Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 4, 2007 is: sycophant • \SIK-uh-funt\  • noun : a servile self-seeking flatterer Examples: "I can't stand sycophants," said Rosemary, "so if you want that promotion, do your best and let your work speak for itself." Did you know? In ancient Greece, "sykophantēs" meant "slanderer." It derives from two other Greek words, "sykon" (meaning "fig") and "phainei...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2007 is: eupeptic • \yoo-PEP-tik\  • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or having good digestion 2 : cheerful, optimistic Examples: "The generous outpouring of writings devoted to public libraries . . . makes me positively eupeptic about the future of scholarship in this area." (E. A. Goedeken, Libraries & Culture, March 22, 2004) Did you know? "Eupeptic"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 2, 2007 is: jeopardy • \JEP-er-dee\  • noun 1 : exposure to or imminence of death, loss, or injury : danger 2 : the danger that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense Examples: Rather than risk placing his passengers in jeopardy, the pilot waited for the storm to pass before taking off. Did you know? Centuries ago, the Old...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2007 is: anchorite • \ANG-kuh-ryte\  • noun : a person who lives in seclusion usually for religious reasons Examples: The anchorite spent most of his days in his small, bare cell, engaged in prayer and meditation. Did you know? The term "anchor" was being used for religious hermits about 450 years before "anchorite" came into common use in our language...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 30, 2007 is: unbeknownst • \un-bih-NOHNST\  • adjective : happening or existing without the knowledge of someone specified Examples: Unbeknownst to Clarice, we had been planning a surprise baby shower for her for weeks. Did you know? "Unbeknownst" derives from "beknown," an obsolete synonym of "known." But for a word with a straightforward history, "unbek...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 29, 2007 is: pococurante • \POH-koh-kyoo-RAN-tee\  • adjective : indifferent, nonchalant Examples: At the ball, the snobbish debutante offended many would-be suitors by responding to their greetings in a pococurante manner. Did you know? The French writer Voltaire carefully named his characters in Candide (1759) to create allegories. He appended the prefi...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 28, 2007 is: candidate • \KAN-duh-dayt\  • noun 1 : one that aspires to or is nominated or qualified for an office, membership, or award 2 : one likely or suited to undergo or be chosen for something specified 3 : a student in the process of meeting final requirements for a degree Examples: Voters will have several appealing candidates to choose from in t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2007 is: belie • \bih-LYE\  • verb 1 a : to give a false impression of b : to present an appearance not in agreement with 2 a : to show (something) to be false or wrong b : to run counter to : contradict 3 : disguise Examples: Martin's easy banter and relaxed attitude belied his nervousness. Did you know? "What is a lie?" asked Lord Byron in Don Juan....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2007 is: xeriscape • \ZEER-uh-skayp\  • noun, often capitalized : a landscaping method developed especially for arid and semiarid climates that utilizes water-conserving techniques (as the use of drought-tolerant plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation) Examples: Jim is not green-thumbed, so when he relocated to Colorado, he really liked the low-maint...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2007 is: fuliginous • \fyoo-LIJ-uh-nus\  • adjective 1 a : sooty b : obscure, murky 2 : having a dark or dusky color Examples: London was a fuliginous city during the Industrial Revolution. Did you know? "Fuliginous" is a word with a dark and dirty past -- it derives from "fuligo," the Latin word for "soot." In an early sense (now obsolete), "fuligino...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2007 is: roorback • \ROOR-back\  • noun : a defamatory falsehood published for political effect Examples: "The attacks on my character are nothing but roorbacks drummed up by my opponent," insisted the candidate. Did you know? If you think dirty politics are new, think again. In the midst of the 1844 presidential campaign between James K. Polk and Hen...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2007 is: lissome • \LISS-um\  • adjective 1 a : easily flexed b : lithe 2 : nimble Examples: Even though she hasn't danced in years, Maggie still has the lissome body of a ballerina. Did you know? "Lissome" (sometimes spelled "lissom") is a gently altered form of its synonym, "lithesome." While "lissome" tends to be the more popular choice these days,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 22, 2007 is: cineast • \SIN-ee-ast\  • noun : a devotee of motion pictures; also : moviemaker Examples: Ralph and Tory met -- and fell in love -- at a film festival, and within a year the two cineasts were engaged to be married. Did you know? "Cineast" is a French borrowing that made its American premiere in the mid-1920s. The French spliced together "cin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 21, 2007 is: estival • \ESS-tuh-vul\  • adjective : of or relating to the summer Examples: On summer evenings, Carl would sit for hours on the porch enjoying the warmth of the estival breezes. Did you know? "Estival" and "festival" look so much alike that you might think they're very closely related, but that isn't the case. "Estival" traces back to "aest...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2007 is: purview • \PER-vyoo\  • noun 1 a : the body or enacting part of a statute b : the limit, purpose, or scope of a statute 2 : the range or limit of authority, competence, responsibility, concern, or intention 3 : range of vision, understanding, or cognizance Examples: The court ruled that the student's T-shirt fell under the purview of the Firs...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2007 is: shoestring • \SHOO-string\  • noun 1 : shoelace 2 : a small sum of money : capital inadequate or barely adequate to the needs of a transaction Examples: For the first few years, Jillian and Georgia ran the business on a shoestring. Did you know? In earlier times, wandering peddlers offered townspeople a variety of items and trinkets, such as...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2007 is: resplendent • \rih-SPLEN-dunt\  • adjective : shining brilliantly : characterized by a glowing splendor Examples: Zoo visitors excitedly snapped pictures of the peacock fanning his resplendent tail. Did you know? "Resplendent" has a lot in common with "splendid" ("shining, brilliant"), "splendent" ("shining, glossy"), and "splendor" ("brightn...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2007 is: hawkshaw • \HAWK-shaw\  • noun : detective Examples: Though she risked being late for an appointment, Amanda could not bring herself to set the book down until the novel's hawkshaw had solved the mystery. Did you know? If you're a fan of mystery writing, you may have a favorite fictional detective. Perhaps it's Hercule Poirot (created by Agat...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2007 is: clandestine • \klan-DES-tun\  • adjective : marked by, held in, or conducted with secrecy : surreptitious Examples: The commander ordered the clandestine flights over enemy territory to gather more information about the opposing forces. Did you know? In 1658, the English poet John Milton wrote of "clandestine Hostility cover'd over with the n...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2007 is: anabasis • \uh-NAB-uh-sis\  • noun 1 : a going or marching up : advance; especially : a military advance 2 : a difficult and dangerous military retreat Examples: In U.S. history class, we learned about General Sherman's famous anabasis through the South. Did you know? The first sense of "anabasis" follows logically enough from its roots. In G...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2007 is: roister • \ROY-ster\  • verb : to engage in noisy revelry : carouse Examples: Hugh didn't get much sleep last night because his neighbors were roistering until the wee hours of the morning. Did you know? As Hugo Williams asserts in The Times Literary Supplement (November 15, 1991), roistering tends to be "funnier, sillier and less harmful tha...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 13, 2007 is: utmost • \UT-mohst\  • adjective 1 : situated at the farthest or most distant point : extreme 2 : of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, number, or amount Examples: Dustin has the utmost respect for his uncle, who returned to school after many years to attain his degree. Did you know? "Utmost" traces back to the Old English "Ūtmest," a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2007 is: succor • \SUCK-er\  • noun 1 : relief; also : aid, help 2 : something that furnishes relief Examples: "The people lost all hope of succor, and fled to the mountains for refuge." (Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad) Did you know? If you're in need of an explanation of the origins of "succor," we can help. Middle English speakers adapted "socour," the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 11, 2007 is: wimple • \WIM-pul\  • verb 1 : to cover with or as if with a wimple : veil 2 : to ripple 3 : to follow a winding course : meander Examples: In Herman Melville's Benito Cereno, the author describes the sun as being "wimpled by . . . low, creeping clouds." Did you know? "Wimple" is the name of the covering worn over the head and around the neck...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2007 is: Golconda • \gahl-KAHN-duh\  • noun : a rich mine; broadly : a source of great wealth Examples: The junk bond market proved to be a Golconda for unscrupulous traders during the 1980s, many of whom amassed huge fortunes by trading such bonds to the unwary. Did you know? In the 16th century, Golconda was the capital of the Qutb Shahi kingdom in...