Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 20, 2009 is: groundling • \GROUND-ling\  • noun 1 a : a spectator who stood in the pit of an Elizabethan theater b : a person of unsophisticated taste 2 : one that lives or works on or near the ground Examples: The movie was panned as mindless fodder for the groundlings. Did you know? In Elizabethan times, play-going audiences were a diverse bunch. In...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 19, 2009 is: quadrennial • \kwah-DREN-ee-ul\  • adjective 1 : consisting of or lasting for four years 2 : occurring or being done every four years Examples: The 1990 U.S. soccer team was the first U.S team in 40 years to qualify for the championship tournament in the quadrennial World Cup. Did you know? Most things "quadrennial" occur every four years...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 18, 2009 is: finesse • \fuh-NESS\  • verb 1 : to make a finesse in playing cards : to play (a card) in a finesse 2 a : to bring about, direct, or manage by adroit maneuvering b : evade, skirt Examples: "A surer hand behind the camera might've finessed the jokes more effectively, or established a consistent and satisfying tone." (Michael Phillips, Chic...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 17, 2009 is: intransigent • \in-TRAN-suh-junt\  • adjective : characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an extreme position or attitude : uncompromising Examples: Ms. Baxter was intransigent about her most famous rule: no gum or candy in her classroom unless you’d brought enough to share with everybody. Did you know? English speakers borrow...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 16, 2009 is: sastruga • \SAS-truh-guh\  • noun : a wavelike ridge of hard snow formed by the wind -- usually used in plural Examples: "Over the sastrugi it is all up and down hill, and the covering of ice crystals prevents the sledge from gliding even on the down-grade." (Robert Falcon Scott, Journals: Captain Scott’s Last Expedition) Did you know? If...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 15, 2009 is: whimsical • \WIM-zih-kul\  • adjective 1 : full of, actuated by, or exhibiting whims 2 a : resulting from or characterized by whim or caprice; especially : lightly fanciful b : subject to erratic behavior or unpredictable change Examples: The whimsical decor of Mary’s home reflects her playful personality. Did you know? As you may have gu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 14, 2009 is: depredate • \DEP-ruh-dayt\  • verb 1 : to lay waste : plunder, ravage 2 : to engage in plunder Examples: “[O]ne of our party, after being asked by the owner to help depredate a few of the green, squawky birds at a feedlot, took 4 shots and killed over one hundred.” (The Bakersfield Californian, August 16, 2008) Did you know? "Depredate" d...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 13, 2009 is: indefeasible • \in-dih-FEE-zuh-bul\  • adjective : not capable of being annulled or voided or undone Examples: After his father's untimely demise, which reeked of foul play, Prince Nikolai took to the throne as was his indefeasible right as the king's eldest son. Did you know? We acquired "indefeasible" in the mid-16th century by combinin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 12, 2009 is: receipt • \rih-SEET\  • noun 1 : recipe 2 : the act or process of receiving 3 : something received -- usually used in plural 4 : a writing acknowledging the receiving of goods or money Examples: If you find that the item has been damaged during shipping, please contact us upon receipt to request a return shipping label. Did you know? Thes...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 11, 2009 is: namby-pamby • \nam-bee-PAM-bee\  • adjective 1 : lacking in character or substance : insipid 2 : weak, indecisive Examples: The candidate criticized her opponent during the debate, calling him a namby-pamby flip-flopper who could not stand up for what he believed in. Did you know? Eighteenth-century poets Alexander Pope and Henry Carey di...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 10, 2009 is: provender • \PRAH-vun-der\  • noun 1 : dry food for domestic animals : feed 2 : food, victuals Examples: "The ambrosial and essential part of the [huckleberry] fruit is lost with the bloom which is rubbed off in the market cart, and they become mere provender." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden) Did you know? When English speakers first chewed...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 9, 2009 is: ukase • \yoo-KAYSS\  • noun 1 : a proclamation by a Russian emperor or government having the force of law 2 a : a proclamation having the force of law b : order, command Examples: "The professor's first instruction to the [playwriting] class was a ukase: Never begin a play with a telephone ringing." (Bruce McCabe, The Boston Globe, June 23...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 8, 2009 is: fiery • \FYE-uh-ree\  • adjective 1 a : consisting of or marked by fire b : using or carried out with fire c: flammable 2 : hot or glowing like a fire 3 : red 4 a : full of emotion or spirit b : easily provoked : irritable Examples: "As the game ended, he gave a fiery pep talk to his linemen, and on a brutally tough day, they appreciated i...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 7, 2009 is: Nimrod • \NIM-rahd\  • noun 1 : a descendant of Ham represented in Genesis as a mighty hunter and a king of Shinar 2 : hunter 3 : idiot, jerk Examples: Dad fancied himself a mighty nimrod after he captured the rabbit who had been eating our garden. Did you know? Nimrod is described in Genesis as "the first on earth to be a mighty man" and...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 6, 2009 is: lief • \LEEF\  • adverb : soon, gladly Examples: "I thank you for your company; but, good faith, I had as / lief have been myself alone." (William Shakespeare, As You Like It) Did you know? "Lief" began as "lēof" in Old English and has since appeared in many literary classics, first as an adjective and then as an adverb. It got its big bre...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 5, 2009 is: chapfallen • \CHAP-faw-lun\  • adjective 1 : having the lower jaw hanging loosely 2 : cast down in spirit : depressed Examples: The team's failure to make it to the playoffs yet again was another disappointment, but hardly a surprise, for its chapfallen and long-suffering fans. Did you know? "Chapfallen" is also commonly written as "chopfa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 4, 2009 is: leviathan • \luh-VYE-uh-thun\  • noun 1 : the political state; especially : a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy 2 : something large or formidable Examples: Towering leviathans of the forest, these giant sequoias often reach heights of more than 200 feet. Did you know? Old Testament references to a huge sea monster, "Leviathan" (...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 3, 2009 is: winnow • \WIN-oh\  • verb 1 : to remove (as chaff) by a current of air; also : to free (as grain) from waste in this manner 2 : to remove, separate, or select as if by winnowing 3 : to narrow or reduce 4 : to blow on or fan Examples: The search committee is finding it extremely difficult to winnow the list of job candidates down to five; m...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 2, 2009 is: pundit • \PUN-dit\  • noun 1 : a learned person : teacher 2 : authority, critic Examples: Grandpa likes watching liberal and conservative pundits spar about the issues of the day on the Sunday morning talk shows. Did you know? The original pundits were highly respected teachers and leaders in India. Their title was taken from the Hindi wor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 1, 2009 is: disputatious • \dis-pyuh-TAY-shus\  • adjective 1 : inclined to dispute b: marked by disputation 2 : provoking debate : controversial Examples: The radio host's disputatious opinions and discussions have drawn legions of listeners, and now he is moving his show to network television. Did you know? "Disputatious" can be used of both people...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2009 is: tristful • \TRIST-ful\  • adjective : sad, melancholy Examples: "And, come four o'clock, the Winter Garden is packed with tea parties gobbling cucumber sandwiches …, while a tristful harpist completes recollections of rainy afternoons trapped in British seaside palm courts…." (Simon Schama, The New Yorker, May 31, 2004) Did you know? The...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 29, 2009 is: imbroglio • \im-BROHL-yoh\  • noun 1 : a confused mass 2 a : a complicated situation b : a painful or embarrassing misunderstanding c : a violent or bitter altercation : embroilment Examples: The two motorists got into an imbroglio after both tried to make a move for the same parking spot. Did you know? "Imbroglio" and "embroilment" are m...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 28, 2009 is: congruous • \KAHNG-groo-us\  • adjective 1 a : being in agreement, harmony, or correspondence b : conforming to the circumstances or requirements of a situation : appropriate 2 : marked or enhanced by harmonious agreement among constituent elements Examples: “I’m not convinced that your ideas are congruous with the client’s expressed desi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 27, 2009 is: inoculate • \ih-NAHK-yuh-layt\  • verb 1 a : to introduce a microorganism into b : to introduce (as a microorganism) into a suitable situation for growth c : to introduce immunologically active material (as an antibody or antigen) into especially in order to treat or prevent a disease 2 : to introduce something into the mind of 3 : to pro...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 26, 2009 is: scrumptious • \SKRUMP-shus\  • adjective : delightful, excellent; especially : delicious Examples: To celebrate their first Thanksgiving in their new home, Ilene and Paul prepared a scrumptious feast for 12 guests. Did you know? First appearing in English in 1830, "scrumptious" is a mouth-watering word that is used to describe what is del...