Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 23, 2013 is: amalgamate • \uh-MAL-guh-mayt\  • verb : to unite in or as if in a mixture of elements; especially : to merge into a single body Examples: On her latest album, the artist has amalgamated several different styles of music. "Sure enough, in 1999, Congress dutifully went along with Weill's push for repeal, and Wall Street promptly rushed to amalg...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 22, 2013 is: canker • \KANK-er\  • verb 1 : to become infested with erosive or spreading sores 2 : to corrupt the spirit of 3 : to become corrupted Examples: "I have never seen any children, only debased imitations of men and women, cankered? by greed and selfishness…." - From Isabella L. Bird’s A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains, 2005 "If you have dead...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 21, 2013 is: filial • \FIL-ee-ul\  • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter 2 : having or assuming the relation of a child or offspring Examples: Margaret's sense of filial responsibility is only part of her motivation for carrying on her parents' business; she also loves the work. "Confucianism, which emphasizes filial piety, has be...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 20, 2013 is: muliebrity • \myoo-lee-EB-ruh-tee\  • noun : femininity Examples: "She was one of those women who are wanting in-what is the word?-muliebrity." - From H. G. Wells' 1911 novel New Machiavelli "She is a motherly figure, but altogether unlike his mother, motherly in a way that allows too for muliebrity." - From Michael Griffith's 2012 book Biblio...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 19, 2013 is: atone • \uh-TOHN\  • verb 1 : to supply satisfaction for 2 : to make amends Examples: Jamie tried to atone for his teasing of his sister by offering her some of his candy. "For all the redemption songs in recent weeks, Bank of America Corp. still hasn't fully atoned for its mortgage mishaps." - From an article by Adam O'Daniel in Charlotte Bus...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 18, 2013 is: alameda • \al-uh-MEE-duh\  • noun : a public promenade bordered with trees Examples: "The evening was soft and warm and in the little alameda grackles were settling in the trees and calling to one another."- From Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel No Country for Old Men "The use of street trees and public gardens in plans for new towns in the late e...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 17, 2013 is: litmus test • \LIT-mus-TEST\  • noun : a test in which a single factor (as an attitude, event, or fact) is decisive Examples: For Curtis, the litmus test of good barbeque ribs is whether or not they have that moist fall-off-the-bone quality. "The students who are following the discussion often look uncomfortable at this point, and the moment s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 16, 2013 is: caterwaul • \KAT-er-wawl\  • verb 1 : to make a harsh cry 2 : to protest or complain noisily Examples: The toddler caterwauled loudly when her toy was taken away. "Stockton's leaders clearly calculated that at this point they have little to lose by shortchanging bondholders-its credit rating is already so low that it'd have a hard time financi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 15, 2013 is: down • \DOWN\  • noun 1 : an undulating generally treeless upland with sparse soil - usually used in plural b plural and often capitalized : treeless chalk uplands along the south and southeast coast of England 2 : a sheep of any breed originating in the downs of southern England Examples: She lives in a large estate outside of the village, at...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 14, 2013 is: requite • \rih-KWYTE\  • verb 1 a : to make return for : repay b : to make retaliation for : avenge 2 : to make suitable return to for a benefit or service or for an injury Examples: Beautiful but malevolent, Maude requited Sydney's love with scorn and treachery. "Odds are that O’Brien's flare-up of romantic love for Amanda won't be requited."...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2013 is: sui generis • \soo-eye-JEN-uh-ris\  • adjective : constituting a class alone : unique, peculiar Examples: Among history's greats, Leonardo da Vinci is often considered sui generis-a man of such stupendous genius that the world may never see his like again. "So let us celebrate the glory that was Elaine Stritch in her prime. For among modern en...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2013 is: sesquipedalian • \sess-kwuh-puh-DAIL-yun\  • adjective 1 : having many syllables : long 2 : using long words Examples: Jacob's editor advised him to do away with much of the sesquipedalian prose he favored and opt for simpler words that would reach readers of all ages and backgrounds. "'You just don't see that many sesquipedalian writers like...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2013 is: usurp • \yoo-SERP\  • verb : to seize and hold by force or without right Examples: In her first managerial position, Hannah was hesitant to delegate critical tasks for fear that a subordinate might usurp her position. "There's a reason James Madison wrote the Constitution the way he did with a 'Separation of Powers' doctrine. That doctrine ens...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2013 is: fountainhead • \FOUN-tun-hed\  • noun 1 : a spring that is the source of a stream 2 : principal source : origin Examples: Rachel considers Aristotle's Poetics to be the fountainhead of modern art criticism. "Everyone sometimes daydreams like a scientist. Ramped up and disciplined, fantasies are the fountainhead of all creative thinking. Newton...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9, 2013 is: decussate • \DEK-uh-sayt\  • verb : to intersect or cross Examples: The illustration on page 34 of your textbook shows how the optic nerves decussate. "The fibers of the lateral spinothalamic tract decussate one or two levels above or below where the injury may occur…." - From an article by Kim Boswell, MD, and Jay Menaker, MD, in Trauma Report...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2013 is: diseuse • \dee-ZOOZ\  • noun : a woman who is a skilled and usually professional reciter Examples: "I say 'chanteuse' but this is by courtesy, for she was more of a diseuse to begin with, speaking her songs…." - From Paul Johnson's 2010 book Humorists: From Hogarth to Noel Coward "At Jurowski's insistence, the cast represented a spectrum of sin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2013 is: fustigate • \FUSS-tuh-gayt\  • verb 1 : to beat with or as if with a short heavy club 2 : to criticize severely Examples: "Hernandez missed most of the preseason practices because of an ankle sprain, and he fustigated himself for committing seven turnovers." - From an article by Jorge L. Ortiz in The San Francisco Chronicle, November 20, 2004 "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2013 is: troglodyte • \TRAH-gluh-dyte\  • noun 1 : a member of any of various peoples (as in antiquity) who lived or were reputed to live chiefly in caves 2 : a person characterized by reclusive habits or outmoded or reactionary attitudes Examples: "At the end of the valley, as John Bunyan mentions, is a cavern, where, in his days, dwelt two cruel giant...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 5, 2013 is: fathom • \FA-thum\  • verb 1 : to measure by a sounding line 2 : probe 3 : to penetrate and come to understand Examples: Even those close to him couldn't always fathom why he repeatedly risked his life to climb the world's tallest mountains. "Just what's in the mind of the North Koreans is hard for outsiders to fathom." - From an article by Wes...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 4, 2013 is: exiguous • \ig-ZIG-yuh-wus\  • adjective : excessively scanty : inadequate Examples: New computer equipment would be prohibitively expensive, given the rural school's exiguous resources. "The president got his tax increases; not only on the wealthy but also by raising the payroll tax that most affects ordinary Americans. Meaningful spending cut...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2013 is: redaction • \rih-DAK-shun\  • noun 1 a : an act or instance of preparing something for publication b : an act or instance of obscuring or removing something from a document prior to publication or release 2 : edition, version Examples: The editor defended the redaction of the victims' names from the news article by explaining that their familie...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 2, 2013 is: berceuse • \bair-SOOZ\  • noun 1 : a musical composition usually in 6/8 time that resembles a lullaby 2 : lullaby Examples: "After the equally calming signature tune, the berceuse from Faure's Dolly Suite, Oxenford and the other presenters began the programme with a question that became a catchphrase: 'Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll beg...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 1, 2013 is: vernal • \VER-nul\  • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or occurring in the spring 2 : fresh or new like the spring; also : youthful Examples: This time of the year, I enjoy getting out for morning walks to take in the crisp, clean vernal air. "Spend the morning learning about aquatic life found in vernal pools. Vernal pools may be dry in summer,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2013 is: verbose • \ver-BOHSS\  • adjective 1 : containing more words than necessary : wordy; also : impaired by wordiness 2 : given to wordiness Examples: The writing style in government publications is often both dry and verbose-a deadly combination. "The 50,000-word goal, for example, can make even the most succinct writers verbose. Why be satisfi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 29, 2013 is: ceorl • \CHAY-orl\  • noun : a freeman of the lowest rank in Anglo-Saxon England Examples: "The most prominent ranks were the king, the nobleman or thegn, and the ordinary freeman or ceorl." - From an article in the Eastern Daily Press (Norfolk, England), October 11, 2012 "The status of a ceorl in relation to the nobility above him and the s...