Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2015 is: ex cathedra • \eks-kuh-THEE-druh\  • adverb or adjective : by virtue of or in the exercise of one's office or position Examples: When chronic tardiness became a problem among the staff, the manager decided ex cathedra to dock the pay of any employee who arrived late to work. "Today, though, the MFA mafia holds inordinate sway over what get...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 12, 2015 is: longueur • \lawn-GUR\  • noun : a dull and tedious passage or section (as of a book, play, or musical composition) - usually used in plural Examples: "This production has its occasional longueurs, but glorious singing and energetic choreography quickly rope us back in." - Rick Rogers, The Oklahoman, June 28, 2007 "The Berg Collection versi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 11, 2015 is: hieroglyphic • \hye-uh-ruh-GLIH-fik\  • adjective 1 : written in, constituting, or belonging to a system of writing mainly in pictorial characters 2 : inscribed with hieroglyphic 3 : resembling hieroglyphic in difficulty of decipherment Examples: "Once believed to serve a distinctly religious purpose, Mayan hieroglyphic writing is now thou...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 10, 2015 is: ne plus ultra • \nay-plus-UL-truh\  • noun 1 : the highest point capable of being attained : acme 2 : the most profound degree of a quality or state Examples: "Along with the relatively highbrow Stepbrothers, [Dumb and Dumber]'s the ne plus ultra of moron slapstick, the film against which all cretinous child-men assaults on taste must be m...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 9, 2015 is: advocate • \AD-vuh-kayt\  • verb : to plead in favor of Examples: Many parents throughout the district have long advocated full-day kindergarten. "The task force advocates revising the state's social studies standards to promote news literacy and the importance of voting." - Laurie Levy, ChicagoNow.com, December 4, 2014 Did you know? Benjam...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 8, 2015 is: claque • \KLAK\  • noun 1 : a group hired to applaud at a performance 2 : a group of sycophants Examples: The senator seems to have a claque of influential supporters in the media who are willing to endorse his every move. "But the program has gone by the boards now, the victim of an activist federal judge and a claque of feckless politicia...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 7, 2015 is: virtuoso • \ver-choo-OH-soh\  • noun 1 : an experimenter or investigator especially in the arts and sciences 2 : one skilled in or having a taste for the fine arts 3 : one who excels in the technique of an art; especially : a highly skilled musical performer Examples: "A virtuoso with words, [Thomas Jefferson] invariably produced easily rea...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 6, 2015 is: ombudsman • \AHM-boodz-mun\  • noun 1 : a government official who investigates complaints made by individuals against public officials 2 : one that investigates, reports on, and helps settle complaints Examples: The newspaper's ombudsman responded to the many angry letters the article had generated. "My 18-month hitch as ESPN ombudsman ends...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 5, 2015 is: fallible • \FAL-uh-bul\  • adjective 1 : liable to be erroneous 2 : capable of making a mistake Examples: Though parts of it are well-written, the essay is marred by too many fallible generalizations. "… [Atul] Gawande has combined his years of experience as a surgeon with his gift for fluid, seemingly effortless storytelling to remind read...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 4, 2015 is: bromide • \BROH-myde\  • noun 1 : a compound of bromine and another element or chemical group 2 a : a commonplace or tiresome person b : a commonplace or hackneyed statement or idea Examples: Years of coal mining and natural gas extraction have elevated the concentration of bromides in the river. "When things go badly wrong-Vladimir Putin's...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 3, 2015 is: peremptory • \puh-REMP-tuh-ree\  • adjective 1 : barring a right of action, debate, or delay 2 : expressive of urgency or command 3 : marked by arrogant self-assurance : haughty Examples: The manager's peremptory rejection of any suggestions for improving office efficiency did little to inspire our confidence in his ability to help turn the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 2, 2015 is: solecism • \SAH-luh-sih-zum\  • noun 1 : an ungrammatical combination of words in a sentence; also : a minor blunder in speech 2 : something deviating from the proper, normal, or accepted order 3 : a breach of etiquette or decorum Examples: As a copyeditor, Jane has the eyes of a hawk; rarely, if ever, does she let a writer's solecism slip...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 1, 2015 is: emigrate • \EM-uh-grayt\  • verb : to leave one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere Examples: "… graduates and skilled technical workers are also emigrating, usually with a plan to save up for a few years and then return." - The Economist, November 5, 2013 "I needed work and I had a friend whose dad and grandfather were in the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 31, 2014 is: vertiginous • \ver-TIJ-uh-nus\  • adjective 1 a : characterized by or suffering from vertigo or dizziness b : inclined to frequent and often pointless change : inconstant 2 : causing or tending to cause dizziness 3 : marked by turning Examples: As a window washer for some of the city's tallest skyscrapers, Victor had to quickly master wor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 30, 2014 is: advertent • \ad-VER-tunt\  • adjective : giving attention : heedful Examples: Marcia listened to everything I said with an advertent expression on her face, and then proceeded to tell me, point by point, why she disagreed with me. The governor is still threatening to veto the bill, even though he is advertent to the strong public support...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 29, 2014 is: marshal • \MAR-shul\  • noun 1 : a person who arranges and directs the ceremonial aspects of a gathering 2 : an officer of the highest rank in some military forces 3 : a federal official having duties similar to a sheriff's 4 : the administrative head of a police or fire department Examples: A judge ordered marshals to seize the cargo. "T...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 28, 2014 is: circumscribe • \SER-kum-skrybe\  • verb 1 a : to constrict the range or activity of b : to define or mark off carefully 2 a : to draw a line around b : to surround by or as if by a boundary Examples: Detective Harris's efforts to find evidence linking Muddleston to the murder were circumscribed by laws prohibiting illegal searches and sei...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 27, 2014 is: opprobrium • \uh-PROH-bree-um\  • noun 1 : something that brings disgrace 2 a : public disgrace or ill fame that follows from conduct considered grossly wrong or vicious b : contempt, reproach Examples: The athlete's admission of using steroids earned her much opprobrium from fans. "People flocked here to break free from the shackles of c...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2014 is: desultory • \DEH-sul-tor-ee\  • adjective 1 : marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose 2 : not connected with the main subject 3 : disappointing in progress, performance, or quality Examples: The gentlemen continued the evening in desultory conversation, punctuated by yawns, until both decided it was time for bed. "Washingt...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 25, 2014 is: luminaria • \loo-muh-NAIR-ee-uh\  • noun : a traditional Mexican Christmas lantern originally consisting of a candle set in sand inside a paper bag Examples: Luminarias lined the streets throughout the neighborhood for the annual Christmas Stroll. "The luminaria … will light up the night around Olean on Dec. 21, the longest night of the y...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 24, 2014 is: extraneous • \ek-STRAY-nee-us\  • adjective 1 : existing on or coming from the outside 2 a : not forming an essential or vital part b : having no relevance 3 : being a number obtained in solving an equation that is not a solution of the equation Examples: The woman who reported the robbery kept bringing up extraneous facts, such as what s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 23, 2014 is: zaibatsu • \zye-BAHT-soo\  • noun : a powerful financial and industrial conglomerate of Japan Examples: As owners of a zaibatsu with interests in the insurance and banking industries, the family's decisions had an undeniable impact on the Japanese economy. "Cartels have also been fostered by the nation-state: Japan's zaibatsu conglomerate...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 22, 2014 is: fissile • \FISS-ul\  • adjective 1 : capable of being split or divided in the direction of the grain or along natural planes of cleavage 2 : capable of undergoing fission Examples: Uranium-235, which is frequently used in making bombs and missiles, is one of the most abundant fissile materials. "These hurdles notwithstanding, during the p...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 21, 2014 is: palinode • \PAL-uh-nohd\  • noun 1 : an ode or song recanting or retracting something in an earlier poem 2 : a formal retraction Examples: Oscar Wilde wrote this famous palinode in an introduction to an essay: "Not that I agree with everything that I have said in this essay. There is much with which I entirely disagree." "My Life Among th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 20, 2014 is: nurture • \NER-cher\  • verb 1 : to supply with nourishment 2 : to educate 3 : to further the development of : foster Examples: The mayor pushed for tax credits for small businesses as a way to nurture economic growth. "In the late 1970s, a program was launched at the National Marine Fisheries laboratory in Galveston to nurture hatchlings...