Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 23, 2007 is: assail • \uh-SAIL\  • verb : to attack violently with blows or words Examples: When Harriet came home and found her son riding his tricycle in the road, she tore into the house and assailed the babysitter for her irresponsibility. Did you know? "Assail" comes from an Anglo-French verb, "assaillir," which itself traces back to the Latin verb...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 22, 2007 is: quiescent • \kwy-ESS-unt\  • adjective 1 : marked by inactivity or repose : tranquilly at rest 2 : causing no trouble or symptoms Examples: The storm was over, and the quiescent waters betrayed no sign of yesterday's turbulence. Did you know? "Quiescent" won't cause you any pain, and neither will its synonyms "latent," "dormant," and "poten...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 21, 2007 is: plenitude • \PLEN-uh-tood\  • noun 1 : the quality or state of being full : completeness 2 : a great sufficiency : abundance Examples: The resort offers a plenitude of entertainment options for families traveling with children. Did you know? "Plenitude" was first recorded in English during the 15th century and ultimately comes to us from "p...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 20, 2007 is: chiliad • \KILL-ee-ad\  • noun 1 : a group of 1000 2 : millennium Examples: Many people feared that widespread technical glitches would create chaos at the start of the new chiliad. Did you know? What's the difference between a chiliad and a millennium? Not much: both words refer to a period of 1000 years. While "millennium" is more widely...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 19, 2007 is: virescent • \vuh-RESS-unt\  • adjective 1 : beginning to be green : greenish 2 : developing or displaying the condition of becoming green due to the development of chloroplasts in plant organs (as petals) normally white or colored Examples: Buds formed on the bare trees, infusing the stark branches with a slight virescent tint. Did you know...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 18, 2007 is: benison • \BEN-uh-sun\  • noun : blessing, benediction Examples: The travelers stopped at the tiny country church and sought the benison of the priest before continuing their arduous journey. Did you know? "Benison" and its synonym "benediction" share more than a common meaning; the two words come from the same root, the Latin "benedicere,"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 17, 2007 is: phishing • \FISH-ing\  • noun : a scam by which an e-mail user is duped into revealing personal or confidential information which the scammer can use illicitly Examples: The widespread use of electronic banking and financial transactions has prompted the FTC to crack down on cyber crimes, such as phishing. Did you know? "Phishing" is one of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 16, 2007 is: rankle • \RANK-ul\  • verb : to cause irritation or bitterness in Examples: Rae Ann's snooty attitude and rude behavior rankled me, but I smiled to hide my irritation. Did you know? The history of today's word is something of a sore subject. When "rankle" was first used in English, it meant "to fester," and that meaning is linked to the wor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 15, 2007 is: peripatetic • \pair-uh-puh-TET-ik\  • adjective 1 : Aristotelian 2 a : of, relating to, or given to walking b : moving or traveling from place to place : itinerant Examples: Rodney was a peripatetic journalist for several years until he bought a house and started writing for the local paper. Did you know? Are you someone who likes to think...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 14, 2007 is: refluent • \REH-floo-unt\  • adjective : flowing back Examples: There are some lakes in Louisiana that appear to be formed by the refluent waters of the Mississippi River. Did you know? "Refluent" was first documented in English during the 15th century, and it can be traced back to the Latin verb "refluere," meaning "to flow back." "Refluer...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 13, 2007 is: phalanx • \FAY-lanks\  • noun 1 : a body of heavily armed infantry in ancient Greece formed in close deep ranks and files; broadly : a body of troops in close array 2 : one of the digital bones of the hand or foot of a vertebrate 3 a : a massed arrangement of persons, animals, or things b : an organized body of persons Examples: The police...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 12, 2007 is: erudite • \AIR-uh-dyte\  • adjective : possessing or displaying extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books : learned Examples: The university hosted an informative lecture given by an erudite scholar of Cold War history. Did you know? "Erudite" derives via Middle English "erudite" from Latin "eruditus," the past participle of the verb...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 11, 2007 is: inspissate • \in-SPISS-ayt\  • verb : to make thick or thicker Examples: "Letting citizens sue polluters ... would only inspissate the logjam of litigation." (The New York Times, August 5, 1985) Did you know? "Inspissate" is ultimately derived from Latin "spissus" ("slow, dense") and is related to Greek "spidnos" ("compact") and Lithuanian...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 10, 2007 is: maître d' or maitre d' • \may-truh-DEE\  • noun : maître d'hôtel, headwaiter Examples: The maître d' ushered the couple to a private table at the back of the restaurant. Did you know? "Maître d'" is short for "maître d'hôtel," which comes from French and literally means "master of the house." "Maître d'hôtel" was first used in English in th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2007 is: transpontine • \trans-PAHN-tyne\  • adjective 1 : situated on the farther side of a bridge 2 : situated on the south side of the Thames Examples: Bella recommended a transpontine restaurant for our evening rendezvous, so we took a cab across the East River from our hotel in Manhattan and met her in Queens. Did you know? Usually the prefix "t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 8, 2007 is: aught • \AWT\  • pronoun 1 : anything 2 : all, everything Examples: "Xury said it was a lion, and it might be so for aught I know." (Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe) Did you know? "If you know aught which does behove my knowledge / Thereof to be inform'd, imprison't not / In ignorant concealment," Polixenes begs Camillo in Shakespeare's The Wi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 7, 2007 is: scaramouch • \skair-uh-MOOSH\  • noun 1 : a stock character in the Italian commedia dell'arte that burlesques the Spanish don and is characterized by boastfulness and cowardliness 2 a : a cowardly buffoon b : rascal, scamp Examples: My great uncle was an untrustworthy old scaramouch. Did you know? In the commedia dell'arte, Scaramouch was a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 6, 2007 is: turbid • \TER-bid\  • adjective 1 a : thick or opaque with or as if with roiled sediment b : heavy with smoke or mist 2 a : deficient in clarity or purity : foul, muddy b : characterized by or producing obscurity (as of mind or emotions) Examples: With alarm and dismay, Evelyn saw that the turbid floodwaters had started seeping into her kitc...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 5, 2007 is: peruse • \puh-ROOZ\  • verb 1 a : to examine or consider with attention and in detail : study b : to look over or through in a casual or cursory manner 2 : read; especially : to read over in an attentive or leisurely manner Examples: Dmitri perused the menu while we waited for a table. Did you know? "Peruse" has long been a literary word, us...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 4, 2007 is: nomenclator • \NOH-mun-klay-ter\  • noun 1 : a book containing collections or lists of words 2 : one who gives names to or invents names for things Examples: Within days of her promotion, Jenna found herself in the role of nomenclator, trying to name the company's newest product. Did you know? "Nomenclator" means "name caller" in Latin (from...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 3, 2007 is: Walter Mitty • \wawl-ter-MITT-ee\  • noun : a commonplace unadventurous person who seeks escape from reality through daydreaming Examples: "Many readers seem to be Walter Mittys, content to experience danger vicariously." (James Kelly, Time Magazine, August 19, 1985) Did you know? The original "Walter Mitty" was created by humorist James Thu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 2, 2007 is: deliquesce • \del-ih-KWESS\  • verb 1 : to dissolve or melt away 2 : to become soft or liquid with age or maturity -- used of some fungal structures (as the gills of a mushroom) Examples: Someone forgot to put the butter back in the refrigerator, instead leaving it to deliquesce on the kitchen counter. Did you know? "Deliquesce" derives from...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 1, 2007 is: august • \aw-GUST\  • adjective : marked by majestic dignity or grandeur Examples: Mr. Lee's bearing was always august and stately, and he drew respectful glances wherever he went. Did you know? "August" comes from the Latin word "augustus," meaning "consecrated" or "venerable," which in turn is related to the Latin "augur," meaning "consecr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 31, 2007 is: obtain • \ub-TAYN\  • verb 1 : to gain or attain usually by planned action or effort 2 : to be generally recognized or established : prevail Examples: The experiment was designed to obtain more accurate data about weather patterns. Did you know? "Obtain," which was adopted into English in the 15th century, comes to us via Anglo-French from th...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 30, 2007 is: verdigris • \VER-duh-greess\  • noun : a green or bluish deposit especially of copper carbonates formed on copper, brass, or bronze surfaces Examples: It seems like every building on campus features some combination of brick, ivy, and verdigris. Did you know? "Green of Greece" -- that is the literal translation of "vert de Grece," the Anglo-F...