus" and its plural "fungi")-is a word that often shows up in legal and political contexts. Something fungible can be exchanged for something else of the same kind. For example, when we say "oil is a fungible commodity," we mean that when a purchaser is expecting a delivery of oil, any oil of the stipulated quantity and quality will usually do. Another example of something fungible is cash. It doesn't matter what twenty dollar bill you get - it's still worth the same amount as any other twenty dollar bill. In contrast, something like a painting isn't fungible; a purchaser would expect a specific, identifiable item to be delivered. In broader use, "fungible" can mean "interchangeable" or sometimes "changeable, fluid, or malleable." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2013 is: thwart • \THWORT\ • verb 1 a : to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle b : to oppose successfully : defeat the hopes or aspirations of 2 : to pass through or across Examples: At the end of the episode, the fleeing villain told the hero, "You may have thwarted me this time, but I'll be back." "But the union and its parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, are also trying to thwart the Lawrence turnaround plan legislatively." - From an editorial in the Boston Globe, May 29, 2013 Did you know? "Thwart" and its synonyms "foil" and "frustrate" all suggest checking or defeating another's plan or preventing the achievement of a goal. "Foil" implies checking or defeating so as to discourage future efforts ("foiled by her parents, he stopped trying to see her"), while "frustrate" suggests making all efforts, however vigorous or persistent, futile or ineffectual ("frustrated attempts at government reform"). "Thwart" usually indicates frustration caused by opposition ("the army thwarted an attempted coup"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2013 is: éminence grise • \ay-mee-nahnss-GREEZ\ • noun 1 : a confidential agent; especially : one exercising unsuspected or unofficial power 2 : a respected authority; specifically : an elder statesman Examples: The seminar will be taught by a revered éminence grise of Civil War historians. "At 95, pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton ranks as the éminence grise of infant and child development, with countless parenting books to his credit." - From an article by Laura Landro in the Wall Street Journal, May 14, 2013 Did you know? "Éminence grise" (literally, "gray eminence") was the sobriquet of Père Joseph (1577-1638), the Capuchin monk who served as secretary to Cardinal Richelieu, Chief Minister under Louis XIII. Richelieu's ambition for French domination of Europe aligned neatly with Joseph's hope to convert European Protestants to Roman Catholicism. Joseph's nickname came from the color of his cloak-and from the fact that Richelieu himself was known as the Éminence Rouge (Red Eminence). The term "éminence grise" came to mean a loyal confidant of any powerful individual, but recently the word has alternately come to mean a respected senior member within a field or profession (the gray in this case perhaps alluding to the color of an elder's hair). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2013 is: lackadaisical • \lak-uh-DAY-zih-kul\ • adjective : lacking life, spirit, or zest : languid Examples: Feeling particularly lackadaisical in the summer heat, we lounged on the front porch drinking lemonade. "Malone will be tasked with reeling in a team of players who favor one-on-one basketball and often played lackadaisical defense." - From an article by Jason Jones in the Sacramento Bee, May 31, 2013 Did you know? Alas, alack, there are times when life seems to be one unfortunate occurrence after another. We’ve all had days when nothing seemed to go right. When folks had one of those days back in the 17th century, they'd cry "Lackaday" to express their sorrow and disappointment. "Lackaday" was a shortened form of the expression "alack the day." In the mid-1700s, "lackadaisical" was coined through addition of the suffix "-ical." The word "lackadaisy" also was used around that time as an interjection similar to "lackaday," and this word, though never as prevalent as "lackaday," might have influenced the coinage of "lackadaisical." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2013 is: phalanx • \FAY-lanks\ • noun 1 : a body of heavily armed infantry in ancient Greece formed in close deep ranks and files; broadly : a body of troops in close array 2 : one of the digital bones of the hand or foot of a vertebrate 3 a : a massed arrangement of persons, animals, or things b : an organized body of persons Examples: A solid phalanx of armed guards stood in front of the castle. "In past years I’ve spotted Oprah Winfrey, or the specter of her anyway, dressed in blazing yellow and surrounded by a phalanx of large, black-suited bodyguards, her filtered image shimmering like the sun peeking through a forest of towering Versace-clad sequoias." - From an article by Laura Rafaty in the Napa Valley Register, June 4, 2013 Did you know? The original sense of "phalanx" refers to a military formation that was used in ancient warfare and consisted of a tight block of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder, several rows deep, often with shields joined. The word "phalanx" comes from the Greeks, though they were not the only ones who used this formation. The Greek term literally means "log" and was used for both this line of battle and for a bone in a finger or toe. The word and its senses passed into Latin and then were adopted into English in the 16th century. These days, a "phalanx" can be any arranged mass, whether of persons, animals, or things, or a body of people organized in a particular effort. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2013 is: ephebic • \ih-FEE-bik\ • adjective : of, relating to, or characteristic of a youth of ancient Greece or a young man Examples: "Ephebic training included athletic instruction in the events which were contested in the Olympics and in the hundreds of other athletic contests of the eastern Mediterranean." - From a post by Dr. Jason Koenig at his Ancient and Modern Olympics blog, May 31, 2013 "This Old Master didn't disport himself with mistresses or, like Leonardo and Michelangelo, with ephebic young men; most of his surviving correspondence chases unpaid bills." - From a book review by Peter Conrad in The Observer, December 2, 2012 Did you know? An ephebus was a youth in ancient Greece who had reached the age of puberty. The name is from the Greek word "ephēbos," from "epi-" ("upon") and "hēbē" ("youth" or "puberty"). Ephebi (the plural of "ephebus") aged 18 or 19 were at one time required to undergo two years of stringent military training, but the requirement became less compulsory and the training less rigorous and militaristic over time. The youthfulness of the ephebi inspired both the adjective "ephebic" and the noun "ephebe." The latter can mean "a young man," as illustrated by John Walsh in the Independent Extra, March 23, 2010: "When you're 40, the sight of your one-time room-mate Philip, once a skinny ephebe with golden ringlets, now transmogrified into a burly renegade with a head like a Sumo bouncer and a body to match, is frightening." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2013 is: infantilize • \IN-fun-tye-lyze\ • verb 1 : to cause to be or remain like an infant or young child 2 : to treat like an infant or young child Examples: Even though Katie was a teenager, her grandmother still tended to infantilize her, bringing her dolls and other gifts more suitable for younger kids. "Although I don't approve of holier-than-thou government officials trying to infantilize citizens by dictating to them what they can eat and drink, this kind of thing is hard to stop once it gets started." - From an opinion piece by Randy Scruggs in the Pulaski County Mirror (St. Robert, MO), June 20, 2012 Did you know? "Infantilize" is just a baby, relatively speaking, in the English language family. It first saw the light of day in the early 1930s, when social scientists started using it to discuss ways that humans or human activity can prolong or encourage dependency in other humans by treating them as helpless. The adjective "infantile," which gave birth to "infantilize," is far more mature, however-it's over 300 years old. "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's infantile behavior, you simply mean that the person is 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 July 6, 2013 is: utile • \YOO-tul\ • adjective : useful Examples: Shaker crafts are simple, meticulously constructed, pleasing to the eye, and eminently utile, all at the same time. "One marvels that 12th-century engineers and builders were able to erect a structure that was both esthetically pleasing to the eye and functionally utile for the ages; after all, the original-medieval-London Bridge was in daily use for more than six-and-one-half-centuries." - From a feature by Kurt F. Stone in OpEdNews, June 3, 2013 Did you know? For over a hundred years before "useful" entered our language, "utile" served us well on its own. We borrowed "utile" from Middle French in the 15th century. The French derived it from Latin "utilis," meaning "useful," which in turn comes from "uti," meaning "to use." "Uti" (the past participle of which is "usus") is also the source of our "use" and "useful." We've been using "use" since at least the 13th century, but we apparently didn't acquire "useful" until the late 16th century, when William Shakespeare inserted it into King John. Needless to say, we've come to prefer "useful" over "utile" since then, though "utile" functions as a very usable synonym. Other handy terms derived from "uti" include "utilize," "usury," "abuse" and "utensil." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2013 is: syllogism • \SIL-uh-jiz-um\ • noun 1 : a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion 2 : a subtle, specious, or crafty argument 3 : deductive reasoning Examples: Kelly could not prove it, but she suspected that her opponent's arguments were a series of sneaky syllogisms based on dubious "facts." "She learned to read [Thomas] Aquinas in the original, mastered the syllogism, pursued Socratism, then took that highly classical background with her to Dominican University in River Forest, Ill., where she graduated with a master’s degree in library and information science." - From an article by Kevin Nevers in the Chesterton Tribune (Indiana), May 8, 2013 Did you know? For those trained in formal argument, the syllogism is a classical form of deduction. One example is the inference that "kindness is praiseworthy" from the premises "every virtue is praiseworthy" and "kindness is a virtue." "Syllogism" came to English through Anglo-French from Latin "syllogismus," which in turn can be traced back through Greek to the verb "syllogizesthai," meaning "to infer." In Greek "logizesthai" means "to calculate" and derives from "logos," meaning "word" or "reckoning." "Syl-" comes from "syn-," meaning "with" or "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 July 4, 2013 is: esplanade • \ESS-pluh-nahd\ • noun : a level open stretch of paved or grassy ground; especially : one designed for walking or driving along a shore Examples: The whole length of the esplanade was full of people who had secured prime viewing spots for the Fourth of July fireworks show. "On Monday, hundreds of thousands of people poured onto the esplanade in front of the city's Invalides dome, clashing with riot police, who were posted around Paris neighborhoods in bulletproof vests and helmets, as they have been numerous times during the past several months." - From an article by Vivienne Walt in Time, May 29, 2013 Did you know? The history of "esplanade" is completely on the level. The Italians created "spianata," for a level stretch of ground, from their verb "spianare," which means "to make level." "Spianare" in turn comes from the Latin verb "explanare," which also means "to make level" and which is the source of our verb "explain." Middle-French speakers borrowed "spianata" as "esplanade," and in the late 1500s we borrowed the French word. In the late 17th century, and even later, esplanades were associated with war. The word was used to refer to a clear space between a citadel and the nearest house of a town or to a slope around a fortification used for defense against attack. Today, however, esplanades are usually for enjoyment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2013 is: vouchsafe • \vowch-SAYF\ • verb 1 a : to grant or furnish often in a gracious or condescending manner b : to give by way of reply 2 : to grant as a privilege or special favor Examples: "Hear my cry, O God the Reader; vouchsafe that this my book fall not still-born into the world wilderness." - From W. E. B. DuBois' 1903 book The Souls of Black Folk "[Helen] Mirren is in a suite so vast it has its own internal lobby with a comedic number of doors leading off it. As I arrive, she is apparently behind one of them, wrapping a shoot for another publication (she doesn't vouchsafe which; it's not my business anyway), while I am led through another one to await her." - From an article by Vicki Woods in Vogue, March 2013 Did you know? Shakespeare fans are well acquainted with "vouchsafe." The word, which was borrowed with its present meaning from Anglo-French in the 14th century, pops up fairly frequently in the Bard's work-60 times, to be exact. "Vouchsafe me yet your picture for my love," beseeches Proteus of Silvia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. "Vouchsafe me raiment, bed, and food," King Lear begs his daughter Regan. But you needn't turn to Shakespeare to find "vouchsafe." As illustrated by our second example sentence above, today's writers also find it to be a perfectly useful word. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2013 is: benedict • \BEN-ih-dikt\ • noun : a newly married man who has long been a bachelor Examples: There were several benedicts at our most recent high school reunion, but I was most surprised by Denny, who had vowed he'd never marry. "The late Joseph W. Sienkiewicz, who served on the town board from 1953 to 1957, was the last bachelor selectman to become a benedict. Mr. Sienkiewicz and Wanda Janton were married April 16, 1955." - From an article by Ed Patenaude in the Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts), August 23, 2001 Did you know? "Benedick" is the chief male character in Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing. Throughout the play, both Benedick and his female counterpart Beatrice exchange barbed comments and profess to detest the very idea of marriage, but the story eventually culminates in their marriage to each other. As a result, Benedick's name came to be applied to men who marry later in life. The spelling was changed to "benedict," possibly by association with a use of "benedict" meaning "bachelor" (although the evidence for this use is scant). Some early 20th-century usage commentators regarded the respelling as incorrect with regard to the etymology, but "benedict" has become the established spelling nevertheless. These days "benedict" is fairly uncommon and most typically encountered in historical sources and references. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2013 is: aghast • \uh-GAST\ • adjective : struck with terror, amazement, or horror : shocked Examples: Critics were aghast at how awful the play was. "As early as 1911, a pile-up of riders and horses during a horse race left Pendleton attorney and Round-Up organizer Roy Raley aghast and fearful that nobody would ever want to attend the Round-Up again." - From a sidebar by Richard Cockle in The Oregonian, June 1, 2013 Did you know? If you are aghast, you might look like you've just seen a ghost, or something similarly shocking. "Aghast" traces back to a Middle English verb, "gasten," meaning "to frighten." "Gasten" (which also gave us "ghastly," meaning "terrible or frightening") comes from "gast," a Middle English spelling of the word "ghost." "Gast" also came to be used in English as a verb meaning "to scare." That verb is now obsolete, but its spirit lives on in words spoken by the character Edmund in Shakespeare's King Lear: "gasted by the noise I made, full suddenly he fled." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 30, 2013 is: lenitive • \LEN-uh-tiv\ • adjective : alleviating pain or harshness : soothing Examples: Peppermint, chamomile, and ginger are all reputed to have a lenitive effect on the digestive system. "They sing of thunder and driving rain, upon occasion, but the lenitive electro pop of Canadian boy-girl duo Purity Ring is decidedly more calming." - From an announcement by Jason Bracelin in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, April 7, 2013 Did you know? "Lenitive" first appeared in English in the 15th century. It derived from the Latin verb "lenire" ("to soften or soothe"), which was itself formed from the adjective "lenis," meaning "soft" or "mild." "Lenire" also gave us the adjective "lenient," which usually means "tolerant" or "indulgent" today but in its original sense carried the meaning of "relieving pain or stress." Often found in medical contexts, "lenitive" can also be a noun referring to a treatment (such as a salve) with soothing or healing properties. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 29, 2013 is: decoupage • \day-koo-PAHZH\ • noun 1 : the art of decorating surfaces by applying cutouts (as of paper) and then coating with usually several layers of finish (as lacquer or varnish) 2 : work produced by decoupage Examples: Her eye was drawn to a small table that had been decorated with decoupage. "Prized among vintage scouters, antique luggage is a common thrift store find and family hand-me-down. Give them a fresh coat of paint, maybe experiment with decoupage and you have your very own stylish night table and room accent." - From an article in The Ideal Home and Garden, May 1, 2013 Did you know? Decoupage originated in France in the 17th century as a means of artistically decorating pieces of furniture with pictures. It took a few centuries, but by the mid-20th century "decoupage" became a household name in American interior decoration. The word is fashioned from Middle French "decouper," meaning "to cut out." "Decouper," in turn, pastes together the prefix "de-" ("from" or "away") and "couper" ("to cut). Other descendants of "couper" include "coppice" (a growth of small trees that are periodically cut), "coupé" (a horse-drawn carriage for two with a driver outside and whose name is thought to be from French "carrosse coupé," literally, "cut-off coach"), and the clear-cut "coupon." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 28, 2013 is: risorgimento • \ree-zor-jih-MEN-toh\ • noun 1 : the 19th century movement for Italian political unity 2 : a time of renewal or renaissance : revival Examples: The musician's heirs hope the new biography and CD box set will spark a risorgimento of interest in the long-forgotten songwriter. "The daughter of a small grocer, [Margaret Thatcher] led a fervent bourgeois Risorgimento. She was the voice of the ambitious middle class." - From an article by David Brooks in The Times of Trenton (New Jersey), April 12, 2013 Did you know? During the period of the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars (1796-1815), the French dominated Italy and introduced many new reforms to the Italian states. After the wars, the states were restored to their former rulers, the Austrians, and took on a conservative character. In response, a number of secret societies arose as part of an ideological and literary movement in support of a united Italy free of foreign domination. This movement was given the name "Risorgimento," which literally translates from Italian as "rising again." Although most modern use of the term still refers to this movement, the word also has another broader meaning in English; it acquired its second sense ("revival") in the mid-20th century. This second sense is occasionally capitalized, as in our quote above, in a nod to the earlier 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 June 27, 2013 is: perfervid • \per-FER-vid\ • adjective : marked by overwrought or exaggerated emotion : excessively fervent Examples: The group's leaders have done little to distance themselves from the actions of their angrier and more perfervid followers. "Biron has struggled to make the Dostoevsky apartment a center for the perpetual and perfervid enthusiasm for the author that animates Russians." - From an article by Philip Kennicott in The Washington Post, October 21, 2012 Did you know? The adjectives "fervent," "fervid," and "perfervid" all derive from the Latin verb "fervēre," meaning "to boil," and suggest a bubbling up of intense feeling. "Fervent" was the first to enter the English language in the 14th century. It stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth and zeal, as in "Her colleagues expressed fervent good wishes." The next to emerge was "fervid" in the late 16th century. It too suggests warmth but adds an element of spontaneity and feverishness. A lover might write a fervid billet-doux to his beloved, for example. With its first known appearance in print dating back only to 1833, "perfervid" is a relative newcomer to English, but it implies the most extreme or exaggerated expression of emotion. Its intensity comes from "per-," a prefix meaning "thoroughly." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2013 is: jerkwater • \JERK-waw-ter\ • adjective 1 : remote and unimportant 2 : trivial Examples: "We're stranded in some jerkwater town in the middle of nowhere," said Larry when he called to tell us that the car's engine had blown. "Hardworking and reserved, Jesse might use five words when the situation called for nine. The son of Mexican immigrants, he was born in the cheerless, jerkwater town of Firebaugh, Calif., in 1938; facts that undoubtedly contributed to his abiding humility." - From an article by Scott P. Charles in the Philadelphia Inquirer, June 12, 2012 Did you know? We owe the colorful Americanism "jerkwater" to the invention of the steam engine-an advancement that significantly accelerated travel by rail but also had its drawbacks. One drawback was that the boilers of the early locomotives needed to be refilled with water frequently, and water tanks were few and far between. As a result, the small trains that ran on rural branch lines often had to stop to take on water from local supplies. Such trains were commonly called "jerkwaters" from the motion of jerking the water up in buckets from the supply to the engine. The derogatory use of "jerkwater" for things unimportant or trivial reflects the fact that these jerkwater trains typically ran on lines connecting small middle-of-nowhere towns. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2013 is: inselberg • \IN-sul-berg\ • noun : an isolated mountain Examples: My favorite photograph in the collection is a breathtaking shot of a pride of lions set against a backdrop of a jutting inselberg. "Oke-Idanre hill consists of high plain with spectacular valleys interspersed with inselbergs of about 3,000 ft above sea level." - From an article in Africa News, August 4, 2012 Did you know? "Inselberg," which first appeared in English in 1913, comes from the German words "Insel," meaning "island," and "Berg," meaning "mountain," apparently because German explorers thought isolated mountains rising from the plains of southern Africa looked like islands in the midst of the ocean. Geologically speaking, an inselberg is a hill of hard volcanic rock that has resisted wind and weather and remained strong and tall as the land around it eroded away. Ayers Rock and Olga Rocks in central Australia are two spectacular examples of inselbergs. The word "monadnock," derived from the name of Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, is a synonym of "inselberg." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2013 is: encroach • \in-KROHCH\ • verb 1 : to enter by gradual steps or by stealth into the possessions or rights of another 2 : to advance beyond the usual or proper limits Examples: Many argue that the city's increased surveillance of public spaces encroaches on the rights of individuals. "Under the existing municipal code, outdoor dining venues that encroach into the sidewalk right of way require discretionary review, a lengthier process that includes environmental analysis, formal public noticing and the option for opponents to appeal staff decisions to the Planning Commission." - From an article by Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union-Tribune, May 15, 2013 Did you know? The history behind "encroach" is likely to hook you in. First appearing in English in the 16th century, the word derives from the Middle English "encrochen," which means "to get or seize." The Anglo-French predecessor of "encrochen" is "encrocher," which was formed by combining the prefix "en-" ("in") with the noun "croche" ("hook"). "Croche" also gave us our word "crochet," in reference to the hooked needle used in that craft. "Encroach" carries the meaning of "intrude" both in terms of privilege (as demonstrated in our first example sentence) or property (as in our second example sentence). The word can also hop over legal barriers to describe a general advancement beyond desirable or normal limits (such as a hurricane that encroaches on the mainland). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2013 is: monger • \MUNG-gur\ • noun 1 : broker, dealer - usually used in combination 2 : a person who attempts to stir up or spread something that is usually petty or discreditable - usually used in combination Examples: According to reports, the singer and actress were involved in a hot romance, but the rumormongers had it wrong-the two were just good friends. "Inside Penn Avenue Fish Co. in the Strip District, a fishmonger wearing orange rubber overalls guided a customer to West Coast halibut for its clean, mild flavor." - From an article by Melissa McCart in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 26, 2013 Did you know? Peddlers (especially fish merchants) have been called "mongers" for more than 1000 years. The term traces to a Latin noun meaning "trader." Initially, it was an honorable term, but every profession has its bad apples, and the snake-oil salesmen of the bunch gave "monger" a bad reputation. By the middle of the 16th century, the term often implied that a merchant was dishonorable and contemptible. Nowadays, "monger" is typically appended to another word to identify a trader of a particular type. Some combinations (such as "fishmonger") suggest respectable commerce, whereas others (such as "rumormonger," "scandalmonger," and "hypemonger") imply that a person is trading or spreading information in a careless or deceptive manner. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 22, 2013 is: ransack • \RAN-sak\ • verb 1 a : to search thoroughly b : to examine closely and carefully 2 a : to search through to commit robbery b : to search through in a way that causes disorder or damage Examples: Robbers ransacked the apartment looking for money. "In a video posted on Youtube [sic] Monday, a troop of baboons appears to invade a house in South Africa and ransack the place before eventually being chased out." - From an article by Sara Gates in The Huffington Post, April 24, 2013 Did you know? "Ransack" carries the image of a house being torn out of order, as might happen when you are frantically searching for something. This is appropriate given the word's origin. "Ransack" derives via Middle English from Old Norse "rannsaka"; the "rann" in "rannsaka" means "house." The second half of "rannsaka" is related to an Old English word, "secan," meaning "to seek." But our modern use of the word isn't restricted to houses. You can ransack a drawer, a suitcase, or even the contents of a book (for information). A now-obsolete frequentative form of "ransack," "ransackle," gave us our adjective "ramshackle." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 21, 2013 is: comely • \KUM-lee\ • adjective 1 : pleasurably conforming to notions of good appearance, suitability, or proportion 2 : having a pleasing appearance : not homely or plain Examples: The audition was filled with comely young men and women hoping to be the next face of the fashion industry. "The woman in black is an assassin, and, although he has no idea why, Langdon is her target. He's on the run before he's even fully conscious, helped by one of his doctors, Sienna Brooks, a comely young blond with a genius IQ and a shadowy past." - From a book review by Colette Bancroft in the Tampa Bay Times (Florida), May 17, 2013 Did you know? Although "comely" is now typically used to describe the appearance of human beings, it was once used more broadly of other appealing things, such as fine clothing. "Comely" can be traced back to an Old English word meaning "lovely, glorious, or fine." If you're looking to pretty up your prose or poetry with additional words meaning "beautiful," English is well-supplied with them. Aside from "beautiful" itself, we have "lovely," "handsome," "pretty," "fair," "good-looking," "gorgeous," "ravishing," and even "well-favored." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2013 is: peccant • \PEK-unt\ • adjective 1 : guilty of a moral offense : sinning 2 : violating a principle or rule : faulty Examples: Outside the confessional stood a short line of peccant parishioners waiting to seek redemption for their sins. "His own translation of Heinrich Heine’s 'A Woman' features a naughtily misbehaving protagonist and her peccant boyfriend…." - From a review by Benjamin Ivry in The Forward, April 27, 2012 Did you know? "Peccant" comes from the Latin verb "peccare," which means "to sin," "to commit a fault," or "to stumble," and is related to the better-known English word "peccadillo" ("a slight offense"). Etymologists have suggested that "peccare" might be related to Latin "ped-" or "pes," meaning "foot," by way of an unattested adjective, "peccus," which may have been used to mean "having an injured foot" or "stumbling." Whether or not a connection truly exists between "peccant" and "peccus," "peccant" itself involves stumbling of a figurative kind-making errors, for example, or falling into immoral, corrupt, or sinful behavior. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2013 is: habiliment • \huh-BIL-uh-munt\ • noun 1 : characteristic apparatus : trappings 2 a : the dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion - usually used in plural b : clothes - usually used in plural Examples: "My riches are these poor habiliments, / Of which if you should here disfurnish me, / You take the sum and substance that I have." - From Shakespeare's 1595 play The Two Gentlemen of Verona "In 1837, a Times-Picayune reporter noted that the first documented Mardi Gras walking parade excited considerable speculation as to who they were, what were their motives, and what upon earth could induce them to turn out in such grotesque and outlandish habiliments. Some things never change." - From an article released by Tulane University and published by States News Service, January 24, 2013 Did you know? "Habiliment," from Middle French "abillement," is a bit old-fashioned and is often used to describe complex, multi-pieced outfits like those of medieval times. For instance, a full suit of armor-which might include a helmet, gorget, pallette, brassard, skirt of tasses, tuille, gauntlet, cuisse, jambeau, and solleret, along with other pieces and plates-can be considered the habiliments of a knight. Nowadays, "habiliment," which is usually used in its plural form, is also fitting for the dress of an occupation, such as the different vestments of a priest, or for clothes, such as elegant formal wear, worn on special occasions. When "habiliment" is used for plain old "clothes," it is more than likely for jocular or poetic effect-as we see it being used by Shakespeare in the first example above. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2013 is: harangue • \huh-RANG\ • noun 1 : a speech addressed to a public assembly 2 : a ranting speech or writing 3 : lecture Examples: The comedian's stand-up act consisted mostly of sharp harangues against celebrities and the media. "Every time I see one of these conspiracy types stand up and with great zeal launch into their harangue I'm reminded of something I heard a former Idaho State Superintendent, Roy Truby, once say: 'I have a hard time understanding these people who say they love their country but hate their government.'" - From an article by Chris Carlson in the Idaho State Journal, May 1, 2013 Did you know? In Old Italian, the noun "aringo" referred to a public assembly, the verb "aringare" meant "to speak in public," and the noun "aringa" referred to a public speech. "Aringa" was borrowed into Middle French as "arenge," and it is from this form that we get our noun "harangue," which made its first appearance in English in the 16th century. Perhaps due to the bombastic or exasperated nature of some public speeches, the term quickly developed an added sense referring to a speech or writing in the style of a rant (though the word "rant" is not etymologically related). There is also a verb "harangue," which refers to the act of making such a speech. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2013 is: demure • \dih-MYOOR\ • adjective 1 : reserved, modest 2 : affectedly modest, reserved, or serious : coy Examples: When we first met Kelly, she was quiet and demure, so it surprises us now to see that she can be vocal and forward. "Amazingly, though, these corporate creatures have suddenly turned demure, insisting that they don’t want to draw any attention to themselves." - From an editorial by Jim Hightower in the Illinois Times, May 16, 2013 Did you know? "Demure" has essentially remained unchanged in meaning since at least the 14th century. Its first recorded use in our language dates from the Middle English period (roughly the 12th to 15th centuries), a time when the native tongue of England was borrowing many new words from the French spoken by the Normans who gained control of the country after the Battle of Hastings. "Demure" might have been part of the French cultural exchange; etymologists think it may have derived from the Anglo-French verb "demorer" or "demourer," meaning "to linger." During Shakespeare's time, "demure" was briefly used in English as a verb meaning "to look demurely," but only the older adjective form has survived to the present 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 June 16, 2013 is: fawn • \FAWN\ • verb 1 : to show affection - used especially of a dog 2 : to court favor by a cringing or flattering manner Examples: The author gave a reading from her latest book, followed by a meet and greet where she was fawned over by adoring fans. "The trip was relaxing, and Lauren was right. I was like a different person, probably because I didn't have deadlines looming over me, the pressures of running a household, no hour-long commute and my parents fawned over me like I was royalty." - From a blog post by Jessica Ryen Doyle on FoxNews.com, May 3, 2013 Did you know? Some people will be glad to learn the origins of "fawn"-and there's a hint about the word's etymology in that declaration. Middle English speakers adapted an Old English word meaning "to rejoice" to create the verb "faunen," which shifted in spelling over time to become "fawn." That Old English word, in turn, derives from "fagan," meaning "glad." "Fagan" is also an ancestor of the English adjective "fain," whose earliest (now obsolete) meaning is "happy" or "pleased." If we follow the etymological path of "fawn" even further back, we arrive at an ancient word that also provided Old German and Old Norse with words for "happy." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2013 is: gymkhana • \jim-KAH-nuh\ • noun a : a meet featuring sports contests or athletic skills: as b : competitive games on horseback c : a festival featuring gymnastics and athletic showmanship and often including pageantry d : a timed contest for automobiles featuring a series of events designed to test driving skill Examples: "The Lower Clarence Pony Club attended the first gymkhana of the season at Casino Pony Club grounds last weekend." - From an article by Patrick Allen in the Clarence Valley Daily Examiner (New South Wales, Australia), May 6, 2013 "The gymkhana competitor and stunt driver Ken Block is expected to drive the Pirelli Formula One test car at Monza, the historic Italian racetrack, in August." - From a post on the New York Times' Wheels blog, June 16, 2011 Did you know? Both the word "gymkhana" and the event it describes originated in 19th-century India. The word is probably an alteration of the Hindi "gedkhana," which describes a ball- playing area similar to a racket ball court, with the first syllable influenced by our word "gymnasium." The first gymkhanas were displays of athletics and equestrian skill, and while those are still common, the 20th century introduced a new kind of gymkhana, designed to show off car handling. These newer gymkhanas are often held in parking lots, where contestants race over tight, twisting courses marked with cones or pylons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2013 is: millefleur • \meel-FLER\ • adjective : having an allover pattern of small flowers and plants Examples: The museum's collection includes several medieval tapestries with millefleur designs. "While millefleurs tapestries rarely fail to be decorative, the later ones of the period 1500 to 1520 are rather flimsy and lack the boldness of design of the 1460s." - From an article by Jamie Mulherron in Apollo Magazine, March 1, 2011 Did you know? "Millefleur" (which can also be spelled "millefleurs," as in our second example sentence) came directly from French into English in the 18th century as a word for a perfume distilled from several different kinds of flowers. The literal meaning of "mille fleur" is "a thousand flowers," so it is easy to see how "millefleur" came to be applied to patterns or backgrounds of many tiny flowers or plants. A similarly colorful extension of "a thousand flowers" can be seen in the word "millefiori." That term, which refers to ornamental glass characterized by multicolored flower-like designs, comes from "mille fiori," the Italian phrase meaning "a thousand flowers." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 13, 2013 is: sandbag • \SAND-bag\ • verb 1 : to bank, stop up, or weight with sandbags 2 a : to hit or stun with or as if with a sandbag b : to treat unfairly or harshly c : to coerce by crude means d : to conceal or misrepresent one's true position, potential, or intent especially in order to take advantage of : to hide the truth about oneself so as to gain an advantage over another Examples: Several employees indicated that they felt they had been sandbagged and were considering filing complaints. "Central Florida Top Recruits coach Keiwan Ratliff acknowledged that a few teams were likely sandbagging during Saturday's pool play in the IMG Regional 7-on-7 tournament." - From an article by Corey Long in the Orlando Sentinel, April 21, 2013 Did you know? In the 19th century, the verb "sandbag" began to be used to describe the act of bludgeoning someone with a small, sand-filled bag-a tactic employed by ruffians, usually as a prelude to robbing their victims. The verb went on to develop metaphorical extensions, such as "to coerce by crude means." By the 1940s, it was being used of a strategy in which a poker player with a good hand bets weakly, in order to draw other players into holding on to their hands and raising the bet. The use of "sandbag" has since evolved to refer to a general strategy of playing down one's position in order to gain some sort of advantage. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2013 is: Rx • \ahr-EKS\ • noun a : a prescription: such as b : a written direction for a therapeutic or corrective agent; specifically : one for the preparation and use of a medicine c : something (such as a recommendation) resembling a doctor's prescription Examples: "Any exercise that continuously moves major muscle groups, especially the legs, is the right Rx to improve cardiorespiratory fitness." - From an article in Food & Fitness Advisor, February, 2004 "PCSO [Pulaski County Sheriff's Office] collected 892.2 pounds of returned prescription drugs. All collected items will be destroyed in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Removing these old/expired Rx drugs helps prevent abuse and overdose by both children and adults. The water supply and landfills are also not contaminated by their improper disposal." - From an article on THV11.com (Little Rock, Arkansas), April 30, 2013 Did you know? The "R" in "Rx" stands for the Latin word "recipe," meaning "take," and the first doctor to use "Rx" used it as a verb with the same meaning, "Rx two aspirin" being equivalent to today's "Take two aspirin." (The word "recipe" had had the same function from the 13th through the 17th centuries.) Those two letters were a 19th-century take on a 16th-century symbol, the letter R with a line through its slanted leg-the line signaling that the "R" is functioning as an abbreviation. It wasn't till the early 20th century that "Rx" came to be used as the noun we know today. As for the noun "recipe," it followed the same trajectory, referring to a medical prescription for about 100 years before it developed its connection with cooking in the early 17th century. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 11, 2013 is: hoise • \HOYZ\ • verb : lift, raise; especially : to raise into position by or as if by means of tackle Examples: Bethany was selected by her Girl Scout troop to hoise the American flag for Monday's Memorial Day ceremony on the town green. "In order for [New England Patriot's quarterback Tom] Brady to play a great game, which is a must if the Pats want to hoise the Lombardi Trophy, he needs to stay upright." - From an article by Nick Curcuru and Michael Muldoon in the Gloucester Daily Times (Massachusetts), January 27, 2013 Did you know? Did you know? The connection between "hoise" and "hoist" is a bit confusing. The two words are essentially synonymous variants, but "hoist" is far more common. You'll rarely encounter "hoise" in any of its regular forms: "hoise," "hoised," or "hoising." But a variant of its past participle shows up fairly frequently as part of a set expression. And now, here's the confusing part-that variant past participle is "hoist"! The expression is "hoist with (or by) one's own petard," which means "victimized or hurt by one's own scheme." This oft-heard phrase owes its popularity to Shakespeare's Hamlet: "For 'tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petar[d]." (A petard is a medieval explosive. The quote implies that the engineer-the person who sets the explosive device-is blown into the air by the explosion of his own device.) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2013 is: chilblain • \CHIL-blayn\ • noun : an inflammatory swelling or sore caused by exposure (as of the feet or hands) to cold Examples: "The damp cold there goes bone deep, and chilblains are a threat…." - From an article by Guy Trebay in The New York Times, January 16, 2011 "Nature gives us scurvy, rickets, buckteeth and chilblains. That's on a good day." - From an article by Gina Barreca in the Hartford Courant (Connecticut), May 3, 2013 Did you know? Given that chilblains are caused by exposure to cold conditions, it may not surprise you to know that the first element of this word comes from the noun "chill." The second element, "blain," may be less familiar, though the word "blain" ("an inflammatory swelling or sore") is still used by English speakers. Both elements of "chilblain" have Anglo-Saxon roots. "Chill" comes from Old English "ciele" ("frost" or "chill"), which is akin to "ceald," an Old English ancestor of the modern "cold." "Blain" comes from Old English "blegen" (same meaning as "blain"). These two words were first brought together (as the compound "chyll blayne") in the 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 June 9, 2013 is: prosaic • \proh-ZAY-ik\ • adjective 1 : characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry : factual 2 : dull, unimaginative 3 : everyday, ordinary Examples: The novel's protagonist is a young accountant who has grown weary of her prosaic life and longs for adventure and world travels. "It was as if our drought had developed the magical powers of a dark lord, the ability to suck water back uphill, away from the farmers down south who need it.… The reality here is more prosaic, but revealing. No dark magic, just a year so dry that Gus's model can't cope with the reality of the situation." - From an article by John Fleck in Albuquerque Journal, May 7, 2013 Did you know? In the 1600s, any text that was not poetic was prosaic. Back then, "prosaic" carried no negative connotations; it simply indicated that a written work was made up of prose. That sense clearly owes much to the meaning of the word's Latin ancestor "prosa," which meant "prose." By the end of the 17th century, though, poetry had come to be viewed as the more beautiful, imaginative, and emotional type of writing, and prose was relegated to the status of mundane and plain-Jane. As a result, English speakers started using "prosaic" to refer to anything considered matter-of-fact or ordinary, and they gradually transformed it into a synonym for "colorless," "drab," "lifeless," and "lackluster." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 8, 2013 is: burgeon • \BER-jun\ • verb 1 a : to send forth new growth (as buds or branches) : sprout b : bloom 2 : to grow and expand rapidly : flourish Examples: The trout population in the stream is burgeoning now that the water is clean. "James Campbell High School wasn't built to hold thousands of students. When Campbell first opened in 1962, it served a modest population of plantation families. Little did the state know that Ewa Beach would burgeon as part of … a region that saw its population grow by nearly 19 percent between 2000 and 2010. " - From an article by Alia Wong in the Honolulu Civil Beat (Hawaii), April 26, 2013 Did you know? "Burgeon" comes from the Middle English word "burjonen," which is from Anglo-French "burjuner"; both mean "to bud or sprout." "Burgeon" is often used figuratively, as when P.G. Wodehouse used it in Joy in the Morning: "I weighed this. It sounded promising. Hope began to burgeon." Usage commentators have objected to the use of "burgeon" to mean "to flourish" or "to grow rapidly," insisting that any figurative use should stay true to the word's earliest literal meaning and distinguish budding or sprouting from subsequent growing. But the sense of "burgeon" that indicates growing or expanding and prospering (as in "the burgeoning music scene" or "the burgeoning international market") has been in established use for decades, and is, in fact, the most common use of "burgeon" today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 7, 2013 is: stichomythia • \stik-uh-MITH-ee-uh\ • noun : dialogue especially of altercation or dispute delivered by two actors in alternating lines (as in classical Greek drama) Examples: To heighten the emotional intensity between the characters, the playwright employed stichomythia. "'Oh, you did?' 'Mm-hmm.' 'Well, what am I expected to do? Leap for joy?' 'Well, I kind of half expected you to thank me.' 'Your ego is absolutely colossal.' … This stichomythia … came from applying the hardboiled style of crime stories to the softhearted subject matter of a couple falling in love." - From an article by Caleb Crain in The New Yorker, September 21, 2009 Did you know? In stichomythia terse, contentious, and often biting lines are bandied back and forth. Characters engaged in stichomythia may alternately voice antithetical positions, or they may play on one another's words, each repartee twisting or punning on words just spoken to make a new point. Classical Greek dramatists, such as Aeschylus and Sophocles (who wrote Agamemnon and Oedipus the King, respectively), used this device in some of their dialogues. Shakespeare also used it in exchanges in his plays. For instance, in the Closet scene in Hamlet (Act III, scene iv), the Queen tells Hamlet "Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue" to which Hamlet retorts "Go, go, you question with a wicked tongue." Not to be idle with the origin of "stichomythia": the word is from Greek "stichos" (meaning "row," "line," or "verse") and "mythos" ("speech" or "myth"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 6, 2013 is: orotund • \OR-uh-tund\ • adjective 1 : marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound : sonorous 2 : pompous, bombastic Examples: Josh cleared his throat dramatically, then did a dead-on impression of the professor's orotund, patronizing speech. "Comedian Bob Hope used to tell an anecdote about Franklin D. Roosevelt housetraining his Scottish terrier, Fala, on the Chicago Tribune. It was a reference to Roosevelt's greatest hater, Tribune publisher Robert R. McCormick, an orotund aristocrat who considered the New Deal indistinguishable from Communism." - From a post by Edward McClellan on NBC Chicago's Ward Room blog, April 23, 2013 Did you know? The Latin roots of "orotund" are related to two more common English words-"oral" and "rotund." Latin "or-" means "mouth," and "rotundus" means "round" or "circular." The Roman poet Horace joined forms of those Latin terms to create the phrase "ore rotundo," literally meaning "with round mouth," and figuratively meaning "with well-turned speech." "Ore rotundo" was modified to "orotund" and adopted into English in the late 18th century. It can indicate either strength of delivery or inflated wording. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 5, 2013 is: by and large • \BYE-und-LAHRJ\ • adverb : on the whole : in general Examples: The young actors stumbled over a few lines here and there, but by and large the play was a success. "Each school may have its own rules about financial aid appeals or special circumstances reviews, but by and large the financial aid administrator, and not the admissions officer, is the gatekeeper to the funds." - From an article by Steve Rosen in the Kansas City Star, April 12, 2013 Did you know? "By and large" is originally a sailing term meaning "alternately close-hauled and not close-hauled." A ship that is sailing "close-hauled" is sailing as directly into the wind as possible (typically within about 45 degrees of the wind). The "by" part of the phrase means "close-hauled." (This "by" also appears in the term "full and by," meaning "sailing with all sails full and close to the wind as possible.") "Large," by contrast, refers to a point of sail in which the wind is hitting the boat "abaft the beam," or behind the boat's widest point. A 1669 example of a variant spelling of "by and large" gives us a sense of the range implied: "Thus you see the ship handled in fair weather and foul, by and learge" (S. Sturmy, Mariners Magazine). The suggestion of a wide range carries over into the term's "in general" sense. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 4, 2013 is: nonpareil • \nahn-puh-REL\ • adjective : having no equal Examples: "The show was … held in the original Madison Square Garden, and it was a society event nonpareil." - From an article by Marshall Schuon in the New York Times, April 3, 1994 "Few of them differ much from New York’s typical Italian-American restaurants, but those that stand out are among the best anywhere, including fifth-generation Mario’s, which since 1919 has been crafting nonpareil pizzas along with true Neapolitan food… - From a post by John Mariani on Esquire.com’s Eat Like a Man blog, May 1, 2013 Did you know? Trace "nonpareil" back to its Middle French origins and you'll find that it comes from a term meaning "not equal." "Pareil" itself comes from a Vulgar Latin form of "par," which means "equal." "Nonpareil" has served as an English adjective since the 15th century, and since the late 16th century it has also functioned as a noun describing an individual of unequaled excellence. In 1612, Captain John Smith used the term in that noun sense (but with a now-archaic spelling): "Pocahontas, Powhatan's daughter ... was the very Nomparell of his kingdome, and at most not past 13 or 14 years of age." And as you may know, "nonpareil" is also the name of a chocolate candy covered with white sugar pellets. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 3, 2013 is: encumber • \in-KUM-ber\ • verb 1 : weigh down, burden 2 : to impede or hamper the function or activity of : hinder 3 : to burden with a legal claim (as a mortgage) Examples: Lack of funding has encumbered the project from day one. "Rain will likely encumber racers as they move through Grand Rapids this weekend, and possibly snow and frigid temperatures, according to forecasts." - From an article by Laura Misjak in Lansing State Journal (Michigan), April 5, 2013 Did you know? In Old French, the noun "combre" meant a defensive obstacle formed by felled trees with sharpened branches facing the enemy. Later, in Middle French, "combre" referred to a barrier, similar to a dam or weir, constructed in the bed of a river to hold back fish or protect the banks. That notion of holding back is what informs our verb "encumber," formed by combining "en-" and "combre." One can be physically encumbered (as by a heavy load or severe weather), or figuratively (as by bureaucratic restrictions). "Combre" also gives us the adjectives "cumbersome" and "cumbrous," both meaning "awkward or difficult to handle." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 2, 2013 is: styptic • \STIP-tik\ • adjective : tending to contract or bind : astringent; especially : tending to check bleeding Examples: The vet advised that we keep a styptic agent handy while clipping the cat's claws, just in case. "Alum contains aluminum sulfate and is found in styptic pencils and as astringents." - From a column by Pat Shingleton in The Advocate (Florida), April 13, 2013 Did you know? People long ago recognized the power of certain substances to bind or contract organic tissue-a quality that has various uses and benefits. English speakers weren't original in this knowledge, and they copied speakers of Greek, Latin, and Anglo-French when they designated this quality as "styptic" in the Middle Ages. (The word in Greek, "styptikos," is from "styphein," which means "to contract.") One thing that a styptic substance can do is stop bleeding, and almost from the start the word "styptic" has referred to this quality especially. It has also been applied to things that make your mouth contract, or pucker, as well as to substances that might affect your digestive organs with a "binding" effect. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 1, 2013 is: WYSIWYG • \WIZ-ee-wig\ • noun : a display generated by word-processing or desktop-publishing software that exactly reflects the document as it would appear in its finished state Examples: The pamphlets look great and were easy to create; we created them using a simple WYSIWYG editing program. "He wrote a word processor called Bravo that displayed text on a computer screen as it would appear when printed on a page-a breakthrough technique at the time, called WYSIWYG, What You See Is What You Get." - From an article by Steve Lohr in The New York Times, October 22, 2012 Did you know? In the early 1980s, the phrase "what you see is what you get" was abbreviated to "WYSIWYG" by computer users who sought a term to describe software that accurately reflects the appearance of the finished product. WYSIWYG interfaces eliminate the need for users to master complex formatting codes, allowing them to concentrate instead on design. Originally used in word processing and desktop publishing, they are now found in Web editors and other programs used to create electronic documents. The word "WYSIWYG" is a noun, but it is often used attributively (modifying another noun) as in our first example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 31, 2013 is: dudgeon • \DUJ-un\ • noun : a fit or state of indignation Examples: The customer stormed out of the store in high dudgeon after the manager refused to give her a refund for her purchase. "Hollywood's critics are in high dudgeon. The motion-picture industry has sunk into a moral morass, they say, one that threatens our national self-understanding and traduces simple decency." - From an article by Sonny Bunch in Literary Reference Center, April 12, 2013. Did you know? "Dudgeon" is today most often used in the phrase "in high dudgeon" (which in turn sometimes gives rise to playful variations such as "middling dudgeon," "intermediate dudgeon," "towering dudgeon," "lofty dudgeon," and so on). The word has been a part of the English language since at least 1573, but its earlier history is a mystery. Conjectures as to a connection to a Welsh word, "dygen," meaning "malice," have no basis. Also, there does not appear to be any connection whatever to the very old "dudgeon"-a now obsolete term once used for a dagger or a kind of wood out of which dagger handles were made. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 30, 2013 is: efflorescence • \ef-luh-RESS-unss\ • noun 1 a : the action or process of developing and unfolding as if coming into flower b : an instance of such development c : fullness of manifestation : culmination 2 : the period or state of flowering 3 : the process or product of efflorescing chemically Examples: "Besides introducing popular religion, the late eleventh century ushered in an intellectual efflorescence as well." - From Ronald M. Davidson's 2005 book Tibetan Renaissance "Perhaps a collective sense of anxiety about the natural world … has prompted an efflorescence of books about trees from an aesthetic and cultural standpoint in the last decade or so." - From a review by William Pannapacker in The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 16, 2012 Did you know? When Edgar Allan Poe spoke of an "efflorescence of language" in The Poetic Principle, he was referring to language that was flowery, or overly rich and colorful. This ties in to the garden roots of "efflorescence," a word, like "flourish," that comes from the Latin word for "flower." More commonly, however, "efflorescence" refers to the literal or figurative act of blossoming much like a flower does. You could speak of "the efflorescence of nature in springtime," for example, or "the efflorescence of culture during the Renaissance." "Efflorescence" is also used in chemistry to refer to a process that occurs when something changes to a powder from loss of water of crystallization. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 29, 2013 is: garnish • \GAHR-nish\ • verb 1 a : decorate, embellish b : to add decorative or savory touches to (food or drink) 2 : to equip with accessories : furnish 3 : to take (as a debtor's wages) by legal authority : garnishee Examples: "Among the viands was expected to be found a small assortment of cheesecakes and tarts. If there was also a plate of thin slices of pink ham garnished with green parsley, so much the better." - From Charlotte Brontë's 1849 novel Shirley "Convicted offenders who don't pay their fines can have their driver's licenses suspended, and wages can be garnished if the Department of Taxation is notified." - From an article in the Virginian-Pilot, April 28, 2013 Did you know? Although we now mostly garnish food, the general application of the "decorate" meaning is older. The link between embellishing an object or space and adding a little parsley to a plate isn't too hard to see, but how does the sense relating to debtors' wages fit in? The answer lies in the word's Anglo-French root, "garnir," which means "to warn or to equip." Before wages were garnished, the debtor would be served with a legal summons or warning. The legal sense of "garnish" now focuses on the taking of the wages, but it is rooted in the action of furnishing the warning. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 28, 2013 is: sky pilot • \SKY-PYE-lut\ • noun : clergyman; specifically : chaplain Examples: "A pastor with just about as many pictures of Elvis as he has of Jesus in his office is probably not your typical fire-and-brimstone sky pilot." - From an article by John Grant Emeigh in the Montana Standard, March 25, 2013 "Not until the lifeboat had ended its perilous work did the men on board her realize that their captain had allowed a 'sky-pilot' to take a hand at the oars." - From the story "The Sky Pilot" by Mary S. Hancock, published in The Living Age, October 17, 1896 Did you know? "The designation 'sky pilot' … has only been in use for a few years, say ten…." So wrote George William Foote in the 1893 book Flowers of Freethought. He was right. Our earliest evidence dates the term to 1883. Foote compared the sky pilot to the more familiar pilot of his age: the helmsman whose job is to steer a ship. And he faulted the former, tongue in cheek, for lacking the follow-through of the latter: "The honest salt boards the ship, and takes her out to sea, or brings her into port.… But the sky-pilot does not go with you. Oh dear no! That is no part of his bargain." "Sky pilot" has never been a very common term, but it's actually a tad more common today than it was when Foote's book was published. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 27, 2013 is: sentient • \SEN-shee-unt\ • adjective 1 : responsive to or conscious of sense impressions 2 : having or showing understanding or knowledge : aware 3 : finely sensitive in perception or feeling Examples: Both parties to the agreement must be sentient of the risks involved. "Frightened of the potential that a vast automated intelligence represents, we often portray sentient intelligences as the equivalent of machine gods-ones that, in many cases, find us wanting. The concept of a homicidal machine or computer isn't just common; it has a become a trope of modern science fiction." - From an article by Mark Hachman in PC Magazine, April 15, 2013 Did you know? You may have guessed that "sentient" has something to do with the senses. The initial spelling "sent-" or "sens-" is often a giveaway for such a meaning. A "sentient" being is one who perceives and responds to sensations of whatever kind-sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell. "Sentient" ultimately comes from the Latin verb "sentire," which means "to feel" or "to perceive" and is related to the noun "sensus," meaning "sense." A few related English words are "sentiment" and "sentimental," which have to do with emotions, and "sensual," which relates to more physical "sensations." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 26, 2013 is: tontine • \TAHN-teen\ • noun : a joint financial arrangement whereby the participants usually contribute equally to a prize that is awarded entirely to the participant who survives all the others Examples: In the author's latest suspense novel, the participants in a secret tontine begin to show up dead-one by one. "He had become interested in an insurance scheme called a tontine, in which people pool their money and the last survivor gets the whole pot. But tontines were now illegal." -From Alice Schroeder's 2008 book The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life Did you know? Tontines were named after their creator, a Neapolitan banker named Lorenzo Tonti. In 1653, Tonti convinced investors to buy shares in a fund he had created. Each year, the investors earned dividends, and when one of them died, his or her share of the profits was redistributed among the survivors. When the last investor died, the capital reverted to the state. Louis XIV of France used tontines to save his ailing treasury and to fund municipal projects, and private tontines (where the last surviving investor-and subsequently his or her heirs-got the cash instead of the state) became popular throughout Europe and the U.S. Eventually, though, tontines were banned; there was just too much temptation for unscrupulous investors to bump off their fellow subscribers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.