Merriam-webster's Word Of The Day
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Recent episodes from Merriam-webster's Word Of The Day
- Published: Nov 14, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 14, 2009 is:perspicuous • \per-SPIK-yuh-wus\ • adjective : plain to the understanding especially because of clarity and precision of presentation Example sentence:"His language is very pure, perspicuous, and to the point." (John Kaminski, The Capital Times [Madison, Wisconsin], October 11, 2006)Did you know?"Perspicuous" is based on Latin "perspicere," meaning "to see through," so that which i
- Published: Nov 13, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 13, 2009 is:gust • \GUST\ • noun : keen delight Example sentence:The hungry children ate every morsel with gust.Did you know?You're no doubt familiar with the simple "gust" that means "a brief burst of wind." But that word, which first appeared in print in 1588, was preceded at least a century and a half earlier by a differently derived homograph. The windy "gust" is probably derived from an Old Norse w
- Published: Nov 12, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 12, 2009 is:douceur • \doo-SER\ • noun : a conciliatory gift Example sentence:While waiting for Mark’s decision on the company’s contract offer, the CEO sent him two tickets to a Broadway show as a douceur.Did you know?In French, "douceur" means "pleasantness," and it is often used in phrases such as "douceur de vivre" ("the pleasure of life"). The word derives from the Latin adjecti
- Published: Nov 11, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 11, 2009 is:exhilarate • \ig-ZIL-uh-rayt\ • verb1 a : to make cheerful and excited* b : enliven, excite 2 : refresh, stimulate Example sentence:“Whooshing down a snow-covered mountain at high speed exhilarates me,” said Tara, explaining her love of skiing.Did you know?Many people find "exhilarate" a difficult word to spell. It's easy to forget that silent "h" in there, and is it an "er"
- Published: Nov 10, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 10, 2009 is:rectify • \REK-tuh-fye\ • verb*1 : to set right : remedy 2 : to purify (as alcohol) especially by repeated or fractional distillation 3 : to correct by removing errors : adjust Example sentence:The night before the Web site was to go live, the programmers worked frantically to rectify several unresolved security problems.Did you know?Which of the following words does not share its ancestry with "rectify&
- Published: Nov 9, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 09, 2009 is:docile • \DAH-sul\ • adjective1 : easily taught *2 : easily led or managed Example sentence:"Quite docile and harmless was Billy, and it was pitiful to see how hard he tried to learn, as if groping dimly after the lost knowledge which had cost him so much." (Louisa May Alcott, Little Men)Did you know?Docile students can make teaching a lot easier. Nowadays, calling students "docile" indicates
- Published: Nov 8, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 08, 2009 is:sacerdotal • \sass-er-DOH-tul\ • adjective*1 : of or relating to priests or a priesthood : priestly 2 : of, relating to, or suggesting religious belief emphasizing the powers of priests as essential mediators between God and mankind Example sentence:It surprised Jim whenever Father Thomas would shed his sacerdotal role to take up a secular topic of conversation such as contemporary rock music.Did you know?"S
- Published: Nov 7, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 07, 2009 is:bastion • \BAS-chun\ • noun1 : a projecting part of a fortification 2 : a fortified area or position 3 a : a place of security or survival* b : a place dominated by a particular group or marked by a particular characteristic Example sentence:The university's economics department was considered the last bastion of political conservatism within an otherwise liberal campus.Did you know?"Bastion" is const
- Published: Nov 6, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 06, 2009 is:nudnik • \NOOD-nik (the "OO" is as in "good")\ • noun : a person who is a bore or nuisance Example sentence:James worried that he would never finish his work if the office nudnik didn't quit hanging around his cubicle.Did you know?The suffix "-nik" came to English through Yiddish (and ultimately from Polish and Ukrainian). It means "one connected with or characterized by being." You might be familiar
- Published: Nov 5, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 05, 2009 is:maugre • \MAW-gur\ • preposition archaic : in spite of Example sentence:"I love thee so that, maugre all thy pride, / Nor wit nor reason can my passion hide." (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act III, Scene i)Did you know?"Maugre" is now quite rare, but having served the English language for more than 700 years, it's due whatever rest it's currently enjoying. Although it may not be a word worth incorpora
- Published: Nov 4, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 04, 2009 is:invective • \in-VEK-tiv\ • noun*1 : an abusive expression or speech 2 : insulting or abusive language : vituperation Example sentence:The sonnet is an invective against the poet's wife and the man who cuckolded him.Did you know?"Invective" began life in the 15th century as an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse." In 1523, it appeared in print as a noun meani
- Published: Nov 3, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 03, 2009 is:regimen • \REJ-uh-mun\ • noun*1 : a systematic course of treatment or training 2 : government, rule 3 : a government in power : regime Example sentence:Sherry’s personal trainer at the gym started her on a workout regimen of 30 minutes on the treadmill followed by 30 minutes of weight training.Did you know?We borrowed "regimen" straight from Latin, spelling and all -- but in Latin, the word sim
- Published: Nov 2, 09Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 02, 2009 is:voluble • \VAHL-yuh-bul\ • adjective1 : easily rolling or turning : rotating *2 : characterized by ready or rapid speech : glib, fluent Example sentence:The young man proved to be a voluble informer who would tell stories of bookies, smugglers, and hit men to the detectives for hours.Did you know?English has many terms for gabby types, but it's important to choose the right word to get across what kind of chatter
- Published: Sep 13, 08Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 13, 2008 is:danegeld • \DAYN-gheld\ • noun : often captitalized an annual tax believed to have been imposed originally to buy off Danish invaders in England or to maintain forces to oppose them but continued as a land tax Example sentence:Today's lecture will be on the Danegeld and taxation in the Middle Ages.Did you know?The subjects of King Ethelred II, who ruled England from 978-1016, didn't think much of the ruler the dubbed &qu
- Published: Sep 12, 08Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 12, 2008 is:replete • \rih-PLEET\ • adjective*1 : fully or abundantly provided or filled 2 a : abundantly fedb : fat, stout 3 : complete Example sentence:The children were delighted to find that the costume trunk was replete with dresses, hats, capes, and all sorts of props to play make-believe.Did you know?Given that one of the roots of "replete" is the Latin verb "plēre," meaning "to fill,&qu
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