Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 18, 2013 is: traduce • \truh-DOOSS\  • verb 1 : to expose to shame or blame by means of falsehood and misrepresentation 2 : violate, betray Examples: At the apex of the journalist's career, a jealous rival attempted to traduce her name with false allegations. "In his introductory remarks, Stuart Proffitt, publishing director of Penguin Press and chairm...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 17, 2013 is: vernissage • \vair-nih-SAHZH\  • noun : a private showing or preview of an art exhibition Examples: Before the art auction, there will be a vernissage during which people can mingle with the artists and preview their work. "Art Basel officially opens with its vernissage Nov. 30 and runs through Dec. 4, but Miami Art Week-as it is being cal...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 16, 2013 is: inchmeal • \INCH-meel\  • adverb : little-by-little, gradually Examples: The fog that had been concentrated over the valley dissipated inchmeal, revealing a quiet busyness in the small village below. "I glanced at my Luminox wristwatch. The glowing dial showed 6:10.... Light came inchmeal, like torture. Another flock [of ducks] blew like r...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 15, 2013 is: kanban • \KAHN-bahn\  • noun : a manufacturing strategy wherein parts are produced or delivered only as needed Examples: "To stay competitive," Rob said, "we need to reduce our manufacturing costs by switching to a kanban system." "The inbox and calendar are used to generate kanban and schedules. This helps to discriminate between what you...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 14, 2013 is: taradiddle • \tair-uh-DID-ul\  • noun 1 : a trivial or childish lie : fib 2 : pretentious nonsense Examples: "Even parents with the very best of intentions find themselves telling taradiddles to their offspring." - From a blog post by Ben Schott at nytimes.com, November 12, 2010 "As truths go, the history of Miss Rossiter she had laid out...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2013 is: Abhor • \ub-HOR\  • verb : to regard with extreme repugnance : loathe Examples: She is a strict vegetarian who abhors the consumption of meat. "In fairness, Darwin mostly refrained from extrapolating natural selection to human society. And he abhorred slavery at a time when many justified it as the natural order of things." - From an artic...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 12, 2013 is: remuneration • \rih-myoo-nuh-RAY-shun\  • noun : compensation, payment Examples: She was hired on several occasions as a consultant and given generous remunerations for her services. "BSkyB CEO Jeremy Darroch saw his remuneration for the latest fiscal year ended in June rise around 7 percent…." - From an article by Georg Szalai in Hollywoo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 11, 2013 is: realia • \ree-AL-ee-uh\  • noun plural : objects or activities used to relate classroom teaching to the real life especially of peoples studied Examples: Among the realia used for the class's lesson on World War II was a helmet and canteen that had belonged to one student’s great-grandfather. "It's common knowledge that eighth grade is one...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 10, 2013 is: Apollonian • \ap-uh-LOH-nee-un\  • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or resembling the god Apollo 2 : harmonious, measured, ordered, or balanced in character Examples: His paintings exhibit a stately and Apollonian elegance, but too often fail to engage the viewer emotionally. "[Pianist Andras] Schiff is described as cool, Apollonian, restrai...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 9, 2013 is: buttonhole • \BUT-un-hohl\  • verb : to detain in conversation by or as if by holding on to the outer garments of Examples: I'm sorry I'm late. I was buttonholed by a coworker just as I was leaving my office. "The school's administrative assistant, Kristine Silva, who attended Jefferson when she was a little girl, made a Facebook event that...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 8, 2013 is: ramify • \RAM-uh-fye\  • verb 1 : to split up into branches or constituent parts 2 : to send forth branches or extensions 3 : to cause to branch Examples: "The people of Rafadh had decisions to make, ones that might soon ramify across all of Yemen's remote mountains and deserts and even half a world away in the Pentagon." - From an article...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 7, 2013 is: pedagogical • \ped-uh-GAH-jih-kul\  • adjective : of, relating to, or befitting a teacher or education Examples: New teachers will be evaluated on pedagogical skills such as lesson planning and classroom management. "The report suggests that the exam be multidimensional and include subject knowledge as well as pedagogical knowledge. In othe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 6, 2013 is: quintessence • \kwin-TESS-unss\  • noun 1 : the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form 2 : the most typical example or representative Examples: Roasting marshmallows over an open fire is the quintessence of the camping experience. "A seven-minute cartoon ... containing the quintessence of frustration and despair, Froggy...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 5, 2013 is: imperturbable • \im-per-TER-buh-bul\  • adjective : marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness : serene Examples: The imperturbable pilot did not panic when her plane flew into an electrical storm. "But ZZ Top has always excelled when it lets notes growl and grooves simmer, relaxing rather than rushing, and maintaining a laid-back...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 4, 2013 is: doctrine of signatures • \DAHK-trun-uv-SIG-nuh-cherz\  • noun : a theory in old natural philosophy: the outward appearance of a body signals its special properties (as of magic or healing virtue) and there is a relationship between the outward qualities of a medicinal object and the diseases against which it is effective Examples: Among the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 3, 2013 is: festoon • \fess-TOON\  • noun 1 : a decorative chain or strip hanging between two points 2 : a carved, molded, or painted ornament representing a decorative chain Examples: Festoons of colored paper were draped along the classroom's walls. "Imagine how the parlor was created and decorated, and note the bright azalea color of the silk draper...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 2, 2013 is: heliacal • \hih-LYE-uh-kul\  • adjective : relating to or near the sun - used especially of the last setting of a star before and its first rising after invisibility due to conjunction with the sun's rising and setting Examples: The heliacal rising of Pleiades marked the beginning of summer in the old Julian calendar, which was introduced b...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 1, 2013 is: hark back • \HAHRK-BAK\  • verb 1 : to turn back to an earlier topic or circumstance 2 : to go back to something as an origin or source Examples: The restaurant's art deco interior harks back to Paris in the 1920s. "The design features the city's iconic Spanish-style entryway, a large mission bell and two oxen pulling a bountiful cart of gr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 31, 2012 is: hangover • \HANG-oh-ver\  • noun 1 : something (as a surviving custom) that remains from what is past 2 a : disagreeable physical effects following heavy consumption of alcohol or the use of drugs b : a letdown following great excitement or excess Examples: "Keep at about one drink an hour, about three drinks maximum for an entire episode...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 30, 2012 is: promulgate • \PRAH-mul-gayt\  • verb 1 : to make (as a doctrine) known by open declaration : proclaim 2 a : to make known or public the terms of (a proposed law) b : to put (a law) into action or force Examples: Her ideas have been widely promulgated on the Internet. "Expectations are high that the EPA will act swiftly in Obama's second t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 29, 2012 is: vacuous • \VAK-yuh-wus\  • adjective 1 : emptied of or lacking content 2 : marked by lack of ideas or intelligence : stupid, inane 3 : devoid of serious occupation : idle Examples: The student's vacuous facial expression suggested a lack of comprehension. "When the leaves begin to turn and the temperature calls for long sleeves, we stow t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 28, 2012 is: donnybrook • \DAH-nee-brook\  • noun 1 : free-for-all, brawl 2 : a usually public quarrel or dispute Examples: The two antique collectors found themselves embroiled in a spirited donnybrook over the value of an unusual piece of furniture at the auction. "We are in the middle of a donnybrook about the threat that falling off a 'fiscal clif...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 27, 2012 is: mise-en-scène • \meez-ahn-SEN\  • noun 1 a : the arrangement of actors and scenery on a stage for a theatrical production b : stage setting 2 a : the physical setting of an action (as of a narrative or a motion picture) : context b : environment, milieu Examples: "Rick Owens creates worlds more than fashion. His shows are famous for their...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2012 is: debilitate • \dih-BIL-uh-tayt\  • verb : to impair the strength of Examples: The flu debilitated him and left him bedridden for several days. "Hard hits are part of the game. But vicious hits intended to debilitate a player, maybe end his career, are intolerable." - From an article in the Chicago Tribune, March 8, 2012 Did you know? "Debi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 25, 2012 is: lord of misrule • \LORD-uv-miss-ROOL\  • noun : a master of Christmas revels in England especially in the 15th and 16th centuries Examples: Jesters, pipers, jugglers, and drummers followed the lord of misrule into the court for the singing of the carols. "Christmas before Victoria was a wild affair, in which the fun was presided over by t...