Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 17, 2009 is: trichologist • \trih-KAH-luh-jist\  • noun : a person who specializes in hair and scalp care; broadly : a person whose occupation is the dressing or cutting of hair Examples: "You don't need to pay a trichologist or rely on hair-loss cure advertisements in magazines: your GP can conduct a series of blood tests to locate the problem." (David...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 16, 2009 is: abstemious • \ab-STEE-mee-us\  • adjective : marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol; also : reflecting such restraint Examples: Anthony's midlife heart attack opened his eyes to the importance of taking care of his body and turned him to a more abstemious and healthful lifestyle. Did you know? "Abstemious" and...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 15, 2009 is: chorography • \kuh-RAH-gruh-fee\  • noun 1 : the art of describing or mapping a region or district 2 : a description or map of a region; also : the physical conformation and features of such a region Examples: This highly detailed and embellished perspective drawing of the city and the surrounding lands is a fine example of 16th-century cho...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 14, 2009 is: El Dorado • \el-duh-RAH-doh\  • noun 1 : a city or country of fabulous riches held by 16th century explorers to exist in South America 2 : a place of fabulous wealth or opportunity Examples: "To outsiders, California’s Silicon Valley looks like a contemporary El Dorado." (Time Magazine, Sept. 3, 1984) Did you know? In the early 1500s, Spani...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 13, 2009 is: ingratiate • \in-GRAY-shee-ayt\  • verb : to gain favor or favorable acceptance for by deliberate effort -- usually used with "with" Examples: Even though the candidate is doing everything he can to ingratiate himself with voters, he still finds himself trailing in the polls. Did you know? Seventeenth-century English speakers combined the L...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 12, 2009 is: florilegium • \flor-uh-LEE-jee-um\  • noun : a volume of writings : anthology Examples: This florilegium of British poetry up to 1760 includes the classics that we have all come to love along with a few relatively unknown gems that are sure to delight and inspire. Did you know? Editors who compile florilegia (to use the plural form of today...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 11, 2009 is: dernier cri • \dairn-yay-KREE\  • noun : the newest fashion Examples: When it came to shopping for a new wardrobe for school, Jacqueline tended to ignore the dernier cri and would instead pick clothes that suited her own tastes. Did you know? Paris has long been the last word in fashion, but hot designer clothes from the city's renowned run...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 10, 2009 is: expatiate • \ek-SPAY-shee-ayt\  • verb 1 : to move about freely or at will : wander 2 : to speak or write at length or in detail Examples: The middle schoolers grew restless as Mr. Donald expatiated on Pluto's classification as a dwarf planet. Did you know? The Latin antecedent of "expatiate" is "exspatiari," which combines the prefix "ex-"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2009 is: cantankerous • \kan-TANK-uh-rus\  • adjective : difficult or irritating to deal with Examples: The workers were glad when their cantankerous old boss finally retired, and they have not missed his browbeating criticisms and endless complaints. Did you know? It's irritating, but we're not absolutely sure where "cantankerous" comes from. Etymol...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 8, 2009 is: sparge • \SPAHRJ\  • verb 1 : sprinkle, bespatter; especially : spray 2 : to agitate (a liquid) by means of compressed air or gas entering through a pipe Examples: Part of the disinfecting process at the new water treatment plant may involve sparging the water with ozone bubbles. Did you know? Etymologists think that "sparge" likely came to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 7, 2009 is: smithereens • \smih-thuh-REENZ\  • noun : fragments, bits Examples: Had the ceramic vase fallen off the mantel, it would have smashed into smithereens. Did you know? Despite its American sound and its common use by the fiery animated cartoon character Yosemite Sam, "smithereens" did not originate in American slang. Although no one is entirel...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 6, 2009 is: demean • \dih-MEEN\  • verb : to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner Examples: Sylvia was proud of the polite way her young children demeaned themselves in front of the dinner guests. Did you know? There are two words spelled "demean" in English. The more familiar "demean" -- "to lower in character, status, or reputation"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 5, 2009 is: philoprogenitive • \fill-uh-proh-JEN-uh-tiv\  • adjective 1 : tending to produce offspring : prolific 2 : of, relating to, or characterized by love of offspring Examples: "As the multitudes born in the philoprogenitive years following World War II leave the labor force after 2010, the retired population will mushroom." (A.F. Ehrbar, Fortune,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 4, 2009 is: tantivy • \tan-TIV-ee\  • adverb : in a headlong dash : at a gallop Examples: Once the school bell sounded signaling dismissal, the children rose from their desks and headed tantivy for the exits. Did you know? "Tantivy" is also a noun meaning "a rapid gallop" or "an impetuous rush." Although its precise origin isn't known, one theory has it...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 3, 2009 is: daymare • \DAY-mair\  • noun : a nightmarish fantasy experienced while awake Examples: Through therapy, the patient has begun to experience some relief from the daymares she's been having since the traumatic event. Did you know? Long ago, the word "nightmare" designated an evil spirit that made its victims feel like they were suffocating in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 2, 2009 is: levigate • \LEV-uh-gayt\  • verb 1 : polish, smooth 2 a : to grind to a fine smooth powder while in moist condition b : to separate (fine powder) from coarser material by suspending in a liquid Examples: The formula in the old pharmacopoeia first instructs the reader to levigate zinc oxide and calcium carbonate with linseed oil. Did you know...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 1, 2009 is: gallimaufry • \gal-uh-MAW-free\  • noun : hodgepodge Examples: I was ready to leave the flea market, when, on one table, among a gallimaufry of undistinguished objects, I caught sight of an exquisite silver spoon engraved with my initials. Did you know? If the word "gallimaufry" doesn't make your mouth water, it may be because you don't know...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 31, 2009 is: tribulation • \trib-yuh-LAY-shun\  • noun : distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution; also : a trying experience Examples: Over the past year, Sara and Brian have experienced all the trials and tribulations that come with owning one’s first home. Did you know? The writer and Christian scholar Thomas More, in his 1534 wor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 30, 2009 is: jackleg • \JACK-leg\  • adjective 1 a : characterized by unscrupulousness, dishonesty, or lack of professional standards b : lacking skill or training : amateur 2 : designed as a temporary expedient : makeshift Examples: "Ted Dawson was a pretty good jackleg carpenter." (Stephen King, It) Did you know? Don't call someone "jackleg" unless you'...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 29, 2009 is: con amore • \kahn-uh-MOR-ee\  • adverb 1 : with love, devotion, or zest 2 : in a tender manner -- used as a direction in music Examples: I'm not usually one to cry at weddings, but I found myself dabbing my eyes with a tissue as bride and groom recited their vows, con amore. Did you know? "No matter what the object is, whether business, pleas...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 28, 2009 is: mohair • \MOH-hair\  • noun : a fabric or yarn made wholly or in part of the long silky hair of the Angora goat; also : this hair Examples: This year's product line includes coats and sweaters made from mohair produced in Texas. Did you know? "Mohair" entered the English language in the 16th century, spelled variously as "mocayare," "mockaire...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 27, 2009 is: quaff • \KWAHF\  • verb : to drink deeply Examples: "'Respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!' / Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.'" (Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven) Did you know? Nowadays, "quaff" has an old-fashioned, literary sound to it. For more contemporary words that sugg...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2009 is: verbatim • \ver-BAY-tim\  • adverb : in the exact words : word for word Examples: Irene used a tape recorder during her interviews so that she could quote her subjects verbatim. Did you know? Latin has a phrase for "exactly as written": "verbatim ac litteratim," which literally means "word for word and letter for letter." Like the "verbatim"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 25, 2009 is: hyperbole • \hye-PER-buh-lee\  • noun : extravagant exaggeration Examples: The food in the restaurant was quite good, but it couldn't live up to the hyperbole that had been used to describe it in the advertisement. Did you know? In the 5th century B.C. there was a rabble-rousing Athenian, a politician named Hyperbolus, who often made exaggera...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 24, 2009 is: lanuginous • \luh-NOO-juh-nus\  • adjective : covered with down or fine soft hair : downy Examples: "The Leaves of the young Branches are like those of the Quince, green without, and white and lanuginous underneath, and serve for Food for the Elephants." (Monfieur Pomet, "Figs," History of Druggs, 1709) Did you know? You're likely to come acr...