Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 29, 2011 is: credulous • \KREJ-uh-lus\  • adjective 1 : ready to believe especially on slight or uncertain evidence 2 : proceeding from credulity Examples: Because she is by nature credulous, Ivy didn’t question Bill’s assertion that the castle they stood in had been built in England and shipped across the English Channel to France. "Koolhoven's philosophi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 28, 2011 is: lexicographer • \lek-suh-KAH-gruh-fer\  • noun : an author or editor of a dictionary Examples: The great lexicographer Noah Webster, who wrote the first authoritative dictionary of American English, was born on October 16, 1758. "The 18th-century lexicographer and wit-about-town Samuel Johnson claimed that patriotism is the last resort of the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 27, 2011 is: bombard • \bahm-BARD\  • verb 1 : to attack especially with artillery or bombers 2 : to assail vigorously or persistently (as with questions) 3 : to subject to the impact of rapidly moving particles (as electrons) Examples: Reporters bombarded the defendant’s lawyer with questions as he emerged from the courthouse. "From the first day of life...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 26, 2011 is: prodigious • \pruh-DIJ-us\  • adjective 1 : resembling or befitting a prodigy : strange, unusual 2 : exciting amazement or wonder 3 : extraordinary in bulk, quantity, or degree : enormous Examples: Artisans have begun the prodigious task of restoring the beautiful mosaics that were damaged in the earthquake. "Today she's known for her prodigio...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 25, 2011 is: cryptography • \krip-TAH-gruh-fee\  • noun : the enciphering and deciphering of messages in secret code or cipher; also : the computerized encoding and decoding of information Examples: Effective cryptography is essential for secure exchanges of sensitive information in cyberspace. "At the same time, he was receiving extensive training in cryp...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 24, 2011 is: samara • \SAM-uh-ruh\  • noun : a dry indehiscent usually one-seeded winged fruit (as of an ash or elm tree) Examples: Pairs of samaras grew along the maple tree's branches. "The samara looks much like a tiny green round ravioli, or those dots of explosive caps for toy guns of the past. These are the fruit of the elm tree, with the seed formin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 23, 2011 is: assay • \a-SAY\  • verb 1 : try, attempt 2 a : to analyze (as an ore) for one or more specific components b : to prove to be of a particular nature by means of analysis 3 : to judge the worth of : estimate Examples: A certified laboratory will assay the samples of gold and silver to determine their levels of purity. "Numerous surface samples a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 22, 2011 is: clew • \KLOO\  • noun 1 : a ball of thread, yarn, or cord 2 : clue 3 a : a lower corner or only the after corner of a sail b : a metal loop attached to the lower corner of a sail Examples: "They had followed immediately behind him, thinking his actions might prove a clew to my whereabouts.…" -- From Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel A Princess of Ma...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 21, 2011 is: ambiguous • \am-BIG-yuh-wus\  • adjective 1 a : doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness b : inexplicable 2 : capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways Examples: Jane complained that her boss frequently gave her ambiguous instructions. "West Virginia's ambiguous law dictating how to fill a vaca...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 20, 2011 is: coiffure • \kwah-FYUR\  • noun : a style or manner of arranging the hair Examples: Linda almost didn’t recognize her daughter as Elyse came off the bus with a stylish new coiffure. "At the beginning of the tale, his character, Eddie, is a failed writer with a frizzy, unkempt hairstyle suitable for a derelict's mug shot. When he begins elevatin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 19, 2011 is: wistful • \WIST-ful\  • adjective 1 : full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy; also : inspiring such yearning 2 : musingly sad : pensive Examples: Dan's gaze was wistful as he watched the movers load the furniture into the truck and thought of all the good times he'd had in the house. "'So,' said Wood, at long last, jerking Harry fro...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 18, 2011 is: acolyte • \AK-uh-lyte\  • noun 1 : one who assists a member of the clergy in a liturgical service by performing minor duties 2 : one who attends or assists : follower Examples: The lawyer arrived with one of her acolytes, an eager young attorney who looked at her with obvious admiration. "The abbess's rank is clear -- below the masters, above...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 17, 2011 is: saguaro • \suh-WAHR-uh\  • noun : a tall columnar usually sparsely-branched cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) of dry areas of the southwestern United States and Mexico that bears white flowers and a scaly reddish edible fruit and that may attain a height of up to 50 feet (16 meters) Examples: "For a brief period in spring … the saguaro has a silly a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 16, 2011 is: mucilaginous • \myoo-suh-LAJ-uh-nus\  • adjective 1 : sticky, viscid 2 : of, relating to, full of, or secreting mucilage Examples: The snail leaves a mucilaginous trail as it slides along the leaves and branches. "Meanwhile, the dried inner bark of slippery elm was being used by the Iroquois nations and the Algonquins. The mucilaginous powder...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 15, 2011 is: collaborate • \kuh-LAB-uh-rayt\  • verb 1 : to work jointly with others 2 : to cooperate with an enemy and especially an occupying force Examples: A number of reporters collaborated on the Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper series. "In a move partly aimed at strengthening ties ahead of a potential merger, the board of directors of the Lompico Wa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 14, 2011 is: breadbasket • \BRED-bass-kut\  • noun 1 : stomach 2 : a major cereal-producing region Examples: We were playing dodgeball, and the ball hit me right in the breadbasket. "The Turks have completed their network of twenty-two dams, nineteen hydroelectric plants and a vast array of irrigation works to transform Anatolia into a breadbasket." -- Fro...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2011 is: tin-pot • \TIN-PAHT\  • adjective : cheap or trivial of its kind : petty, small-time, two-bit Examples: Petty despots and tin-pot tyrants often pay lip service to democratic ideals to give their regimes an aura of legitimacy. "Despots throughout history have been attracted to colossal buildings, from Nicolae Ceausescu's Palace of the People in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2011 is: palooka • \puh-LOO-kuh\  • noun 1 : an inexperienced or incompetent boxer 2 : oaf, lout Examples: "The boxing audiences loved him…. Though often reckless, Mickey was never a palooka and learned from every opponent he faced." -- From Tom Fox’s 2011 book Hidden History of the Irish of New Jersey "I said I had watched girls who had tried Arizona...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2011 is: pursy • \PER-see\  • adjective 1 : having a puckered appearance 2 : purse-proud Examples: "There was a picture of a pale gent with a narrow face and a woman with dark eyes and a pursy mouth." -- From Stephen King's 1987 novel Misery "Colleagues exchange amused looks at the way Byrd kept circling the chamber, a little scrawny fellow with … a pu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2011 is: factoid • \FAK-toyd\  • noun 1 : an invented fact believed to be true because of its appearance in print 2 : a briefly stated and usually trivial fact Examples: Printed on the back of each baseball card in Mikey’s collection was a chart showing the player’s statistics along with one or two interesting factoids about his career. "Here's an inte...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9, 2011 is: venal • \VEE-nul\  • adjective 1 : capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration; especially : open to corrupt influence and especially bribery 2 : originating in, characterized by, or associated with corrupt bribery Examples: The crusading journalist attempted to fight corruption in government by casting light o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2011 is: applesauce • \AP-ul-sawss\  • noun 1 : a relish or dessert made of apples stewed to a pulp and sweetened 2 : bunkum, nonsense Examples: "All I ever have handed me is a lot of applesauce from the numerous friends who drink my drinks and eat my provender." -- Theodor Geisel, in a letter, circa 1927 "I suppose that the disdain is for Hornby's vern...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2011 is: curious • \KYUR-ee-us\  • adjective 1 a : marked by desire to investigate and learn b : marked by inquisitive interest in others' concerns : nosy 2 : exciting attention as strange, novel, or unexpected : odd Examples: She has a curious habit of mumbling to herself constantly while she does her crossword puzzles. "He [physicist Richard P. Feynma...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2011 is: gesundheit • \guh-ZOONT-hyte\  • interjection : -- used to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed Examples: "Gesundheit!" said the man on the bicycle as he passed a lady on the sidewalk who had sneezed. "The air was filled with 'God Bless You' and 'Gesundheit' as our Tuesday study group got together the other day…. We were read...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 5, 2011 is: jalousie • \JAL-uh-see\  • noun 1 : a blind with adjustable horizontal slats for admitting light and air while excluding direct sun and rain 2 : a window made of adjustable glass louvers that control ventilation Examples: The rooms of the little bungalow were protected from the brutal tropical heat by wooden jalousies. "The striated world visib...