Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 18, 2016 is: lambent • \LAM-bunt\  • adjective 1 : playing lightly on or over a surface : flickering 2 : softly bright or radiant 3 : marked by lightness or brilliance especially of expression Examples: "It's an early May morning and the air is cool and still and filled with lambent light." — Christopher Norment, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 4 M...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 17, 2016 is: obfuscate • \AHB-fuh-skayt\  • verb 1 a : darken b : to make obscure 2 : confuse 3 : to be evasive, unclear, or confusing Examples: "Time and again he has shifted, shaded or obfuscated his policy positions—piling on new ideas, which sometimes didn't fit with the old." — David Fahrenthold and Katie Zezima, The Washington Post, 23 Apr. 2016...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 16, 2016 is: jejune • \jih-JOON\  • adjective 1 : lacking nutritive value 2 : devoid of significance or interest : dull 3 : juvenile, puerile Examples: "I have not, however, been a fan of the Broadway singer … in the past, and her jejune performances here—complete with some tap dancing that belied the lyrics of 'I Got Rhythm'—did not convert me." — An...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 15, 2016 is: quid pro quo • \kwid-proh-KWOH\  • noun : something given or received for something else; also : a deal arranging such an exchange Examples: "PA officials say they have no evidence [the employees] engaged in a quid pro quo, in which they green-light the PA's purchase of wasteful insurance policies in return for the gifts or considerations...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 14, 2016 is: hoke • \HOHK\  • verb : to give a contrived, falsely impressive, or hokey quality to — usually used with up Examples: "Its okay that everybody looks great, though certain scenes seem hoked up. A black cat crossing the path of a motorcade about to explode feels more like Hollywood moviemaking than truth telling…." — D.J. Palladino, The San...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 13, 2016 is: sabot • \sa-BOH\  • noun 1 a : a wooden shoe worn in various European countries b : a strap across the instep in a shoe especially of the sandal type; also : a shoe having a sabot strap 2 : a thrust-transmitting carrier that positions a missile in a gun barrel or launching tube and that prevents the escape of gas ahead of the missile 3 :...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 12, 2016 is: facetious • \fuh-SEE-shuss\  • adjective 1 : joking or jesting often inappropriately : waggish 2 : meant to be humorous or funny : not serious Examples: "My proposal to tax estates heavily is neither entirely serious nor wholly facetious." — Martha Viehmann, The Cincinnati (Ohio) Enquirer, 17 Aug. 2016 "When I was a kid, I wanted to be a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 11, 2016 is: ukase • \yoo-KAYSS\  • noun 1 : a proclamation by a Russian emperor or government having the force of law 2 a : a proclamation having the force of law b : order, command Examples: "On December 31, 1810, the Emperor issued a ukase lifting all restrictions on exports from Russia and on imports coming by sea, while at the same time imposing...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 10, 2016 is: elicit • \ih-LISS-it\  • verb 1 : to draw forth or bring out (something latent or potential) 2 : to call forth or draw out (as information or a response) Examples: The announcement of the final amount raised by the charity walk elicited many cheers from the crowd. "But the big question is whether fragments of pottery, fraying textiles and...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 9, 2016 is: triptych • \TRIP-tik\  • noun 1 : an ancient Roman writing tablet with three waxed leaves hinged together 2 a : a picture (such as an altarpiece) or carving in three panels side by side b : something composed or presented in three parts or sections; especially : trilogy Examples: The panels of the triptych illustrated the three theological...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 8, 2016 is: bully pulpit • \BULL-ee-PULL-pit\  • noun : a prominent public position (as a political office) that provides an opportunity for expounding one's views; also : such an opportunity Examples: "Candidates for governor like to make people think they set the vision. But the governor has a bully pulpit and little else. He or she may be in a posi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 7, 2016 is: auriferous • \aw-RIF-uh-russ\  • adjective : containing gold Examples: The mining company has discovered many auriferous deposits throughout the region. "Development … on the east flank of the Huachuca Mountains occurred after the 1911 discovery of a gold nugget weighing 22 ounces, probably originating from auriferous quartz veins found in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 6, 2016 is: mollify • \MAH-luh-fye\  • verb 1 : to soothe in temper or disposition : appease 2 : to reduce the rigidity of : soften 3 : to reduce in intensity : assuage, temper Examples: "To some extent, the delay also was intended to mollify the concerns of county leaders that police and fire service responsibilities were being shoved at them on an a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 5, 2016 is: cavalcade • \kav-ul-KAYD\  • noun 1 a : a procession of riders or carriages b : a procession of vehicles or ships 2 : a dramatic sequence or procession : series Examples: "Giant helium balloons, beautifully decorated, horse-drawn carriages and antique cars, along with uniformed cavalcades performing their routines, will thrill parade goers...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 4, 2016 is: dicker • \DIK-er\  • verb : to bargain Examples: "Long before Walt Disney thought to sell toys based on his cartoon characters, [Edgar Rice] Burroughs was dickering with toy manufacturers for Tarzan tie-ins." — Tim Martin, The Telegraph (United Kingdom), 7 July 2016 "As in any divorce, the lawyers will commence dickering, mostly behind clo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 3, 2016 is: echelon • \ESH-uh-lahn\  • noun 1 : a steplike arrangement (as of troops or airplanes) 2 a : one of a series of levels or grades in an organization or field of activity b : a group of individuals at a particular level or grade in an organization Examples: "And I think that … there are more conservatives in Hollywood than one would think in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 2, 2016 is: temerarious • \tem-uh-RAIR-ee-us\  • adjective : marked by temerity : rashly or presumptuously daring Examples: "Nissan execs are proud of their new 'flagship crossover,' as they call the 2015 Murano, throwing around further clichés like 'concept car for the street' and talking about how much the interior resembles a 'lounge on wheels.' Wh...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 1, 2016 is: gravid • \GRAV-id\  • adjective 1 : pregnant 2 : distended with or full of eggs Examples: "We know by intuition and study that great books approach a condition both above and below human … and our job is to place ourselves somewhere on the continuum between those shifting poles, to welcome a gravid agitation …; to have our personhood both...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 31, 2016 is: sepulchre • \SEP-ul-ker\  • noun 1 : a place of burial : tomb 2 : a receptacle for religious relics especially in an altar Examples: "The secrets of business—complicated and often dismal mysteries—were buried in his breast, and never came out of their sepulchre save now…." — Charlotte Brontë, Shirley, 1849 "He had begun making plans for hi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 30, 2016 is: titivate • \TIH-tuh-vayt\  • verb : to make or become smart or spruce Examples: "It was instantly clear, however, that she had not been idle, but busy titivating: painting her nails, washing her hair, doing her face…." — Rosamunde Pilcher, September, 1990 "I came here as a student …, but I spent more time in Cannon Hill Park two miles from...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 29, 2016 is: osculate • \AHSS-kyuh-layt\  • verb : kiss Examples: "One thing I forgot to ask the guy in the bar: When his significant other ended their relationship, did she at least osculate him goodbye?" — Mike Royko, "Love Lost in Lingo," 3 June 1981 "Attorney Dan Bailey was the officiant-with-a-sense-of-humor, advising the groom, 'You may now oscul...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 28, 2016 is: variegated • \VAIR-ee-uh-gay-tud\  • adjective 1 : having discrete markings of different colors 2 : various, diverse, varied Examples: The flower has bright variegated petals. "Everyone of significance in the region has multiple agendas and variegated geopolitical interests." — Robert Robb, The Arizona Republic, 21 Aug. 2016 Did you know?...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 27, 2016 is: myriad • \MEER-ee-ud\  • noun 1 : ten thousand 2 : a great number Examples: "After sold-out shows in New York and Los Angeles, Rise will make its debut in Boston with a myriad of hand-carved jack o' lanterns that will light up a trail that people can walk on as music plays in the background." — Matt Juul, Boston Magazine, 21 Sept. 2016 "Th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 26, 2016 is: beatific • \bee-uh-TIFF-ik\  • adjective 1 : of, possessing, or imparting a state of utmost bliss 2 : having a blissful appearance Examples: "She was Italian, funny, a beatific tomboy, with just the hint of a lazy eye, and wore a pair of glasses that made me think of the wonders of the library." — Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run, 2016 "Mayb...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 25, 2016 is: imbue • \im-BYOO\  • verb 1 : to permeate or influence as if by dyeing 2 : to tinge or dye deeply 3 : to provide with something freely or naturally : endow Examples: The children were imbued with a passion for nature by their parents, both biologists. "For a 23-year-old newly imbued with national fame, Jacoby Brissett is a man of few vices...