Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2008 is: deter • \di-TER\  • verb 1 : to turn aside, discourage, or prevent from acting 2 : inhibit Examples: To deter shoplifters, the store posted signs listing the legal penalties for the crime. Did you know? The word "deter" is rooted in fear. It was borrowed into English around the mid-16th century from the Latin verb "deterrēre," which in turn w...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2008 is: mansuetude • \MAN-swih-tood\  • noun : the quality or state of being gentle : meekness, tameness Examples: "While her voice may have an air of mansuetude, she proved that she could easily cut above the din of the boys in her band. . .." (Christopher Muther, The Boston Globe, June 24, 2004) Did you know? "Mansuetude" was first used in English...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2008 is: obeisance • \oh-BEE-sunss\  • noun 1 : a movement of the body made in token of respect or submission : bow 2 : acknowledgment of another's superiority or importance : homage Examples: The people paid obeisance to their god by kneeling at the shrine. Did you know? When it first appeared in English in the late 14th century, "obeisance" shared t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2008 is: jeopardize • \JEP-er-dyze\  • verb : to expose to danger or risk : imperil Examples: "I'm not willing to jeopardize my friendship with Camille by lying to her," said Luis. Did you know? It may be hard to believe that "jeopardize" was once controversial, but in 1870 a grammarian called it "a foolish and intolerable word," a view shared by many...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2008 is: fortitude • \FOR-tuh-tood\  • noun : strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage Examples: Due to the hot weather, the road race was more a test of fortitude than of athletic ability. Did you know? "Fortitude" comes from the Latin word "fortis," meaning "strong," and in English it has alwa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 13, 2008 is: impuissant • \im-PWISS-unt\  • adjective : weak, powerless Examples: Jonah was a relentless bully who sought to intimidate any impuissant student that he could find in the schoolyard. Did you know? Both the adjective "impuissant" and the noun "impuissance" came to English from Middle French. They are derived from the prefix "in-" (meaning "no...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2008 is: exclave • \EKS-kleiv\  • noun : a portion of a country separated from the main part and constituting an enclave in respect to the surrounding territory Examples: Technically, the state of Alaska is an exclave of the United States: it borders only Canadian territory. Did you know? You probably won't be surprised to learn that the key to "excla...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 11, 2008 is: corvée • \KOR-vay\  • noun 1 : unpaid labor (as toward constructing roads) due from a feudal vassal to his lord 2 : labor exacted in lieu of taxes by public authorities especially for highway construction or repair Examples: "He was also entitled to . . . district corvées which helped to maintain, repair, and defend royal property. . .." (Ber...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2008 is: bird-dog • \BURD-dog\  • verb 1 : to watch closely 2 : to seek out : follow, detect Examples: Scores of college recruiters bird-dogged the 7-foot high school senior for their basketball programs. Did you know? People began using "bird-dog" as a verb meaning "to closely watch someone or something" or "to doggedly seek out someone or something"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 9, 2008 is: morass • \muh-RASS\  • noun 1 : marsh, swamp 2 a : a situation that traps, confuses, or impedes b : an overwhelming or confusing mass or mixture Examples: For Diane and Oscar, trying to adopt a baby meant getting lost in a morass of paperwork, but they knew it would be worth it. Did you know? We won't swamp you with details: "morass" comes fro...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 8, 2008 is: umpteen • \UMP-teen\  • adjective : very many : indefinitely numerous Examples: "Oh, I've been there umpteen times," drawled Melanie, when I excitedly told her about my plans to go to Europe. Did you know? "I'll go to bed and I'll not get up for umpty-eleven months." You know the feeling. The speaker here is war-weary Bill, a character in Patr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 7, 2008 is: nimiety • \nih-MYE-uh-tee\  • noun : excess, redundancy Examples: "To avoid receiving a nimiety of kitchenware," advised the bridal guide, "be sure to register for a wide range of gifts for your guests to choose from." Did you know? There's no scarcity of English words used for too much of a good thing -- words like "overkill," "plethora," "su...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 6, 2008 is: gelid • \JELL-id\  • adjective : extremely cold : icy Examples: The rescue team braved gelid conditions as they searched the mountain for the lost climber. Did you know? "Gelid" first appeared in English late in the 16th century, coming to our language from Latin "gelidus," which ultimately derives from the noun "gelu," meaning "frost" or "col...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 5, 2008 is: feuilleton • \fuh-yuh-TOHNG (the "ng" is not pronounced, but the preceding vow\  • noun 1 : a part of a European newspaper or magazine devoted to material designed to entertain the general reader 2 : a work of fiction printed in installments 3 : a short literary composition often having a familiar tone and reminiscent content Examples: The mag...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 4, 2008 is: tawdry • \TAW-dree\  • adjective : cheap and gaudy in appearance or quality; also : ignoble Examples: Tom and Pam found themselves in an unfamiliar section of the city, walking by tawdry storefronts and shady bars. Did you know? In the 7th century, Etheldreda, the queen of Northumbria, renounced her husband and her royal position for the veil...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 3, 2008 is: malaise • \muh-LAYZ\  • noun 1 : an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness 2 : a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being Examples: Though she has worked at the same company for 30 years, Jeannie shows few signs of the professional malaise common among her coworkers. Did you...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 2, 2008 is: hors de combat • \or-duh-kohng-BAH (the "ng" is not pronounced, but the preceding \  • adjective or adverb : out of combat : disabled Examples: With their best pitcher hors de combat with a shoulder injury, the team faced a bleak season. Did you know? We picked up "hors de combat" directly from French back in the mid-18th century. Benjamin Fra...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 1, 2008 is: postlude • \POHST-lood\  • noun 1 : a closing piece of music; especially : an organ voluntary at the end of a church service 2 : a closing phase (as of an epoch or a literary work) Examples: As the organist played the postlude, the worshipers began to file out of the church. Did you know? "Postlude" is the lesser-known counterpart to "prelude"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 31, 2008 is: impeccable • \im-PECK-uh-bul\  • adjective 1 : not capable of sinning or liable to sin 2 : free from fault or blame : flawless Examples: Although the restaurant was a bit expensive, we found its memorable cuisine, luxurious decor, and impeccable service to be well worth the price. Did you know? The word "impeccable" has been used in English si...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 30, 2008 is: garrulous • \GAIR-uh-lus\  • adjective 1 : pointlessly or annoyingly talkative 2 : wordy Examples: With a few judicious revisions, a good editor can often transform garrulous writing into elegant prose. Did you know? English has many adjectives that share the meaning "given to talk" or "talking." "Talkative" may imply a readiness to talk or a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 29, 2008 is: durable • \DUR-uh-bul\  • adjective : able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration; also : designed to be durable Examples: The couch is covered in a pretty yet durable fabric, and I hope it will last for years. Did you know? Something "durable" lasts a long time, so it's no surprise that the word comes to us, via Anglo-Fren...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 28, 2008 is: heliolatry • \hee-lee-AH-luh-tree\  • noun : sun worship Examples: The Egyptians, who personified the sun as the god Ra, were one of numerous ancient cultures that practiced heliolatry. Did you know? The first half of "heliolatry" derives from "hēlios," the Greek word for "sun." In Greek mythology, Hēlios was the god of the sun, imagined as "d...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 27, 2008 is: etiolate • \EE-tee-uh-layt\  • verb 1 : to bleach and alter the natural development of (a green plant) by excluding sunlight 2 a : to make pale b : to deprive of natural vigor : make feeble Examples: The bean plants that Grace grew for her lab project became weak and etiolated when they were kept in a dark closet for a week. Did you know? When...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 26, 2008 is: decorous • \DECK-er-us\  • adjective : marked by propriety and good taste : correct Examples: Nina and Mark had hoped to have a casual beach wedding, but her parents insisted on a formal, highly decorous ceremony in their church. Did you know? The current meaning of "decorous" dates from the mid-17th century. One of the word's earliest recorde...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 25, 2008 is: buttress • \BUTT-russ\  • noun 1 : a projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or giving stability to a wall or building 2 : something that resembles a buttress 3 : something that supports or strengthens Examples: This is a good essay, but it needs a few more facts as a buttress to the conclusions. Did you know? A buttress is an e...