Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 3, 2012 is: gam • \GAM\  • verb 1 : to have a visit or friendly conversation with 2 : to spend or pass (as time) talking Examples: The two strangers discovered that they had a lot in common as they gammed the hours away on the long train ride. "It always was -- and still is, for that matter -- infuriating to be ignored when superiors are gamming on ab...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 2, 2012 is: stiction • \STIK-shun\  • noun : the force required to cause one body in contact with another to begin to move Examples: Tire quality can affect stiction at the start of an auto race. "Stiction is stationary friction. Starting the bolt turning takes more force than keeping it turning. The tighter the bolt, the more stiction can affect torq...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 1, 2012 is: heyday • \HAY-day\  • noun : the period of one's greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity Examples: In its heyday, the circus was a major form of entertainment for small-town America. "Here is Hemingway both in his heyday, soaring on the accolades of The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, and his decline, precipitated by alcoholism an...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 31, 2012 is: gambol • \GAM-bul\  • verb : to skip about in play : frisk, frolic Examples: The children scamper and gambol about the playground with seemingly endless energy. "Strong binoculars … allow patrons to spy on the sea otters, pelicans, cormorants and other creatures that gambol among the bay kelp." -- From an article by Peter Magnani in the Sa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 30, 2012 is: elixir • \ih-LIK-ser\  • noun 1 a : a substance held to be capable of changing metals into gold b : a substance held to be capable of extending life c : cure-all d : a medicinal concoction 2 : a sweetened usually alcoholic liquid Examples: While the new sports complex should bring some much-needed job growth to our struggling region, we sh...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 29, 2012 is: Cook's tour • \COOKS-TOOR\  • noun : a rapid or cursory survey or review Examples: The guide gave the group a Cook's tour of the types of sea life that they might encounter on their dive. "Remain in the party zone. Do not drag other guests on an adventurous cook's tour of the property, sneak beyond closed doors, explore the master bath ins...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 28, 2012 is: bright-line • \BRYTE-lyne\  • adjective : providing an unambiguous criterion or guideline especially in law Examples: The company's new reimbursement policy makes a bright-line distinction between acceptable and unacceptable travel expenses. "The NFL needs to have a bright-line rule for the use of electronics devices during games." -- From...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 27, 2012 is: arbalest • \AHR-buh-list\  • noun : a crossbow especially of medieval times Examples: The destructive power of the arbalest was so greatly feared during the 1100s that some governments tried to outlaw its use. "During forensic examination, it was established that the murder was made using [an] arbalest. " -- From an article in States News...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 26, 2012 is: loath • \LOHTH\  • adjective : unwilling to do something contrary to one's way of thinking : reluctant Examples: She was loath to admit her mistakes. "Doctors are loath to testify against colleagues guilty of malpractice." -- From an article by Tammerlin Drummond in the Contra Costa Times (California), December 21, 2011 Did you know? Many...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 25, 2012 is: intercalate • \in-TER-kuh-layt\  • verb 1 : to insert (as a day) in a calendar 2 : to insert between or among existing elements or layers Examples: Over the centuries, people of various cultures have intercalated months and days to bring their calendars into alignment with the seasonal year. "The fossiliferous deposits of the Tatrot Format...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 24, 2012 is: contaminate • \kun-TAM-uh-nayt\  • verb 1 a : to soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association b : to make inferior or impure by admixture 2 : to make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements Examples: Lucy ended up with a serious infection when her wound became contaminated by bacteria. "Indian...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 23, 2012 is: yegg • \YEG\  • noun : safecracker; also : robber Examples: "The cops grabbed him and another yegg for a Philadelphia store burglary." -- From the James Lardner and Thomas Reppetto book, NYPD: A City and Its Police, 2001 "According to police the yeggs, apparently knowing exactly where the money was, punched a six-inch hole in the corner of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 22, 2012 is: leonine • \LEE-uh-nyne\  • adjective : of, relating to, suggestive of, or resembling a lion Examples: "The world wanders into many strange by-paths of affection. The love of a mother for her children is dominant, leonine, selfish, and unselfish." -- From Theodore Dreiser's 1912 novel The Financier "At 72, the leonine pianist [McCoy Tyner]...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 21, 2012 is: weltschmerz • \VELT-shmairts\  • noun, often capitalized 1 : mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state 2 : a mood of sentimental sadness Examples: As I grew older and encountered more of life's hardships, I found myself plunging into a state of weltschmerz. "Fortunately books exis...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 20, 2012 is: darling • \DAHR-ling\  • noun 1 : a dearly loved person 2 : favorite Examples: The youngest of three children, she was always her parents' little darling. "A darling of Martha Stewart and Alice Waters, the Meyer -- nicknamed 'the gourmet lemon' -- also has become a favorite of California gardeners." -- From an article by Debbie Arrington i...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 19, 2012 is: fustian • \FUSS-chun\  • noun 1 : a strong cotton and linen fabric 2 : high-flown or affected writing or speech; broadly : anything high-flown or affected in style Examples: Readers with a low tolerance for fustian may be put off by the writer's style, but there is no denying that his arguments have merit. "To be wearing plain dimity and f...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 18, 2012 is: junket • \JUNK-ut\  • noun 1 : a dessert of sweetened flavored milk set with rennet 2 a : a festive social affair b : trip, journey: as (1) : a trip made by an official at public expense (2) : a promotional trip made at another's expense Examples: The senator has been criticized for going on expensive junkets to foreign countries. "It's a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 17, 2012 is: graupel • \GROU-pul ("OU" is as in "cloud")\  • noun : granular snow Examples: As we sat inside, enjoying the cozy warmth of the fire, the storm deposited an inch of graupel on the deck. "In counties adjacent to the Illinois-Wisconsin border, graupel (snow enveloped by super-cooled water droplets) or small hail was reported in Kenosha, Rac...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 16, 2012 is: ostensible • \ah-STEN-suh-bul\  • adjective 1 : intended for display : open to view 2 : being such in appearance : plausible rather than demonstrably true or real Examples: The ostensible reason for the meeting was to review the budget, but the whole thing was really just a ruse to get him to the surprise party. "The ostensible purpose of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 15, 2012 is: xylography • \zye-LAH-gruh-fee\  • noun : the art of making engravings on wood especially for printing Examples: Francine uses a rubber-stamping technique in her art that is reminiscent of Chinese xylography. "Also known as wood block printing, xylography proved to be cheaper and more efficient for printing Chinese, with its thousands of c...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 14, 2012 is: crucible • \KROO-suh-bul\  • noun 1 : a vessel in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted 2 : a severe test 3 : a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development Examples: Living in the crucible that was Paris in the spring of 1968, Remi got to wi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2012 is: thole • \THOHL\  • verb : endure Examples: "There was now temptation to resist, as well as pain to thole." -- From Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novel Kidnapped "She moved closer to him and he noticed her faint perfume. Her cheeks were rosy red, and a tiny drip hung from the end of her nose. She was cold, but she was tholing it so as not t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 12, 2012 is: valorous • \VAL-uh-russ\  • adjective 1 : possessing or acting with bravery or boldness : courageous 2 : marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination : heroic Examples: Audie Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945 for valorous acts that helped to save his company in the face of a fierce German assault. "So tod...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 11, 2012 is: kudos • \KOO-dahss\  • noun 1 : fame and renown resulting from an act or achievement : prestige 2 : praise given for achievement Examples: "I'd like to be a widow. Then I'd have the freedom of the unmarried, with the kudos of the married. I could eat my cake and have it, too. Oh, to be a widow!" -- From Lucy Maud Montgomery’s short story "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 10, 2012 is: defer • \dih-FER\  • verb 1 : put off, delay 2 : to postpone induction of (a person) into military service Examples: The minister advised the young man and woman that it would be wise for them to defer getting married until they had finished school. "In 1962, at age 20, he was commissioned at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. After three years...