Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 18, 2011 is: anacoluthon • \an-uh-kuh-LOO-thahn\  • noun : syntactical inconsistency or incoherence within a sentence; especially : a shift in an unfinished sentence from one syntactic construction to another Examples: Shakespeare uses anacoluthon to express the king's emotion in this line from Henry V: "Rather proclaim it, Westmorelan, through my host, /...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2011 is: propitious • \pruh-PISH-us\  • adjective 1 : favorably disposed : benevolent 2 : being of good omen : auspicious 3 : tending to favor : advantageous Examples: A time of high unemployment is not the most propitious moment to start searching for a new job. "The fact that at least one of Johnny's old buddies, a wiseguy named Skinny, immediately...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 16, 2011 is: beguile • \bih-GHYLE\  • verb 1 : to deceive by cunning means 2 : to draw notice or interest by wiles or charm 3 : to cause (as time) to pass pleasantly Examples: Samantha managed to beguile her classmates into doing the work for her. "She is considerably younger than Goldman, 25 to his 47 when they meet, and at times, her youth seems to be p...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 15, 2011 is: juggernaut • \JUG-er-nawt\  • noun 1 : a large heavy truck 2 : a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path Examples: Led by their talented shooting guard, the high school’s basketball team was a juggernaut, winning the state championship three years in a row. "During most of the year, Claire...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2011 is: lenient • \LEEN-yunt\  • adjective 1 : exerting a soothing or easing influence : relieving pain or stress 2 : of mild and tolerant disposition; especially : indulgent Examples: The judge decided to be lenient because it was a first offense, but warned that the defendant would not be so lucky a second time. "Portugal agreed yesterday to accept...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2011 is: flivver • \FLIV-er\  • noun : a small cheap usually old automobile Examples: Kevin plans to keep his new convertible off the roads during the harsh, cold months when streets are salted and sanded, so he is looking for a flivver to use as a winter beater. "She shook my hand -- a man's strong grip -- and then drove away in her flivver." -- From...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2011 is: chasten • \CHAY-sun\  • verb 1 : to correct by punishment or suffering : discipline; also : purify 2 a : to prune (as a work or style of art) of excess, pretense, or falsity : refine b : to cause to be more humble or restrained : subdue Examples: He was very arrogant as a younger man, but he has been sufficiently chastened by life's hardships...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2011 is: raiment • \RAY-munt\  • noun : clothing, garments Examples: "On their arrival the station was lively with straw-hatted young men, welcoming young girls who bore a remarkable family likeness to their welcomers, and who were dressed up in the brightest and lightest of raiment." -- From Thomas Hardy’s 1895 novel Jude the Obscure Did you know? If...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2011 is: eccentric • \ik-SEN-trik\  • adjective 1 a : deviating from an established or usual pattern or style b : deviating from conventional or accepted usage or conduct 2 a : deviating from a circular path; especially : elliptical b : located elsewhere than at the geometrical center; also : having the axis or support so located Examples: Down the ro...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2011 is: dreadnought • \DRED-nawt\  • noun 1 : a warm garment of thick cloth; also : the cloth 2 : battleship 3 : one that is among the largest or most powerful of its kind Examples: "In 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sank the British dreadnought HMS Hood in the North Atlantic, killing all but three of the 1,418 men on board." -- From a "This Day...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2011 is: penchant • \PEN-chunt\  • noun : a strong and continued inclination; broadly : liking Examples: Susan's penchant for mathematics helped her to become a successful electrical engineer. "She had a penchant for helping others and became a lifelong volunteer, particularly after her retirement." -- From an obituary in The Burlington Free Press, Jun...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2011 is: chaffer • \CHAFF-er\  • verb 1 a : haggle, exchange, barter b : to bargain for 2 : to exchange small talk : chatter Examples: "In its market-places men chaffered for game and peaches, sea-fish, and wine made of rice and spices…." -- From Eileen Power's 1924 book Medieval People "Those booths and kiosks were empty, though. The people who should...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2011 is: hard-boiled • \HAHRD-BOYLD\  • adjective 1 a : devoid of sentimentality : tough b : of, relating to, or being a detective story featuring a tough unsentimental protagonist and a matter-of-fact attitude towards violence 2 : hardheaded, practical Examples: The young tycoon proved that to be successful in the cutthroat world of business you need...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2011 is: cobalt • \KOH-bawlt\  • noun 1 : a tough lustrous silver-white magnetic metallic element that is related to and occurs with iron and nickel and is used especially in alloys 2 : a strong greenish blue : cobalt blue Examples: Cobalt was used for centuries to impart a blue color to glazes and ceramics before it was isolated by Swedish chemist Geo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2011 is: rarefied • \RAIR-uh-fyde\  • adjective 1 : being less dense 2 : of, relating to, or interesting to a select group : esoteric 3 : very high Examples: Cartography is one of those rarefied fields at which only a select few can actually earn a living. "Mr. Obama was the first American president invited to speak in the hall, joining a rarefied list...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2011 is: enervate • \EN-er-vayt\  • verb 1 : to reduce the mental or moral vigor of 2 : to lessen the vitality or strength of Examples: Dehydration and prolonged exposure to the sun had enervated the shipwrecked crew, leaving them almost too weak to hail the passing vessel. "This is a life-saving practice because it greatly helps reduce the stress and...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2011 is: brouhaha • \BROO-hah-hah\  • noun : a state of commotion or excitement : hubbub, uproar Examples: There was much brouhaha in the tabloids over the young actress’s sudden marriage to the much older entertainment mogul. "Maybe, like Columbus, we'll find that the world of demand for Warhol is bigger than we thought it was. Meanwhile, the sums tra...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2011 is: supposititious • \suh-pah-zuh-TISH-us\  • adjective 1 a : fraudulently substituted : spurious b : of a child (1) : falsely presented as a genuine heir (2) : illegitimate 2 a : imaginary b : of the nature of or based on a supposition : hypothetical Examples: "I sat looking at Peggotty for some time, in a reverie on this supposititious case: whe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 30, 2011 is: extenuate • \ik-STEN-yuh-wayt\  • verb 1 : to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of by making partial excuses : mitigate 2 : to lessen the strength or effect of Examples: Don't even try to extenuate their vandalism of the cemetery with the old refrain of "Boys will be boys." "At my university (as at others I've known), circu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 29, 2011 is: mantic • \MAN-tik\  • adjective : of or relating to the faculty of divination : prophetic Examples: Ever since we visited that fortune teller at the carnival, Mary has shown a strong interest in astrology and the other mantic arts. "Like everyone else, I was in awe of her mantic abilities, and I think she looked upon my storytelling endeavors...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 28, 2011 is: amanuensis • \uh-man-yuh-WEN-sis\  • noun : one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript Examples: Marco worked as an amanuensis for a judge who needed to compose his opinions orally while recovering from cataract surgery. "As early as the 1840s and 1850s, the Ohio Cultivator published women's columns that spoke vividly for wome...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2011 is: hyperborean • \hye-per-BOR-ee-un\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to an extreme northern region : frozen 2 : of or relating to any of the arctic peoples Examples: Pauline possessed an impressive tolerance of cold winters, for which she credited her hyperborean ancestors from northern Canada. "She came through the door tugging him awkwardly by...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2011 is: mosque • \MAHSK\  • noun : a building used for public worship by Muslims Examples: On the last day of Ramadan, Abdul and his family attended prayer services at a local mosque. "Last year, a Muslim congregation in Murfreesboro, Tenn., a pleasant college town of about 110,000 people southeast of Nashville, decided that the time had come to buil...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2011 is: pigeon-livered • \PIJ-un-liv-erd\  • adjective : gentle, mild Examples: "'I find it unfathomable that the pigeon-livered Republican delegation from the suburbs is disinclined to be audacious and responsible in the city's hour of need!' trumpets House Minority Leader Bill DeWeese, a Waynesburg Democrat." -- From an article in the Pittsburgh Ci...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2011 is: vituperate • \vye-TOO-puh-rayt\  • verb 1 : to abuse or censure severely or abusively 2 : to use harsh condemnatory language Examples: During the team's recent seven-game losing streak, the coach was vituperated by many local sportswriters. "No one likes to be belittled, ignored, vituperated, or unappreciated. Everyone warms to kindness, pati...