Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 15, 2011 is: conversazione • \kahn-ver-saht-see-OH-nee\  • noun : a meeting for conversation especially about art, literature, or science Examples: "There is a memorable description of Lord Gowrie at an elegant conversazione at Mrs Drue Heinz's castle on Lake Como, sweltering in lovat tweeds in the Italian heat after his suitcase flies off to Glasgow...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 14, 2011 is: taciturn • \TASS-uh-tern\  • adjective : temperamentally disinclined to talk Examples: Upon hearing that reticent Calvin Coolidge -- arguably the most taciturn president in U.S. history -- had died, Dorothy Parker quipped, "How could they tell?" "The waiter, previously friendly and good-humored, was tonight solemn and taciturn." -- From T...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 13, 2011 is: swivet • \SWIV-ut\  • noun : a state of extreme agitation Examples: She was in a swivet for days before the meeting, but when the actual day arrived she found she was surprisingly calm. "The world's in a swivet over airport security. The deployment of full-body scanning technology in about 15 percent of United States airports has people e...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 12, 2011 is: zeitgeist • \TSYTE-gyste\  • noun, often capitalized : the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era Examples: The movie does an excellent job of capturing the zeitgeist of the early Cold War era. "If Broadway no longer seems behind the times or ahead of the times, it may be because there are no 'times' anymore, no preva...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 11, 2011 is: perdition • \per-DISH-un\  • noun 1 : eternal damnation 2 : hell Examples: "The urbane activity with which a man receives money is really marvellous, considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills, and that on no account can a monied man enter heaven. Ah! how cheerfully we consign ourselves to perdition!...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 10, 2011 is: compendious • \kum-PEN-dee-us\  • adjective : marked by brief expression of a comprehensive matter : concise and comprehensive; also : comprehensive Examples: A compendious handbook of grammar is a useful reference to have on hand. "The result is a compendious yet nuanced sketch of the contours of one of the most exemplary artistic career...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 9, 2011 is: kibosh • \KYE-bosh\  • noun : something that serves as a check or stop Examples: The economic downturn put the kibosh on their renovation plans. "Masterson and Phillips got engaged in 2009, but as we told you last year, the couple hit a roadblock: Volcano Eyjafjallajokull. You heard us: That massive volcanic ash cloud that grounded flights...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 8, 2011 is: wallaroo • \wah-luh-ROO\  • noun 1 : a large reddish-gray kangaroo (Macropus robustus) -- called also euro 2 : either of two kangaroos (Macropus antelopinus and M. bernardus) related to the wallaroo Examples: Wallaroos are among the approximately 200 species of marsupials found in Australia, New Guinea, and neighboring islands. "The agency...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 7, 2011 is: diligent • \DIL-uh-junt\  • adjective : characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort : painstaking Examples: After many hours of diligent research, the students were finally ready to compile their results. "The mature members of the workforce are hard-working, diligent, responsible people." -- From an article by Casey Dowd at fox...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 6, 2011 is: emblazon • \im-BLAY-zun\  • verb 1 a : to inscribe or adorn with or as if with heraldic bearings or devices b : to inscribe (as logos or lettering) on a surface 2 : celebrate, extol Examples: Renaming the high school gymnasium after the beloved late basketball coach would emblazon her memory for years to come. "A pre-game spotlight beamed...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 5, 2011 is: salient • \SAIL-yunt\  • adjective 1 : jutting forward beyond a line 2 : standing out conspicuously : prominent; especially : of notable significance Examples: The speech was filled with so much twisted rhetoric that it was hard to identify any salient points. "My point is that it might be a mistake to suppose that the director of '10,000...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 4, 2011 is: crux • \KRUKS\  • noun 1 : a puzzling or difficult problem 2 : an essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome 3 : a main or central feature (as of an argument) Examples: The crux of the city's problem with traffic congestion is that many people find the trains to be unpredictable and don’t trust them to run on time. "The c...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 3, 2011 is: nightmare • \NYTE-mair\  • noun 1 : an evil spirit formerly thought to oppress people during sleep 2 : a frightening dream that usually awakens the sleeper 3 : something (as an experience, situation, or object) having the monstrous character of a nightmare or producing a feeling of anxiety or terror Examples: Since starting the new medicat...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 2, 2011 is: stratagem • \STRAT-uh-jum\  • noun 1 a : an artifice or trick in war for deceiving and outwitting the enemy b : a cleverly contrived trick or scheme for gaining an end 2 : skill in ruses or trickery Examples: As a stratagem to get the kids to do their chores, Melissa persuaded them to have a race to see which child could finish first. "Wit...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 1, 2011 is: genuflect • \JEN-yuh-flekt\  • verb 1 a : to bend the knee b : to touch the knee to the floor or ground especially in worship 2 : to be servilely obedient or respectful Examples: As part of the wedding ceremony, the couple genuflected before the altar. "You imagine how frustrating it is for those watching and waiting to genuflect at the al...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2011 is: fascicle • \FASS-ih-kul\  • noun 1 : a small or slender bundle (as of pine needles or nerve fibers) 2 : one of the divisions of a book published in parts Examples: "It was a word that was due to be included in the dictionary's second fascicle, or part, being readied to be printed and published in the later summer of 1885." -- From the 199...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 29, 2011 is: regardless • \rih-GAHRD-lus\  • adverb : despite everything Examples: The weather forecast called for wind and rain, but Susan decided to continue with her plans regardless. "Regardless of how much money the park has, and regardless of how efficiently that money is spent, there are practical constraints on the pace of design, approvals an...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 28, 2011 is: coquetry • \KOH-kuh-tree\  • noun : a flirtatious act or attitude Examples: In a not-so-subtle act of coquetry, Nancy smiled flirtatiously and winked at Scott as she walked past him. “Her Act III solo with a fan became an expression not of conventional coquetry but of impish joy in the moment." -- From a review of the American Ballet Thea...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 27, 2011 is: feisty • \FYE-stee\  • adjective 1 a : full of nervous energy : fidgety b : touchy, quarrelsome c : exuberantly frisky 2 : having or showing a lively aggressiveness : spunky Examples: Elena found success as an actress on Broadway thanks in part to her feisty spirit and strong work ethic. "Puss, the adorable, boots-wearing, sword-slashing...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 26, 2011 is: bemuse • \bih-MYOOZ\  • verb 1 : to make confused : puzzle, bewilder 2 : to occupy the attention of : absorb 3 : to cause to have feelings of wry or tolerant amusement Examples: She had neither asked for nor expected her newfound celebrity, and was bemused by all the attention she was receiving. "When Brazil’s central bank stepped into th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 25, 2011 is: placid • \PLASS-id\  • adjective : serenely free of interruption or disturbance; also : complacent Examples: It was fortunate that the horse Meaghan was riding had a placid disposition and didn't try to bolt when the car backfired. "Los Angeles was initially welcoming of them, as it is of anyone with money, but when it became clear that t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 24, 2011 is: impute • \im-PYOOT\  • verb 1 : to lay the responsibility or blame for often falsely or unjustly 2 : to credit to a person or a cause Examples: "My enemies have tried to impute sinister motives to my actions," said the politician, "but I assure the voters that I have always placed their interests first and foremost." "Rosenberg wants us t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 23, 2011 is: trammel • \TRAM-ul\  • noun 1 : a net for catching birds or fish 2 : something impeding activity, progress, or freedom : restraint -- usually used in plural Examples: "I cast the miserable trammels of worldly discretion to the winds, and spoke with the fervour that filled me…." -- From Wilkie Collins' 1868 novel The Moonstone "Those detai...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 22, 2011 is: splenetic • \splih-NET-ik\  • adjective : marked by bad temper, malevolence, or spite Examples: I know David was in a bad mood all day, but the splenetic tone of his reply to Brenda’s question was not necessary. "If he were 10 or 15 years younger (or at least looked like he was), [Charlie] Sheen would be perfect as the splenetic, screed-s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 21, 2011 is: strudel • \STROO-dul\  • noun : a pastry made from a thin sheet of dough rolled up with filling and baked Examples: Strudels are usually made with high-gluten flour to increase the malleability of the dough. "The Supremes belted out a song on the radio, their voices as smooth and flawless as the ribbon of cream Kirsten poured from the pit...