Word of the Day

Spindrift is a spray of water, snow or sand blown by the wind.  Our word of the day combines two Old English words that, together, mean ‘run before wind or sea.’ Spindrift has been around since the early 17th century. Here’s an example of it: Walking back to our cabin was going great until a giant spindrift cut off my vision for a while. With eyes full of snow, it’s not so easy to see where you&#3...

Nemophilist is a noun that refers to someone who loves the forrest.  The Greek Prefix N-E-M-O refers to ‘wooded pasture.’ And the P-H-I-L-O means ‘a love of.’ So having a love of the forrest is all it takes to be deemed a nomophilist.  I used to be a nemophilist, but getting bitten by a few snakes cured me of that fascination. It’s hard to love the forest when your eyes are constantly shifting aro...

Stelliferous is an adjective that means being full of stars.  The Latin word stella (STELL uh) means ‘star.’ This word has given birth to such words as interstellar, asterisk and the name Stella. When the sky is full of stars, that’s a good time to utilize our word of the day. For example: When I proposed to Mindy, the sky was gorgeously stelliferous. All those twinkling diamonds up above filled m...

Mussitate is a verb that means to talk indistinctly or mutter.  The Latin word mussare (moose ARE ay) means ‘silence.’ It is believed that our word of the day is imitative in origin, meaning the word came to be because somebody thought it sounded like mumbling or muttering. Example: I can always tell when my eight-year-old isn’t being totally honest. He avoids eye contact and begins to mussitate....

Encyclical is an adjective that means for wide release. Our word of the day comes from the Greek word enkyklios (en KEY klee ose) which means ‘circular’ or ‘general.’ Encyclical has been circulating throughout English since the mid-17th century. Example: When Angie resigned as mayor, she did so with an encyclical letter. She wanted everyone in town to clearly understand her reasons for leaving.

Rotiform is an adjective that means wheel-shaped.  The Latin word rota (ROE tuh) means ‘wheel.’ The addition of the suffix I-F-O-R-M gets us a word that means ‘shaped like a wheel.’ Here’s an example: All those rotiform objects in that boring art museum sent my mind elsewhere. It reminded me of the car and how I wished I could just leave the museum and drive away. 

Aesculapian is an adjective that means relating to medicine or physicians.  Our word of the day gets its origin from Aesculapius, the Roman god of medicine. The word entered English in the late 16th century. Here’s an example: Shelly has been working as a nurse for nearly a year and her vocabulary has been peppered with all kinds of aesculapian terminology. She can barely tell me to wash my hands...

Golem is a noun that refers to a mythical artificial being brought to life.  Our word of the day comes directly from the Yiddish word for ‘a shapeless mass.’ In Jewish legend, a golem is a clay figure brought to life by magic. The word can also be used in reference to a robot. Here’s an example of golem in use: On those rare occasions at the office when Dominick leaves his desk, people gawk at him...

Fructify is a verb that means to make fruitful or productive.  The Latin word fructus (FROOK toos) means fruit in the sense of ‘the result or reward of work or activity.’ In other words, when we fructify something, we make it fruitful. Here’s an example of our word of the day in use: I was hoping to fructify all the excess milk in my refrigerator by using it to make ice cream. But in the end, the...

Calembour is a noun that refers to a play on words.  The origin of our word of the day is unknown, but you could think of it as a synonym of pun. Here’s an example of calembour in use: I was hoping I could break the ice at the job interview with a calembour or two. I mean, who doesn’t like a good pun every now and then. Apparently, the guy interviewing me didn’t like them. My pun-manship didn’t ge...

Elysium is a noun that refers to a place or state of perfect happiness. Our word of the day has its origin in a Greek word that means ‘Land of the blessed.’ Elysium is often used as an actual location in Greek mythology, but it may also be used as synonym of paradise. Example: Working in a candy store, my daughter was practically in Elysium for eight hours a day. Of course, the hours she spent wit...

Helot is a noun that refers to a serf or a servant.  Ancient Greek Region of Helos was known for the subjugation of its people. Soon, our word of the day became a synonym of slave or servant. Here’s an example of it in use: Chris may be known for treating his assistant like a helot, but I will say this for him: his assistant Jimmy may not have had much freedom, but he was a lot better paid than mo...

Capuan is an adjective that means luxurious.  Our word of the day is a toponym, meaning it is a word that takes its origin from a place. In this instance, the place was an ancient Italian city named Capua which was known as a place of great opulence and luxury.  Capuan emigrated from this city and arrived in the English language in the 16th century. Here’s an example of it in use: When it comes to...

Aliquot is a noun that refers to a portion of a larger whole, especially a sample taken for analysis.  Our word of the day has its origin in the Latin words alus (AH loose) meaning ‘one of two’ and quot (KO) meaning ‘how many.’ Often used in science, aliqot has been a part of the English language since the late 16th century. Example: After examining the aliquot closely, Dr. Himmelman deduced that...

Solemnize is a verb that means to mark with a ceremony.  The Latin word sollsemnis (suh LEM nis) means ‘customary.’ From this we get a word that refers to rituals performed at ceremonies. Solemnize has been with us since the Middle English period. Here’s an example of it in use: After twenty years with the company, you’d think upper management would want to solemnize Eric’s service with some kind...

Kith is a noun that refers to one’s friends and acquaintances.  Our word of the day has its origin in an Old English word that means ‘one’s native land.’  The popular phrase ‘kith and kin’ initially referred to one’s country and relatives. More recently it has come to mean ‘one’s friends and family.’  Here’s an example of Kith in use - Don’t get me wrong. I love to see my family during the holiday...

Saturnalian is an adjective that means marked by unrestrained revelry.  Our word of the day comes from Latin and means ‘related to Saturn.’ Saturn was the Roman god known as a source of renewal and liberation. The ancient Roman festival of Saturn was used as a period of merrymaking. Here’s an example of Saturnalian in use: All the Saturnalian regalia outside my house made it difficult to sleep las...

Neurodiverse is an adjective that means displaying atypical neurological behavior.  A recent addition to the English language, our word of the day has been around since earlier this century when scientists were developing a deeper understanding of what made some people think and act differently than others. The scientists involved in this area are called neuroscientists, a word that shares the Gre...

Foundress is a noun that refers to a female founder. It is also a noun that refers to a female leader of a colony.  The root word of foundress is founder, which is from Old English and refers to ‘the originator of something.’ The suffix R-E-S-S indicates that we’re talking about a woman. This is true in both definitions of the word. Here’s an example: The foundress of our company would probably be...

Recuse is a verb that means to remove oneself from participation to avoid a conflict of interest.  The Latin word recurare (ray coo SAR ay) means ‘to reject.’ Often used in a legal context, our word of the day has been with us since the early 19th century. Example: A Juror was asked to recuse himself because it was felt that he couldn’t objectively serve on a jury in which his father was being tri...

Introrse is an adjective that means turned inward.  Our word of the day takes its meaning and basic spelling from the Latin word inrorses (in TROR sus). Here’s an example: The first step in getting our basketball team to play better was to have all the players introrse. It’s a lot easier to communicate when everybody can actually see each other. 

Extrorse is an adjective that means turned outward.  The Latin adverb extrorus (ex TROR sus) means outwards. Our word of the day has turned itself toward the English language since the mid-19th century and holds the same basic meaning as its ancestor. Example: With the lights extrose, our backyard looked pretty cool to those passing by. But to anybody wanting to see where they were going, it might...

Intemperance is a noun that refers to a lack of moderation or restraint.  The Latin word temperare (temp er ARE ay) means ‘to restrain.’ Our word of the day has been around since Middle English. By adding the prefix I-N, meaning ‘not,’ we get a word that means ‘not able to restrain.’ Here’s an example: My intemperance with true crime shows has become a real problem lately. Because I can’t stop wat...

Clapperclaw is a verb that means to claw with fingernails.  Our word of the day combines two words of Old English origin ‘clapper’ and ‘claw.’ Clapperclaw has been with us since the late 16th century. here’s an example of it in use: I really enjoyed last night’s movie, but I have to say it wasn’t terribly realistic — especially the scene where the heroine was able to clapperclaw her way up the sid...

Bewray is a verb that means to betray.  Our word of the day comes from an Old English word that means ‘to accuse.’ When someone is rightly accused of bewraying a friend, it means they’re guilty of treason. Example: When I switched softball teams, there were some pretty bad feelings among my former teammates. I didn’t mean to bewray them, I just felt like it would be fun to win an occasional game....