Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 16, 2006 is: cajole • \kuh-JOHL\  • verb 1 a : to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in the face of reluctance : coax b : to obtain from someone by gentle persuasion 2 : to deceive with soothing words or false promises Examples: Peter's friends cajoled him into coming to the party even though he wasn't in the mood to go. Did you know?...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 15, 2006 is: heterodox • \HET-uh-ruh-dahks\  • adjective 1 : contrary to or different from an acknowledged standard, a traditional form, or an established religion : unorthodox, unconventional 2 : holding unorthodox opinions or doctrines Examples: In the 16th century, Nicolaus Copernicus presented the then-heterodox theory that the sun is the center o...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 14, 2006 is: pelagic • \puh-LAJ-ik\  • adjective : of, relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea : oceanic Examples: "Pelagic birds, seldom seen on land, soar offshore for the eager birder." (William Longgood, The New York Times, April 1984) Did you know? "Pelagic" comes to us from Greek, via Latin. The Greek word "pelagikos" became "pelagic...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 13, 2006 is: euphoria • \yoo-FOR-ee-uh\  • noun : a feeling of well-being or elation Examples: The whole college was swept up in the euphoria of winning the national basketball title, and dozens of spontaneous celebrations erupted across the campus and spilled out into the town. Did you know? Health and happiness are often linked, sometimes even in et...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 12, 2006 is: aerie • \AIR-ee\  • noun 1 : the nest of a bird on a cliff or a mountaintop 2 : an elevated often secluded dwelling, structure, or position Examples: Joe lives in a sleek, 20th-floor aerie with a spectacular view of the city. Did you know? English poet John Milton put a variant of "aerie" to good use in Paradise Lost (1667), writing "...t...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 11, 2006 is: centenarian • \sen-tuh-NAIR-ee-un\  • noun : one that is 100 years old or older Examples: "A government census reported 20,561 Japanese over the age of 100, a doubling of the ranks of centenarians in just five years." (Maclean's, June 2004) Did you know? We can't say there are exactly 100 English words based on the Latin root "centum," me...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 10, 2006 is: Pecksniffian • \pek-SNIFF-ee-un\  • adjective : unctuously hypocritical : sanctimonious Examples: "His book suffers from excessively long harangues against Pecksniffian prigs and temperance types who, he claims, are still trying to ruin our fun." (Mark D. Fefer, Seattle Weekly, January 22, 2003) Did you know? Seth Pecksniff, a character w...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 9, 2006 is: nonpareil • \nahn-puh-RELL\  • adjective : having no equal Examples: Matilda is known as an all-around excellent cook, but her blueberry pie, in particular, is nonpareil. Did you know? Trace "nonpareil" back to its Middle French origins and you'll find that it comes from a term meaning "not equal." "Pareil" itself comes from a Vulgar Latin...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 8, 2006 is: retronym • \REH-troh-nim\  • noun : a term consisting of a noun and a modifier which specifies the original meaning of the noun Examples: When Bob asked Donna what a retronym was, she looked around the room for an example and said "rotary phone." Did you know? If you're planning to buy a TV anytime soon, be sure to do plenty of research. N...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 7, 2006 is: parse • \PARSS\  • verb 1 : to analyze a sentence by naming its parts and their functions 2 : to examine in a minute way : analyze critically Examples: Prosecutors parsed every word of the defendant's testimony, looking for a slip that might reveal the truth. Did you know? If "parse" brings up images of elementary school and learning the p...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 6, 2006 is: cybrarian • \sye-BRAIR-ee-un\  • noun : a person whose job is to find, collect, and manage information that is available on the World Wide Web Examples: The library provided an e-mail address to submit inquiries to the cybrarian. Did you know? We've been using "librarian" for the people who manage libraries since at least the beginning of...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 5, 2006 is: symposium • \sim-POH-zee-um\  • noun 1 : a social gathering at which there is free interchange of ideas 2 a : a formal meeting at which several specialists deliver short addresses on a topic or on related topics b : a collection of opinions on a subject; especially : one published by a periodical 3 : discussion Examples: The symposium gave...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 4, 2006 is: adulate • \AJ-uh-layt\  • verb : to flatter or admire excessively or slavishly Examples: It bothered Joan that her nephews seemed to adulate sport stars more than their own parents or teachers. Did you know? Man's best friend is often thought of in admiring terms as faithful and true, but there are also those people who more clearly percei...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 3, 2006 is: gourmand • \GOOR-mahnd\  • noun 1 : one who is excessively fond of eating and drinking 2 : one who is heartily interested in good food and drink Examples: Jason trusted the discriminating palate of his Uncle Gerald, a gourmand who is well acquainted with the area's best restaurants. Did you know? "What God has plagu'd us with this gormaund...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 2, 2006 is: abyssal • \uh-BISS-ul\  • adjective 1 : impossible to comprehend : unfathomable 2 : of or relating to the bottom waters of the ocean depths Examples: Scientists have discovered remarkable creatures living in the abyssal depths of the sea. Did you know? "Abyssal" is a relatively infrequently used word, though it's derived from the more prev...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 1, 2006 is: clerihew • \KLAIR-ih-hyoo\  • noun : a light verse quatrain rhyming aabb and usually dealing with a person named in the initial rhyme Examples: My favorite of Edmund C. Bentley's clerihews is the following: "What I like about Clive / Is that he is no longer alive. / There is a great deal to be said / For being dead." Did you know? Edmund C...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2006 is: poikilotherm • \poi-KEE-luh-therm\  • noun : an organism (as a frog) with a variable body temperature that tends to fluctuate with and is similar to or slightly higher than the temperature of its environment : a cold-blooded organism Examples: The environment controls the body temperature of poikilotherms, although they can heat and cool...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 29, 2006 is: affable • \AF-uh-bul\  • adjective 1 : being pleasant and at ease in talking to others 2 : characterized by ease and friendliness Examples: Betty's father was so affable that when her friends came over they'd usually end up sitting and chatting with him. Did you know? "Affable" is one of several English words that evolved from the Latin v...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 28, 2006 is: cerulean • \suh-ROO-lee-un\  • adjective : resembling the blue of the sky Examples: The painting depicted a series of tall, verdant trees surrounding a cerulean lake. Did you know? "Cerulean" comes from the Latin word "caeruleus," which means "dark blue" and is most likely from "caelum," the Latin word for "sky." An artist rendering a sky...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 27, 2006 is: Podunk • \POH-dunk\  • noun : a small, unimportant, and isolated town Examples: After living in a Podunk for most of her life, it took a long time for Hannah to adjust to life in the big city. Did you know? "I hear you ask, 'Where in the world is Podunk?'" A correspondent asked that question of the editors of the Buffalo, New York, Daily...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 26, 2006 is: steganography • \steg-uh-NAH-gruh-fee\  • noun : the art or practice of concealing a message, image, or file within another message, image, or file Examples: No doubt, the Internet has enriched society, but it has a flip side; terrorists, for instance, can secretly network online using steganography. Did you know? "Steganography" is a wor...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 25, 2006 is: inveigle • \in-VAY-gul\  • verb 1 : to win over by wiles : entice 2 : to acquire by ingenuity or flattery : wangle Examples: Not wanting to attend the gallery opening by herself, Alice tried to inveigle Glen into accompanying her. Did you know? "Inveigle," a word that dates from the 16th century, refers to the act of using clever talk, tr...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 24, 2006 is: maelstrom • \MAIL-strum\  • noun 1 : a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius 2 : something resembling a maelstrom in turbulence Examples: The mayor has been swept up in the media maelstrom surrounding the laundering of thousands of dollars in state funds by city officials. Did you know? "Maelstrom" come...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 23, 2006 is: majordomo • \may-jer-DOH-moh\  • noun 1 : a head steward of a large household (as a palace) 2 : butler, steward 3 : a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another; broadly : the person who runs an enterprise Examples: The journalist phoned the rock star's majordomo to request an interview. Did you know? "Majordomo" h...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 21, 2006 is: palinode • \PAL-uh-nohd\  • noun 1 : an ode or song recanting or retracting something in an earlier poem 2 : a formal retraction Examples: Oscar Wilde penned this famous palinode: "Not that I agree with everything that I have said in this essay. There is much with which I entirely disagree." Did you know? Does singing someone's praises in...