Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 25, 2009 is: temerarious • \tem-uh-RAIR-ee-us\  • adjective : marked by temerity : rashly or presumptuously daring Examples: The brave explorer set off for the unplumbed depths of the dangerous cave with only a few supplies and one temerarious companion. Did you know? If you have guessed that "temerarious" may be related to the somewhat more common wo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 24, 2009 is: macédoine • \mass-uh-DWAHN\  • noun 1 : a confused mixture : medley 2 : a mixture of fruits or vegetables served as a salad or cocktail or in a jellied dessert or used in a sauce or as a garnish Examples: The focal point of the painting is a mesmerizing macédoine of warm colors. Did you know? "Macédoine" is the French name for Macedonia,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 23, 2009 is: pedantic • \pih-DAN-tik\  • adjective 1 : narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned 2 : unimaginative, pedestrian Examples: Many students at the lecture were confused about what the pedantic professor was saying because he insisted on using highly elevated diction. Did you know? In Shakespeare's day, a pedant was a male schoolt...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 22, 2009 is: mollycoddle • \MAH-lee-kah-dul\  • verb : to treat with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence or attention Examples: Parents of other players complained that the coach was unfairly mollycoddling the team's star pitcher. Did you know? Coddling eggs is delicate business. You need to cook them slowly and gently, keeping the water just...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 21, 2009 is: pittance • \PIT-unss\  • noun : a small portion, amount, or allowance; also : a meager wage or remuneration Examples: The children worked for a pittance at the factory in subhuman conditions. Did you know? It's a pity when you haven't anything but a pittance. And in fact, "pity" and "pittance" share etymological roots. The Middle English...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 20, 2009 is: galvanize • \GAL-vuh-nyze\  • verb 1 : to stimulate with an electric current 2 : to excite or be excited as if by an electric shock 3 : to coat (iron or steel) with zinc; especially : to immerse in molten zinc to produce a coating of zinc-iron alloy Examples: “The Russians launched a satellite into space, and the sudden realization that w...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 19, 2009 is: anachronism • \uh-NAK-ruh-niz-um\  • noun 1 : an error in chronology; especially : a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other 2 : a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place; especially : one from a former age that is incongruous in the present Examples: Manual typewriters and s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 18, 2009 is: littoral • \LIT-uh-rul\  • adjective : of, relating to, or situated or growing on or near a shore especially of the sea Examples: The report shows dramatic improvement in the condition of the state's littoral waters since the cleanup effort began. Did you know? You're most likely to encounter "littoral" in contexts relating to the militar...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 17, 2009 is: flyting • \FLY-ting\  • noun : a dispute or exchange of personal abuse in verse form Examples: In the first flyting in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice wittily responds to Benedick's line "What, my dear Lady Disdain! are you yet living?" with "Is it possible Disdain should die while she hath such meet / food to feed it as Si...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 16, 2009 is: dissertate • \DISS-er-tayt\  • verb : to speak or write at length : dissert; also : to write a dissertation Examples: Amy shared with her academic advisor her plans to dissertate on the subject of women’s roles in postcolonial India. Did you know? English speakers created the word "dissert" in the mid-17th century, but a single word for t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 15, 2009 is: ennui • \ahn-WEE\  • noun : a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction : boredom Examples: In reaction to the ennui that he was feeling after working for twelve years in an unchallenging position, Darrell began to look for a new career. Did you know? The French loanword "ennui" comes from the very same Late Latin word that gave us "annoy"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 14, 2009 is: perspicuous • \per-SPIK-yuh-wus\  • adjective : plain to the understanding especially because of clarity and precision of presentation Examples: "His language is very pure, perspicuous, and to the point." (John Kaminski, The Capital Times [Madison, Wisconsin], October 11, 2006) Did you know? "Perspicuous" is based on Latin "perspicere," m...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 13, 2009 is: gust • \GUST\  • noun : keen delight Examples: The hungry children ate every morsel with gust. Did you know? You're no doubt familiar with the simple "gust" that means "a brief burst of wind." But that word, which first appeared in print in 1588, was preceded at least a century and a half earlier by a differently derived homograph. The wi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 12, 2009 is: douceur • \doo-SER\  • noun : a conciliatory gift Examples: While waiting for Mark’s decision on the company’s contract offer, the CEO sent him two tickets to a Broadway show as a douceur. Did you know? In French, "douceur" means "pleasantness," and it is often used in phrases such as "douceur de vivre" ("the pleasure of life"). The word...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 11, 2009 is: exhilarate • \ig-ZIL-uh-rayt\  • verb 1 a : to make cheerful and excited b : enliven, excite 2 : refresh, stimulate Examples: “Whooshing down a snow-covered mountain at high speed exhilarates me,” said Tara, explaining her love of skiing. Did you know? Many people find "exhilarate" a difficult word to spell. It's easy to forget that silen...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 10, 2009 is: rectify • \REK-tuh-fye\  • verb 1 : to set right : remedy 2 : to purify (as alcohol) especially by repeated or fractional distillation 3 : to correct by removing errors : adjust Examples: The night before the Web site was to go live, the programmers worked frantically to rectify several unresolved security problems. Did you know? Which of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 9, 2009 is: docile • \DAH-sul\  • adjective 1 : easily taught 2 : easily led or managed Examples: "Quite docile and harmless was Billy, and it was pitiful to see how hard he tried to learn, as if groping dimly after the lost knowledge which had cost him so much." (Louisa May Alcott, Little Men) Did you know? Docile students can make teaching a lot eas...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 8, 2009 is: sacerdotal • \sass-er-DOH-tul\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to priests or a priesthood : priestly 2 : of, relating to, or suggesting religious belief emphasizing the powers of priests as essential mediators between God and mankind Examples: It surprised Jim whenever Father Thomas would shed his sacerdotal role to take up a secular topic...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 7, 2009 is: bastion • \BAS-chun\  • noun 1 : a projecting part of a fortification 2 : a fortified area or position 3 a : a place of security or survival b : a place dominated by a particular group or marked by a particular characteristic Examples: The university's economics department was considered the last bastion of political conservatism within an...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 6, 2009 is: nudnik • \NOOD-nik (the "OO" is as in "good")\  • noun : a person who is a bore or nuisance Examples: James worried that he would never finish his work if the office nudnik didn't quit hanging around his cubicle. Did you know? The suffix "-nik" came to English through Yiddish (and ultimately from Polish and Ukrainian). It means "one connec...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 5, 2009 is: maugre • \MAW-gur\  • preposition : in spite of Examples: "I love thee so that, maugre all thy pride, / Nor wit nor reason can my passion hide." (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act III, Scene i) Did you know? "Maugre" is now quite rare, but having served the English language for more than 700 years, it's due whatever rest it's currently enjoy...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 4, 2009 is: invective • \in-VEK-tiv\  • noun 1 : an abusive expression or speech 2 : insulting or abusive language : vituperation Examples: The sonnet is an invective against the poet's wife and the man who cuckolded him. Did you know? "Invective" began life in the 15th century as an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by insult or ab...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 3, 2009 is: regimen • \REJ-uh-mun\  • noun 1 : a systematic course of treatment or training 2 : government, rule 3 : a government in power : regime Examples: Sherry’s personal trainer at the gym started her on a workout regimen of 30 minutes on the treadmill followed by 30 minutes of weight training. Did you know? We borrowed "regimen" straight from L...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 2, 2009 is: voluble • \VAHL-yuh-bul\  • adjective 1 : easily rolling or turning : rotating 2 : characterized by ready or rapid speech : glib, fluent Examples: The young man proved to be a voluble informer who would tell stories of bookies, smugglers, and hit men to the detectives for hours. Did you know? English has many terms for gabby types, but it'...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 1, 2009 is: disavow • \dis-uh-VOW\  • verb 1 : to deny responsibility for : repudiate 2 : to refuse to acknowledge or accept : disclaim Examples: The candidate has disavowed any knowledge of the letter -- received by thousands of voters -- in which her opponent was maligned. Did you know? If you trace the etymology of "disavow" back through Middle Eng...