Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 11, 2009 is: causerie • \kohz-REE\  • noun 1 : an informal conversation : chat 2 : a short informal essay Examples: After the table was cleared and coffee was served, the dinner guests rose and continued their causerie in the other room. Did you know? "Causerie" first appeared in English in the early 19th century, and it can be traced back to French...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 10, 2009 is: slough • \SLUFF\  • verb 1 : to cast off or become cast off 2 : to crumble slowly and fall away 3 : to get rid of or discard as irksome, objectionable, or disadvantageous -- usually used with off Examples: "As the war advanced the armies reluctantly sloughed off such amenities as two-man tents." (Paul Fussell, Wartime) Did you know? Ther...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 9, 2009 is: ennead • \EN-ee-ad\  • noun : a group of nine Examples: Immediately following the show, viewers will be able to call or text in their votes for their favorite among this ennead of remaining contestants. Did you know? Since ancient times, various groups of people have considered nine to be a very special and sacred number. Legends and lite...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 8, 2009 is: marmoreal • \marh-MOR-ee-ul\  • adjective : of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue especially in coldness or aloofness Examples: Mary sat silently in the corner of the room, her face expressing nothing but marmoreal calm. Did you know? Most marble-related words in English were chiseled from the Latin noun "marmor," me...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 7, 2009 is: ripsnorter • \RIP-SNOR-ter\  • noun : something extraordinary : humdinger Examples: "Inevitably, good and evil clash in a ripsnorter of a final battle, but along the way, there is action, adventure, danger, comic relief and -- always -- very good eating." (Sue Corbette, The Miami Herald, January 22, 1999) Did you know? English speakers of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 6, 2009 is: irenic • \eye-REN-ik\  • adjective : favoring, conducive to, or operating toward peace, moderation, or conciliation Examples: In an irenic gesture, the country has withdrawn its military forces from the border. Did you know? In Greek mythology, Eirene was one of the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons and natural order; in the Iliad the H...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 5, 2009 is: futurity • \fyoo-TOOR-uh-tee\  • noun 1 : time to come : future 2 : the quality or state of being future 3 : future events or prospects Examples: The motivational speaker exhorted us to change the way we live today, rather than looking always toward some vague distant futurity. Did you know? "Futurity" is a forward-looking word with a lit...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 4, 2009 is: comminute • \KAH-muh-noot\  • verb : to reduce to minute particles : pulverize Examples: A mortar and pestle are used to comminute the herbs and roots before introducing them into the distilled alcohol. Did you know? What do "comminute," "pulverize," and "triturate" all have in common? All three words are derived from Latin and share the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 3, 2009 is: bibelot • \BEE-buh-loh\  • noun : a small household ornament or decorative object : trinket Examples: Donna's children often tease her about her hobby of collecting quaint bibelots, which can be found everywhere throughout her house. Did you know? Can you think of a six-letter synonym of "bibelot" that starts with the letter "g"? No? How...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 2, 2009 is: inflammable • \in-FLAM-uh-bul\  • adjective 1 : flammable 2 : easily inflamed, excited, or angered : irascible Examples: The messenger trembled as he stuttered out the news of the army's defeat to the highly inflammable king. Did you know? "Combustible" and "incombustible" are opposites but "flammable" and "inflammable" are synonyms. Why?...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 1, 2009 is: holus-bolus • \hoh-lus-BOH-lus\  • adverb : all at once Examples: Incredibly, the company shuttered its factory holus-bolus, with no regard for the livelihoods of the men and women working there. Did you know? The story of "holus-bolus" is not a hard one to swallow. "Holus-bolus" originated in English dialect in the mid-19th century and i...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 31, 2009 is: daedal • \DEE-dul\  • adjective 1 a : skillful, artistic b : intricate 2 : adorned with many things Examples: The filmmaker makes daedal use of lighting effects and camera angles to create a noirish atmosphere. Did you know? You might know Daedalus as the mythological prisoner who fashioned wings of feathers and wax to escape from the islan...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 30, 2009 is: jacquerie • \zhah-kuh-REE\  • noun : a peasants' revolt Examples: "In light of inadequate social safety nets and the probability of further economic turndowns, the regime's fear of an anti-government jacquerie is not far-fetched." (David Aikman, The American Spectator, March 2000) Did you know? The first jacquerie was an insurrection of pea...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 29, 2009 is: defile • \dih-FYLE\  • verb : to march off in a line Examples: "A long line of boys carrying crates of striped tulips, and of yellow and red roses, defiled in front of him, threading their way through the huge, jade-green piles of vegetables." (Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray) Did you know? The "defile" that means "to contaminate,"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2009 is: chauffeur • \SHOH-fer\  • noun : a person employed to drive a motor vehicle Examples: The teenagers hired a limousine with a chauffeur to take them to the prom in style. Did you know? Here's a hot tip about the origins of today's word: the first chauffeurs were people employed to stoke a steam engine and keep it running. The literal meaning...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 27, 2009 is: eleemosynary • \el-ih-MAH-suh-nair-ee\  • adjective : of, relating to, or supported by charity Examples: "All politicians realize that senior citizens are the biggest contributors to eleemosynary causes … and are the most dependable source of volunteer hours for the public well-being." (Louis J. Finkle, The Biloxi Sun Herald [Mississippi],...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 26, 2009 is: dead hand • \DED-HAND\  • noun 1 : an inalienable possession of property by a church or corporation 2 : the oppressive influence of the past Examples: "If newspapers wish to survive," said Edward, "then editors need to wrest free from the dead hand of print journalism and embrace the more dynamic capabilities of the Web." Did you know? Does...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 25, 2009 is: empyreal • \em-pye-REE-ul\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to the firmament : celestial 2 : sublime Examples: Night after night, the comet shone brightly against the empyreal tapestry of the sky. Did you know? "Empyreal" can be traced back to the Greek word for "fiery," "empyros," which was formed from the prefix "em-" ("in," "within," or "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 24, 2009 is: proffer • \PRAH-fer\  • verb : to present for acceptance : tender, offer Examples: Several recommendations were proffered by the financial board on how to reduce the city's debt without making drastic cuts in department budgets. Did you know? You may notice a striking similarity between "proffer" and "offer." Are the two words connected by...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 23, 2009 is: qua • \KWAH\  • preposition : in the capacity or character of : as Examples: The school gym qua dance floor was where Oscar and Nanette fell in love. Did you know? Which way? Who? No, we’re not paraphrasing lines from the old Abbott and Costello routine "Who’s on First?"; we’re referring to the etymology of "qua," a term that comes to us fr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 22, 2009 is: animadversion • \an-uh-mad-VER-zhun\  • noun 1 : a critical and usually censorious remark -- often used with "on" 2 : adverse criticism Examples: The film critic seems to have offered animadversions on nearly every movie made this year. Did you know? "Animadversion" comes ultimately from the Latin phrase "animum advertere," meaning "to turn...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 21, 2009 is: spear-carrier • \SPEER-kair-ee-er\  • noun 1 a : a member of an opera chorus b : a bit actor in a play 2 : a person whose actions are of little significance or value in an event or organization Examples: Although the former aide was only a spear-carrier in the then-President's administration, his recently published memoir, which points an a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 20, 2009 is: contemn • \kun-TEM\  • verb : to view or treat with contempt : scorn Examples: Jacob believes that any rational scientist must contemn theories of magic and the supernatural. Did you know? "Contemn" is derived from the Latin verb "contemnere," a word formed by combining "con-" and "temnere" ("to despise"). Surprisingly, our verb may have co...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 19, 2009 is: inordinate • \in-OR-dun-ut\  • adjective : exceeding reasonable limits : immoderate Examples: Mary complained that she had to spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up after her two sloppy roommates. Did you know? At one time if something was "inordinate," it did not conform to the expected or desired order of things. That sense, synon...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 18, 2009 is: canicular • \kuh-NIK-yuh-ler\  • adjective : of or relating to the dog days (the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere) Examples: During the canicular heat of August, many of the town's residents venture to the local swimming hole in search of a way to s...