Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 30, 2010 is: mahatma • \muh-HAHT-muh\  • noun 1 : a person to be revered for high-mindedness, wisdom, and selflessness 2 : a person of great prestige in a field of endeavor Examples: Film directors regard Alfred Hitchcock as the mahatma of the suspense thriller and still often borrow his plot devices and filming techniques. "Vince Lombardi -- one of t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 29, 2010 is: plummy • \PLUMM-ee\  • adjective 1 a : full of plums b : choice, desirable 2 a : having a plum color b : rich and mellow often to the point of affectation Examples: She got a plummy job as a lifeguard over the summer. "His impossibly smooth, domed head, chiseled features and plummy voice make him instantly recognizable in the regal, autho...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 28, 2010 is: galumph • \guh-LUMF\  • verb : to move with a clumsy heavy tread Examples: Mary's teenage son galumphed into the house and flung himself onto the couch, sighing heavily. "Marmots reside near the panoramic summits of Colorado's high mountains. They look like beavers, but galumph among the boulders a mile above the ponds…." -- From an artic...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 27, 2010 is: funambulism • \fyoo-NAM-buh-liz-um\  • noun 1 : tightrope walking 2 : a show especially of mental agility Examples: As a game-show contestant Brenda amazed us all with her funambulism, answering every question correctly to win the $10,000 first prize. "I have some personal experience with funambulism, as both a performer and an instructor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2010 is: embarrass • \im-BAIR-us\  • verb 1 : to confuse or disconcert 2 : to involve in financial difficulties 3 : to cause to experience self-conscious distress 4 : to hinder or impede Examples: She embarrassed her grandson by showing his baby pictures to his friends. "She wasn't about to embarrass herself in front of a man she hardly knew. Grac...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 25, 2010 is: nosegay • \NOHZ-gay\  • noun : a small bunch of flowers Examples: The young man presented a nosegay of red, white, and yellow roses to his sweetheart. “The bride carried a nosegay of green hydrangeas, Gerbera daisies, and coral roses hand-tied in turquoise ribbon.” -- From a wedding announcement in Mississippi Magazine, January 2010 Did y...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 24, 2010 is: invincible • \in-VIN-suh-bul\  • adjective : incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued Examples: Susan loved stories of invincible superheroes and determined sidekicks. "When the title was on the line in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Johnson and his team looked more invincible than vulnerable." -- From an arti...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 23, 2010 is: supererogation • \soo-per-air-uh-GAY-shun\  • noun : the act of performing more than is required by duty, obligation, or need Examples: I have already stated my opinion and thoroughly explained my reasoning, so it would be an act of supererogation to provide further details. "To redistribute from wealthy to poor across national boundaries...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 22, 2010 is: numinous • \NOO-muh-nus\  • adjective 1 : supernatural, mysterious 2 : filled with a sense of the presence of divinity : holy 3 : appealing to the higher emotions or to the aesthetic sense : spiritual Examples: As she listened to the choir sing in the candlelit sanctuary, Marianne was overcome by a sense of numinous awe. "The instrumental...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 21, 2010 is: ekphrasis • \EK-fruh-sis\  • noun : a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art Examples: As an assignment for her Rhetoric & Composition class, Samantha wrote an ekphrasis on the theme of emotional isolation in the paintings of Edward Hopper. "As a genre, ekphrasis attempts to describe the painted image of Medusa, to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 20, 2010 is: exemplary • \ig-ZEM-pluh-ree\  • adjective 1 : deserving imitation especially because of excellence : commendable 2 : serving as a warning 3 : serving as an example, instance, or illustration Examples: Members of the community who have demonstrated exemplary public service will be honored at the ceremony. "Our military and our government...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 19, 2010 is: welter • \WEL-ter\  • verb 1 : writhe, toss; also : wallow 2 : to become deeply sunk, soaked, or involved 3 : to be in turmoil Examples: Seasick passengers took to their cabins as the ship weltered upon the waves of the stormy sea. "No wonder you weltered about for years in depression, addiction, serial unemployment, fragmentation, futili...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 18, 2010 is: cohesive • \koh-HEE-siv\  • adjective : exhibiting or producing a condition in which people or things are closely united Examples: Theirs was a cohesive and loving family, sticking together through bad times and good. "Put simply, arts and culture initiatives are essential to creating vibrant, prosperous and socially cohesive communities....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 17, 2010 is: philately • \fuh-LAT-uh-lee\  • noun : the collection and study of postage and imprinted stamps : stamp collecting Examples: Given his interests in both philately and football, Michael was excited to learn about the post office’s new series of stamps featuring legendary quarterbacks. "Those who imagine philately as boring probably have ne...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 16, 2010 is: vermicular • \ver-MIK-yuh-ler\  • adjective 1 : resembling a worm in form or motion 2 : of, relating to, or caused by worms Examples: Students will observe and document the vermicular decomposition of vegetative waste. "I tasted the smallest atoms of life in those few quiet minutes, drinking tea and waiting with the chickens before the re...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 15, 2010 is: quincunx • \KWIN-kunks\  • noun : an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle with one at each corner and one in the middle Examples: The tables were arranged in a quincunx, with the hosting family at the center table and guests at the four corners. "As we walked along the geometric beds -- many of them planted in an ancient Ro...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 14, 2010 is: bogus • \BOH-gus\  • adjective : not genuine : counterfeit, sham Examples: Kelly knew that the letter informing her that she was a grand prize winner was bogus, so she threw it in the trash immediately. "The scheme appears aimed at getting the food business operator to make a confirmation phone call that would allow others to create a fal...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 13, 2010 is: woolgathering • \WOOL-gath-uh-ring\  • noun : indulgence in idle daydreaming Examples: My woolgathering was abruptly interrupted by a question from the flight attendant. "Devoted mothers have little time for themselves, and their children have little time for free play, imaginative woolgathering or secret lives of their own, all things th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 12, 2010 is: gulosity • \goo-LAH-suh-tee\  • noun : excessive appetite : greediness Examples: After Bobby helped himself to a third serving of mashed potatoes, his father asked incredulously, "Does your gulosity know no bounds?" "This new generation of activists will need to devise methods of shattering the shields of apathy and gulosity that encase s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 11, 2010 is: comity • \KAH-muh-tee\  • noun : friendly civility : courtesy Examples: In the interests of neighborhood comity, everyone agreed to a block-wide tag sale. "Two years after an election that seemed to portend a new era of comity, American politics has resumed what now appears to be its permanent condition of polarization, quite possibly wor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 10, 2010 is: shilly-shally • \SHIL-ee-SHAL-ee\  • verb 1 : to show hesitation or lack of decisiveness or resolution 2 : dawdle Examples: Don't shilly-shally like a fool. Just make up your mind and buy the car. "When then-gubernatorial candidate Dan Malloy met with Tim Bannon a few weeks before Election Day and offered him what could be considered the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 9, 2010 is: burke • \BERK\  • verb 1 : to suppress quietly or indirectly 2 : bypass, avoid Examples: The governor attempted to discreetly burke all inquiries into his alleged misuse of state funds. "Meanwhile, I beg and beseech and instruct and order you, to see that the letter addressed to the Chief of Police is not burked." -- From Percival Christop...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 8, 2010 is: rectrix • \REK-triks\  • noun : any of the quill feathers of a bird's tail that are important in controlling flight direction Examples: In general, your only chance to see most or all of a bird's rectrices is when the bird is in flight. "As in other passerines, the juveniles of many species show more pointed rectrix tips than do adults." -...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 7, 2010 is: susurrous • \soo-SUR-us\  • adjective : full of whispering sounds Examples: The susurrous opening phrases of the first movement, with its whispering violins, gave way to a thunderous crescendo of brass. "The Colonel raised his Dixie beer to the ladies, still chatting comfortably in the soft, susurrous Vicksburg night…." -- From a short sto...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 6, 2010 is: ear candy • \EER-KAN-dee\  • noun : music that is pleasing to listen to but lacks depth Examples: "She's just another pop princess peddling ear candy," John said disdainfully of his tween daughter's favorite singer. "This year's production is just as good as -- if not better than -- Sierra Rep's smash-hit staging in 2007.... Becky Saunders...