Word of the Day

Dregs is a noun that refers to the remnants of a liquid left in a container.  The origin of our word of the day is unclear, but it seems to have emerged from Scandinavian, then later found its way into Middle English. Dregs may refer to the remnants of a liquid or an undesirable part of society. Either way, it is almost always used in the plural.  I’ve been trying to clean my thermos for a while a...

Techlash is a noun that refers to a backlash against the perceived negative effects of technology on society.  Our word of the day is inspired by the word ‘backlash,’ which means a strong and adverse reaction by a large number of people. In this case, the reaction is to technology, which gets shortened to the prefix T-E-C-H. Example:  I sense a little techlash from people in the last few years. Th...

Jomo is an acronym that means Joy Of Missing Out.  Our word of the day was inspired by another acronym, FOMO, which stood for ‘fear of missing out.’ Within the past decade or so, some folks began to notice that missing out on certain activities brought as much joy as fear. Here’s an example of JOMO in use.  I always thought I’d get excited about joining a bird watching club. But let’s face it, her...

Upcycle is a verb that means ‘to reuse a product in such a way that elevates its value.’  Using the word ‘up’ as a prefix, our word of the day is a recent word that is closely related to the verb ‘recycle.’ The difference is that upcycling adds value to a recycled product.  I’d love to upcycle my roommate’s old CDs as coasters. Considering how bad some of the music was, using them to place a bever...

Nomophobia is a noun that refers to the fear of being without a cell phone.  Our word of the day is a recent addition to the English language that gets its origin from the words ‘no moble phone’ as well as the Greek suffix P-H-O-B-I-A which refers to an all-consuming fear of. Here’s an example of nomophobia in use: While camping in the woods, I often feel overcome with a sense of nomophobia. But t...

Vexillology is a noun that refers to the study of flags.  Dating back to the 1950s, the latin word vexillum (vecks ee LOOM) means ‘flag.’ By adding the suffix L-O-G-Y, which means ‘study of,’ we get our word of the day.  As a kid, I was always a fan of cars, but as I’ve gotten older, I’d say I’ve leaned more toward vexillology as a hobby, if only because flags are a lot less expensive to collect t...

Ebullition is a noun that refers to the action of bubbling or boiling.  The Latin word ebullire (ee boo LEAR ay) means ‘to boil up.’ Our word of the day may be used in the literal sense of referring to water boiling, or it may be used figuratively, to refer to someone’s temper boiling over and exploding. Example: When I told Sandy that she’d parked in the wrong space, I wasn’t expecting an ebullit...

Mumpish is an adjective that means Sullen or sulky.  The origin of our word of the day isn’t clear, but we know the word mump has been with us since the 16th century, with the adjective mumpish emerging in the 17th century. Here’s an example of it use: Carl’s mumpish demeanour probably harmed his political career. After all, who wants to vote for somebody who seems moody and sullen all the time. 

Macrosmatic is an adjective that means having a highly developed sense of smell.  Our word of the day comes from a combination of the Greek prefix M-A-C-R-O meaning ‘large,’ and osme (OSS me) meaning ‘smell.’ Originally used to describe animals like bears or dogs, that have a highly developed sense of smell, it has, more recently been used to describe people whose ability to smell is greater than...

Sciamachy is a noun that refers to the act of fighting an imaginary foe.  Coming from Greek, this word fought its way into the English language in the early 17th century. It gets its prefix from the word skia (SKI uh) meaning ‘shadow’ and the rest from makhia (MOCK ee uh) which means ‘fighting.’  Our word of the day may refer to someone taking swings at an imaginary opponent, but it’s most commonl...

Echolalia is a noun that refers to the meaningless repetition of another person’s spoken words.  Coming from the late 19th century, our word of the day takes its prefix from the Greek word echo (EK oh) a word used to describe a repetition, and combines that with the Latin word lalia (LA lee uh) meaning ‘speech.’  Originally used to describe a medical condition, echolalia may describe any kind of m...

Pantisocracy is a noun that refers to a utopian society in which all are equal.  Coined by an 18th century English poet named Samuel Taylor Coleridge, our word of the day begins with the Greek prefix P-A-N, which means ‘all,’ and ends with I-S-O-C-R-A-C-Y, meaning ‘equal rule.’ Example: Our bowling team was very much a pantisocracy, which annoyed me. You’d think that as the team’s highest scorer,...

Pogonotomy is a noun that refers to the cutting of a beard.  The Greek word pogon (POE gon) means ‘beard.’ That addition of tome (TOE me) meaning knife, gives us our word of the day, which basically means shaving off a beard. Although often used in a medical context, pogonotomy may be used in an everyday context as well. Example: After years of having a long beard, pogonotomy made me look kind of...

Interpunction is a noun that refers to the insertion of a punctuation mark.  Emerging in the mid 18th century, our word of the day comes from the Latin word punctum (POONK toom) meaning ‘point,’ the same word that gave us ‘punctuate.’ Unlike the verb punctuate, interpunction is a noun that refers to the act of adding punctuation. Here’s an example: I’ve learned that in office memos, it is best to...

Emolument is a noun that refers to a salary or fee from employment.  Our word of the day comes from a Latin word that referred to payment given to a miller for grinding corn. That explains why the origin of emolument is the Latin word molere (mo LARE ay) which means ‘to grind.’ Here’s an example of emolument in use: After three weeks of putting together a terrific presentation, I was hoping my emo...

Pinion is a verb that means to cut off the wing of a bird to prevent flight.  Dating back to the 17th century, our word of the day comes from the French word pignon (PEEN yone) which referred to the part of a bird’s wings that make flight possible. Pinion may still be used as a noun to refer to this part of the wing or it can be a verb that means to clip the wing to prevent a bird from flying.  Si...

Chevelure is a noun that refers to a head of hair.  Coming almost directly from French, our word of the day has been used as a sophisticated way of referring to a person’s hair since the 15th century. Here’s an example: I have to admit that Genevieve looked stunning when she entered the ballroom. Not only was she decked out in a long, flowing evening gown, but that chevelure on top of her head mad...

Commination is a noun that means the actin of threatening divine vengeance.  Derived from late Middle English, our word of the day combines the Latin prefix C-O-M, meaning expressing intensive force with the latin verb minari (me NAR ee) meaning to threaten.  Our word of the day is often used in a biblical or spiritual context in reference to a divine creature threatening to punish sinners, but it...

Prolegomenon is a noun that refers to an introduction to a book.  Coming from the 17th century, our word of the day combines the Latin prefix P-R-O which means ‘before’ and the Latin word legein (lay JEN) meaning ‘to read.’ Before you read the actual content of a book, you read its introduction, or its prolegomenon.  I loved that book I recently read on the modern problem of short attention spans,...

Antidromic is an adjective that means traveling in a direction that is the opposite of normal.  Coming from Greek, our word of the day combines the prefix A-N-T-I, meaning ‘against.’ and the word dromos (DRO mose) which means ‘running.’ It’s a fairly recent addition to English, having just arrived in the early 20th century.  I often find that jogging in the opposite direction from my usual path is...

Manuduction is a noun that refers to the act of guiding or leading as if by hand.  Our word of the day combines the Latin word manus (MAN oose) meaning ‘hand’ and ductio (DUCK she oh) which means ‘to lead.’ Together they get the word that means ‘to lead by hand.’ Here’s an example of manuduction in use: I was completely lost on my first day of work at the toy store. I needed someone to lead me by...

Disconsolate is an adjective that means without consolation or comfort.  Our word of the day is derived from the Latin word consolari (con so LAR ay) meaning, ’to console’ and the prefix D-I-S, which means ‘not.’ When someone is disconsolate, they cannot be consoled.  Fred was disconsolate after his team’s loss last Sunday. I tried to cheer him up with the news that at least my team won. But for s...

Oppugn is a verb that means to call into question the truth or validity of.  Our word of the day combines the Latin prefix O-B which means ‘against,’ and the word pugnare (poog NAR ay) which means ‘to fight.’ To oppugn something means to oppose it, more specifically, to oppose the validity or truth of it. Example: I didn’t mean to oppugn the judge's decision last week, but anybody watching tha...

Vellicate is a verb that means to twitch.  The Latin word vellicare (vel ee CAR ay) means ‘to pluck or pull.’ By the early 17th century the word was brought into English and had taken on the more specific meaning it has today. It now refers to an involuntary twitch. Here’s an example: When my eye began to vellicate, I panicked immediately. The last time a twitch like that came to my eye, I would u...

Agley is an adverb that means askew or wrong.  The precise origin of our word of the day is unknown, but we do know it comes from the Scottish word gley (GLAY) which means ‘squint.’ Here’s an example of agley in use: I knew something was agley in the kitchen when I walked into the house. When I immediately caught the scent of baked cookies in the air, I knew exactly what was askew. Donna had made...