Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 4, 2007 is: purport • \per-PORT\  • verb 1 : to have the often specious appearance of being, intending, or claiming (something implied or inferred); also : claim 2 : intend, purpose Examples: The authors purport to offer irrefutable proof of a conspiracy, but in reality their book gives us nothing but unproven conjecture. Did you know? The verb "purpo...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 3, 2007 is: askance • \uh-SKANSS\  • adv 1 : with a side-glance : obliquely 2 : with disapproval or distrust : scornfully Examples: "How demurely the little urchins look at him askance as he surveys them when they are all seated, with a glare of the eye peculiar to beadles!" (Charles Dickens, Sketches by Boz) Did you know? Etymologists have been scrat...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 2, 2007 is: glasnost • \GLAHZ-nohst\  • noun : a Soviet policy permitting open discussion of political and social issues and freer dissemination of news and information Examples: Yuri welcomed glasnost because he could finally publish the article he had written about poverty in Moscow. Did you know? "Glasnost'" wasn't coined by former Soviet president...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 1, 2007 is: parsimonious • \par-suh-MOH-nee-us\  • adjective 1 : exhibiting or marked by parsimony; especially : frugal to the point of stinginess 2 : sparing, restrained Examples: My parsimonious brother refuses to buy the candy his daughter sells as a school fundraiser because he thinks it is overpriced. Did you know? English isn't stingy when it co...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 31, 2007 is: interpellate • \in-ter-PELL-ayt\  • verb : to question (as a foreign minister) formally concerning an official action or policy or personal conduct Examples: At the international tribunal, U.N. officials interpellated the premier about his country's acquisition of illegal weapons. Did you know? "Interpellate" is a word you might encounter...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 30, 2007 is: katzenjammer • \KAT-zun-jam-er\  • noun 1 : hangover 2 : distress 3 : a discordant clamor Examples: The morning after the wedding, Pamela woke up with a blinding katzenjammer. Did you know? Have you ever heard a cat wailing and felt that you could relate? Apparently some hungover German speakers once did. "Katzenjammer" comes from the Germ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 29, 2007 is: zaibatsu • \zye-BAHT-soo\  • noun : a powerful financial and industrial conglomerate of Japan Examples: As owners of a zaibatsu with interests in the insurance and banking industries, the family's decisions had an undeniable impact on the Japanese economy. Did you know? "Zaibatsu" is a compound formed by the Japanese words "zai," meaning "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 28, 2007 is: yaw • \YAW\  • verb 1 : to deviate erratically from a course (as when struck by a heavy sea); especially : to move from side to side b of an airplane, spacecraft, or projectile : to turn by angular motion about the vertical axis 2 : alternate Examples: The gigantic wave caused our boat to yaw sharply to port, but thanks to some clever stee...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 27, 2007 is: quotidian • \kwoh-TID-ee-un\  • adjective 1 : occurring every day 2 : belonging to each day : everyday 3 : commonplace, ordinary Examples: As an employee, Fiona is gifted at solving the difficult problems that arise from time to time, but she is often careless about the quotidian responsibilities of her job. Did you know? In Shakespeare's...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 26, 2007 is: legerdemain • \lej-er-duh-MAYN\  • noun 1 : sleight of hand 2 : a display of skill and adroitness Examples: It was an impressive feat of legerdemain for Shane to take a dollar bill and instantly turn it into twenty nickels. Did you know? In Middle French, folks who were clever enough to fool others with fast-fingered illusions were describ...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 25, 2007 is: chivalry • \SHIV-ul-ree\  • noun 1 : mounted men-at-arms 2 : the system or practices of knighthood 3 : the conduct, spirit, or character of the ideal knight Examples: "Chivalry is not completely dead," thought Alice when the man on the subway rose to offer her his seat. Did you know? In days of old when knights were bold, Anglo-French spea...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 24, 2007 is: nonce • \NAHNTS\  • adjective : occurring, used, or made only once or for a special occasion Examples: Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem "Jabberwocky" is chock-full of nonce words, but a few of his coinages, such as "chortle" and "galumph," have become established in our language. Did you know? "Nonce" first appeared in Middle English as a nou...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 23, 2007 is: pettifogger • \PET-ee-fog-ur\  • noun 1 : a lawyer whose methods are petty, underhanded, or disreputable : shyster 2 : one given to quibbling over trifles Examples: Charles Dickens's Uriah Heep was a complete pettifogger, an unctuous villain whose name became a byword for a falsely humble hypocrite. Did you know? In its earliest English us...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 22, 2007 is: decrement • \DEK-ruh-munt\  • noun 1 : a gradual decrease in quality or quantity 2 : the quantity lost by diminution or waste Examples: The participants in the sleep deprivation study experienced a decrement in cognitive abilities as the night wore on. Did you know? Even if you've never seen "decrement" before, you might be familiar with "...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 21, 2007 is: cadge • \KAJ\  • verb : beg, sponge Examples: Mike tried to cadge a cigarette from Paula, but she told him to get his own pack. Did you know? As long ago as the 1400s, peddlers traveled the British countryside, each with a packhorse or a horse and cart, first carrying produce from rural farms to town markets, then returning with small ware...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 20, 2007 is: miscible • \MISS-uh-bul\  • adjective : capable of being mixed; specifically : capable of mixing in any ratio without separation of two phases Examples: Mr. Remington's class demonstration showed that, to paraphrase an old saying, oil and water are indeed not miscible. Did you know? "Miscible" isn't simply a lesser-known synonym of "mixabl...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 19, 2007 is: Gordian knot • \GOR-dee-un-NAHT\  • noun : an intricate problem; especially : a problem insoluble in its own terms Examples: "This renovation project has become a Gordian knot," said Marvin, "and I think the only way to cut the knot is to knock down the structure and start over." Did you know? According to Greek mythology, when the peasant...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 18, 2007 is: oleaginous • \oh-lee-AJ-uh-nus\  • adjective 1 : resembling or having the properties of oil : oily; also : containing or producing oil 2 : marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality Examples: Kelly spoke to her boss with an oleaginous deference that made her coworkers cringe. Did you know? The oily "oleaginous" slipped into En...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 17, 2007 is: consanguineous • \kahn-san-GWIN-ee-us\  • adjective : of the same blood or origin; specifically : descended from the same ancestor Examples: Brent hadn't believed that the man who claimed to be his long-lost cousin was telling the truth, but the documents proved that the two men were consanguineous. Did you know? "Consanguineous" is part o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 16, 2007 is: perceptible • \per-SEP-tuh-bul\  • adjective : capable of being perceived especially by the senses Examples: The smell of onions in the kitchen was barely perceptible to me, but Laura found it overwhelmingly pungent. Did you know? If something is "perceptible," you can "capture" it with your senses. "Perceptible" traces back to the Latin w...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 15, 2007 is: amuse-bouche • \AH-mooz-BOOSH\  • noun : a small complimentary appetizer offered at some restaurants Examples: "Meals start with a complimentary amuse-bouche and basket of bread with a ramekin of herb butter." (Linda Bladholm, The Miami Herald, November 30, 2006) Did you know? In French, "amuse bouche" means literally "it amuses the mouth....

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 14, 2007 is: telecommute • \TEL-ih-kuh-myoot\  • verb : to work at home by the use of an electronic linkup with a central office Examples: When construction on the highway extended her drive to the office by 20 minutes, Margaret made the decision to start telecommuting. Did you know? "Telecommute" derives from the prefix "tele-," a descendant of the Gr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 13, 2007 is: bluestocking • \BLOO-stah-king\  • noun : a woman having intellectual or literary interests Examples: Now that Aunt Sarah has retired from teaching college English, she fulfills the role of bluestocking by holding literary teas for students at her home. Did you know? In mid-18th century England, a group of ladies decided to replace evening...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 12, 2007 is: fictitious • \fik-TISH-us\  • adjective 1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of fiction : imaginary 2 : conventionally or hypothetically assumed or accepted b *of a name : false, assumed 3 : not genuinely felt Examples: Although the television series is based on real criminal cases, fictitious names are used to protect the privacy of the...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 11, 2007 is: urticaria • \er-tuh-KAIR-ee-uh\  • noun : hives Examples: After he told Betsy that the itchy, red welts on her arm were urticaria, the doctor noticed her scared look and quickly said "hives." Did you know? Hives can be caused by a number of things. It can be a reaction to the piece of food you ate, the new medication you took, or irritants...