Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2009 is: skosh • \SKOHSH\  • noun : a small amount : bit, smidgen Examples: The barista sprinkled a skosh of fresh ginger onto the milky surface of the latte. Did you know? The word "skosh" comes from the Japanese word "sukoshi," which is pronounced "skoh shee" and means "a tiny bit" or "a small amount." The Japanese word was shortened by U.S. service...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2009 is: pachydermatous • \pack-ih-DER-muh-tuss\  • adjective 1 : of or relating to the pachyderms 2 a : thick, thickened b : callous, insensitive Examples: With 18 eventful years in office behind him, the senator has developed a pachydermatous layer of self-protection that the latest media attacks cannot penetrate. Did you know? Elephants, rhinoceros...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2009 is: nyctalopia • \nik-tuh-LOH-pee-uh\  • noun : reduced visual capacity in faint light (as at night) : night blindness Examples: Bernard suffers from progressive nyctalopia; as a result, he can no longer drive at night. Did you know? "Nyctalopia" comes to us from the Latin word "nyctalops," which means "suffering from night blindness." It is ulti...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 20, 2009 is: adust • \uh-DUST\  • adjective : scorched, burned Examples: The adust landscape of volcanic rock and sand can be particularly beautiful at sunset. Did you know? "Adust" comes from Latin "adustus," the past participle of "adurere" ("to set fire to"), a verb formed from the Latin prefix "ad-" and the verb "urere" ("to burn"). It entered the Eng...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 19, 2009 is: bardolater • \bar-DAH-luh-ter\  • noun : a person who idolizes Shakespeare Examples: "[Abraham] Lincoln was a lifelong Bardolater and serial Shakespeare-quoter, as Mr. [Barack] Obama noted in remarks at the recent reopening of Ford's Theater." (Barry Edelstein, The New York Times, April 26, 2009) Did you know? George Bernard Shaw once describ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 18, 2009 is: reiterate • \ree-IT-uh-rayt\  • verb : to state or do over again or repeatedly sometimes with wearying effect Examples: Megan rolled her eyes as her mother reiterated the rules for the umpteenth time. Did you know? Can you guess the meaning of "iterate," a less common relative of "reiterate"? It must mean simply "to state or do," right? Nope....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2009 is: omnibus • \AHM-nih-bus\  • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or providing for many things at once 2 : containing or including many items Examples: At the beginning of the school year, teachers held an omnibus meeting to tie up many of the loose ends that were left unaddressed over the summer. Did you know? The adjective "omnibus" may not have mu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 16, 2009 is: etiquette • \ET-ih-kut\  • noun : the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life Examples: According to Miss Manners, it is a myth that newlyweds have up to a year to write thank-you notes for wedding gifts; rather, etiquette dictates that the notes should be sent as soo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 15, 2009 is: fractious • \FRAK-shus\  • adjective 1 : tending to be troublesome : unruly 2 : quarrelsome, irritable Examples: The class was fractious and uncontrollable when Mr. Douglas first took over as teacher, but he now has the students disciplined, focused, and ready to learn. Did you know? The Latin verb "frangere" ("to break or shatter") has many...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2009 is: grudging • \GRUH-jing\  • adjective 1 : unwilling, reluctant 2 : done, given, or allowed unwillingly, reluctantly, or sparingly Examples: Lydia's father greeted her new boyfriend with a rather cold and grudging handshake. Did you know? More than five hundred years have passed since English jurist Sir John Fortescue observed, "Somme . . . obta...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2009 is: brachiate • \BRAY-kee-ayt\  • verb : to progress by swinging from hold to hold by the arms Examples: Sarah sat on the park bench and watched as her five-year-old son confidently brachiated along the monkey bars. Did you know? Certain members of the ape family, such as the gibbon, have the ability to propel themselves by grasping hold of an ov...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2009 is: usufruct • \YOO-zuh-frukt\  • noun 1 : the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to another 2 : the right to use or enjoy something Examples: Dorothy's will bequeathed one-third of her estate to her husband; the remaining two-thirds was bequeathed to him as a lifetime usufruct, later to be donated to c...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2009 is: weird • \WEERD\  • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or caused by witchcraft or the supernatural 2 : of strange or extraordinary character : odd, fantastic Examples: "Again was I suddenly recalled to my immediate surroundings by a repetition of the weird moan from the depths of the cave." (Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars) Did you know?...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2009 is: brogue • \BROHG\  • noun 1 : a heavy shoe often with a hobnailed sole 2 : a stout oxford shoe with perforations and usually a wing tip Examples: Even though his brogues are scuffed and old, John prefers them to his new loafers. Did you know? Did you expect "brogue" to be defined as "an Irish accent"? You're probably not alone. The reason our...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2009 is: inexorable • \i-NEK-suh-ruh-bul\  • adjective : not to be persuaded, moved, or stopped : relentless Examples: These ancient ruins have slowly succumbed to the inexorable ravages of time. Did you know? The Latin antecedent of "inexorable" is "inexorabilis," which is itself a combination of the prefix "in-," meaning "not," plus "exorabilis," mea...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2009 is: lamster • \LAM-ster\  • noun : a fugitive especially from the law Examples: "The vast majority of identity-changers become scurrying lamsters, spinning an endless wheel of lies and deception…." (Christopher Loudon, The Financial Post [Toronto, Canada], September 23, 1995) Did you know? Lamsters as a class are probably as old as the law from wh...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2009 is: cloying • \KLOY-ing\  • adjective : disgusting or distasteful by reason of excess; also : excessively sweet or sentimental Examples: Although Kelsey usually likes romantic novels, she found this one so cloying that she couldn’t even finish it. Did you know? "Can one desire too much of a good thing?" asks Rosalind in William Shakespeare's play...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2009 is: scilicet • \SKEE-lih-ket\  • adverb : to wit, namely Examples: "All appointments must be approved by the United States of America, scilicet, the President of the United States," stated the bill concerning the restructuring of the island's government. Did you know? "Scilicet" is a rare word that most often occurs in legal proceedings and instru...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2009 is: diurnal • \dye-ER-nul\  • adjective 1 : recurring every day 2 : of, relating to, or occurring in the daytime Examples: "I like walking early mornings when the nocturnal wildlife quietly withdraws as the diurnal wildlife noisily rouses for another day." (Kevin J. Cook, Fort Collins Coloradoan, June 29, 2008) Did you know? Can you guess which of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2009 is: invigilate • \in-VIJ-uh-layt\  • verb : to keep watch : supervise, monitor Examples: Theodore sat in his favorite chair on the back deck, sipped his coffee, and invigilated the activities of his grandchildren as they played in the yard. Did you know? Keep your eyes open and you're sure to spot a few relatives of today's word. "Invigilate" is a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2009 is: zeugma • \ZOOG-muh\  • noun : the use of a word to modify two or more words in such a way that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense with only one Examples: "Torpedoes hit their mark! Ship and many hopes sink!" said the headline, employing vivid zeugma. Did you know? "Zeugma, like the pun, is economical: it contracts two sente...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2009 is: abject • \AB-jekt\  • adjective 1 : sunk to or existing in a low state or condition 2 : very low in spirit or hope : wretched 3 : expressing or offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit Examples: Morris was in an abject and lonely state after Olivia left him -- but then he met Penny and his world brightened again. Did you know? "Abject...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2009 is: periphrasis • \puh-RIFF-ruh-sis\  • noun 1 : use of a longer phrasing in place of a possible shorter form of expression 2 : an instance of periphrasis Examples: The college English teacher warned her students against padding their essays with periphrases solely to reach the required length. Did you know? It's easy enough to point out the origi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 30, 2009 is: oenophile • \EE-nuh-fyle\  • noun : a lover or connoisseur of wine Examples: Only an astute oenophile like Simon would know that 2002 was not the best year for that particular Barolo. Did you know? "It has become quite a common proverb that in wine there is truth," wrote the 1st-century A.D. Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder. The truth about the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 29, 2009 is: skimble-skamble • \skim-bul-SKAM-bul\  • adjective : rambling and confused : senseless Examples: "What a lark it is to tag along after constantly astonished Alice as she meets up with all those skimble-skamble Lewis Carroll creations," raved one theater critic of an adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Did you know? One of the best...