Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 10, 2008 is: wooden • \WOOD-un\  • adjective 1 : made or consisting of wood 2 : lacking ease or flexibility : awkwardly stiff Examples: As the play went on, Alyssa's stage fright dissipated, and her acting became less wooden. Did you know? Humans have been making objects out of wood since before there even was an English language, but the adjectival use...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 9, 2008 is: hibernaculum • \hy-ber-NAK-yuh-lum\  • noun : a shelter occupied during the winter by a dormant animal (as an insect or reptile) Examples: The park ranger explained that a good hibernaculum might be used by many different snakes year after year. Did you know? If you're afraid of snakes or bats, you probably won't enjoy thinking about a hibern...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 8, 2008 is: descry • \dih-SKRYE\  • verb 1 : to catch sight of 2 : find out, discover Examples: Liang descried a bluebird flitting near the edge of the glade. Did you know? With "descry" and the more common "decry" ("to express strong disapproval of"), we have a case of linguistic double-dipping. That is, English borrowed from the same French root twice....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 7, 2008 is: muckety-muck • \MUCK-uh-tee-muck\  • noun : an important and often arrogant person Examples: A contingent of hospital muckety-mucks swept into Adelaide's room, peered at her over their glasses, briefly discussed her case, and swept out again. Did you know? The Chinook of the Pacific Northwest were avid traders, and in the course of their hist...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 6, 2008 is: pleiad • \PLEE-ad\  • noun : a group of usually seven illustrious or brilliant persons or things Examples: During Wolfgang's brief time at the spa, he met a pleiad of writers and intellectuals who also were there to "take the cure," as they say. Did you know? In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione who w...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 5, 2008 is: errant • \AIR-unt\  • adjective 1 : traveling or given to traveling 2 a : straying outside the proper path or bounds b : moving about aimlessly or irregularly c : behaving wrongly Examples: "'Move! Move! Move!' cried Helen, chasing him from corner to corner with a chair as though he were an errant hen." (Virginia Woolf, The Voyage Out, 1915)...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 4, 2008 is: éclat • \ay-KLAH\  • noun 1 : ostentatious display : publicity 2 : dazzling effect : brilliance 3 a : brilliant or conspicuous success b : praise, applause Examples: The young actor played the role with such éclat that he was nominated for several awards. Did you know? "Éclat" burst onto the scene in English in the 17th century. The word deri...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 3, 2008 is: obverse • \AHB-verss\  • noun 1 : the side of a coin or currency note bearing the chief device and lettering; broadly : a front or principal surface 2 : a counterpart having the opposite orientation or force; also : opposite Examples: The U.S. Mint has begun releasing a new series of $1 coins, each showing the name and likeness of a former U....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 2, 2008 is: grisly • \GRIZ-lee\  • adjective 1 : inspiring horror or intense fear 2 : inspiring disgust or distaste Examples: "The crime scene revealed an especially brutal murder," the detective reported, "but I will spare you the grisly details." Did you know? An angry grizzly bear could certainly inspire fear, so "grizzly" must be a variant of "grisly...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 1, 2008 is: Luddite • \LUH-dyte\  • noun : one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest; broadly : one who is opposed to especially technological change Examples: Luddites might argue that the modern electronic age is too impersonal, but they cannot deny that it has brought new conveniences and inform...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 29, 2008 is: impromptu • \im-PROMP-too\  • adjective 1 : made, done, or formed on or as if on the spur of the moment : improvised 2 : composed or uttered without previous preparation : extemporaneous Examples: When we dropped by unexpectedly, Aunt Dinah threw together an impromptu dinner from the odds and ends in her refrigerator. Did you know? If you...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 28, 2008 is: Bonapartism • \BOH-nuh-par-tiz-um\  • noun : a policy supporting dictatorial rule usually by a military leader who has ostensibly received a popular mandate Examples: Public fears that the new president would shift to Bonapartism were fueled by his early attempts to undermine the parliament. Did you know? Napoleon I (Napoleon Bonaparte) c...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 27, 2008 is: divest • \dye-VEST\  • verb 1 a : to deprive or dispossess especially of property, authority, or title b : to undress or strip especially of clothing, ornament, or equipment c : rid, free 2 : to take away from a person Examples: When tests revealed that the athlete had been taking steroids, Olympic officials divested him of his medal. Did...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 26, 2008 is: benefic • \buh-NEFF-ik\  • adjective : of, having, or exerting a favorable influence Examples: Simon believes that his meditation practice is a benefic force in his life, helping him to focus and to feel less stressed. Did you know? "Benefic" comes from Latin "beneficus," which in turn comes from "bene" ("well") and "facere" ("to do"). Th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 25, 2008 is: emulate • \EM-yuh-layt\  • verb 1 a : to strive to equal or excel b : imitate 2 : to equal or approach equality with Examples: Younger brothers and sisters will often try to emulate the behavior of their older siblings. Did you know? If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, to paraphrase Charles C. Colton (circa 1780-1832),...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 24, 2008 is: raddled • \RAD-uld\  • adjective 1 : being in a state of confusion : lacking composure 2 : broken-down, worn Examples: We were met at the door by a raddled old man who turned out to be the actor's father, and who in his day had also been an estimable presence on the London stage. Did you know? How "raddled" came to mean "old and worn" isn...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 23, 2008 is: dodgery • \DAH-juh-ree\  • noun : evasion, trickery Examples: Mitch thought his clever act of dodgery would spare him from paying taxes on the money he earned from the sale of his vacation home, until an audit notice came in the mail from the IRS. Did you know? In "dodgery" one can see the verb "dodge," meaning "to evade by a sudden or re...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 22, 2008 is: logy • \LOH-ghee\  • adjective : marked by sluggishness and lack of vitality : groggy Examples: I was feeling logy after eating such a big meal, so I decided to take a brief nap. Did you know? Based on surface resemblance, you might guess that "logy" (also sometimes spelled "loggy") is related to "groggy," but that's not the case. "Groggy...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 21, 2008 is: jaundiced • \JAWN-dist\  • adjective 1 : affected with or as if with a disease characterized by yellow pigmentation of the skin 2 : exhibiting or influenced by envy, distaste, or hostility Examples: "Since I tend to have a jaundiced view toward marriage in general," said George, "I'm not the guy you should be asking for wedding tips." Did...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 20, 2008 is: contumely • \kahn-TOO-muh-lee\  • noun : harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt; also : an instance of such language or treatment Examples: Early in his career, the pioneering scientist's colleagues heaped contumely on him for his unconventional ideas, which were eventually proven to be correct. Did you know? Ge...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 19, 2008 is: poltergeist • \POL-ter-ghyste\  • noun : a noisy usually mischievous ghost held to be responsible for unexplained noises (as rappings) Examples: They had trouble selling the house because it was rumored to have been inhabited by a poltergeist. Did you know? One of the tricks a poltergeist is known for is making "knocking" noises, so it wi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 18, 2008 is: esplanade • \ESS-pluh-nahd\  • noun : a level open stretch of paved or grassy ground; especially : one designed for walking or driving along a shore Examples: While walking along the esplanade, we stopped to enjoy yet another gorgeous ocean sunset. Did you know? The history of "esplanade" is completely on the level. The Italians created "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 17, 2008 is: glean • \GLEEN\  • verb 1 a : to pick up after a reaper b : to strip (as a field) of the leavings of reapers 2 a : to gather (as information) bit by bit b : to pick over in search of relevant material 3 : find out Examples: Esther wouldn't tell us why she was upset, but by talking with others who had been at the party, we were able to gle...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 16, 2008 is: punctilio • \punk-TILL-ee-oh\  • noun 1 : a minute detail of conduct in a ceremony or in observance of a code 2 : careful observance of forms (as in social conduct) Examples: Unsure of the punctilios of formal dining, Todd worried he would make a bad impression on his fiancée's parents. Did you know? We'll get straight to the point: there...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 15, 2008 is: whodunit • \hoo-DUN-it\  • noun : a detective story or mystery story Examples: Betty packed several romance novels and whodunits to read at the beach. Did you know? In 1930, Donald Gordon, a book reviewer for News of Books, needed to come up with something to say about a rather unremarkable mystery novel called Half-Mast Murder. "A satisf...