Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 24, 2012 is: glogg • \GLUG\  • noun : a hot spiced wine and liquor punch served in Scandinavian countries as a Christmas drink Examples: "From traditional glogg and wassail to some combinations we never would have thought up ourselves, these mulled wine recipes will cut through any chill you can find." - From an article at The Huffington Post, Novembe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 23, 2012 is: seasonal affective disorder • \SEE-zuh-nul-a-FEK-tiv-diss-OR-der\  • noun : depression that tends to recur as the days grow shorter during the fall and winter Examples: A person could really get the better of seasonal affective disorder if he or she could spend November to March in the southern hemisphere. "Having suffered from seasonal a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 22, 2012 is: farrier • \FAIR-ee-er\  • noun : a person who shoes horses Examples: Since he spent so much of his childhood around horses, it was not a surprise when James decided to apprentice to learn to be a farrier. "Idling in her cramped workspace outside the Washington International Horse Show, where the day's first whinnies were echoing throughou...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 21, 2012 is: solstice • \SAHL-stiss\  • noun : the time of year when the sun is farthest north of the equator or farthest south of the equator Examples: People all over the world have observed celebrations linked to the summer and winter solstices since ancient times. "Experts on Mayan culture say that date [December 21, 2012], the winter solstice, si...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 20, 2012 is: impolitic • \im-PAH-luh-tik\  • adjective : not politic : unwise Examples: The talk show host's impolitic remarks were often the target of public outrage, but they also earned him legions of fans. "She'll say what's on her mind, no matter how wildly inappropriate or impolitic." - From a movie review by Steven Rea in The Philadelphia Inqui...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 19, 2012 is: algid • \AL-jid\  • adjective : cold Examples: "Lifting the taffeta hanging from the seat under the windows, he stroked the pipes of the radiator. He touched cold metal, metal algid as ice!" - From Carl Van Vechten's 1925 novel Firecrackers: A Realistic Novel "They knew how to keep moving, with air so algid it hits like a sledgehammer the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 18, 2012 is: lagniappe • \LAN-yap\  • noun : a small gift given a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase; broadly : something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure Examples: Diners will no doubt be pleasantly surprised that such a fine champagne is served with the special holiday menu's first course as lagniappe. "That typ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 17, 2012 is: commensal • \kuh-MEN-sul\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to those who habitually eat together 2 : of, relating to, or living in a relationship in which one organism obtains food or other benefits from another without damaging or benefiting it Examples: "Florentines in the 1980s still valued their families and insisted on eating together...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 16, 2012 is: quadrate • \KWAH-drayt\  • adjective : being square or approximately square Examples: The linoleum featured a colorful pattern of large quadrate shapes. "For dessert, Namiri brings out quadrate slices of baklava accompanied by strong Turkish coffee." - From a review by Christy Khoshaba in the Monterey County Weekly, May 26, 2011 Did you k...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 15, 2012 is: hagiography • \hag-ee-AH-gruh-fee\  • noun 1 : biography of saints or venerated persons 2 : idealizing or idolizing biography Examples: The book effectively portrays the leader's strengths without resorting to hagiography. "'Lincoln' gratifyingly dodges the kind of safe, starchy hagiography that some Spielberg skeptics feared. Rather, the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 14, 2012 is: schmooze • \SHMOOZ\  • verb : to converse informally : chat; also : to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections Examples: Conference attendees will have plenty of chances to schmooze with the industry's power players. "Children were given the opportunity to try on costumes, test the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 13, 2012 is: parietal • \puh-RYE-uh-tul\  • adjective 1 a : of or relating to the walls of a part or cavity b : of, relating to, or forming the upper posterior wall of the head 2 : attached to the main wall rather than the axis or a cross wall of a plant ovary - used of an ovule or a placenta 3 : of or relating to college living or its regulation; esp...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 12, 2012 is: intersperse • \in-ter-SPERSS\  • verb 1 : to place something at intervals in or among 2 : to insert at intervals among other things Examples: The author has interspersed the guidebook with illustrations of the different birds we might encounter on the safari tour. "Students attend from 8:35 a.m. to 4:06 p.m., in 10-period days that inters...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 11, 2012 is: disport • \dih-SPORT\  • verb 1 : divert, amuse 2 : frolic 3 : display Examples: "Dracula builds a five-stake resort for his monster friends to disport themselves unbothered on vacation, but his daughter falls in love with a somewhat dopey human." - From a review of the movie Hotel Transylvania by Jeff Simon, Buffalo News (New York), Sept...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 10, 2012 is: pomander • \POH-man-der\  • noun 1 : a mixture of aromatic substances enclosed in a perforated bag or box and used to scent clothes and linens or formerly carried as a guard against infection; also : a clove-studded orange or apple used for the same purposes 2 : a box or hollow fruit-shaped ball for holding pomander Examples: Tuck a homem...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 9, 2012 is: tutelary • \TOO-tuh-lair-ee\  • adjective 1 : having the guardianship of a person or a thing 2 : of or relating to a guardian Examples: The ancient Romans revered certain gods and goddesses as tutelary deities. "You can see a similar restlessness in the range of C.K.'s influences.... Indie film pioneer John Cassavettes may be another tutel...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 8, 2012 is: hypermnesia • \hye-perm-NEE-zhee-uh\  • noun : abnormally vivid or complete memory or recall of the past Examples: "When I heard Peyton Manning might have hypermnesia, I was going to buy him a get-well card. Then I learned that it's a fancy way of saying he's got an abnormally sharp memory." - From an article by Bob Molinaro in the Virgini...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 7, 2012 is: tamale • \tuh-MAH-lee\  • noun : cornmeal dough rolled with ground meat or beans seasoned usually with chili, wrapped usually in corn husks, and steamed Examples: "The Mexican Dinner has a little of everything; the moist tamale and cheese enchilada, both with chili, are especially good." - From a restaurant review in Texas Monthly, Novembe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 6, 2012 is: nobby • \NAH-bee\  • adjective : cleverly stylish : chic, smart Examples: "[Mrs. Vance] ... reappeared, stunningly arrayed in a dark-blue walking dress, with a nobby hat to match." - From Theodore Dreiser's 1900 novel Sister Carrie "This 'Members Only' club was where Chicago's nobbiest [people] gathered to shut out people who were not like...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 5, 2012 is: connive • \kuh-NYVE\  • verb 1 : to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose 2 a : to be indulgent or in secret sympathy : wink b : to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding 3 : to engage in secret scheming : conspire Examples: He is not above conniving against his own co-workers if he th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 4, 2012 is: cloche • \KLOHSH\  • noun 1 : a transparent plant cover used outdoors especially for protection against cold 2 : a woman's close-fitting hat usually with deep rounded crown and narrow brim Examples: You may be able to extend your own garden's growing season considerably by using cloches to protect plants from colder temperatures. "Another...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 3, 2012 is: hotdog • \HAHT-dawg\  • verb : to perform in a conspicuous or often ostentatious manner; especially : to perform fancy stunts and maneuvers (as while surfing or skiing) Examples: The wide receiver hotdogged in the end zone after catching the touchdown pass. "Benson hotdogged with her usual flair..." - From Matt Warshaw's 2010 book The Hist...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 2, 2012 is: campestral • \kam-PESS-trul\  • adjective : of or relating to fields or open country : rural Examples: "Santiago's proximity to ski resorts, beach resorts, and the idyllic countryside, with its campestral and ranching traditions and colonial estates, offer plenty for the traveler to see and do." - From Frommer’s Chile and Easter Island, 20...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 1, 2012 is: scumble • \SKUM-bul\  • verb 1 a : to make (as color or a painting) less brilliant by covering with a thin coat of opaque or semiopaque color applied with a nearly dry brush b : to apply (a color) in this manner 2 : to soften the lines or colors of (a drawing) by rubbing lightly Examples: He scumbles his seascapes until they are suffused w...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2012 is: cathexis • \kuh-THEK-sis\  • noun : investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea Examples: "The veil that hides Laura and her eyes, her hair, her smile (and its counterpart, the glove that veils her hand) becomes the object of Petrarch's cathexis...." - From an essay by Margaret Brose in the 2010 book The Body in...