Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2013 is: demure • \dih-MYOOR\  • adjective 1 : reserved, modest 2 : affectedly modest, reserved, or serious : coy Examples: When we first met Kelly, she was quiet and demure, so it surprises us now to see that she can be vocal and forward. "Amazingly, though, these corporate creatures have suddenly turned demure, insisting that they don’t want to draw...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2013 is: fawn • \FAWN\  • verb 1 : to show affection - used especially of a dog 2 : to court favor by a cringing or flattering manner Examples: The author gave a reading from her latest book, followed by a meet and greet where she was fawned over by adoring fans. "The trip was relaxing, and Lauren was right. I was like a different person, probably bec...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2013 is: gymkhana • \jim-KAH-nuh\  • noun a : a meet featuring sports contests or athletic skills: as b : competitive games on horseback c : a festival featuring gymnastics and athletic showmanship and often including pageantry d : a timed contest for automobiles featuring a series of events designed to test driving skill Examples: "The Lower Clarence...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2013 is: millefleur • \meel-FLER\  • adjective : having an allover pattern of small flowers and plants Examples: The museum's collection includes several medieval tapestries with millefleur designs. "While millefleurs tapestries rarely fail to be decorative, the later ones of the period 1500 to 1520 are rather flimsy and lack the boldness of design of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 13, 2013 is: sandbag • \SAND-bag\  • verb 1 : to bank, stop up, or weight with sandbags 2 a : to hit or stun with or as if with a sandbag b : to treat unfairly or harshly c : to coerce by crude means d : to conceal or misrepresent one's true position, potential, or intent especially in order to take advantage of : to hide the truth about oneself so as to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2013 is: Rx • \ahr-EKS\  • noun a : a prescription: such as b : a written direction for a therapeutic or corrective agent; specifically : one for the preparation and use of a medicine c : something (such as a recommendation) resembling a doctor's prescription Examples: "Any exercise that continuously moves major muscle groups, especially the legs, is...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 11, 2013 is: hoise • \HOYZ\  • verb : lift, raise; especially : to raise into position by or as if by means of tackle Examples: Bethany was selected by her Girl Scout troop to hoise the American flag for Monday's Memorial Day ceremony on the town green. "In order for [New England Patriot's quarterback Tom] Brady to play a great game, which is a must if th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2013 is: chilblain • \CHIL-blayn\  • noun : an inflammatory swelling or sore caused by exposure (as of the feet or hands) to cold Examples: "The damp cold there goes bone deep, and chilblains are a threat…." - From an article by Guy Trebay in The New York Times, January 16, 2011 "Nature gives us scurvy, rickets, buckteeth and chilblains. That's on a g...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 9, 2013 is: prosaic • \proh-ZAY-ik\  • adjective 1 : characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry : factual 2 : dull, unimaginative 3 : everyday, ordinary Examples: The novel's protagonist is a young accountant who has grown weary of her prosaic life and longs for adventure and world travels. "It was as if our drought had developed the magical pow...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 8, 2013 is: burgeon • \BER-jun\  • verb 1 a : to send forth new growth (as buds or branches) : sprout b : bloom 2 : to grow and expand rapidly : flourish Examples: The trout population in the stream is burgeoning now that the water is clean. "James Campbell High School wasn't built to hold thousands of students. When Campbell first opened in 1962, it serv...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 7, 2013 is: stichomythia • \stik-uh-MITH-ee-uh\  • noun : dialogue especially of altercation or dispute delivered by two actors in alternating lines (as in classical Greek drama) Examples: To heighten the emotional intensity between the characters, the playwright employed stichomythia. "'Oh, you did?' 'Mm-hmm.' 'Well, what am I expected to do? Leap for jo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 6, 2013 is: orotund • \OR-uh-tund\  • adjective 1 : marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound : sonorous 2 : pompous, bombastic Examples: Josh cleared his throat dramatically, then did a dead-on impression of the professor's orotund, patronizing speech. "Comedian Bob Hope used to tell an anecdote about Franklin D. Roosevelt housetraining his Scot...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 5, 2013 is: by and large • \BYE-und-LAHRJ\  • adverb : on the whole : in general Examples: The young actors stumbled over a few lines here and there, but by and large the play was a success. "Each school may have its own rules about financial aid appeals or special circumstances reviews, but by and large the financial aid administrator, and not the admiss...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 4, 2013 is: nonpareil • \nahn-puh-REL\  • adjective : having no equal Examples: "The show was … held in the original Madison Square Garden, and it was a society event nonpareil." - From an article by Marshall Schuon in the New York Times, April 3, 1994 "Few of them differ much from New York’s typical Italian-American restaurants, but those that stand out...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 3, 2013 is: encumber • \in-KUM-ber\  • verb 1 : weigh down, burden 2 : to impede or hamper the function or activity of : hinder 3 : to burden with a legal claim (as a mortgage) Examples: Lack of funding has encumbered the project from day one. "Rain will likely encumber racers as they move through Grand Rapids this weekend, and possibly snow and frigid te...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 2, 2013 is: styptic • \STIP-tik\  • adjective : tending to contract or bind : astringent; especially : tending to check bleeding Examples: The vet advised that we keep a styptic agent handy while clipping the cat's claws, just in case. "Alum contains aluminum sulfate and is found in styptic pencils and as astringents." - From a column by Pat Shingleton in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 1, 2013 is: WYSIWYG • \WIZ-ee-wig\  • noun : a display generated by word-processing or desktop-publishing software that exactly reflects the document as it would appear in its finished state Examples: The pamphlets look great and were easy to create; we created them using a simple WYSIWYG editing program. "He wrote a word processor called Bravo that displ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 31, 2013 is: dudgeon • \DUJ-un\  • noun : a fit or state of indignation Examples: The customer stormed out of the store in high dudgeon after the manager refused to give her a refund for her purchase. "Hollywood's critics are in high dudgeon. The motion-picture industry has sunk into a moral morass, they say, one that threatens our national self-understand...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 30, 2013 is: efflorescence • \ef-luh-RESS-unss\  • noun 1 a : the action or process of developing and unfolding as if coming into flower b : an instance of such development c : fullness of manifestation : culmination 2 : the period or state of flowering 3 : the process or product of efflorescing chemically Examples: "Besides introducing popular religion, t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 29, 2013 is: garnish • \GAHR-nish\  • verb 1 a : decorate, embellish b : to add decorative or savory touches to (food or drink) 2 : to equip with accessories : furnish 3 : to take (as a debtor's wages) by legal authority : garnishee Examples: "Among the viands was expected to be found a small assortment of cheesecakes and tarts. If there was also a plate o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 28, 2013 is: sky pilot • \SKY-PYE-lut\  • noun : clergyman; specifically : chaplain Examples: "A pastor with just about as many pictures of Elvis as he has of Jesus in his office is probably not your typical fire-and-brimstone sky pilot." - From an article by John Grant Emeigh in the Montana Standard, March 25, 2013 "Not until the lifeboat had ended its pe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 27, 2013 is: sentient • \SEN-shee-unt\  • adjective 1 : responsive to or conscious of sense impressions 2 : having or showing understanding or knowledge : aware 3 : finely sensitive in perception or feeling Examples: Both parties to the agreement must be sentient of the risks involved. "Frightened of the potential that a vast automated intelligence represe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 26, 2013 is: tontine • \TAHN-teen\  • noun : a joint financial arrangement whereby the participants usually contribute equally to a prize that is awarded entirely to the participant who survives all the others Examples: In the author's latest suspense novel, the participants in a secret tontine begin to show up dead-one by one. "He had become interested in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 25, 2013 is: pertain • \per-TAYN\  • verb 1 a : to belong as a part, quality, or function b : to be appropriate to something 2 : to have reference Examples: Maria keeps a journal of news articles that pertain to her interests. "When filing, candidates received copies of the charter and the portion of the code that pertains to elections, said City Clerk Tin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 24, 2013 is: goldbrick • \GOHLD-brik\  • noun 1 a : a worthless brick that looks like gold b : something that appears valuable but is actually worthless 2 : a person who shirks assigned work Examples: Jake is a goldbrick who spends too much time trying to cozy up to the boss instead of finishing his assignments. "History is full of stories of inspirations...