Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 12, 2011 is: fillip • \FIL-up\  • verb 1 a : to strike by holding the nail of a finger against the ball of the thumb and then suddenly releasing it from that position b : to make a filliping motion with 2 : to project quickly by or as if by a fillip : snap 3 : to urge on : stimulate Examples: Inexplicably, Carl walked up to his baby sister and filliped...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 11, 2011 is: adventitious • \ad-ven-TISH-us\  • adjective 1 : coming from another source and not inherent or innate 2 : arising or occurring sporadically or in other than the usual location Examples: "As sand accumulates, the stems elongate, and adventitious roots develop, allowing the plants to seek out water and nutrients in successive layers of accum...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 10, 2011 is: sarcophagus • \sahr-KAH-fuh-gus\  • noun : a stone coffin; broadly : coffin Examples: After archeologists unearthed the sarcophagus, they opened it up to discover, along with the king’s body, almost a hundred gold coins. "Mark your calendars now for 'Ancient Egypt - Art and Magic.' It's a diverse collection from as far back as 6,000 years a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2011 is: diluvial • \duh-LOO-vee-ul\  • adjective : of, relating to, or brought about by a flood Examples: Archeologists studying diluvial deposits found along the river delta could make estimates from that evidence on just how far certain Paleolithic species had migrated. "When regions were drained after long-standing inundations they had accumulate...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 8, 2011 is: retrocede • \ret-roh-SEED\  • verb 1 : to go back : recede 2 : to cede back (as a territory) Examples: A congressman introduced a bill to retrocede the land to its original owner, but it was defeated. "Once upon a time -- more than 160 years ago -- Arlington County and part of the city of Alexandria fell within the District's limits, complet...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 7, 2011 is: calenture • \KAL-un-chur\  • noun : a fever formerly supposed to affect sailors in the tropics Examples: "The dairy was certainly worth looking at: it was a scene to sicken for with a sort of calenture in hot and dusty streets -- such coolness, such purity, such fresh fragrance of new-pressed cheese, of firm butter, of wooden vessels perpetu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 6, 2011 is: variegated • \VAIR-ee-uh-gay-tud\  • adjective 1 : having discrete markings of different colors 2 : various, diverse, varied Examples: The flower has bright variegated petals. "Both directors, committed to close psychological observation and day-to-day realism, also draw on a rich and variegated native tradition that is evident in their work...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 5, 2011 is: paradise • \PAIR-uh-dyce\  • noun a : the garden where according to the Bible Adam and Eve first lived : Eden b : an intermediate place or state where the souls of the righteous await resurrection and the final judgment c : the dwelling place of God and of the blessed dead : Heaven 2: a place or state of bliss, felicity, or delight Examples:...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 4, 2011 is: irrefragable • \ih-REF-ruh-guh-bul\  • adjective 1 : impossible to refute 2 : impossible to break or alter Examples: In his opening statement, the prosecutor told the jury that he would be providing them with irrefragable proof that the defendant had committed the crime. "It is an irrefragable truth that each human life has its special needs...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 3, 2011 is: bower • \BOW-er\  • noun 1 : an attractive dwelling or retreat 2 : a lady's private apartment in a medieval hall or castle 3 : a shelter made with tree boughs or vines twined together : arbor Examples: Bryan knelt down before Maura -- who was seated on a bench in the bower -- took her hand, and asked her if she would marry him. "With its urb...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 2, 2011 is: sic • \SIK\  • adverb : intentionally so written -- used after a printed word or passage to indicate that it exactly reproduces an original Examples: His letter said the people were “very freindly [sic] to me.” "A subsequent memo … concluded that the 'doctors will submit one invoice which will include the special payments formally [sic] bein...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 1, 2011 is: Lammas • \LAM-us\  • noun 1 : August 1 originally celebrated in England as a harvest festival -- called also Lammas Day 2 : the time of the year around Lammas Day Examples: "A traditional activity on Lammas is to craft corn dollies out of soaked, dried corn husks." -- From the 2007 book Sacred Land by Clea Danaan "She had a dim recollection...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 31, 2011 is: facsimile • \fak-SIM-uh-lee\  • noun 1 : an exact copy 2 : a system of transmitting and reproducing graphic matter (as printing or still pictures) by means of signals sent over telephone lines Examples: "Applications may not be submitted electronically or via facsimile and must be received by the Director of the Administrative Office of the I...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 30, 2011 is: gullible • \GULL-uh-bul\  • adjective : easily duped or cheated Examples: Carl's sister couldn't believe that he was gullible enough to fall for yet another urban legend. "Tattooed carnies urged gullible visitors to try their luck at the ring toss and water gun race. Shrieking men, women, and children rode the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Matterhorn, an...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 29, 2011 is: slaphappy • \SLAP-hap-ee\  • adjective 1 : dazed and confused : punch-drunk 2 : buoyantly or recklessly carefree or foolish : happy-go-lucky Examples: The students were all a little slaphappy after pulling an all-nighter to finish their group project by morning. "Leslie Nielsen, the straight-faced comic, was the master of the one-line joke. A...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 28, 2011 is: gallivant • \GAL-uh-vant\  • verb 1 : to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex 2 : to travel, roam, or move about for pleasure Examples: After graduating from college, Maureen spent a year gallivanting all over Europe before coming back home to find a job. "I never was one to gallivant around in orde...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 27, 2011 is: volition • \voh-LISH-un\  • noun 1 : an act of making a choice or decision; also : a choice or decision made 2 : the power of choosing or determining : will Examples: The employee left the company of his own volition. "I'd been promoting a novel non-stop for four months, advancing through my schedule without volition, feeling more and more li...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2011 is: exterminate • \ik-STER-muh-nayt\  • verb : to get rid of completely usually by killing off Examples: We finally had to call a professional to exterminate the cockroaches in our apartment. "The movie-like game would feature a pesky race of aliens called The Seekers, who were out to exterminate humanity." -- From Harold Goldberg's 2011 book All...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 25, 2011 is: grotesque • \groh-TESK\  • adjective 1 : fanciful, bizarre 2 : absurdly incongruous 3 : departing markedly from the natural, the expected, or the typical Examples: Gargoyles with twisted faces and grotesque features leered down from the medieval cathedral. "At a private event earlier this year, chef Ryan Poli sent out what looked like birds'...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 24, 2011 is: confection • \kun-FEK-shun\  • noun 1 : something put together from varied material 2 a : a fancy dish or sweetmeat; also : a sweet food b : a work of fine or elaborate craftsmanship c : a light but entertaining theatrical, cinematic, or literary work Examples: Her novels are delightful confections, perfect for those relaxing reads by the poo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2011 is: panache • \puh-NAHSH\  • noun 1 : an ornamental tuft (as of feathers) especially on a helmet 2 : dash or flamboyance in style and action : verve Examples: Ever the showman, he not only caught the ball, he made a diving catch and caught it with panache. "During the war, Donovan wanted panache to be shown by his 'cowboys' at the OSS, and he usu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2011 is: adumbrate • \AD-um-brayt\  • verb 1 : to foreshadow vaguely : intimate 2 : to suggest, disclose, or outline partially 3 : overshadow, obscure Examples: In her second book, the author developed ideas that she had only adumbrated in her first work. "Some of Shakespeare's other early comedies came even closer to adumbrating certain features of R...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2011 is: sagacious • \suh-GAY-shus\  • adjective 1 : of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment : discerning 2 : caused by or indicating acute discernment Examples: Uncle John tried to stump Natalie with a series of riddles, but for each one the sagacious child managed to deduce the correct answer. "However, the new learning from Arab and ancient...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 20, 2011 is: netsuke • \NETS-kay\  • noun : a small and often intricately carved toggle (as of wood, ivory, or metal) used to fasten a small container to a kimono sash Examples: During the Tokugawa period in Japan, from 1603-1868, netsuke were indispensable items of dress as well as fine works of miniature art. "After our lunch he'd open the sliding doors...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 19, 2011 is: convoluted • \KAHN-vuh-loo-tud\  • adjective 1 : having many twists and curves 2 : involved, intricate Examples: According to my sister’s convoluted reasoning, I still owed her $20. "Given a plot so convoluted as to be almost nonsensical -- one of Shakespeare's few originals -- Carpenter's majestic if wrongheadedly noble Titus and Ross' sinis...