Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 9, 2012 is: spendthrift • \SPEND-thrift\  • noun : a person who spends improvidently or wastefully Examples: David complained that his eldest son was quite the spendthrift, and was always writing home from college requesting more money. "Perhaps you remember a column I wrote two years ago about Spendthrifts and Tightwads. Spendthrifts experience little...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 8, 2012 is: mordant • \MOR-dunt\  • adjective 1 : biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style : incisive 2 : burning, pungent Examples: The newspaper columnist's acute insights and mordant wit made her columns a must-read for many subscribers. "These letters show the tender, funny, love-hungry side of [Philip] Larkin that, in the poems proper, are...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 7, 2012 is: tome • \TOHM\  • noun 1 : a volume forming part of a larger work 2 : book; especially : a large or scholarly book Examples: It took me more than a month to finish reading that 800-page tome on European history. "Priced at $1,000, the limited-edition tome brings together Norman Mailer's 1973 biography of Monroe with Bert Stern's now-legendar...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 6, 2012 is: calaboose • \KAL-uh-booss\  • noun : jail; especially : a local jail Examples: The chief entertainment at our family gatherings is always the stories my uncles tell of their wild youthful antics -- some of which landed them in the calaboose for a night. "Dallas broke the law, according to the lawsuit, because it lied in violation of the Fal...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 5, 2012 is: epithet • \EP-uh-thet\  • noun 1 : a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing 2 : a disparaging or abusive word or phrase 3 : the part of a taxonomic name identifying a subordinate unit within a genus Examples: The online message board’s Terms of Service dictate that abusive language...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 4, 2012 is: headlong • \HED-LAWNG\  • adverb 1 : with the head foremost 2 : without deliberation : recklessly 3 : without pause or delay Examples: He's impulsive when it comes to romance and often rushes headlong into relationships, with little thought given to their long-term viability. "Under the direction of Jim Petosa, the performances by these exe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 3, 2012 is: parochial • \puh-ROH-kee-ul\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to a church parish 2 : limited in range or scope (as to a narrow area or region) : provincial, narrow Examples: The book is marred by the parochial viewpoint of its author, who fails to take into account the interplay between local and global economies. "Once a largely parochial i...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 2, 2012 is: rapporteur • \ra-por-TER\  • noun : a person who gives reports (as at a meeting of a learned society) Examples: He was selected to be the UN's rapporteur on nuclear energy. "In March, the U.N. Human Rights Council designated a special rapporteur, Ahmed Shaheed, to investigate and report on Iran's human rights violations, the first country-s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 1, 2012 is: incommunicado • \in-kuh-myoo-nuh-KAH-doh\  • adverb or adjective : without means of communication : in a situation or state not allowing communication Examples: Human rights groups continue to petition the government to allow them access to prisoners who are being held incommunicado. "Spirit has been incommunicado for more than a year despi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 31, 2011 is: amenable • \uh-MEE-nuh-bul\  • adjective 1 : liable to be brought to account : answerable 2 a : capable of submission (as to judgment or test) : suited b : readily brought to yield, submit, or cooperate c : inclined or favorably disposed in mind : willing Examples: Stacy hinted to her husband that she was amenable to the idea of staying h...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 30, 2011 is: maladroit • \mal-uh-DROYT\  • adjective : lacking skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations : inept Examples: Jim's maladroit management of the construction project caused it to take months longer than expected to be completed. "All the aristocrats, not surprisingly, turn out to be maladroit, unable to feed or dress the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 29, 2011 is: gloss • \GLAHSS\  • verb 1 a : to provide a gloss for : explain, define b : interpret 2 : to dispose of by false or perverse interpretation Examples: Although not intended for the layperson, the text is relatively jargon-free and most of the technical vocabulary has been glossed. "Even when Wotton’s footnotes correctly gloss Swift's mater...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 28, 2011 is: duckboard • \DUK-bord\  • noun : a boardwalk or slatted flooring laid on a wet, muddy, or cold surface -- usually used in plural Examples: Someone had laid duckboards across the marshy area of the path so that it was passable. "Much of the trail consists of duckboards to protect fragile eco-systems and hikers should be careful not to step...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 27, 2011 is: flagrant • \FLAY-grunt\  • adjective : conspicuously offensive; especially : so obviously inconsistent with what is right or proper as to appear to be a flouting of law or morality Examples: The United Nations is investigating what seem to be flagrant violations of human rights by the junta. "Wade missed the South Carolina game because of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2011 is: intrepid • \in-TREP-id\  • adjective : characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance Examples: She was an intrepid child, always coming home with scrapes and bruises, but also with great stories of "adventures." "The vineyard lies atop a knoll down the road from Bohan Vineyard, at an elevation of 1,200 feet. In the earl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 25, 2011 is: tiding • \TYE-ding\  • noun : a piece of news -- usually used in plural Examples: I rushed off to share the good news, excited to be the bearer of glad tidings. "With Christmas more than a month away, Duane Brusseau is getting a head start on Santa as he makes stops across the nation spreading tidings of good cheer." -- From an article by...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 24, 2011 is: dulcet • \DUL-sut\  • adjective 1 : sweet to the taste 2 : pleasing to the ear 3 : generally pleasing or agreeable Examples: At the concert, Kate leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the dulcet tones of the harp solo. "The haddock was sweet and tender inside the coarse cornmeal crust, with dulcet chili aioli and creamy av...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 23, 2011 is: perquisite • \PER-kwuh-zut\  • noun 1 : a privilege or profit made in addition to regular pay 2 : gratuity, tip 3 : something held or claimed as an exclusive right or possession Examples: One of the job's perquisites is use of a company car. "A few years ago, before motherhood and a recession slowed me down, my annual flight mileage allow...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 22, 2011 is: echelon • \ESH-uh-lahn\  • noun 1 : a steplike arrangement 2 a : one of a series of levels or grades in an organization or field of activity b : the individuals at such a level Examples: We heard stories of corruption in the higher echelons of the firm. "The Horseheads school district is in the upper echelon of upstate school districts, a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 21, 2011 is: wreak • \REEK\  • verb 1 : to cause the infliction of (vengeance or punishment) 2 : to give free play or course to (malevolent feeling) 3 : bring about, cause Examples: The visiting team's skilled receivers wreaked havoc on our defense all night long. "Emily VanCamp stars [as] a wealthy young woman who returns to her former Hamptons home...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 20, 2011 is: subterfuge • \SUB-ter-fyooj\  • noun 1 : deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal, escape, or evade 2 : a deceptive device or stratagem Examples: They obtained the documents through subterfuge. "Staring into a series of mirrors, Philip Fletcher's Iago watches as his reflections come to life, in the form of two of Synetic's o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 19, 2011 is: ethereal • \ih-THEER-ee-ul\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to the heavens : heavenly 2 : being light and airy : delicate Examples: I had expected the spa to be one of those places where they burn aromatherapy candles and play ethereal music, but it wasn't like that at all. "His compositions are ethereal, often enhanced by coloured lighti...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 18, 2011 is: kegler • \KEG-ler\  • noun : a person who bowls : bowler Examples: "Five keglers … brought home money from the recent Oregon Bowlers Association tournament sponsored by Striking Image Pro Shop at Wilsonville Lanes in Wilsonville, Ore." -- From an article by Rick McCorkle in the Longview Daily News (Washington), November 3, 2011 "Kegler al...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 17, 2011 is: raillery • \RAIL-uh-ree\  • noun 1 : good-natured ridicule : banter 2 : jest Examples: New workers at the plant can expect to endure some raillery and joshing from the old-timers. "Scioli, a floorsweep, another barber and a man on the sofa called Buddy Lite are carrying on a conversation that bounces around like a Wham-O Super Ball, touch...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 16, 2011 is: foment • \FOH-ment\  • verb : to promote the growth or development of : rouse, incite Examples: He has been accused of fomenting violence, but he denies the claim and insists that he and his followers will only engage in peaceful means of protest. "As it has in past years, PJFF31 will also feature a New Filmmakers Weekend (March 17-19) an...