Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 15, 2007 is: rendition • \ren-DISH-un\  • noun 1 : surrender 2 : translation 3 : performance, interpretation Examples: Early in her career, the singer starred in a stunning rendition of Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde. Did you know? "Rendition" entered English in the early 17th century and can be traced to the Middle French word "reddition" and ultimatel...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 14, 2007 is: inkhorn • \INK-horn\  • adjective : ostentatiously learned : pedantic Examples: The professor peppered his lectures with inkhorn terms of pseudo-Latin and Greek, a practice he felt essential to instilling in his students the proper respect for his knowledge. Did you know? Picture an ancient scribe, pen in hand, a small ink bottle made from an...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2007 is: infix • \IN-fiks\  • noun : a derivational or inflectional affix appearing in the body of a word Examples: "In addition to suffixes and prefixes, the language [Inuktitut] has infixes, denoting tense or gender. . .." (Stephanie Nolen Iqaluit, The Independent, July 29, 2000) Did you know? Like prefixes and suffixes, infixes are part of the gener...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2007 is: delve • \DELV\  • verb 1 : to dig or labor with or as if with a spade 2 : to make a careful or detailed search for information Examples: There might be a deeper reason why Bruce decided to quit his job, but I don't think we should delve into it. Did you know? We must dig deep into the English language's past to find the origins of "delve." The...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2007 is: roustabout • \ROWSS-tuh-bowt\  • noun 1 a : deckhand b : longshoreman 2 : an unskilled or semiskilled laborer especially in an oil field or refinery 3 : a circus worker who erects and dismantles tents, cares for the grounds, and handles animals and equipment Examples: The arrival of the circus was marked by the shouts of roustabouts hauling ca...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2007 is: atrabilious • \at-ruh-BIL-yus\  • adjective 1 : given to or marked by melancholy : gloomy 2 : ill-natured, peevish Examples: Conscious of his landlord's atrabilious temperament, Daniel knew to wait until the moment was right before asking for an extension on the rent. Did you know? "Atrabilious" is a somewhat rare word with a history that para...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 9, 2007 is: prehensile • \pre-HEN-sil\  • adjective 1 : adapted for seizing or grasping especially by wrapping around 2 : gifted with mental grasp or moral or aesthetic perception Examples: Using his prehensile tail, the monkey was able to seize the pen right out of my hand! Did you know? You may be familiar with "prehensile" from the animal world: monkeys...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 8, 2007 is: purloin • \per-LOYN\  • verb : to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust Examples: Carol discovered that Mike had purloined her idea for her essay and used it in his own paper. Did you know? "Purloin," "pilfer," and "filch" may just seem like fancy words for "steal," but each has a slightly different connotation. "Pilfer" implies...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 7, 2007 is: sumptuous • \SUMP-shuh-wus\  • adjective : extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent Examples: "Austere on the outside, the Genoese palazzi's interiors are sumptuous and gilded, bursting with frescoes, mirrors, and tapestries...." (Gabriella de Ferrari, Travel & Leisure, September 1994) Did you know? The word "sumptuous" can be used to...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 6, 2007 is: sprachgefuhl • \SHPRAHKH-guh-fuel\  • noun : an intuitive sense of what is linguistically appropriate Examples: One review of the book praised the author's sprachgefuhl and her graceful, literary style. Did you know? "Sprachgefuhl" was borrowed into English from German at the end of the 19th century and combines two German nouns, "Sprache," mea...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 5, 2007 is: valedictory • \val-uh-DIK-tuh-ree\  • adjective : of or relating to a valediction : expressing or containing a farewell Examples: June used her valedictory address to emphasize the importance of volunteering and community service. Did you know? Valedictory addresses delivered by earnest young valedictorians at high school and college graduation...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 4, 2007 is: pratfall • \PRAT-fawl\  • noun 1 : a fall on the buttocks 2 : a humiliating mishap or blunder Examples: It was amusing to watch the pratfalls of the slow-witted cartoon cat as he was continually outsmarted by the clever mouse. Did you know? The human posterior has been given a number of designations over the centuries, some not acceptable in po...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2007 is: camarilla • \kam-uh-RILL-uh\  • noun : a group of unofficial often secret and scheming advisers; also : cabal Examples: A resistance group has sprung up and is plotting to overthrow the tyrant leader and his camarilla. Did you know? "Camarilla" is borrowed from Spanish and is the diminutive of "cámara," which traces to the Late Latin "camera" a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 2, 2007 is: brackish • \BRACK-ish\  • adjective 1 : somewhat salty 2 a : not appealing to the taste b : repulsive Examples: Water is often brackish and undrinkable at points where freshwater rivers flow into the sea. Did you know? When the word "brackish" first appeared in English in the 1500s, it simply meant "salty," as did its Dutch ancestor "brak." The...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 1, 2007 is: euphemism • \YOO-fuh-miz-um\  • noun : the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant; also : the expression so substituted Examples: Aunt Helen would never say that someone had "died"; she preferred to communicate the unpleasant news with euphemisms like "passed on." Did you k...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2007 is: usance • \YOO-zuns\  • noun 1 : firmly established and generally accepted practice or procedure : usage 2 : use, employment 3 : interest 4 : the time allowed by custom for payment of a bill of exchange in foreign commerce Examples: "Make an investment of any spare monies as may render some usance." (Lord Byron) Did you know? "Usance" was bor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 29, 2007 is: internecine • \in-ter-NESS-een\  • adjective 1 : marked by slaughter : deadly; especially : mutually destructive 2 : of, relating to, or involving conflict within a group Examples: When the three brothers took over the family business together, it didn't take long for the internecine feuding to begin. Did you know? "Internecine" comes from t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2007 is: scrimshander • \SKRIM-shan-der\  • noun : a person who creates scrimshaw Examples: The museum's scrimshander hunched over a bit of bone, scraping it gently with a tiny needle, then brushed away the chips and held up the intricate design so we could see it. Did you know? Scrimshaw is a distinctly North American folk art, but no one knows just...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 27, 2007 is: underwhelm • \un-der-WELM\  • verb : to fail to impress or stimulate Examples: The figure skater's lackluster performance underwhelmed the judges. Did you know? "Overwhelm" and its rare synonym "whelm" have both been around since the 14th century, but "underwhelm" first appeared in print in 1949. Both "overwhelm" and "whelm" are derived from...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 26, 2007 is: wowser • \WOW-zer\  • noun, chiefly Australian : an obtrusively puritanical person Examples: "I'm no wowser, but I draw the line at abusive, foul-mouthed drunks." (Mike Smithson, [South Australia] Sunday Mail, July 2, 2006) Did you know? "Wowser" is a delightful word with an interesting background, though its ultimate origin is unknown. The...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 25, 2007 is: perfunctory • \per-FUNK-tuh-ree\  • adjective 1 : characterized by routine or superficiality : mechanical 2 : lacking in interest or enthusiasm Examples: Clearly exhausted after a long day on her feet, our server gave us only a perfunctory greeting before taking our drink orders. Did you know? "Perfunctory" is a word whose origins are found...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 24, 2007 is: mythomania • \mith-uh-MAY-nee-uh\  • noun : an excessive or abnormal propensity for lying and exaggerating Examples: The therapist speculated that Sharon's mythomania, which makes her want to embellish even the most minor details of her life, may have been triggered by a specific event. Did you know? We wouldn't lie to you about the history...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 23, 2007 is: fulcrum • \FULL-krum\  • noun 1 a : prop; specifically : the support about which a lever turns b : one that supplies capability for action 2 : a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support Examples: The development of a revolutionary microprocessor became the fulcrum of the company's success as an information technology giant. Did yo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 22, 2007 is: opusculum • \oh-PUS-kyuh-lum\  • noun : a minor work (as of literature) Examples: The book is a collection of opuscula written by the author between his two major novels. Did you know? "Opusculum" -- which is often used in its plural form "opuscula" -- comes from Latin, where it serves as the diminutive form of the noun "opus," meaning "work...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 21, 2007 is: riparian • \ruh-PAIR-ee-un\  • adjective : relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater Examples: Residents of the riparian community learned to brace themselves for a flood whenever torrential rain was forecast. Did you know? "Riparian" came to English from the same...