Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 1, 2007 is: sawbuck • \SAW-buck\  • noun 1 : a 10-dollar bill 2 : sawhorse; especially : one with X-shaped ends Examples: "Arena rock shows that once promised spectacle for less than a sawbuck have bloated into elite affairs resembling closed corporate events." (Jon Fine, Business Week, February 6, 2006) Did you know? It has been suggested that the word...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 28, 2007 is: alopecia • \al-uh-PEE-shuh\  • noun : loss of hair, wool, or feathers : baldness Examples: My cousin Amelia recently donated ten inches of her hair to an organization that makes wigs for children who suffer from alopecia. Did you know? Doctors use "alopecia" to refer to various forms of hair loss, including "alopecia areata," a sudden los...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 27, 2007 is: shill • \SHILL\  • verb 1 : to act as a decoy (as for a pitchman or gambler) 2 : to act as a spokesperson or promoter Examples: She's starring in a new sitcom this season and also shilling for a shampoo in a series of newly released ads. Did you know? Professionals licensed to shill won't necessarily knock you dead, but they may not do yo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 26, 2007 is: fulsome • \FULL-sum\  • adjective 1 a : characterized by abundance : copious b : generous in amount, extent, or spirit 2 : exceeding the bounds of good taste : overdone 3 : excessively complimentary or flattering : effusive Examples: Stan's praise for Emily was so fulsome it didn't seem sincere. Did you know? There is a lot of confusion a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 25, 2007 is: asunder • \uh-SUN-der\  • adverb or adjective 1 : into parts 2 : apart from each other in position Examples: The wreckage is believed to be that of a British vessel that was torn asunder by a deadly storm almost a hundred years ago. Did you know? "Asunder" dates from the 14th century and can be traced back to the Old English word "sundor,...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 24, 2007 is: colporteur • \KAHL-por-ter\  • noun : a peddler of religious books Examples: When she was working as a colporteur, Lena found some people to be more receptive to her offerings than others. Did you know? In 19th-century America, the word "colporteur" (a French borrowing meaning "peddler") came to be used especially of door-to-door peddlers...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 23, 2007 is: panic • \PAN-ik\  • noun a : a sudden overpowering fright; also : acute extreme anxiety b : a sudden unreasoning terror often accompanied by mass flight c : a sudden widespread fright concerning financial affairs that results in hurried selling and a sharp fall in prices 2 slang : one that is very funny Examples: Jennifer experienced a su...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 22, 2007 is: lèse-majesté • \layz-MAJ-uh-stee\  • noun 1 a : a crime (as treason) committed against a sovereign power b : an offense violating the dignity of a ruler as the representative of a sovereign power 2 : a detraction from or affront to dignity or importance Examples: Some family members view Ty's criticism of his grandfather as an act of lèse...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 21, 2007 is: draconian • \dray-KOH-nee-un\  • adjective, often capitalized 1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of Draco or the severe code of laws held to have been framed by him 2 : cruel; also : severe Examples: Sue contends that the city's steep fine for jaywalking is a draconian form of punishment. Did you know? "Draconian" comes from "Draco,"...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 20, 2007 is: quail • \KWAIL\  • verb 1 : to give way : falter 2 : to recoil in dread or terror : cower Examples: Even though she quailed at the thought of rejection, Gwen asked Marcel out to dinner. Did you know? "Flinch," "recoil," and "wince" are all synonyms of "quail," but each word has a slightly different use. When you flinch, you fail to endure...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 19, 2007 is: apropos • \ap-ruh-POH\  • adjective : being both relevant and opportune Examples: Sean interrupted our conversation about politics and, apropos of nothing, asked who we thought would win the basketball game. Did you know? English borrowed "apropos" from the French phrase "à propos," literally "to the purpose." Since it first appeared in 1...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 18, 2007 is: scintilla • \sin-TILL-uh\  • noun : spark, trace Examples: After the witness's frank and bruising testimony, neither my brother nor I was left with a scintilla of doubt that the defendant was guilty. Did you know? "Scintilla" comes directly from Latin, where it carries the meaning of "spark" -- that is, a bright flash such as you might se...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 17, 2007 is: hospitalist • \HOSS-pih-tuh-list\  • noun : a physician who specializes in treating hospitalized patients of other physicians in order to minimize the number of hospital visits by other physicians Examples: Naomi worried that as a hospitalist she would have to work harder to achieve personalized relationships with her patients. Did you kn...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 16, 2007 is: grok • \GROCK\  • verb : to understand profoundly and intuitively Examples: No matter how many times I try to explain it, my grandmother just can't grok what a blog is and why anyone would want to read one. Did you know? "Grok" may be the only English word that derives from Martian. Yes, we do mean the language of the planet Mars. No, we'...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 15, 2007 is: imprimatur • \im-pruh-MAH-toor\  • noun 1 : a license to print or publish especially by Roman Catholic episcopal authority 2 : sanction, approval Examples: The organization has been meeting on campus without the university's imprimatur. Did you know? "Imprimatur" means "let it be printed" in New Latin. It comes from Latin "imprimere," mea...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 14, 2007 is: Cupid • \KYOO-pid\  • noun : the Roman god of erotic love *2 not capitalized : a figure that represents Cupid as a naked usually winged boy often holding a bow and arrow Examples: Ricco sent Tanya a card covered with roses and cupids on Valentine's Day. Did you know? According to Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Mercury, the messenge...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 13, 2007 is: billet-doux • \bill-ee-DOO\  • noun : a love letter Examples: Poor George spent hours laboring over a billet-doux, only to have his girlfriend toss it aside and demand, "Where are my roses?" Did you know? The first recorded use of the French word "billet doux" (literally, "sweet letter") in an English context occurs in John Dryden's 1673...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 12, 2007 is: balneology • \bal-nee-AH-luh-jee\  • noun : the science of the therapeutic use of baths Examples: Dori studied balneology in Europe and now applies her knowledge at a spa in California. Did you know? "Sure, the hot water feels good. Sure, the massage is nice. But it goes beyond that, advocates say." So wrote Ellen Creager in an article pu...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 11, 2007 is: stereotactic • \stair-ee-uh-TAK-tik\  • adjective : involving, being, utilizing, or used in a surgical technique for precisely directing the tip of a delicate instrument (as a needle) or beam of radiation in three planes using coordinates provided by medical imaging in order to reach a specific locus in the body Examples: "Brain surgery w...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 10, 2007 is: star-chamber • \STAR-CHAIM-ber\  • adjective : characterized by secrecy and often being irresponsibly arbitrary and oppressive Examples: The new department manager's star-chamber methods -- from closed-door meetings to ultimatums and disastrous snap decisions -- quickly alienated the staff. Did you know? The adjective "star-chamber" comes...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 9, 2007 is: hoodwink • \HOOD-wink\  • verb : to deceive by false appearance : dupe Examples: The dishonest art dealer hoodwinked Edward, convincing him to pay top dollar for a relatively worthless painting. Did you know? A now-obsolete sense of the word "wink" is "to close one's eyes," and "hoodwink" once meant to cover the eyes of someone, such as a...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 8, 2007 is: inviolable • \in-VYE-uh-luh-bul\  • adjective 1 : secure from violation or profanation 2 : secure from assault or trespass : unassailable Examples: "One can almost see him, grey-haired and serene in the inviolable shelter of his book-lined, faded, and comfortable study. . . ." (Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim) Did you know? "Inviolable" is a vener...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 7, 2007 is: avoirdupois • \av-er-duh-POYZ\  • noun 1 : the series of units of weight based on the pound of 16 ounces and the ounce of 16 drams 2 : weight, heaviness; especially : personal weight Examples: Michael's ample avoirdupois can be blamed on his fondness for rich sauces and fattening cheeses. Did you know? When "avoirdupois" first appeared in...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 6, 2007 is: metadata • \met-uh-DAY-tuh\  • noun : data that provides information about other data Examples: The word processing program also tracks and saves metadata such as the author of the document and how many copies have been printed. Did you know? It's easy to find data on the source of "metadata": the word was formed by combining "data" with "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 5, 2007 is: concinnity • \kun-SIH-nuh-tee\  • noun : harmony or elegance of design especially of literary style in adaptation of parts to a whole or to each other Examples: Julia maintains that no modern play can rival the concinnity of the classical Greek tragedies. Did you know? The Romans apparently found perfect harmony in a well-mixed drink. The...