Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2012 is: debilitate • \dih-BIL-uh-tayt\ • verb : to impair the strength of Examples: The flu debilitated him and left him bedridden for several days. "Hard hits are part of the game. But vicious hits intended to debilitate a player, maybe end his career, are intolerable." - From an article in the Chicago Tribune, March 8, 2012 Did you know? "Debilitate," "enfeeble," "undermine," and "sap" all share in common the general sense "to weaken." But while "debilitate" holds the distinction among these words of coming from the Latin word for "weak"-"debilis"-it packs a potent punch. Often used of disease or something that strikes like a disease or illness, "debilitate" might suggest a temporary impairment, but a pervasive one. "Enfeeble," a very close synonym of "debilitate," connotes a pitiable, but often reversible, condition of weakness and helplessness. "Undermine" and "sap" suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously. 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 December 25, 2012 is: lord of misrule • \LORD-uv-miss-ROOL\ • noun : a master of Christmas revels in England especially in the 15th and 16th centuries Examples: Jesters, pipers, jugglers, and drummers followed the lord of misrule into the court for the singing of the carols. "Christmas before Victoria was a wild affair, in which the fun was presided over by the Lord of Misrule, and it was full of lewd and naughty pranks-usually strictly for the grown-ups." - From an article in the Northern Echo, September 20, 2012 Did you know? Late in the medieval days of England, the royal court, the houses of noblemen, and many colleges at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford appointed a manager for their Christmas festivities and dubbed him the "lord of misrule" or the "abbot of misrule." The lord of misrule was responsible for arranging all Christmas entertainment, including plays, processions, and feasts. The lord himself usually presided over these affairs with a mock court and received comic homage from the revelers. Scholars believe that the name "lord of misrule" (sometimes capitalized, as in our second example sentence above) was taken from the name of the official who presided over an older New Year's celebration called the "Feast of Fools." 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 December 24, 2012 is: glogg • \GLUG\ • noun : a hot spiced wine and liquor punch served in Scandinavian countries as a Christmas drink Examples: "From traditional glogg and wassail to some combinations we never would have thought up ourselves, these mulled wine recipes will cut through any chill you can find." - From an article at The Huffington Post, November 15, 2012 "In snowy Norway, nothing evokes Christmastime like a pot of glogg brewing on the stove. The traditional Scandinavian winter drink mixes wine and port with spices like clove, cardamom and cinnamon to make for a brew that smells divine and tastes even better." - From a story on NPR.org, December 22, 2011 Did you know? Glogg is a holiday favorite in many Scandinavian cultures, where it is commonly served on St. Lucia's Day (December 13) and all around Christmas time. Not surprisingly, the word "glogg" itself (sometimes written as "glögg") is of Scandinavian origin; it comes from Swedish and derives from the verb "glödga," meaning "to burn" or "to mull." But although "glogg" may look like it should rhyme with that other notable holiday beverage-"eggnog"-the two aren't quite a perfect match. The "o" in "glogg" is pronounced like either the "u" in "nut," the "oo" in "foot," or the more foreign-sounding "œ" in "bœuf," the French word for "beef." "Nog," on the other hand, is generally pronounced with the "o" as in "mop"-and thus it rhymes with "grog." 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 December 23, 2012 is: seasonal affective disorder • \SEE-zuh-nul-a-FEK-tiv-diss-OR-der\ • noun : depression that tends to recur as the days grow shorter during the fall and winter Examples: A person could really get the better of seasonal affective disorder if he or she could spend November to March in the southern hemisphere. "Having suffered from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in the past, I fully appreciate the feel-good factor of sunshine. I couldn't believe how low I became on a recent visit to Cyprus when it rained heavily and was overcast for almost a week." - From an e-mail from Lisa Conway published in Good Housekeeping (UK), April 2012 Did you know? "Seasonal affective disorder" hasn't been recognized as a medical condition for very long, and the term has only become part of the general English vocabulary during the past three decades or so (its earliest documented appearance in print dates from 1983). "Seasonal affective disorder" (abbreviated SAD) is also sometimes called "Winter Depression" and some researchers describe it as a "hibernation reaction" in which sensitive individuals react to the decreasing amounts of light and the colder temperatures of fall and winter. 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 December 22, 2012 is: farrier • \FAIR-ee-er\ • noun : a person who shoes horses Examples: Since he spent so much of his childhood around horses, it was not a surprise when James decided to apprentice to learn to be a farrier. "Idling in her cramped workspace outside the Washington International Horse Show, where the day's first whinnies were echoing throughout Verizon Center, the longtime farrier saw a lame brown gelding and an anxious owner approach." - From an article by Jonas Shaffer in The Washington Post, October 25, 2012 Did you know? "Farrier" is now usually applied specifically to a blacksmith who specializes in shoeing horses, a skill that requires not only the ability to shape and fit horseshoes, but also the ability to clean, trim, and shape a horse's hooves. When "farrier" first appeared in English (as "ferrour"), it referred to someone who not only shoed horses, but who provided general veterinary care for them as well. Middle English "ferrour" was borrowed from Anglo-French "ferrour" (a blacksmith who shoes horses), a noun derived from the verb "ferrer" ("to shoe horses"). These Anglo-French words can be traced back ultimately to Latin "ferrum," meaning "iron." 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 December 21, 2012 is: solstice • \SAHL-stiss\ • noun : the time of year when the sun is farthest north of the equator or farthest south of the equator Examples: People all over the world have observed celebrations linked to the summer and winter solstices since ancient times. "Experts on Mayan culture say that date [December 21, 2012], the winter solstice, simply marks the end of a cycle, no different than flipping the calendar to a new year after Dec. 31." - From an article by James Figueroa in the Pasadena Star-News (California), November 25, 2012 Did you know? In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on June 21 or 22 and the winter solstice on December 21 or 22. In the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed, the solstices are exactly the opposite. For several days around the time of the solstices, the sun's appearance on the horizon at sunrise and sunset seems to occur at the same spot, before it starts drifting to the north or south again. "Solstice" gets its shine from "sol," the Latin word for "sun." The ancients added "sol" to "-stit-" ("standing") and came up with "solstitium." Middle English speakers shortened "solstitium" to "solstice" in the 13th 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 December 20, 2012 is: impolitic • \im-PAH-luh-tik\ • adjective : not politic : unwise Examples: The talk show host's impolitic remarks were often the target of public outrage, but they also earned him legions of fans. "She'll say what's on her mind, no matter how wildly inappropriate or impolitic." - From a movie review by Steven Rea in The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 18, 2012 Did you know? "Impolitic" appeared 400 years ago as an antonym of "politic," a word that basically means "shrewd," "sagacious," or "tactful." "Politic" came to us via Middle French from Latin "politicus." The Latin word, in turn, came from a Greek word based on "politēs," meaning "citizen." "Impolitic" has often been used to refer to action or policy on the part of public figures that is politically unwise-from British statesman Edmund Burke's judicious "the most ... impolitick of all things, unequal taxation" (1797) to People journalist James Kunen's ironic "The author of these impolitic remarks has risen to the very pinnacle of politics" (1988). 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 December 19, 2012 is: algid • \AL-jid\ • adjective : cold Examples: "Lifting the taffeta hanging from the seat under the windows, he stroked the pipes of the radiator. He touched cold metal, metal algid as ice!" - From Carl Van Vechten's 1925 novel Firecrackers: A Realistic Novel "They knew how to keep moving, with air so algid it hits like a sledgehammer the moment you step into it." - From Michael D'Orso's 2006 book Eagle Blue: A Team, a Tribe, and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska Did you know? "Algid" is a rather cold and lonely word, etymologically speaking-it's the only word in any of the dictionaries we publish that comes from the Latin word "algēre," meaning "to feel cold." Also, English speakers have warmed to its many synonyms-among them "cold," "frigid," "arctic," "chill"-much more readily than they've taken to "algid." Even its compatriot, "gelid"-also a Latin-derived adjective that can describe ice and arctic temperatures-has managed to outpace it in most decades of the approximately 400 years the words have been in use. In one context, though, "algid" does something its synonyms don't: it describes a severe form of malaria that is marked by prostration, cold and clammy skin, and low blood pressure-a meaning that probably hasn't done much to endear the more general use to speakers of English. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 18, 2012 is: lagniappe • \LAN-yap\ • noun : a small gift given a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase; broadly : something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure Examples: Diners will no doubt be pleasantly surprised that such a fine champagne is served with the special holiday menu's first course as lagniappe. "That type of service was common in the country stores and small businesses I dealt with when growing up. At a little grocery and feed store near my home, I even got lagniappe dropped from the candy counter into my bag as a boy." - From an article by Bob Anderson in The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), November 7, 2012 Did you know? "We picked up one excellent word," wrote Mark Twain in Life on the Mississippi (1883), "a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy word-'lagniappe'.... It is Spanish-so they said." Twain encapsulates the history of "lagniappe" quite nicely. English speakers learned the word from French-speaking Louisianians, but they in turn had adapted it from the American Spanish word "la ñapa." Twain went on to describe how New Orleanians completed shop transactions by saying "Give me something for lagniappe," to which the shopkeeper would respond with "a bit of liquorice-root, ... a cheap cigar or a spool of thread." It took a while for "lagniappe" to catch on throughout the country, but by the mid-20th century, New Yorkers and New Orleanians alike were familiar with this "excellent 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 December 17, 2012 is: commensal • \kuh-MEN-sul\ • adjective 1 : of or relating to those who habitually eat together 2 : of, relating to, or living in a relationship in which one organism obtains food or other benefits from another without damaging or benefiting it Examples: "Florentines in the 1980s still valued their families and insisted on eating together every day, even as they recognized that several forces including television, restaurants, and the rapid pace of work undermined commensal meals." - From Carole M. Counihan's 2004 book Around the Tuscan Table: Food, Family, and Gender in Twentieth Century Florence "Nunez's work on bacteria that invade the gut focuses on competition between the naturally occurring, or commensal, bacteria that live in the intestinal tract, and invading pathogens." - From a press release from the University of Michigan Health System, November 1, 2012 Did you know? Commensal types, be they human or beast, often "break bread" together. When they do, they are reflecting the etymology of "commensal," which derives from the Latin prefix "com-," meaning "with, together, jointly" and the Latin adjective "mensalis," meaning "of the table." In its earliest English uses, "commensal" referred to people who ate together, but around 1870, biologists started using it for organisms that have no use for a four-piece table setting. Since then, the scientific sense has almost completely displaced the dining 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 December 16, 2012 is: quadrate • \KWAH-drayt\ • adjective : being square or approximately square Examples: The linoleum featured a colorful pattern of large quadrate shapes. "For dessert, Namiri brings out quadrate slices of baklava accompanied by strong Turkish coffee." - From a review by Christy Khoshaba in the Monterey County Weekly, May 26, 2011 Did you know? Sharp-eyed readers may recognize the "quad" in "quadrate," suggesting the number four. "Quadrate" is in fact a relative of Latin "quattuor," meaning "four," though its direct line of descent links to "quadrum," meaning "square." Other descendants of "quadrum" in English include "quadrille" (a square dance for four couples), "quarrel" (a square-headed bolt or arrow), and "quarry" (a place where large amounts of stone are dug out of the ground); the latter of these can be traced back to a Latin word meaning "squared stone." "Quadrate," incidentally, can also be used in much more specific senses to describe a type of heraldic cross or a portion of the skull in some vertebrates. 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 December 15, 2012 is: hagiography • \hag-ee-AH-gruh-fee\ • noun 1 : biography of saints or venerated persons 2 : idealizing or idolizing biography Examples: The book effectively portrays the leader's strengths without resorting to hagiography. "'Lincoln' gratifyingly dodges the kind of safe, starchy hagiography that some Spielberg skeptics feared. Rather, the filmmaker … proves yet again that he is the best filmmaker currently engaging in the form of assiduous research and creative interpretation known as historical drama." - From a review by Ann Hornaday in The Washington Post, November 9, 2012 Did you know? Like "biography" and "autograph," the word "hagiography" has to do with the written word. The combining form "-graphy" comes from Greek "graphein," meaning "to write." "Hagio-" comes from a Greek word that means "saintly" or "holy." This origin is seen in "Hagiographa," the Greek designation of the Ketuvim, the third division of the Hebrew Bible. Our English word "hagiography," though it can refer to biography of actual saints, is these days more often applied to biography that treats ordinary human subjects as if they were saints. 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 December 14, 2012 is: schmooze • \SHMOOZ\ • verb : to converse informally : chat; also : to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections Examples: Conference attendees will have plenty of chances to schmooze with the industry's power players. "Children were given the opportunity to try on costumes, test their balance on a mini tightrope or schmooze with the clowns." - From an article by Sara Schweiger in the Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), October 4, 2012 Did you know? "Schmooze" (also spelled "shmooze") is one of a small, but significant, number of words borrowed from Yiddish that have become relatively common parts of the English language. Other such words include "chutzpah," "lox," "maven," "mensch," "nebbish," "schlep," and "schlock." Though classified as a High German language, Yiddish also borrows from the Slavic and Latinate languages as well as from Aramaic and Hebrew. It was the Hebrew "shěmu’ōth" ("news, rumor") that provided Yiddish with the noun "shmues" ("talk") and the verb "shmuesn" ("to talk or chat"). Although originally used in English to indicate simply talking in an informal and warm manner, "schmooze" has since also taken on the suggestion of discussion for the purposes of gaining something. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 13, 2012 is: parietal • \puh-RYE-uh-tul\ • adjective 1 a : of or relating to the walls of a part or cavity b : of, relating to, or forming the upper posterior wall of the head 2 : attached to the main wall rather than the axis or a cross wall of a plant ovary - used of an ovule or a placenta 3 : of or relating to college living or its regulation; especially : of or relating to the regulations governing the visiting privileges of members of the opposite sex in campus dormitories Examples: "In the 1950s, male college students served in the military but couldn't vote, and colleges imposed parietal rules, which kept young men out of women's dorms." - Harrisburg Daily Register (Illinois), March 27, 2012 "[Tuatara] also have a pronounced parietal eye, a light-sensitive pineal gland on the top of the skull. This white patch of skin called its 'third eye' slowly disappears as they mature." - From an article by Ray Lilley in The Associated Press, October 31, 2008 Did you know? Fifteenth-century scientists first used "parietal" (from Latin "paries," meaning "wall of a cavity or hollow organ") to describe a pair of bones of the roof of the skull between the frontal and posterior bone. Later, "parietal" was also applied to structures connected to or found in the same general area as these bones; the parietal lobe, for example, is the middle division of each hemisphere of the brain. In the 19th century, botanists adopted "parietal" as a word for ovules and placentas attached to the walls of plant ovaries. It was also in the 19th century that "parietal" began to be heard on college campuses, outside of the classroom; in 1837, Harvard College established the Parietal Committee to be in charge of "all offences against good order and decorum within the walls." 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 December 12, 2012 is: intersperse • \in-ter-SPERSS\ • verb 1 : to place something at intervals in or among 2 : to insert at intervals among other things Examples: The author has interspersed the guidebook with illustrations of the different birds we might encounter on the safari tour. "Students attend from 8:35 a.m. to 4:06 p.m., in 10-period days that intersperse traditional classes like math and English with technology and business-centric courses like 'workplace learning,' which teaches networking, critical thinking and presentation skills." - From an article by Al Baker in the New York Times, October 21, 2012 Did you know? "Intersperse" derives from Latin "interspersus," formed by combining the familiar prefix "inter-" ("between or among") with "sparsus," the past participle of "spargere," meaning "to scatter." In "sparsus" one finds an ancestor to our adjective "sparse," as well as a relative of "spark." (The relationship of "spark" to a word that describes something being scattered about makes sense when you think of sparks bursting or scattering off a flame.) "Intersperse" is often followed by the preposition "with," as in "a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees." (H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds) 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 December 11, 2012 is: disport • \dih-SPORT\ • verb 1 : divert, amuse 2 : frolic 3 : display Examples: "Dracula builds a five-stake resort for his monster friends to disport themselves unbothered on vacation, but his daughter falls in love with a somewhat dopey human." - From a review of the movie Hotel Transylvania by Jeff Simon, Buffalo News (New York), September 28, 2012 "A hulking, forbidding terrace, unlike anything else in town, rears up out of nowhere. In its heyday, it was the home of the wealthy with cast iron balconies for them to disport themselves on." - From an article by Chris Lloyd, The Northern Echo (England), October 24, 2012 Did you know? Geoffrey Chaucer was one of the first writers to amuse the reading public with the verb "disport." Chaucer and his contemporaries carried the word into English from Anglo-French, adapting it from "desporter," meaning "to carry away, comfort, or entertain." The word can ultimately be traced back to the Latin verb "portare," meaning "to carry." "Deport," "portable," and "transport" are among the members of the "portare" family. 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 December 10, 2012 is: pomander • \POH-man-der\ • noun 1 : a mixture of aromatic substances enclosed in a perforated bag or box and used to scent clothes and linens or formerly carried as a guard against infection; also : a clove-studded orange or apple used for the same purposes 2 : a box or hollow fruit-shaped ball for holding pomander Examples: Tuck a homemade pomander in a gift basket to lend it that wonderful holiday aroma. "Apple pomanders are still much used to scent linen closets and store with furs to prevent moths." - From an article by Ellen Probert Williamson in the Roane County News (Kingston, Tennessee), October 1, 2012 Did you know? In earlier times, there was more at stake in the use of an "apple of amber" (the literal meaning of Anglo-French "pomme de ambre," modified to "pomander" in Middle English) than the addition of holiday spirit. Pomanders were used to offset foul odors and were also believed to protect against disease. Early pomanders were usually mixtures of fragrant spices, herbs, etc. in small metal containers, and they were often worn on chains, as jewelry, around the neck or at the waist. Today, we no longer believe pomanders ward off infections, but we still like nice-smelling things, and the word "pomander" survives to name the modern version of this aromatic, decorative object. 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 December 9, 2012 is: tutelary • \TOO-tuh-lair-ee\ • adjective 1 : having the guardianship of a person or a thing 2 : of or relating to a guardian Examples: The ancient Romans revered certain gods and goddesses as tutelary deities. "You can see a similar restlessness in the range of C.K.'s influences.... Indie film pioneer John Cassavettes may be another tutelary spirit." - From a review by Adam Wilson in Salon.com, September 25, 2012 Did you know? "Tutelary" derives from the Latin noun "tutelarius," meaning "guardian." "Tutelarius," in turn, was formed by combining the word "tutela" ("protection" or "guardian") and "-arius," a suffix that implies belonging and connection. A more familiar descendant of "tutela" in English might be "tutelage," which initially described an act or process of serving as a guardian or protector but has also come to refer to teaching or influence. If you suspect that "tutor" is also related, you are correct. "Tutelary" can also be a noun referring to a power (such as a deity) who acts as a guardian. 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 December 8, 2012 is: hypermnesia • \hye-perm-NEE-zhee-uh\ • noun : abnormally vivid or complete memory or recall of the past Examples: "When I heard Peyton Manning might have hypermnesia, I was going to buy him a get-well card. Then I learned that it's a fancy way of saying he's got an abnormally sharp memory." - From an article by Bob Molinaro in the Virginian-Pilot, January 30, 2010 "'Funes, His Memory' tells the evocative tale of Ireneo Funes, a Uruguayan boy who suffers an accident that leaves him immobilized along with an acute form of hypermnesia, a mental abnormality expressed in exceptionally precise memory." - From John Brockman's 2011 book Is the Internet Changing the Way You Think? Did you know? Perhaps the most famous individual to exhibit hypermnesia was a Russian man known as "S," whose amazing photographic memory was studied for 30 years by a psychologist in the early part of the 20th century. "Hypermnesia" sometimes refers to cases like that of "S," but it can also refer to specific instances of heightened memory (such as those brought on by trauma or hypnosis) experienced by people whose memory abilities are unremarkable under ordinary circumstances. The word "hypermnesia," which has been with us since at least 1882, was created in New Latin as the combination of "hyper-" (meaning "beyond" or "super") and "-mnesia" (patterned after "amnesia"). It ultimately derives from the Greek word "mnasthai," meaning "to remember." 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 December 7, 2012 is: tamale • \tuh-MAH-lee\ • noun : cornmeal dough rolled with ground meat or beans seasoned usually with chili, wrapped usually in corn husks, and steamed Examples: "The Mexican Dinner has a little of everything; the moist tamale and cheese enchilada, both with chili, are especially good." - From a restaurant review in Texas Monthly, November 2012 "You think I'm full of shame and regret for what I've done now, Sister? You could shave me bald as a cue ball and I'll still be the hottest tamale in this joint." - Chloë Sevigny in the television series American Horror Story, October 2012 Did you know? "Hot tamale" is sometimes used figuratively, as in our second example, to suggest sexual attractiveness, but it's the word's literal use that puts it in an interesting category. How many English food words can you name that derive from Nahuatl, a group of languages spoken by native peoples of Mexico and Central America? You've probably guessed that "tamale" gives you one; it came to us (by way of Mexican Spanish) from the Nahuatl "tamalli," a word for steamed cornmeal dough. Add to the menu "chili" (from "chīlli," identifying all those fiery peppers); "chocolate" (from "chocolātl," first used for a beverage made from chocolate and water); "guacamole" (from "āhuacatl," meaning "avocado," plus "mōlli," meaning "sauce"); and "tomato" (from "tomatl"). Top it all off with "chipotle" (a smoked and dried pepper), from "chīlli" and "pōctli" (meaning "something smoked"). 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 December 6, 2012 is: nobby • \NAH-bee\ • adjective : cleverly stylish : chic, smart Examples: "[Mrs. Vance] ... reappeared, stunningly arrayed in a dark-blue walking dress, with a nobby hat to match." - From Theodore Dreiser's 1900 novel Sister Carrie "This 'Members Only' club was where Chicago's nobbiest [people] gathered to shut out people who were not like them in order to lead the good life of golf, horses, bathing on a private beach, and social events." - From an article by Henry Kisor in the Chicago Sun-Times, November 4, 2001 Did you know? "Nobby" comes from the noun "nob," which is used in British English to mean "one in a superior position in life." ("Nob" may have begun as a slang word for "head," but etymologists aren't completely sure. A possible connection to "noble" has been suggested as well.) Appearing in English in 1788, "nobby" was first used to describe people of strikingly exquisite appearance. It has since extended in usage to describe the places frequented by such people, as well as their genteel customs. Charles Dickens, for example, wrote in Bleak House (1853) of "[r]especting this unfortunate family matter, and the nobbiest way of keeping it quiet." 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 December 5, 2012 is: connive • \kuh-NYVE\ • verb 1 : to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose 2 a : to be indulgent or in secret sympathy : wink b : to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding 3 : to engage in secret scheming : conspire Examples: He is not above conniving against his own co-workers if he thinks it will benefit his own career. "Families fare badly in Western drama. Oedipus kills his father, Lear's daughters connive against one another, and Ibsen's Nora walks out on her husband and their three young children." - From a theater review by Steven G. Kellman in Current (San Antonio), August 22-28, 2012 Did you know? "Connive" may not seem like a troublesome term, but it was to Wilson Follett, a usage critic who lamented that the word "was undone during the Second World War, when restless spirits felt the need of a new synonym for plotting, bribing, spying, conspiring, engineering a coup, preparing a secret attack." Follett thought "connive" should only mean "to wink at" or "to pretend ignorance." Those senses are closer to the Latin ancestor of the word ("connive" comes from the Latin "connivēre," which means "to close the eyes" and which is descended from "-nivēre," a form akin to the Latin verb "nictare," meaning "to wink"). But many English speakers disagreed, and the "conspire" sense is now the word's most widely used meaning. 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 December 4, 2012 is: cloche • \KLOHSH\ • noun 1 : a transparent plant cover used outdoors especially for protection against cold 2 : a woman's close-fitting hat usually with deep rounded crown and narrow brim Examples: You may be able to extend your own garden's growing season considerably by using cloches to protect plants from colder temperatures. "Another popular hat is the cloche, which rose to fame in the 1920s. The bell-shaped hats come in a variety of patterns, colors and textures." - From an article by Julia Hatmaker in the Patriot News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), September 23, 2012 Did you know? The word "cloche" refers to very different things but the connection between them is apparent in the word's meaning: "cloche" is French for "bell," and both the gardening cloche and the hat cloche are typically shaped like the archetypal bell. The gourmands among you may be aware of another kind of cloche as well. Covered in our unabridged dictionary, Webster's Third New International, "cloche" also refers to a bell-shaped cover placed over food in cooking or serving. The French word "cloche" comes from Medieval Latin "clocca," which is also the source of the words "cloak" and "clock." 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 December 3, 2012 is: hotdog • \HAHT-dawg\ • verb : to perform in a conspicuous or often ostentatious manner; especially : to perform fancy stunts and maneuvers (as while surfing or skiing) Examples: The wide receiver hotdogged in the end zone after catching the touchdown pass. "Benson hotdogged with her usual flair..." - From Matt Warshaw's 2010 book The History of Surfing Did you know? The verb "hotdog" first appeared in the 1960s as slang for surfing with fast turns and quick movements. Surfers adopted it from the use of the noun "hot dog" for someone who is very good at something, which was popularized around the turn of the 19th century along with the interjection "hot dog" to express approval or gratification. In time, the noun became mainly associated with people who showed off their skills in sports, from basketball to skiing, and the verb form came to be used for the spectacular acts of these show-offs. (As a side tidbit to chew on, the word for the frankfurter that might be eaten while watching athletes perform is believed to have been first used by college students. That "hot dog" was current at Yale in 1895.) 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 December 2, 2012 is: campestral • \kam-PESS-trul\ • adjective : of or relating to fields or open country : rural Examples: "Santiago's proximity to ski resorts, beach resorts, and the idyllic countryside, with its campestral and ranching traditions and colonial estates, offer plenty for the traveler to see and do." - From Frommer’s Chile and Easter Island, 2011 "Just about any amateur naturalist who pays attention to the birds, beasts, flowers and seasons in campestral Maine will find an eye-opener or two here." - From a book review by Dana Wilde in the Bangor (Maine) Daily News, October 26, 2009 Did you know? Scamper across an open field, then, while catching your breath, ponder this: "scamper" and "campestral" both ultimately derive from the Latin noun "campus," meaning "field" or "plain." Latin "campester" is the adjective that means "pertaining to a campus." In ancient Rome, a campus was a place for games, athletic practice, and military drills. "Scamper" probably started with a military association, as well (it is assumed to have evolved from the Latin verb "excampare," meaning "to decamp"). In English, "campestral" took on an exclusively rural aspect upon its introduction in the 18th century, while "campus," you might say, became strictly academic. 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 December 1, 2012 is: scumble • \SKUM-bul\ • verb 1 a : to make (as color or a painting) less brilliant by covering with a thin coat of opaque or semiopaque color applied with a nearly dry brush b : to apply (a color) in this manner 2 : to soften the lines or colors of (a drawing) by rubbing lightly Examples: He scumbles his seascapes until they are suffused with, and nearly veiled by, a pale golden light. "Edouardo Vuillard's 'Woman Lighting a Stove in a Studio' ... trades the common impasto of Impressionism for a lighter scumbled texture." - From an art review by Evan Gillespie in the South Bend Tribune, August 2, 2012 Did you know? The history of "scumble" is blurry, but the word is thought to be related to the verb "scum," an obsolete form of "skim" (meaning "to pass lightly over"). Scumbling, as first perfected by artists such as Titian, involves passing dry, opaque coats of oil paint over a tinted background to create subtle tones and shadows. But although the painting technique dates to the 16th century, use of the word "scumble" is only known to have begun in the late 18th century. The more generalized "smudge" or "smear" sense appeared even later, in the mid-1800s. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2012 is: cathexis • \kuh-THEK-sis\ • noun : investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea Examples: "The veil that hides Laura and her eyes, her hair, her smile (and its counterpart, the glove that veils her hand) becomes the object of Petrarch's cathexis...." - From an essay by Margaret Brose in the 2010 book The Body in Early Modern Italy "The plot of this French film diverges from ... most American film we are force-fed in that it deals powerfully with subject matter that counts. It treats an almost unrecognized aspect of WWII in Europe, eliciting a strong cathexis from the viewer, who learns so much that he never knew before this celluloid feast." - From an article by Marion DS Dreyfus in American Thinker, April 8, 2012 Did you know? You might suspect that "cathexis" derives from a word for "emotion," but in actuality the key concept is "holding." "Cathexis" comes to us by way of New Latin (Latin as used after the medieval period in scientific description or classification) from the Greek word "kathexis," meaning "holding." It can ultimately be traced back (through "katechein," meaning "to hold fast, occupy") to the Greek verb "echein," meaning "to have" or "to hold." "Cathexis" first appeared in print in 1922 in a book about Freud's psychological theories (which also established the plural as "cathexes," as is consistent with Latin), and it is still often used in scientific and specifically psychological 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 November 29, 2012 is: famish • \FAM-ish\ • verb 1 : to cause to suffer severely from hunger 2 : to suffer for lack of something necessary Examples: "Set him breast-deep in earth and famish him, / There let him stand and rave and cry for food." - From Act V, Scene iii of William Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, 1593-94 "In northern Wisconsin, snow is like a cold, wintry manna. Some hotels and resorts feast when it's plentiful. They famish when it's not." - From an article by McLean Bennett in The Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, Wisconsin), December 28, 2011 Did you know? "Famish" likely developed as an alteration of Middle English "famen," meaning "to starve." The Middle English word was borrowed from the Anglo-French verb "afamer," which etymologists believe came from Vulgar Latin "affamare." We say "believe" because, while no written evidence has yet been found for the Vulgar Latin word "affamare," it would be the expected source for the Anglo-French verb based on the combination of the Latin prefix "ad-" ("to" or "toward") and the root noun "fames" ("hunger"). In contemporary English, the verb "famish" is still used on rare occasions, but it is considerably less common than the related adjective "famished," which usually means "hungry" or "starving" but can also mean "needy" or "being in want." 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 November 28, 2012 is: hortative • \HOR-tuh-tiv\ • adjective : giving exhortation : serving to advise or warn Examples: The candidate's hortative style of speaking appealed to some voters but led others to dismiss him as a blowhard. "But it's important to remember that 'Jersey Shore' is on MTV, a youth-oriented cable channel that has a hortative streak: series like 'Teen Mom' and 'If You Really Knew Me' carry a strong 'don't try this at home' message." - From an article by Alessandra Stanley in The New York Times, August 20, 2010 Did you know? "We give nothing so freely as advice," observed French writer Duc de La Rochefoucauld in 1665. "Hortative" and "exhort" (meaning "to urge earnestly") are two words that testify to our eagerness to counsel others. Both trace to Latin "hortari," meaning "to urge." "Hortative" has been used as both a noun (meaning "an advisory comment") and an adjective since the 17th century, but the noun is now extremely rare. You may also encounter the adjectives "hortatory," "exhortatory," and "exhortative," all of which have the same meaning as "hortative." 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 November 27, 2012 is: vapid • \VAP-id\ • adjective : lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force : flat, dull Examples: The movie was billed as a gripping political thriller but turned out to be a vapid film with a slow pace and a poorly written script. "It seems natural to conclude from all this vapid, buoyant patter that neither candidate has a plausible blueprint to avoid political gridlock, and that, whoever wins, the stalemate of the past two years will grind on into the next four." - From an article by Jonathan Chait in New York Magazine, October 22, 2012 Did you know? "Then away goes the brisk and pleasant Spirits and leave a vapid or sour Drink." So wrote John Mortimer, an early 18th-century expert on agriculture, orchards, and cider-making, in his book on husbandry. His use was typical for his day, when "vapid" was often used specifically in reference to liquor. The term, which entered English in the 17th century, comes from "vapidus," a Latin word that means "flat-tasting" and may be related to "vapor." These days, you're likely to hear people referring to wine as "vapid." You're likely to hear the word in plenty of other situations, too. "Vapid," along with the synonyms "insipid," "flat," and "inane," is often used to describe people and things that lack spirit and character. 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 November 26, 2012 is: sederunt • \suh-DEER-unt\ • noun : a prolonged sitting (as for discussion) Examples: "This letter is a report of a long sederunt ... at Davos Platz, Dec. 15, 1880." - From a letter by Robert Louis Stevenson, dated December 19, 1880 "A proposed schedule was passed, whereby (among other things) informal, job fair-style briefing groups will be held on Sunday afternoon, Monday morning will be devoted to an orientation for the entire assembly, and a regular business sederunt will commence Monday afternoon." - From an article in the Presbyterian Record, January 1, 2012 Did you know? "Sederunt" was summonsed by members of the Scottish Court of Session and other deliberative bodies during the 17th century to refer to the list of people present at meetings and to the "sittings" themselves. The word sat in deliberation for some time before being called upon by the general public as a word for any prolonged sitting, whether for relaxation, reading, casual discussion, or the like. "Sederunt" proved to be the right choice because it derives from Latin "sedēre," meaning "to sit." 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 November 25, 2012 is: numen • \NOO-mun\ • noun : a spiritual force or influence often identified with a natural object, phenomenon, or place Examples: We were in a village that had hardly changed in a thousand years, and we felt a numen that transcended earthly religions and human histories. "For the Technology Man, the Internet is the glue that holds our globalized world together and the divine numen that fills it with meaning." - From a book review by Evgeny Morozov in The New Republic, November 3, 2011 Did you know? How did "numen," a Latin term meaning "nod of the head," come to be associated with spiritual power? The answer lies in the fact that the ancient Romans saw divine force and power operating in the inanimate objects and nonhuman phenomena around them. They believed that the gods had the power to command events and to consent to actions, and the idea of a god nodding suggested his or her awesome abilities-divine power. Eventually, Latin speakers began using "numen" to describe the special divine force of any object, place, or phenomenon that inspired awe (a mystical-seeming wooded grove, for example, or the movement of the sun), and "numen" made the semantic leap from "nod" to "divine will or power." English speakers adopted the word during the 1600s. 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 November 24, 2012 is: obdurate • \AHB-duh-rut\ • adjective 1 a : stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing b : hardened in feelings 2 : resistant to persuasion or softening influences Examples: I pleaded with my boss for a second chance, explaining the unusual circumstances that had caused my tardiness, but he remained obdurate. "Even with a regime as obdurate as the one in Tehran, it's better to talk with one's adversaries than to freeze them out." - From an editorial in The Toronto Star, September 9, 2012 Did you know? When you are confronted with someone obdurate, you may end up feeling dour. During the encounter, you may find that you need to be durable to keep your sanity intact. Maybe you will find such situations less stressful in the future if you can face them knowing that the words "obdurate," "dour," "during," and "durable" are etymological cousins. All of those words trace back to the Latin adjective "durus," which means "hard." A form of this adjective can still be found in "dura mater," the name for the tough fibrous material that surrounds the brain and spinal cord; it comes from a Medieval Latin phrase meaning, literally, "hard mother." 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 November 23, 2012 is: yahoo • \YAH-hoo\ • noun : a boorish, crass, or stupid person Examples: Henrietta had a few choice words for the yahoo who blocked her driveway with his pickup truck. "'The night watchman down there picked up something on a motion detector and looked around and saw these two yahoos trying to carry off a pretty good size chunk of bronze and aluminum,' said Marietta Police Capt. Jeff Waite." - From an article in the Marietta (Ohio) Times, September 25, 2012 Did you know? We know exactly how old "yahoo" is because its debut in print also marked its entrance into the English language as a whole. "Yahoo" began life as a made-up word invented by Jonathan Swift in his book Gulliver's Travels, which was published in 1726. The Yahoos were a race of brutes, with the form and vices of humans, encountered by Gulliver in his fourth and final voyage. They represented Swift's view of mankind at its lowest. It is not surprising, then, that "yahoo" came to be applied to any actual human who was particularly unpleasant or unintelligent. Yahoos were controlled by the intelligent and virtuous Houyhnhnms, a word which apparently did not catch people's fancy as "yahoo" did. 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 November 22, 2012 is: cloister • \KLOY-ster\ • verb : to confine in or as if in a cloister : to shut away from the world Examples: Julie declared that she was going to cloister herself and study as hard as she could until the exam. "Cloistered for debate prep at a resort in Williamsburg, Va., the president devoted his weekly radio and internet address to the Obama administration's work to revive the U.S. auto industry." - From an Associated Press article by Nancy Benac and Kasie Hunt, October 13, 2012 Did you know? "Cloister" first entered the English language as a noun in the 13th century; it referred then (as it still does) to a convent or monastery. More than three centuries later, English speakers began using the verb "cloister" to mean "to seclude in or as if in a cloister." Today the noun can also refer to the monastic life or to a covered and usually arched passage along or around a court. You may also encounter "cloistered" with the meaning "surrounded with a covered passage," as in "cloistered gardens." "Cloister" ultimately derives from the Latin verb "claudere," meaning "to close." Other words that can be traced back to the prolific "claudere" include "close," "conclude," "exclude," "include," "preclude," "seclude," and "recluse." 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 November 21, 2012 is: prestigious • \preh-STIJ-us\ • adjective : having an illustrious name or reputation : esteemed in general opinion Examples: She has become the youngest author ever to receive this prestigious literary award. "Check the results that year from the Great American Beer Festival, an annual Denver event widely seen as the nation's most prestigious brewing competition." - From an article by Peter Rowe in The San Diego Union-Tribune, October 12, 2012 Did you know? You may be surprised to learn that "prestigious" had more to do with trickery than with respect when it was first used in 1546. The earliest (now archaic) meaning of the word was "of, relating to, or marked by illusion, conjuring, or trickery." "Prestigious" comes to us from the Latin word "praestigiosis," meaning "full of tricks" or "deceitful." The words "prestige" and "prestigious" are related, of course, though not as directly as you might think; they share a Latin ancestor, but they entered English by different routes. "Prestige," which was borrowed from French in 1656, initially meant "a conjurer's trick," but in the 19th century it developed an extended sense of "blinding or dazzling influence." That change in turn influenced "prestigious," which now means simply "illustrious or esteemed." 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 November 20, 2012 is: tartar • \TAHR-ter\ • noun 1 : a person of irritable or violent temper 2 : one that proves to be unexpectedly formidable Examples: "Strange that one whom I have described hitherto as so timid and easily put upon should prove such a Tartar all of a sudden on the day of his marriage." - From Samuel Butler's 1903 autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh "'Yes, Great-aunt Gert took us both under her wing.' He jerked his head toward the severe woman in the painting. 'My father's spinster aunt, a bold tartar of a woman who most people were frightened to death of.'" - From Anne Gracie's 2008 novel The Stolen Princess Did you know? Originally, their name was "Tatar," not "Tartar." Since at least the 1200s, the Tatar people have lived in Asia and Eastern Europe, and they were among the fiercest fighters of the Golden Horde of the Mongols. In the 13th century, they rode with Genghis Khan and became the terror of their day. Their name, "Tatar," is believed to come from Persian or a Turkic language, but in Europe it was associated with "Tartarus," the Latin name for the part of Hell reserved for the punishment of the wicked. Because of that association, English speakers began calling the Tatar people "Tartars." Over time, "tartar" came to be used for anyone considered as ferocious or violent as the Tartar warriors who had once ransacked the ancient world. 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 November 19, 2012 is: lambaste • \lam-BAYST\ • verb 1 : to assault violently : beat, whip 2 : to attack verbally : censure Examples: The coach loudly lambasted Danny in front of the whole team for showing up late yet again. "Even as Michigan lawmakers lambaste the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for not moving fast enough to develop a permanent plan to stop Asian carp from swimming up the Chicago canal system and into Lake Michigan, genetic evidence that the fish are on the march continues to grow." - From an article by Dan Egan in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 9, 2012 Did you know? The origins of "lambaste" are somewhat uncertain, but the word was most likely formed by combining the verbs "lam" and "baste," both of which mean "to beat severely." (Incidentally, "lambaste" can also be spelled "lambast," despite the modern spelling of the verb "baste.") Some other synonyms of "lambaste" include "pummel," "thrash," and "pound." "Pummel" suggests beating with one's fists ("the bully pummeled the smaller child until teachers intervened"). "Pound" also suggests heavy blows, though perhaps not quite so much as "pummel," and may imply a continuous rain of blows ("she pounded on the door"). "Thrash" means to strike repeatedly and thoroughly as if with a whip ("the boxer thrashed his opponent"). 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 November 18, 2012 is: pertinacious • \per-tuh-NAY-shus\ • adjective 1 a : adhering resolutely to an opinion, purpose, or design b : perversely persistent 2 : stubbornly tenacious Examples: He has spent his entire adult life as a pertinacious and unwavering defender of civil rights. "The 22-year-old paraplegic hasn't let his life-changing accident slow him down. He has branched out to new sports and even continues to snowmobile. He is pertinacious." - From an article by Tom Patrick in Yukon News, August 31, 2012 Did you know? If you say "pertinacious" out loud, it might sound familiar. That may be because if you take away the word's first syllable, you're left with something very similar to the word "tenacious," which means "tending to adhere or cling." The similarity between "pertinacious" and "tenacious" isn't mere coincidence; both words derive from "tenax," the Latin word for "tenacious," and ultimately from the verb "tenēre," meaning "to hold." Another descendant of "tenēre" is "tenure," a word that is typically used of the right to hold a job (especially a teaching position) for as long as desired. 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 November 17, 2012 is: misnomer • \miss-NOH-mer\ • noun 1 : the misnaming of a person in a legal instrument 2 a : a use of a wrong or inappropriate name b : a wrong name or inappropriate designation Examples: "International Airport" is something of a misnomer, since almost all of the arriving and departing planes fly short, commuter routes involving no border crossing. "Can tires transform a two-wheel-drive truck into a winter warrior? That was the question after my new-to-me pickup had sat through its first winter with only so-called all-season tires, a misnomer at best in Canada. All-season tires, of course, bring you the worst of both worlds: they're not ideal in summer and they're far from ideal in winter, too." - From a column by Kelly Taylor in The Chronicle Herald, October 2, 2012 Did you know? What's in a name? Well, in some cases, a name will contain an error, a misunderstanding, or a mislabeling. Historians have long noted that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire. The Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought on Breed's Hill. And the Pennsylvania Dutch are actually of German ancestry. For such cases we have the term "misnomer," which comes from the Anglo-French verb "mesnomer" ("to misname") and ultimately from "nomen," the Latin word for "name." 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 November 16, 2012 is: ratiocination • \rat-ee-oh-suh-NAY-shun\ • noun 1 : the process of exact thinking : reasoning 2 : a reasoned train of thought Examples: "There was very little ratiocination involved; very little intellect came into play." - From Brad Meltzer's 2011 thriller The Inner Circle "The detective uses a method-whether it is science, some other ratiocination or even intuition-to put things back to normal." - From an article by Eric Felton on WallStreetJournal.com, September 20, 2012 Did you know? Edgar Allan Poe is said to have called the 1841 story The Murders in the Rue Morgue his first "tale of ratiocination." Many today agree with his assessment and consider that Poe classic to be the world's first detective story. Poe didn't actually use "ratiocination" in Rue Morgue, but the term does appear three times in its 1842 sequel, The Mystery of Marie Roget. In Marie Roget, the author proved his reasoning ability ("ratiocination" traces to "ratio," Latin for "reason" or "computation"). The second tale is based on an actual murder, and as the case unfolded after the publication of Poe's work, it became clear that his fictional detective had done an amazing job of reasoning through the crime. 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 November 15, 2012 is: unwieldy • \un-WEEL-dee\ • adjective : not easily managed, handled, or used (as because of bulk, weight, complexity, or awkwardness) : cumbersome Examples: The futon mattress was heavy and unwieldy, and the only effective way to move it was to slide it across the floor. "In the U.S., unwieldy, multimillion-dollar sports businesses are housed in universities. The danger occurs when a school's prestige, psyche and fundraising come to rely on its football team instead of just being enhanced by it." - From an article by Sean Gregory in Time, November 21, 2011 Did you know? The verb "to wield" means "to handle or exert something effectively." A carpenter might wield a hammer with impressive dexterity, for example, or a talented orator might wield influence over an audience of listeners. Something that is "wieldy" is capable of being wielded easily, and while that adjective may not be particularly common, its antonym "unwieldy" finds ample use to describe anything that is awkward to handle, move, or manage. "Wield" and its relatives all derive via Middle English from Old English "wieldan," meaning "to control." 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 November 14, 2012 is: watershed • \WAW-ter-shed\ • noun 1 a : a dividing ridge between drainage areas b : a region or area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water 2 : a crucial dividing point, line, or factor : turning point Examples: Historians generally agree that the battle was a watershed in the war. "Penn State's 38-29 win over previously unbeaten Northwestern felt like a watershed, the end of purgatory at the very least." - From an article by Mike Gross in the Intelligencer Journal/New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), October 8, 2012 Did you know? Opinion on the literal geographic meaning of "watershed" is divided. On one side of the debate are those who think the word can only refer to a ridge of land separating rivers and streams flowing in one direction from those flowing in the opposite direction. That's the term's original meaning, one probably borrowed in the translation of the German Wasserscheide. On the other side of the argument are those who think "watershed" can also apply to the area through which such divided water flows. The latter sense is now far more common in America, but most Americans have apparently decided to leave the quarrel to geologists and geographers while they use the term in its figurative sense, "turning point." 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 November 13, 2012 is: eructation • \ih-ruk-TAY-shun\ • noun : an act or instance of belching Examples: Excessive eructation is a common side-effect of that particular medication. "Granted, American political campaigns since 1789 have often been vicious, with presidential candidates accused (usually falsely) of sins ranging from bigamy, bribery and drunkenness to atheism, foreign birth or even habitual eructation." - From a column by Ed Corson in The Macon Telegraph (Georgia), October 15, 2010 Did you know? "Eructation" is simply a fancier, and some might argue a more decorous, word for "belch." "Eructation" was borrowed from Latin in the 15th century; the verb "eruct," meaning "to belch," followed in the late 16th century. Both have their source in the Latin verb "eructare," which is the frequentative form of "erugere," meaning "to belch or disgorge." (A frequentative form is one that denotes a repeated or recurrent action or state.) "Eructare" shares an ancestor with Greek word "ereugesthai" as well as Old English "rocettan," both of which also mean "to belch." 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 November 12, 2012 is: biddable • \BID-uh-bul\ • adjective 1 : easily led, taught, or controlled : docile 2 : capable of being bid Examples: "The twins are well-behaved children, biddable, meek, neat about their clothes, and always mindful of the proprieties they have learned at summer hotels." - From Willa Cather's 1915 novel *The Song of the Lark * "The dogs are highly biddable, responding to whistles, hand signals, and during training, a red flag on a long pole." - From an article by Lou Fancher in Contra Costa Times (California), April 12, 2012 Did you know? A biddable individual is someone you can issue an order to-that is, someone who will do your bidding. The word dates to the late 18th century, and our earliest evidence for it is a quote in the Scottish National Dictionary. There are a number of words in English that do what "biddable" does. "Tractable," "amenable," and "docile" are three of them. As in the Cather quote above, "biddable" is often applied to children and indicates a ready, constant inclination to follow orders, requests, and suggestions. "Tractable" suggests characteristics that make for easy guiding, leading, ordering, or managing; its antonym "intractable" (as in "intractable problems") is more common. "Amenable" indicates a disposition to be agreeable or complaisant as well as a lack of assertive independence. "Docile" can stress a disposition to submit, either due to guidance and control or to imposition and oppression. 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 November 11, 2012 is: flotsam • \FLAHT-sum\ • noun 1 : floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo; broadly : floating debris 2 a : miscellaneous or unimportant material b : debris, remains Examples: The young couple's apartment was adorned with the flotsam and jetsam of thrift stores and yard sales. "A current moves at its own pace and pushes along whatever flotsam it carries on the surface and below in a stream awash in chaos and chance." - From an article by Dave Golowenski in The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, October 7, 2012 Did you know? English speakers started using "flotsam," "jetsam," and "lagan" as legal terms in the 16th and 17th centuries. (The earliest evidence of "flotsam" dates from around 1607.) The three words were used to establish claims of ownership to the three types of sea-borne, vessel-originated goods they named. Flotsam was anything from a shipwreck. (The word comes from Old French "floter," meaning"to float.") Jetsam and lagan were items thrown overboard to lighten a ship. Lagan was distinguished from jetsam by having a buoy attached so the goods could be found if they sank. In the 19th century, when "flotsam" and "jetsam" took on extended meanings, they became synonyms, but they are still very often paired. 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 November 10, 2012 is: dissemble • \dih-SEM-bul\ • verb 1 : to put on a false appearance : to conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretense 2 : to hide (something) under a false appearance 3 : to put on the appearance of : simulate Examples: In order to stay on his bosses' good side, John dissembled about his intention to look for a new job at the end of the year. "His stints as an Illinois state senator and U.S. senator were brief and unimpressive. His record was thin. Regardless, the media establishment sold him as the most brilliant leader since President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They dissembled." - From a commentary by Jeffrey T. Kuhner in The Washington Times, October 5, 2012 Did you know? We don't have anything to hide: "dissemble" is a synonym of "disguise," "cloak," and "mask." "Disguise" implies a change in appearance or behavior that misleads by presenting a different apparent identity. "Cloak" suggests a means of hiding a movement or an intention. "Mask" suggests some often obvious means of hiding or disguising something. "Dissemble" (from Latin "dissimulare," meaning "to hide or conceal") stresses the intent to deceive, especially about one's own thoughts or feelings, and often implies that the deception is something that would warrant censure if discovered. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 9, 2012 is: kaput • \kuh-PUT\ • adjective 1 : utterly finished, defeated, or destroyed 2 : unable to function : useless 3 : hopelessly outmoded Examples: Shortly after Richard retired as CEO, the firm went kaput. "We humans casually disrobed on social networks and pranced about, then one day caught sight of ourselves in the mirror and are now, egad, desperately rifling through mountains of cast-off clothing for our own. Too late. Privacy is kaput...." - From an article by Betsy Shea-Taylor in The Sun Chronicle (Attleboro, Massachusetts), June 8, 2012 Did you know? "Kaput" originated with a card game called piquet that has been popular in France for centuries. French players originally used the term "capot" to describe both big winners and big losers. To win all twelve tricks in a hand was called "faire capot" ("to make capot"), but to lose them all was known as "être capot" ("to be capot"). German speakers adopted "capot," but respelled it "kaputt," and used it only for losers. When English speakers borrowed the word from German, they started using "kaput" for things that were broken, useless, or destroyed. 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 November 8, 2012 is: stem-winder • \STEM-wyne-der\ • noun 1 : a stem-winding watch 2 : one that is first-rate of its kind; especially : a stirring speech Examples: Stuart is a stem-winder as a defense attorney. "In his 48-minute stem-winder Wednesday, the former president showed everyone why he's a master political communicator." - From an article by Linda Feldmann in The Christian Science Monitor, September 6, 2012 Did you know? The stem-winder is a watch wound by means of a stem, as opposed to the older method of winding with a key. The stem-winder was introduced to the marketplace in the late 19th century, and it wound up being such a hit with consumers that people soon turned to using the mechanism's name for exceptional people or things in general. Before "stem-winder" referred to a kind of watch, it was used in colloquial English (especially in the western part of the United States) as a word for a geared logging locomotive. Another name for such a locomotive is "corkscrew." 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 November 7, 2012 is: comestible • \kuh-MESS-tuh-bul\ • adjective : edible Examples: The November issue of the magazine was filled with recipes for an old-fashioned Thanksgiving feast, including candied yams, homemade cranberry sauce, mincemeat pie, and other comestible delights. "This year's delegates (that's what people who attend the Oct. 25-29 [culinary] festival are called) will find a focus on comestible diversity across regions...." - From an article by Jamila Robinson in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 30, 2012 Did you know? Did you expect "comestible" to be a noun meaning "food"? You're probably not alone. As it happens, "comestible" is used both as an adjective and a noun. The adjective is by far the older of the two; it has been part of English since at least the 1400s. (In fact, one of its earliest known uses was in a text printed in 1483 by William Caxton, the man who established England's first printing press.) The noun (which is most often used in the plural form, "comestibles") dates only from 1837. It made its first appearance in a novel in which a character fortified himself with "a strong reinforcement of comestibles." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.