Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2013 is: persnickety • \per-SNIK-uh-tee\  • adjective 1 a : fussy about small details : fastidious b : having the characteristics of a snob 2 : requiring great precision Examples: I love my friend Emma, but I also know how persnickety she can be, so I removed the grocery store cake from its plastic container and brought it to her party on a fancy pla...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 27, 2013 is: emblem • \EM-blum\  • noun 1 : a picture with a motto or set of verses intended as a moral lesson 2 : an object or the figure of an object symbolizing and suggesting another object or an idea 3 a : a symbolic object used as a heraldic device b : a device, symbol, or figure adopted and used as an identifying mark Examples: "The picture, chang...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 26, 2013 is: decimate • \DESS-uh-mayt\  • verb 1 : to select by lot and kill every tenth man of 2 : to exact a tax of 10 percent from 3 a : to reduce drastically especially in number b : to cause great destruction or harm to Examples: Budget cuts have decimated public services in many towns and cities throughout the state. "Disease, habitat destruction a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 25, 2013 is: force majeure • \forss-mah-ZHUR\  • noun 1 : superior or irresistible force 2 : an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled Examples: "The [railway] line, which connects the northern Tete province with the coast, was shut on Feb. 12 after heavy rains and a derailment, forcing several cases of force majeure on a num...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 24, 2013 is: occlusion • \uh-KLOO-zhun\  • noun 1 : a shutting off or obstruction of something 2 : the coming together of the surfaces of the upper and lower teeth 3 : the front formed by a cold front overtaking a warm front and lifting the warm air above the earth's surface Examples: Heart attacks result from the occlusion of blood supply to a part of t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 23, 2013 is: lamia • \LAY-mee-uh\  • noun : a female demon Examples: In this campy horror film, the men of a college campus are attacked and killed by a seductive lamia who slips into their dorm rooms at night. "She finds herself plagued by visions of a dreadful lamia, a man-eating monster that's half woman, half serpent." - From a book review on Kirkus...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 22, 2013 is: transpire • \tran-SPYRE\  • verb 1 : to give off vaporous material; specifically : to give off or exude watery vapor especially from the surfaces of leaves 2 : to become known or apparent : develop 3 : to take place : go on, occur Examples: The police are still trying to determine what really transpired on the night of the accident. "The Bat...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 21, 2013 is: demulcent • \dih-MULL-sunt\  • adjective : soothing Examples: Honey has a demulcent property that is thought to be effective in relieving sore throats and coughs. "Chickweed (Stellaria media) has a demulcent effect on the stomach, which can help to suppress appetite when prepared as tea." - From an article by Barbara Fahs in Big Island Weekl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 20, 2013 is: xenophobia • \zen-uh-FOH-bee-uh\  • noun : fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign Examples: "A Labour MP has been accused of xenophobia after complaining about the Polish staff who served him a disappointing bacon sandwich." - From an article in The Telegraph (London), April 25, 2012 "A few count...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 19, 2013 is: admonish • \ad-MAH-nish\  • verb 1 a : to indicate duties or obligations to b : to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner 2 : to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to Examples: The teacher admonished Jenny not to run in the hallways. "A struggling backup goaltender will stand up in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 18, 2013 is: milieu • \meel-YOO\  • noun : the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops : environment Examples: The quiet suburban neighborhood was within walking distance of the elementary school and provided the perfect milieu for raising a family. "Setting his shows in a theatrical milieu, he provides characters with huge egos...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 17, 2013 is: surd • \SERD\  • adjective 1 : lacking sense : irrational 2 : voiceless - used of speech sounds Examples: The artist is known for creating videos in which well-known speeches with surd utterances scattered throughout are recited by everyday people. "While the grandparents might scratch their heads at the Star Wars references, the actors and...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 16, 2013 is: verbiage • \VER-bee-ij\  • noun 1 : a profusion of words usually of little or obscure content 2 : manner of expressing oneself in words : diction Examples: The newspaper editor said that he would have to reduce the verbiage of Earl's letter before he could publish it. "With legislation being so protracted and containing so much confusing ver...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 15, 2013 is: heinous • \HAY-nus\  • adjective : hatefully or shockingly evil : abominable Examples: The former dictator will have to stand trial for the role he played in his government's heinous treatment of political dissidents. "Oz so immediately takes to his new surroundings that he never once stops to question the giant, orchidlike flowers, spiralin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 14, 2013 is: Mirandize • \muh-RAN-dyze\  • verb : to recite the Miranda warnings to (a person under arrest) Examples: In accordance with police procedures, the officers had to Mirandize the suspect to make sure that he was aware of his rights. "According to the website, Heller's motion is baseless as there was no need for police to Mirandize the actress...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 13, 2013 is: contentious • \kun-TEN-shuss\  • adjective 1 : likely to cause disagreement or argument 2 : exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes Examples: Although she is very pleasant in person, Katie has a tendency to become aggressive and contentious in online discussions. "The issue of affordable housing in New Je...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 12, 2013 is: nepenthe • \nuh-PENTH-ee\  • noun 1 : a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow 2 : something capable of causing oblivion of grief or suffering Examples: "Once barely sipping at wines, cocktails, brandy-and-soda, she now took to the latter…. The old nepenthe of the bottle had seized upon her." - From Theodore Dr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 11, 2013 is: indissoluble • \in-dih-SAHL-yuh-bul\  • adjective : incapable of being dissolved or disintegrated; especially : incapable of being annulled, undone, or broken : permanent Examples: The minister contended that matrimony is a bond that is indissoluble in the eyes of God. "At a news conference to present the message, Guinean Cardinal Robert Sar...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 10, 2013 is: kiln • \KILN\  • noun : an oven, furnace, or heated enclosure used for processing a substance by burning, firing, or drying Examples: Now that the school has purchased a new kiln, it can offer more courses in ceramics. "Neither thin nor delicate, clinker brick is the Marlon Brando of masonry: misshapen, blackened in the kiln, historically re...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 9, 2013 is: doxology • \dahk-SAH-luh-jee\  • noun : a usually liturgical expression of praise to God Examples: The church service typically concludes with the congregation singing a short doxology. "A doxology, with impromptu four-part harmony, concluded a prayer prior to a dinner that followed the Mass." - From an article by Gretchen R. Crowe in the Arl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 8, 2013 is: convalesce • \kahn-vuh-LESS\  • verb : to recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness Examples: According to the article, the athlete is still convalescing from her recent injury but expects to resume her training schedule by the end of the month. "Kenyon … was 8 years old when he was struck [by a car]. He had to limit hi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 7, 2013 is: equivocal • \ih-KWIV-uh-kul\  • adjective 1 a : subject to two or more interpretations and usually used to mislead or confuse b : uncertain as an indication or sign 2 a : of uncertain nature or classification b : of uncertain disposition toward a person or thing : undecided c : of doubtful advantage, genuineness, or moral rectitude Examples:...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 6, 2013 is: gest • \JEST\  • noun 1 : a tale of adventures; especially : a romance in verse 2 : adventure, exploit Examples: Dorothy, who has already traveled the world in her quest for adventure, now daydreams of the ultimate gest-a trip into outer space. "The best authentic source of Robin Hood stories is the late medieval poem A Gest of Robyn Hode …,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 5, 2013 is: hackneyed • \HAK-need\  • adjective : lacking in freshness or originality Examples: The new crime drama's characters are shallow stereotypes who engage one another in hackneyed dialogue. "Though it has been floating around Hollywood for a few years, and drawn some praise from insiders and would-be insiders, Noah Haidle's screenplay is pretty...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 4, 2013 is: redbrick • \RED-brik\  • adjective 1 : built of red brick 2 : of, relating to, or being the British universities founded in the 19th or early 20th century Examples: The round-table forum brought four distinguished Redbrick professors to face off against four renowned scholars from Oxford and Cambridge. "As the product of redbrick universities...