Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 15, 2015 is: miasma • \mye-AZ-muh\  • noun 1 : a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease; also : a heavy vaporous emanation or atmosphere 2 : an influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt; also : an atmosphere that obscures : fog Examples: "A local photographer graciously let me borrow a good lens-cleaning cloth, which I us...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 14, 2015 is: affluent • \AF-loo-unt\  • adjective 1 : flowing in abundance 2 : having a generously sufficient and typically increasing supply of material possessions Examples: The town relies on its affluent part-time residents—those who arrive when the local mountains glisten with snow. "Fewer than 400 of the nation's most affluent families have suppl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 13, 2015 is: proclivity • \proh-KLIV-uh-tee\  • noun : an inclination or predisposition toward something; especially : a strong inherent inclination toward something objectionable Examples: Martin's proclivity to lose his temper made him difficult to work with. "Neither graduated from high school nor had any engineering background. But [Wilbur and Orvi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 12, 2015 is: delve • \DELV\  • verb 1 : to dig or labor with or as if with a spade 2 a : to make a careful or detailed search for information    b : to examine a subject in detail Examples: "Of course, help yourself to whatever you like," Rosalie murmured vaguely before delving back into her book. "Laura M R Harrison's video sequences will use darkness...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 11, 2015 is: luminary • \LOO-muh-nair-ee\  • noun 1 : a person of prominence or brilliant achievement 2 : a body that gives light; especially : one of the celestial bodies Examples: The marble wall facing the entrance to the school's science building is engraved with the names of luminaries from the fields of chemistry, physics, and biology. "I chose t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 10, 2015 is: wooden • \WOOD-un\  • adjective 1 : made or consisting of wood 2 : lacking ease or flexibility : awkwardly stiff Examples: In the early days of basketball, baskets were often attached to balconies over which interfering spectators could lean—until wooden backboards made that interference impossible. "Nick … is a fascinatingly flawed and so...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 9, 2015 is: incidence • \IN-suh-dunss\  • noun 1 a : [angle of incidence](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/angle of incidence) b : the arrival of something (such as a projectile or a ray of light) at a surface 2 a : an act or the fact or manner of falling upon or affecting : occurrence b : rate of occurrence or influence Examples: The neighbo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 8, 2015 is: manqué • \mahng-KAY (the "ng" is not pronounced, but the preceding vowel i\  • adjective : short of or frustrated in the fulfillment of one's aspirations or talents -- used postpositively Examples: Natalie is an actress manqué who moved to New York 10 years ago and is still looking for her first big break. "At the center of the author's exa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 7, 2015 is: reprise • \rih-PREEZ\  • noun 1 : a recurrence, renewal, or resumption of an action 2 a : a musical repetition b : a repeated performance : repetition Examples: "Jo Anne Worley … returns to Palm Springs this weekend for a reprise of her music and comedy act, 'For the Love of Broadway,' at the Purple Room Restaurant & Stage." — Bruce Fessier...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 6, 2015 is: xeric • \ZEER-ik\  • adjective : characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture Examples: She is a botanist who primarily studies deserts and xeric shrublands. "As water restrictions were enacted through the metro area, the Kentucky bluegrass in other parts of the park dried up, while the three display beds fill...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 5, 2015 is: bailiwick • \BAY-lih-wik\  • noun 1 : the office or jurisdiction of a bailiff 2 : a special domain Examples: Since the organization of the annual Halloween party is Rhonda's bailiwick, you'll have to let her know if you plan to bring something to the festivities this year. "The conventional wisdom is that young people no longer care enough...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 4, 2015 is: extradite • \EK-struh-dyte\  • verb : to send (one who has been accused of a crime) to another state or country for trial Examples: An alleged criminal is typically only extradited under the provisions of a treaty or statute, but a fugitive is occasionally surrendered by one state or country to another as an act of good will. "A spokesperso...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 3, 2015 is: haplology • \hap-LAH-luh-jee\  • noun : contraction of a word by omission of one or more similar sounds or syllables Examples: The speech therapist assured the child's parents that "the tendency towards haplology will likely correct itself with age." "Haplology is responsible for a variety of forms found in rapid speech in English: not just...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 2, 2015 is: spontaneous • \spahn-TAY-nee-us\  • adjective 1 : done, said, or produced freely and naturally 2 : arising from a momentary impulse 3 : produced without being planted or without human labor : indigenous 4 : acting or taking place without apparent external cause or influence Examples: Since childhood, Marie has been prone to spontaneous disp...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 1, 2015 is: consternation • \kahn-ster-NAY-shun\  • noun : amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion Examples: To the consternation of her students, Mrs. Jennings gave a pop quiz on the first Friday of the school year. "A [Russian] law that obliged bloggers to register with the government caused consternation last year…." — Sam Schechne...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 30, 2015 is: paroxysm • \PAIR-uk-sih-zum\  • noun 1 : a fit, attack, or sudden increase or recurrence of symptoms (as of a disease) : convulsion 2 : a sudden violent emotion or action : outburst Examples: Though he seldom loses his temper, his occasional and unpredictable paroxysms of anger are legendary among his colleagues. "Today, for National Hot...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 29, 2015 is: askew • \uh-SKYOO\  • adjective : out of line : awry Examples: He said he was fine but he looked as if he'd been in a fight: his hair and clothes were disheveled and his glasses were askew on the bridge of his nose. "Even so, the impact of the collision damaged the interior wall of the building and sent post office boxes askew." — Jon Jo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 28, 2015 is: vilipend • \VIL-uh-pend\  • verb 1 : to hold or treat as of little worth or account : contemn 2 : to express a low opinion of : disparage Examples: As a women's movement pioneer, Susan B. Anthony fought against the dicta of those who would vilipend women by treating them as second-class citizens. "Most people who retire do so after havin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 27, 2015 is: catbird seat • \KAT-berd-SEET\  • noun : a position of great prominence or advantage Examples: Susan found herself sitting in the catbird seat with lucrative offers from three potential employers in front of her. "For the first time since the economic recovery began six years ago, white-collar professionals with specialized skills in fie...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 26, 2015 is: limpid • \LIM-pid\  • adjective 1 a : marked by transparency : pellucid b : clear and simple in style 2 : absolutely serene and untroubled Examples: From where we stood we could see the glimmer of coins settled at the bottom of the limpid fountain. "He could converse—and converse easily, naturally, with idiom and parlance and a certain n...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 25, 2015 is: morpheme • \MOR-feem\  • noun : a distinctive collocation of phonemes (such as the free form pin or the bound form -s of pins) having no smaller meaningful parts Examples: The word "laughed" is made up of two morphemes: "laugh" and the past-tense morpheme "-ed." "English requires its speakers to grammatically mark events that are ongoing...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 24, 2015 is: timeless • \TYME-luss\  • adjective 1 a : having no beginning or end : eternal b : not restricted to a particular time or date 2 : not affected by time : ageless Examples: Fashion experts say that a black dress worn with a strand of pearls is timeless. "That song's timeless mix of celebration and longing served as an ideal segue to the K...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 23, 2015 is: equinox • \EE-kwuh-nahks\  • noun 1 : either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic 2 : either of the two times each year (as about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses  the equator and day and night are everywhere on earth of approximately equal length Examples: Though ma...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 22, 2015 is: binary • \BYE-nuh-ree\  • adjective 1 : consisting of two things or parts 2 : relating to, being, or belonging to a number system having 2 as its base 3 : involving a choice between or condition of two alternatives only (such as on-off or yes-no) Examples: Brass is a binary alloy, having the two metallic elements copper and zinc. "NASA's...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 21, 2015 is: war story • \WOR-STOR-ee\  • noun : a story of a memorable personal experience typically involving an element of danger, hardship, or adventure Examples: When asked what was most difficult about her present job, the interviewee freely shared some rather entertaining and impressive war stories. "Now, we old veterans of an educational syst...