Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 29, 2007 is: null • \NULL\  • adjective 1 : having no legal or binding force : invalid 2 : having no value : insignificant 3 : of, being, or relating to zero Examples: The entertainer's contract will be rendered null and void if he should miss more than five appearances during the year. Did you know? English borrowed "null" from the Anglo-French "nul," me...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 28, 2007 is: quisling • \KWIZ-ling\  • noun : one who commits treason : collaborator Examples: The country is ruled by a puppet government composed of quislings. Did you know? Vidkun Quisling was a Norwegian army officer who in 1933 founded Norway's fascist party. In December 1939, he met with Adolf Hitler and urged him to occupy Norway. Following the Ger...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 27, 2007 is: untenable • \un-TEN-uh-bul\  • adjective 1 : not able to be defended 2 : not able to be occupied Examples: The contractor made the untenable demand that all work be paid for up front, at which point we decided to take our business elsewhere. Did you know? "Untenable" and its opposite "tenable" come to us from Old French "tenir" and ultimately...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2007 is: zydeco • \ZYE-duh-koh\  • noun : popular music of southern Louisiana that combines tunes of French origin with elements of Caribbean music and the blues and that features guitar, washboard, and accordion Examples: Thanks to delicious food and live zydeco every night, the new restaurant is a big success. Did you know? You might say that the li...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 25, 2007 is: caducity • \kuh-DOO-suh-tee\  • noun 1 : senility 2 : the quality of being transitory or perishable Examples: "Awareness of death -- a vivid realization of the caducity of life and its joys and miseries -- provides the strongest motive for metaphysics." (F. Gonzalez-Crussi, The New Yorker, November 1, 1993) Did you know? "Caducity" derives by...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 24, 2007 is: monocracy • \muh-NAH-kruh-see\  • noun : government by a single person Examples: After years of subjugation, the citizens of the country rose up against the oppressive monocracy. Did you know? In society's search for the best kind of government, the suffix "-cracy" (which means "form of government" and traces to the Greek "kratos," meaning "s...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2007 is: extirpate • \EK-ster-payt\  • verb 1 a : to destroy completely : wipe out b : to pull up by the root 2 : to cut out by surgery Examples: By insisting that he has a plan to extirpate crime and corruption in our cities, the governor might have bitten off more than he can chew. Did you know? If we do a little digging, we discover that "extirpate...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2007 is: panoptic • \pan-OP-tik\  • adjective : being or presenting a comprehensive or panoramic view Examples: At the top of the mountain is a sightseeing point that provides climbers with a panoptic view of the surrounding valleys. Did you know? The establishment of "panoptic" in the English language can be attributed to two inventions known as pano...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2007 is: moot • \MOOT\  • adjective 1 a : open to question : debatable b : subjected to discussion : disputed 2 : deprived of practical significance : made abstract or purely academic Examples: Since the team would have lost anyway, it's a moot point whether the umpire's call was right or not. Did you know? "Moot" derives from "gemōt," an Old English...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 20, 2007 is: disinformation • \dis-in-fer-MAY-shun\  • noun : false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth Examples: The writer's latest book examines the effects of propaganda and disinformation during the Cold War. Did you know? In 1939, a writer describ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 19, 2007 is: indomitable • \in-DAH-muh-tuh-bul\  • adjective : incapable of being subdued : unconquerable Examples: Molly has always admired the indomitable spirit of her great-grandparents, who endured many hardships when they emigrated from Ireland. Did you know? The prefix "in-" means "not" in numerous English words (think of "indecent," "indecisive,"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 18, 2007 is: garderobe • \GAR-drohb\  • noun 1 : a wardrobe or its contents 2 : a private room : bedroom 3 : privy, toilet Examples: "On our tour of Castle Rushen, begun in 1200 and enhanced over the years, [caretaker Ian] McKinlay made sure to point out the garderobe -- because nature calls, even in a castle. . .." (Gemma Tarlach, Milwaukee Journal Senti...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2007 is: binary • \BYE-nuh-ree\  • adjective 1 : compounded or consisting of or marked by two things or parts 2 a : relating to, being, or belonging to a system of numbers having 2 as its base b : involving a choice or condition of two alternatives (as on-off or yes-no) Examples: Brass is a binary alloy, having the two metallic elements copper and zin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 16, 2007 is: onomastics • \ah-nuh-MAS-tiks\  • noun 1 a : the science or study of the origins and forms of words especially as used in a specialized field b : the science or study of the origin and forms of proper names of persons or places 2 : the system underlying the formation and use of words especially for proper names or of words used in a specializ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 15, 2007 is: distrait • \dih-STRAY\  • adjective : apprehensively divided or withdrawn in attention : distracted Examples: Professor Aguilar noticed that Sheldon was often distrait during her lectures, so she pulled him aside one day after class to ask if anything was wrong. Did you know? "Distrait" is a somewhat literary word with an unusual history. Bor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2007 is: pilgarlic • \pil-GAR-lik\  • noun 1 a : a bald head b : a bald-headed man 2 : a man looked upon with humorous contempt or mock pity Examples: "Ever since I became a pilgarlic," Dale explained, "I've believed that bald is beautiful!" Did you know? The Latin word for "hair" -- "pilus" -- has given us a number of words: "depilation" ("the remova...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2007 is: libertine • \LIB-er-teen\  • noun 1 : a freethinker especially in religious matters 2 : a person who is unrestrained by convention or morality; specifically : one leading a dissolute life Examples: The writer was portrayed in the film as a libertine who relied heavily on the vices of drinking and gambling. Did you know? The word "libertine,"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2007 is: herald • \HAIR-uld\  • verb 1 : to give notice of : announce 2 a : to greet especially with enthusiasm : hail b : publicize 3 : to signal the approach of : foreshadow Examples: The first robin heralded the arrival of spring. Did you know? The exact origin of "herald" is uncertain, but it is thought to derive from Germanic roots. Specifically,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2007 is: reprise • \rih-PREEZ\  • noun 1 : a recurrence, renewal, or resumption of an action 2 a : a musical repetition b : a repeated performance : repetition Examples: The argument was a reprise of a long-standing disagreement. Did you know? When "reprise" was first adopted into English in the 15th century, it referred to a deduction or charge made...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2007 is: fraught • \FRAWT\  • adjective 1 : full of or accompanied by something specified -- used with with 2 : causing or characterized by emotional distress or tension : uneasy Examples: The doctor warned her patient that the experimental procedure was fraught with problems. Did you know? "The drowmound was so hevy fraught / That unethe myght it say...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2007 is: tincture • \TINK-cher\  • noun 1 : color, tint 2 a : a characteristic quality : cast b : a slight admixture : trace 3 : a solution of a medicinal substance in an alcoholic solvent Examples: Mabel's stories contain just the right tincture of macabre humor to be enjoyed by readers young and old alike. Did you know? "Tincture" derives from the sa...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 8, 2007 is: cavil • \KAV-il\  • verb : to raise trivial and frivolous objection Examples: It may seem petty to cavil at minor flaws given the film's excellence as a whole, but the ending did seem to lack some credibility. Did you know? "You must be joking!" That's just one of the things you might be tempted to exclaim if you found yourself quarreling with...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 7, 2007 is: antithetical • \an-tuh-THET-ih-kul\  • adjective 1 : constituting or marked by the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences 2 : being in direct and unequivocal opposition Examples: Your suggestion is completely antithetical to my morals and beliefs. Did you know? "Antithetical" and "antithe...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2007 is: waddy • \WAH-dee\  • noun, West : cowboy Examples: "The cowboy of today is a sort of sophisticated waddy, driving trucks, flying airplanes and applying scientific resources to successful ranching." (Willard H. Porter, Chicago Tribune, July 3, 1988) Did you know? It's easier to rope a wild mustang than to round up the origin of "waddy." Some fo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2007 is: palmy • \PAH-mee\  • adjective 1 : marked by prosperity : flourishing 2 : abounding in or bearing palms Examples: "In Beaufort Road was a house, occupied in its palmier days, by Mr Shorthouse, a manufacturer of acids." (J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter, July 1964) Did you know? The palm branch has traditionally been used as a symbol of victory. It is no...