Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 26, 2008 is: prodigy • \PRAH-duh-jee\  • noun 1 : something extraordinary : wonder 2 : a highly talented child Examples: Musical audiences are fascinated by the prodigy, that rare and remarkable youngster who possesses technical mastery to rival that of the best adult performers. Did you know? Is a prodigy a genius or a monster -- or both? Nowadays,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 25, 2008 is: consigliere • \kohn-sil-YEH-reh\  • noun : counselor, adviser Examples: After years of being a consigliere to the CEOs of Silicon Valley's top giants, Norman has decided to break out and head his own high-tech enterprise. Did you know? If you're a fan of The Godfather series of movies, the character Tom Hagen may have already come to min...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 24, 2008 is: bilious • \BILL-yus\  • adjective 1 a : of or relating to bile b : marked by or suffering from liver dysfunction and especially excessive secretion of bile 2 : of or indicative of a peevish ill-natured disposition 3 : sickeningly unpleasant Examples: Molly's bilious demeanor made her ill-suited for a job in customer service, and she was...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 23, 2008 is: interloper • \in-ter-LOH-per\  • noun : one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity Examples: As he watched the startled doe and her fawn dart off into the woods, Nelson felt like an interloper in the forest world. Did you know? When English speakers combined "inter-" with "-loper" in the late 1500s, they already had a word "landl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 22, 2008 is: flack • \FLACK\  • verb : to provide publicity : engage in press-agentry Examples: The billionaire's former mistress has been in the tabloids and on the talk-show circuit as of late, flacking for her juicy tell-all. Did you know? The word "flack" was first used as a noun meaning "publicity agent" during the late 1930s. According to one r...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 21, 2008 is: myopic • \mye-OH-pik\  • adjective 1 : affected by nearsightedness : of, relating to, or exhibiting nearsightedness 2 : lacking in foresight or discernment : limited in outlook Examples: The mayor's myopic handling of the city park project caused a number of long-term problems that persisted after her term ended. Did you know? "Myopia" i...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 20, 2008 is: voracity • \vuh-RASS-uh-tee\  • noun : the quality or state of being ravenous or insatiable Examples: Elena reads books with such voracity that she returns to the library two or three times a week. Did you know? "Voracity" comes to us via the Middle French "voracitē" from the Latin word "voracitas," which itself comes from "vorax," meani...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 19, 2008 is: tetchy • \TETCH-ee\  • adjective : irritably or peevishly sensitive : touchy Examples: Nico sensed that his sister was in a tetchy mood, so he decided to wait until the next day to ask to borrow her car. Did you know? "Tetchy" is a word that may have been coined by Shakespeare -- its first known use in English occurs in Romeo and Juliet...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 18, 2008 is: euphony • \YOO-fuh-nee\  • noun 1 : pleasing or sweet sound; especially : the acoustic effect produced by words so formed or combined as to please the ear 2 : a harmonious succession of words having a pleasing sound Examples: The poet chose words for the sake of euphony and rhythm as well as rhyme. Did you know? "Euphony" was borrowed fr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 17, 2008 is: surly • \SER-lee\  • adjective 1 : menacing or threatening in appearance 2 : irritably sullen and churlish in mood or manner : crabbed Examples: Vicki almost reported the surly cashier to the store manager, but then decided against doing so, telling herself that he was probably just having a bad day. Did you know? In its very earliest us...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 16, 2008 is: lout • \LOUT\  • noun : an awkward brutish person Examples: Because the three louts behind him in the movie theater were being loud and obnoxious, Jonah decided to move to another seat. Did you know? "Lout" belongs to the large group of words we use to indicate an undesirable person, a boor, a bumpkin, a dolt, a clod. We've used "lout" i...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 15, 2008 is: culminate • \KUL-muh-nayt\  • verb 1 : to reach its highest altitude; also : to be directly overhead 2 : to rise to or form a summit 3 : to reach the highest or a climactic or decisive point Examples: Weeks of civil unrest culminated in a protest march of over 25,000 people in the capital square. Did you know? "Culminate" was first used...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 14, 2008 is: eponymous • \ih-PAH-nuh-mus\  • adjective : of, relating to, or being one for whom or which something is or is believed to be named Examples: Fans of The Steve Mapplethorpe Comedy Hour waited outside the studio exit in hopes of catching a glimpse of its eponymous host. Did you know? It's no coincidence that "eponymous" has to do with nam...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 13, 2008 is: danegeld • \DAYN-gheld\  • noun : often captitalized an annual tax believed to have been imposed originally to buy off Danish invaders in England or to maintain forces to oppose them but continued as a land tax Examples: Today's lecture will be on the Danegeld and taxation in the Middle Ages. Did you know? The subjects of King Ethelred I...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 12, 2008 is: replete • \rih-PLEET\  • adjective 1 : fully or abundantly provided or filled 2 a : abundantly fed b : fat, stout 3 : complete Examples: The children were delighted to find that the costume trunk was replete with dresses, hats, capes, and all sorts of props to play make-believe. Did you know? Given that one of the roots of "replete" is t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 11, 2008 is: arcanum • \ar-KAY-num\  • noun 1 : mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate -- usually used in plural 2 : elixir Examples: The author, a physicist, adeptly demystifies arcana of her field with lucid, accessible prose. Did you know? The word "arcanum" (pluralized as "arcana...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 10, 2008 is: kvell • \KVEL\  • verb : to be extraordinarily proud : rejoice Examples: Critics kvelled over the violinist's triumphant return to the stage where she had made her debut many years ago. Did you know? We are pleased to inform you that the word "kvell" is derived from Yiddish "kveln," meaning "to be delighted," which, in turn, comes from t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 9, 2008 is: circumlocution • \ser-kum-loh-KYOO-shun\  • noun 1 : the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea 2 : evasion in speech Examples: Mr. Harvey was notorious for his tendency to engage in endless circumlocution when a simple, brief explanation would suffice. Did you know? In The King's English, grammarian H.W. Fowler...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 8, 2008 is: usurp • \yoo-SERP\  • verb : to seize and hold by force or without right Examples: In her first managerial position, Hannah was hesitant to delegate critical tasks for fear that a subordinate might usurp her position. Did you know? "Usurp" was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Anglo-French word "usorper," which in turn de...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 7, 2008 is: misprision • \mis-PRIZH-un\  • noun 1 a : neglect or wrong performance of official duty b : concealment of treason or felony by one who is not a participant in the treason or felony 2 : misunderstanding, misinterpretation Examples: In her memoir Sleeping with Cats, poet Marge Piercy reflects that her life "has been full of blunders, mispr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 6, 2008 is: sanguine • \SANG-gwin\  • adjective 1 : bloodred 2 : ruddy 3 : confident, optimistic Examples: The coach remained sanguine about his team's chances in the playoffs, even though his star player was injured. Did you know? "Sanguine" has quite a few relatives in English, including a few that might sound familiar to Word of the Day readers. "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 5, 2008 is: wormhole • \WERM-hohl\  • noun 1 : a hole or passage burrowed by a worm 2 : a hypothetical structure of space-time envisioned as a long thin tunnel connecting points that are separated in space and time Examples: Some science fiction writers speculate that wormholes will become the intergalactic highways of the future. Did you know? If yo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 4, 2008 is: haptic • \HAP-tik\  • adjective 1 : relating to or based on the sense of touch 2 : characterized by a predilection for the sense of touch Examples: Katy could tell one kind of yarn from another purely by haptic clues. Did you know? "Haptic" (from the Greek "haptesthai," meaning "to touch") entered English in the late 19th century as a med...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 3, 2008 is: appellation • \ap-uh-LAY-shun\  • noun 1 : an identifying name or title : designation 2 : the act of calling by a name 3 : a geographical name used to identify wine Examples: We used to call him "Danny," but he recently let us know that he prefers the appellation "Daniel." Did you know? Ask a Frenchman named "Jacques" his name, and you ma...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 2, 2008 is: precocious • \prih-KOH-shus\  • adjective 1 : exceptionally early in development or occurrence 2 : exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age Examples: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a precocious child who, by the age of five, was already composing his first musical pieces. Did you know? "Precocious" got started in Latin when the...