Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 30, 2014 is: collywobbles • \KAH-lee-wah-bulz\  • noun : pain in the abdomen and especially in the stomach : bellyache Examples: "It's no wonder you've got the collywobbles," said Ruth to her niece, "given the amount of Halloween candy you ate last night!" "But even the hint of closing this cherished window into Detroit's past gives loyal museumgoers t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 29, 2014 is: quixotic • \kwik-SAH-tik\  • adjective 1 : foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals 2 : capricious, unpredictable Examples: Pauline characterized her Halloween decorating plans as ambitious, but she secretly feared that "quixotic" was a more apt descriptor. "David Smith has chased for at least 15 years what seemed a quixot...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 28, 2014 is: sempiternal • \sem-pih-TER-nul\  • adjective : of never-ending duration : eternal Examples: No matter how much we try to analyze it, the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, will be a matter of sempiternal debate. "But by Page 10, I knew I'd never read 'Moby-Dick.' The novel- if you can call such an idiosyncratic book by a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 27, 2014 is: homage • \AH-mij\  • noun 1 : something done or given as an acknowledgement of a vassal's duty to his lord 2 a : respect b : tribute Examples: One scene in the movie was clearly the director's homage to his mentor and idol. "Click through the slideshow to preview Fili’s homage to Italian typography, including elegant signs for trattorias,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 26, 2014 is: maunder • \MAWN-der\  • verb 1 : chiefly British : grumble 2 : to wander slowly and idly 3 : to speak indistinctly or disconnectedly Examples: Chelsea left a nearly incoherent message on my voicemail, maundering on for several minutes without ever getting around to her reason for calling. "Some of Tyler's students lag behind to chat, maund...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 25, 2014 is: vendetta • \ven-DET-uh\  • noun 1 : a feud between different families 2 : an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such acts Examples: The vendetta between the two more powerful families on the island reached new heights when the prominent son of one family and two of his associates suddenly went m...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 24, 2014 is: lyric • \LEER-ik\  • adjective 1 : suitable for singing : melodic 2 : expressing direct usually intense personal emotion Examples: The critics are praising Jessica's debut novel as a lyric masterpiece that bravely lays out the emotional tensions experienced by its young protagonist. "Virtually all of Big Jim’s lyric digressions were on wri...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 23, 2014 is: interlocutor • \in-ter-LAH-kyuh-ter\  • noun : one who takes part in dialogue or conversation Examples: Steve's aggressive insistence on the correctness of his own opinions frequently made his interlocutors uncomfortable. "I don't wonder that one of his interlocutors stared when he seriously suggested to them that MPs were paid too much, a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 22, 2014 is: turophile • \TOOR-uh-fyle\  • noun : a connoisseur of cheese : a cheese fancier Examples: Surely the turophiles at our table can recommend some good cheeses to pair with our wine selection. "For this dish you need a special cheese from Switzerland called Raclette. It's expensive and hard to find where I live, and it smells terrible-or, to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 21, 2014 is: redux • \ree-DUKS\  • adjective : brought back Examples: Now running in his own campaign, the son of the former mayor was advised to develop his own identity and not simply portray himself as his father redux. "Think of it as 'Combat Evolved' redux. 'Destiny' wants to meld the multiplayer and single-player experience into a coherent whole....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 20, 2014 is: impunity • \im-PYOO-nuh-tee\  • noun : exemption or freedom from punishment, harm, or loss Examples: Penalties for breaking the law can be made harsher, but without extra funding for its enforcement, people will continue to violate it with impunity. "Carlos Zarate, a congressman who sits on the Philippine House of Representatives' Human Ri...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 19, 2014 is: esculent • \ESS-kyuh-lunt\  • adjective : edible Examples: Morels are esculent mushrooms and are delicious, but be warned that there are also false morels, which are poisonous. "The berry, which has two to three times more antioxidants than blueberries, falls from what the Brazilians call 'The Tree of Life', with about 90 per cent being in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 18, 2014 is: neophilia • \nee-uh-FILL-ee-uh\  • noun : love or enthusiasm for what is new or novel Examples: Loretta wondered if it was neophilia that led her husband to buy shiny new power tools even when the ones he already had were in perfect condition. "Time was, not too many years ago, when shopping was a pleasure. The atmosphere at the malls, the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 17, 2014 is: forswear • \for-SWAIR\  • verb 1 : to make a liar of (oneself) under or as if under oath 2 a : to reject, deny, or renounce under oath b : to renounce earnestly Examples: Tina forswore flying after the latest airline mishap left her stranded in Chicago for eighteen hours. "… the film finds Cotillard playing an ordinary woman who, shortly a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 16, 2014 is: bucket shop • \BUK-ut-SHAHP\  • noun 1 : a gambling establishment that formerly used market fluctuations (as in commodities) as a basis for gaming 2 : a dishonest brokerage firm Examples: "Today … the SEC is able to intervene more quickly to shut down frauds, like boiler rooms or bucket shops pushing bogus stocks…." - The Orange County Reg...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 15, 2014 is: doctrinaire • \dahk-truh-NAIR\  • adjective : attempting to put into effect an abstract doctrine or theory with little or no regard for practical difficulties Examples: "As doctrinaire as I may be about players being ready to play every day," Coach said, "they are also human beings; I need to accept they are going to need breaks once in a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 14, 2014 is: judgment • \JUJ-munt\  • noun 1 : a formal utterance of an authoritative opinion 2 : a formal decision given by a court 3 : the capacity for judging or the exercise of this capacity Examples: Theresa showed good judgment by clearing her family out of the house as soon as she smelled gas. "Christenson said he'll reserve judgment on the larg...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 13, 2014 is: posthaste • \POHST-HAYST\  • adverb : with all possible speed Examples: "You must leave posthaste," Virginia theatrically admonished her guests, "or you'll miss your ferry!" "Yes, West Palm Beach commissioners should green-light the chief’s efforts to address the issue posthaste." - Palm Beach Post, September 3, 2014 Did you know? In the 1...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 12, 2014 is: megillah • \muh-GHIH-luh\  • noun : slang a long involved story or account Examples: Instead of just saying she was running late, Lynette went into the whole megillah of why her appointment would have to be rescheduled. "It takes place far below the surface of the earth, among dripping stalactites, and if you're a fan of Tolkien's mythos i...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 11, 2014 is: derogate • \DAIR-uh-gayt\  • verb 1 : to cause to seem inferior : disparage 2 : to take away a part so as to impair : detract 3 : to act beneath one's position or character Examples: It is easy to derogate the prom committee for its lackluster theme now, but nobody came forward with any better ideas while it was being discussed. "In two na...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 10, 2014 is: clerisy • \KLAIR-uh-see\  • noun : intellectuals who form an artistic, social, or political vanguard or elite: intelligentsia Examples: The book's author claims that a successful society must have both a strong commitment to democratic ideals and a well-established clerisy. "The situation was so dire that it required nothing less than scie...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 9, 2014 is: infinitesimal • \in-fin-ih-TESS-uh-mul\  • adjective 1 : taking on values arbitrarily close to but greater than zero 2 : immeasurably or incalculably small Examples: Stella includes a lottery ticket in every birthday card she sends despite the infinitesimal chances that it will be a winning one. "Across the nation, voters in the magic age r...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 8, 2014 is: pork barrel • \PORK-BAIR-ul\  • noun : government projects or appropriations yielding rich patronage benefits; also: government funds, jobs, or favors distributed by politicians to gain political advantage Examples: It was apparent that the construction of the new parking garage was not a necessary project but a pork barrel deal for the bus...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 7, 2014 is: arboreal • \ahr-BOR-ee-ul\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to a tree : resembling a tree 2 : inhabiting or frequenting trees Examples: "… we emerge into open space, 70 acres of green grassland, a savanna of widely spaced, mature trees, many reaching 60 feet tall, gnarled and weathered, separated as if each had staked out its own territory:...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 6, 2014 is: obloquy • \AH-bluh-kwee\  • noun 1 : a strongly condemnatory utterance : abusive language 2 : the condition of one that is discredited : bad repute Examples: The manager walked quickly back to the dugout as insults and obloquy rained down from the stands. "Because of the stigma associated with drug convictions, such an indictment could be t...