Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 2, 2010 is: vicarious • \vye-KAIR-ee-us\  • adjective 1 : done or suffered for the benefit of someone else 2 : sharing in someone else’s experience through the use of the imagination or sympathetic feelings Examples: Though I have never been to the Caribbean, I always take vicarious pleasure in hearing about Leslie’s trips there with her family. Did you...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 1, 2010 is: eisteddfod • \eye-STETH-vawd\  • noun : a usually Welsh competitive festival of the arts especially in poetry and singing Examples: This year's eisteddfod featured some exceptional recorder and guitar playing, but as in past years it was the bards who were the highlight of the festival. Did you know? In Medieval times, Welsh bards and minstr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 31, 2010 is: sirenian • \sye-REE-nee-un\  • noun : any of an order (Sirenia) of aquatic herbivorous mammals (as a manatee, dugong, or Steller's sea cow) that have large forelimbs resembling paddles, no hind limbs, and a flattened tail resembling a fin Examples: "Looking humanlike in certain aspects, sirenians are thought to be the basis of the myth of mer...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 30, 2010 is: inchoate • \in-KOH-ut\  • adjective : being only partly in existence or operation; especially : imperfectly formed or formulated Examples: Kate had an inchoate suspicion that things were about to go wrong, but she was unable to think of any concrete reason for her concern. Did you know? "Inchoate" derives from "inchoare," which means "to begi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 29, 2010 is: adjure • \uh-JOOR\  • verb 1 : to command solemnly under or as if under oath or penalty of a curse 2 : to urge or advise earnestly Examples: "Byron fled the country, adjuring Annabella to 'be kind' to his beloved sister." (Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times, September 16, 2002) Did you know? "Adjure" and its synonyms "entreat," "importune," and "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 28, 2010 is: friable • \FRYE-uh-bul\  • adjective : easily crumbled or pulverized Examples: These plants will grow best in a soft, friable soil. Did you know? "Friable" entered into English in the mid-1500s, and was borrowed either from Middle French or directly from Latin "friabilis." This Latin adjective comes from the verb "friare," which means "to cru...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 27, 2010 is: Hobson's choice • \HAHB-sunz-choyss\  • noun 1 : an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative 2 : the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives Examples: Reportedly, Model T manufacturer Henry Ford once gave this Hobson's choice: "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2010 is: parlay • \PAHR-lay\  • verb 1 : to bet in a parlay 2 a : to exploit successfully b : to increase or otherwise transform into something of much greater value Examples: The young actor parlayed his popularity as a teen heartthrob into a successful film career. Did you know? If you're the gambling type, you may already know that "parlay" can als...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 25, 2010 is: poetaster • \POH-uh-tass-ter\  • noun : an inferior poet Examples: "Germaine Greer, Chair Of Judges For The National Poetry Competition 2000, Invites Entries From Readers, But Be Warned: Poetasters Need Not Apply" (Headline, The [London] Independent, May 7, 2000) Did you know? In Latin, the suffix "-aster" indicates partial resemblance. In bo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 24, 2010 is: tactile • \TAK-tul\  • adjective 1 : perceptible by touch 2 : of, relating to, or being the sense of touch Examples: "Nothing prepared me for the tactile reality of the original volumes, leaf after carefully written leaf over which his hand had travelled...." (Edmund Morris, The New Yorker, January 16, 1995) Did you know? "Tangible" is relate...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2010 is: garner • \GAHR-ner\  • verb 1 a : to gather into storage b : to deposit as if in a granary 2 a : to acquire by effort : earn b : accumulate, collect Examples: Through hard work and a determination to see her students succeed, Ms. Taylor has garnered considerable respect from parents and her fellow teachers. Did you know? What do you call a bu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2010 is: inenarrable • \in-ih-NAIR-uh-bul\  • adjective : incapable of being narrated : indescribable Examples: "Their songs were sometimes frenzied like the dances in which they whirled to syncopated rhythms, but more often muffled and sad with the inenarrable misery of their bondage." (Ross Lockridge, Jr., Raintree County) Did you know? "Ineffable,"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2010 is: declivity • \di-KLIV-uh-tee\  • noun 1 : downward inclination 2 : a descending slope Examples: The hikers cautiously made their way down the somewhat steep and rocky declivity that led to the river. Did you know? Three different English words descend from "clivus," the Latin word for "slope" or "hill" -- with the help of three Latin prefixes....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 20, 2010 is: conn • \KAHN\  • verb : to conduct or direct the steering of (as a ship) Examples: The captain successfully conned his ship through the ice-packed waters. Did you know? In the 19th century, warships (and, later, submarines) began to be built with structures known as "conning towers." These structures were so called because it was from them th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 19, 2010 is: Barmecidal • \bahr-muh-SYE-dul\  • adjective : providing only the illusion of abundance Examples: The tax rebate is a Barmecidal windfall, coming as it does in the wake of new hidden taxes on consumer goods and services. Did you know? "Barmecide" is the name of a family of princes in a tale from The Thousand and One Nights (also known as The...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 18, 2010 is: agita • \AJ-uh-tuh\  • noun : a feeling of agitation or anxiety Examples: "Bank nationalization would drive the stock market down and increase the agita of people with 401(k) plans." (Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, April 6, 2009) Did you know? Judging by its spelling and meaning, you might think that "agita" is simply a shortened version of "ag...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2010 is: burgle • \BER-gul\  • verb 1 : to break into and steal from 2 : to commit burglary against Examples: Mike was aghast upon returning home to discover that someone had burgled his house while he was away. Did you know? "Burglary," which means "forcible entry into a building especially at night with the intent to commit a crime (as theft)," and...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 16, 2010 is: bandbox • \BAND-bahks\  • noun 1 : a usually cylindrical box of cardboard or thin wood for holding light articles of attire 2 : a structure (as a baseball park) having relatively small interior dimensions Examples: "Baseballs flew out of there at a record pace for a while, and everyone had theories about why this stadium was behaving like a b...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 15, 2010 is: ab initio • \ab-ih-NISH-ee-oh\  • adverb : from the beginning Examples: "What does not exist ab initio is wealth; wealth must be created by sustained human effort." (Richmond Times Dispatch [Virginia], December 14, 2008) Did you know? We’ll tell you right from the beginning where "ab initio" comes from. This adverb was adopted at the end of t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2010 is: prolegomenon • \proh-lih-GAH-muh-nahn\  • noun : prefatory remarks; specifically : a formal essay or critical discussion serving to introduce and interpret an extended work Examples: The book is introduced by a lengthy prolegomenon, which is followed by 17 chapters of analysis. Did you know? "Prolegomenon" is the singular and "prolegomena" is...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2010 is: autochthonous • \aw-TAHK-thuh-nus\  • adjective 1 : indigenous, native 2 : formed or originating in the place where found Examples: "People tend to admire cultural forms that seem autochthonous, sprung from their native soil." (Stephen Greenblatt, Los Angeles Times, April 17, 2005) Did you know? Ancient Athenians considered their ancestors th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2010 is: stand pat • \STAND-PAT\  • verb 1 : to play one's hand as dealt in draw poker without drawing 2 : to oppose or resist change Examples: "We cannot afford to stand pat while the world races by." (President Barack Obama, remarks at Carnegie-Mellon University, June 2, 2010) Did you know? If you stand pat in draw poker you're betting on the cards...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2010 is: perfidious • \per-FID-ee-us\  • adjective : of, relating to, or characterized by faithlessness or disloyalty : treacherous Examples: "Businessmen are constantly scheming to get the government to beat up on their competitors, and the best excuse of all is that the competitor is a perfidious foreigner." (The Wall Street Journal, October 27, 199...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2010 is: sinew • \SIN-yoo\  • noun 1 : tendon; especially : one dressed for use as a cord or thread 2 a : solid resilient strength : power b : the chief supporting force : mainstay -- usually used in plural Examples: "For at Trout-hall … there is usually an Angler that proves good company. And let me tell you, good company and good discourse are the v...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2010 is: struthious • \STROO-thee-us\  • adjective : of or relating to the ostriches and related birds Examples: "The law is not so struthious as to compel a judge … to divorce himself or herself from common sense or to ignore what is perfectly obvious." (Hon. Bruce M. Selya, U.S. v. Sklar, U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit, 1990) Did you know? "Strut...