Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2012 is: hiatus • \hye-AY-tus\  • noun 1 a : a break in or as if in a material object : gap b : a gap or passage in an anatomical part or organ 2 a : an interruption in time or continuity : break; especially : a period when something (as a program or activity) is suspended or interrupted b : the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or interveni...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2012 is: recalcitrant • \rih-KAL-suh-trunt\  • adjective 1 : obstinately defiant of authority or restraint 2 a : difficult to manage or operate b : not responsive to treatment c : resistant Examples: Anna's doctor ordered a week of complete bed rest, but, ever recalcitrant when it comes to doctors' orders, she was up and baking a cake after two days. "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2012 is: pacify • \PASS-uh-fye\  • verb 1 : to allay the anger or agitation of : soothe 2 a : to restore to a tranquil state : settle b : to reduce to a submissive state : subdue Examples: Aunt Mabel claimed she had the magic touch to pacify a cranky baby, and indeed, as soon as she picked up her infant nephew he settled right down. "Before Leon LaRue...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2012 is: tranche • \TRAHNSH\  • noun : a division or portion of a pool or whole Examples: "The funds are doled out in tranches over time…." - From an article in The Economist, March 10, 2012 "The 1917 law … allowed $8 billion in national debt, the first tranche of an ultimate $30 billion debt to fund World War I, repayable in gold." - From an article b...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9, 2012 is: agog • \uh-GAHG\  • adjective : full of intense interest or excitement : eager Examples: Everyone was agog over the rumor that a famous actress would be coming to town to shoot her next movie. "Throughout the hotel dolphins cavort in the details, a popular motif in the mansions of Newport, leaving anyone who appreciates interior design agog." -...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2012 is: torrid • \TOR-id\  • adjective 1 a : parched with heat especially of the sun : hot b : giving off intense heat : scorching 2 : ardent, passionate Examples: As she cleaned out the attic, Monica was shocked to find a box filled with torrid love letters that her grandfather had written to her grandmother. "The deodar cedar, although really a cool...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2012 is: satiety • \suh-TYE-uh-tee\  • noun 1 : the quality or state of being fed or gratified to or beyond capacity : surfeit, fullness 2 : the revulsion or disgust caused by overindulgence or excess Examples: Enjoying his satiety after a hearty meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, and gravy, Bill sat down in his recliner for a brief nap. "Yes...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2012 is: validate • \VAL-uh-dayt\  • verb 1 a : to make legally valid : ratify b : to grant official sanction to by marking c : to confirm the validity of (an election); also : to declare (a person) elected 2 a : to support or corroborate on a sound or authoritative basis b : to recognize, establish, or illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy of Example...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 5, 2012 is: putative • \PYOO-tuh-tiv\  • adjective 1 : commonly accepted or supposed 2 : assumed to exist or to have existed Examples: Corporate restructuring and a need to cut costs were the putative reasons for the layoffs. "The phrase 'wacky woman' was being tossed about frequently in descriptions of Maryland's putative lottery winner…." - From an artic...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 4, 2012 is: bon vivant • \bahn-vee-VAHNT\  • noun : a person having cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes especially in respect to food and drink Examples: Mr. Murray is a congenial bon vivant who seems to relish the fine art of conversation almost as much as he does the fine art of French cooking. "Polemicist and journalist Christopher Hitchens, who di...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2012 is: lunette • \loo-NET\  • noun 1 a : something that has the shape of a crescent or half-moon: as b : an opening in a vault especially for a window c : the surface at the upper part of a wall that is partly surrounded by a vault which the wall intersects and that is often filled by windows or by mural painting d : a low crescentic mound (as of sand...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 2, 2012 is: cachinnate • \KAK-uh-nayt\  • verb : to laugh loudly or immoderately Examples: The person sitting beside me at the table cachinnated through the entire dinner party, ruining my enjoyment of the meal. "'Butler' is so deliciously zany and funny, we cachinnated until our sides hurts." - From a theater review by Christopher Muther in The Boston Glo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 1, 2012 is: abstruse • \ub-STROOSS\  • adjective : difficult to comprehend Examples: The author's new book is not as abstruse as his previous works and is likely to attract a much larger readership. "It was the kind of spectacle that policy wonks savor - three days of complex and abstruse arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court…." - From an article by Andr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2012 is: spiel • \SPEEL\  • noun : a voluble line of often extravagant talk : a speech delivered especially to sell or promote something Examples: Jonathan called the wireless company with a question about his bill; he was not expecting a spiel from a representative trying to sell him on a more expensive data plan. "Springsteen has always been an inc...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 29, 2012 is: notorious • \noh-TOR-ee-us\  • adjective : generally known and talked of; especially : widely and unfavorably known Examples: That particular model of car is notorious for quickly developing a number of irritating mechanical problems. "Stroll along La Rambla and take in the very touristy mile-long avenue filled with kiosks, cafés and flower...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2012 is: obliterate • \uh-BLIT-uh-rayt\  • verb 1 a : to remove from recognition or memory b : to remove from existence 2 : to make undecipherable by wiping out or covering over Examples: The epitaph on the centuries-old headstone had been obliterated by wind, rain, and age. "With the forecast for the end of the month included, monthly-averaged tempe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 27, 2012 is: patagium • \puh-TAY-jee-um\  • noun 1 : the fold of skin connecting the forelimbs and hind limbs of some tetrapods (as flying squirrels) 2 : the fold of skin in front of the main segments of a bird's wing Examples: The flying squirrel uses its two patagia to glide from tree to tree. "One of the key identification marks is the dark leading ed...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 26, 2012 is: unabashed • \un-uh-BASHT\  • adjective : not disconcerted : undisguised, unapologetic Examples: "I am an unabashed fan of the Scripps National Spelling Bee," admitted Carly. "He long has been an unabashed advocate of increasing the gas tax to help pay for transportation projects…." - From an article by Matt Cella in The Washington Times, Apr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 25, 2012 is: cahoot • \kuh-HOOT\  • noun : partnership, league - usually used in plural Examples: Police suspect that the burglar was in cahoots with the bartender. "In a huge anti-mafia bust, 16 judges have been arrested near Naples, Italy, according to the BBC, for allegedly being in cahoots with Italy's notorious Camorra crime syndicate." - From a new...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 24, 2012 is: kowtow • \KOW-tow\  • verb 1 : to show obsequious deference : fawn 2 : to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in token of homage, worship, or deep respect Examples: Martin kowtows to our boss every chance he gets, complimenting him on his suits and offering favors. "It's not honorable to kowtow to the extremes so you can preserve your...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 23, 2012 is: pace • \PAY-see\  • preposition : contrary to the opinion of - usually used as an expression of deference to someone's contrary opinion Examples: Pace everyone with a smartphone, I think e-mail is best written and read-and the wilds of the Internet best explored-in the privacy of one's own domicile. "Pace Mr. Jiang, I submit that this kind o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 22, 2012 is: vindicate • \VIN-duh-kayt\  • verb 1 a : avenge 2 a: to free from allegation or blame b : confirm, substantiate c : to provide justification or defense for : justify d : to protect from attack or encroachment : defend 2 : to maintain a right to Examples: Recent discoveries appear to vindicate the scientist's once controversial theory. "A mix...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 21, 2012 is: malediction • \mal-uh-DIK-shun\  • noun : curse, execration Examples: The two old women began casting aspersions and heaping maledictions upon one another. "Culture may have been the principal instrument of our transfiguration, and we could now only curse the few beneficiaries of the founder of civil society with Caliban's malediction addres...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 20, 2012 is: gregarious • \grih-GAIR-ee-us\  • adjective 1 a : tending to associate with others of one's kind : social b : marked by or indicating a liking for companionship: sociable c : of or relating to a social group 2 a : growing in a cluster or a colony b : living in contiguous nests but not forming a true colony - used especially of wasps and bees...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 19, 2012 is: threshold • \THRESH-hohld\  • noun 1 : the section of wood or stone that lies under a door 2 a : the means or place of entry : entrance b : the place or point of beginning 3 : the point or level at which a physical or mental effect begins to be produced Examples: She fell in love with the old house from the moment she first stepped across th...