Word of the Day

Apprise is a verb that means to inform or tell someone. Coming from the French word for ‘to teach,’ our word of the day has been around since the late 17th century. Here’s an example: When I found myself in legal trouble, I was hoping someone would apprise me of my rights. But unfortunately, by the time anyone passed that information along to me, I was already sitting in a jail cell.

Chafe is a verb that means to make someone annoyed or impatient. The Latin word calere (kuh LARE ay) means ’to make hot.’ Initially, our word of the day’s meaning was ‘to rub.’ But in time, it came to define the act of annoying someone. I have to admit that the sound of our next door neighbor’s drum set tends to chafe me. After a few hours of rehearsal, I’m really impatient for all that racket to...

Beatific is an adjective that means happy or angelic. Our word of the day is derived from the Latin word beatus (BEE ah toos) which means ‘blessed.’ In strictly religious terms, beatific refers to spiritual creatures such as angels, but when used casually, it simply means ‘similar to an angel.’ Michelle’s Beatific smile has always inspired me. It looks like something you’d see on the face of an ot...

Adulterate is a verb that means ‘to corrupt or make impure.’ The Latin verb aldulterare (all do Ter RAWR ay) means ’to corrupt.’ Our word of the day has been around since the 16th century. Here’s an example: At first, I was afraid that adding a violin player to our punk rock band would adulterate our sound. But it turned out the only thing that corrupted out sound was the fact that we weren’t very...

Accord is a verb that means ‘to bring into agreement. It can also be a noun that refers to ‘an agreement.’ Our word of the day combines the prefix A-D with the word cord (chord) which means ‘heart.’ Here’s an example of accord used properly: After a month of tense negotiation, the factions reached an accord. The pro jelly donut coalition would get their jelly donuts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday...

Expatriate is a verb that means to leave one’s home country and resettle in another. The Latin word ‘patria’ (POT ree uh) refers to ‘a native country.’ Words like patriot and patriotism derive from this. As a noun, expatriate refers to someone who has left their native land, but our word of the day is a verb that means the act of leaving a native land. After all the awful weather we've had in the...

Creditable is an adjective that means worthy of belief. Although the word ‘credit’ is used in a wide variety of ways, its basis is in the Latin word ‘credere’ (cruh DARE ay) means ‘trust’ or ‘believe.’ When something has been deemed creditable, that means we can believe and trust what has been said about it. Example: The first lawyer I approached for my case, didn’t exactly seem like a creditable...

Equidistant is an adjective that means ‘at equal distances.’ Our word of the day combines the prefix E-Q-U-I with the word ‘distant.’ Not surprisingly, the result is a word that means ‘equally distant.’ When faced with the option of going to college in sunny southern California or North Dakota, the choice wasn’t difficult. They were both equidistant from home, but let’s face it, distance isn’t alw...

Abrade is a verb that means ‘to rub or wear away.’ Coming from the Latin word ‘abradere’ (ab rah DARE ay) which means ‘to scrape away,’ our word of the day has been with us since the late 17th century. Here’s an example of abrade in use: I was always afraid that if I left my bike outside, the rain and wind would abrade its frame over time, and let’s face it, metal that’s been all scraped away is n...

Germinant is an adjective that means able to grow or develop. The Latin word germinare (jer ee NAR may) means ’to sprout.’ It’s given us such words as ‘germ,’ ‘germinate,’ and our word of the day. Germinant can be used literally or metaphorically. Here’s an example of the later: While working as an ad executive, some of my ideas worked out better than others. The most germinant of them developed w...

Foretaste is a noun that refers to a sample or suggestion of something that lies ahead. Our word of the day combines the prefix F-O-R-E, meaning ‘before’ with the Old English word ‘taste’ which can mean ‘experience’ as in ‘I got a taste of reality.’ As a noun, foretaste can refer to an advance sample of something. As a verb it can be thought of as a synonym of ‘anticipate.’ Here are examples of bo...

Parquetry is a noun that refers to a floor design made of geometric shapes. Coming from the French term for ‘small enclosed space,’ our word of the day refers to a pattern commonly used on flooring or furniture. It entered the English language in the early 19th century at the same time the pattern was gaining popularity. Here’s an example of parquetry in use: As a math enthusiast, I tend to get ex...

Proviso is a noun that refers to a condition attached to an agreement. The Latin word providere (pro vee DARE ay) means ‘to foresee or provide.’ Our word of the day came about in the late Middle English period as part of the phrase ‘it being provided that.’ Centuries later, proviso is used in a more informal manner. Here’s an example: I went to the bowling match between my co-workers, but only wit...

Ignescent is an adjective that means emitting sparks of fire. The Latin word ignis (EEN yees) means fire. From this origin, we get our word of the day which has been a part of the English language since the early 19th century. It may be used in a literal sense to refer to sparks of a fire or in a metaphorical sense as a synonym of volatile. Here’s an example of the later: It’s not like the mayor t...

Clinquant is a noun that refers to false glitter. Our word of the day comes directly from French. Its origin is imitative, meaning it is derived from the clink sound that comes from tapping against glitter. Here’s an example: The journalism industry is full of all kinds of clinquant. It may seem glamorous, but, believe me, all the glitter of that world is heartbreakingly false.

Precocity is a noun that refers to the state of flowering. The Latin prefix P-R-A-E means ‘before’ and the verb coquere (ko ku WHERE ay) means ’to cook.’ These provide the basis for a word that means ‘to ripen.’ Related to the adjective ‘precocious’ as in ‘a precocious, or developing child,’ our word of the day grew into the English language in the 17th century. The precocity of our little puppies...

Geniture is a noun that refers to a person’s birth or parentage. The Latin word genitura (jen uh TOUR ah) means ‘birth,’ This word has given birth to such English words as ‘generation,’ ‘generate’ and ‘progenitor.’ Here’s an example: While the resemblance between parent and child can vary from one family to another, physical similarity is usually a good indication of a child’s geniture. Most kids...

Rusticate is a verb that means to abandon city life in favor of the country. The Latin word rusticus (ROOS de coos) gives us the English word ‘rustic,’ an adjective that means ‘relating to the countryside or the country.’ Our word of the day is a verb used to indicate the process of moving to the country. Here’s an example: I hope that when I rusticate I’ll be able to get better sleep at night. Al...

Cumbrous is an adjective that means awkward or ungainly. Our word of the day is related to the more common word cumbersome which comes from the Latin word combre (COMB bray). Here’s an example of cumbrous in use: After a day of working in packaging, my back can get pretty sore. Those boxes may look small, but they can be pretty cumbrous.

Gainsay is a verb that means to deny or contradict. The combination of two Middle English words provides the basis of our word of the day. The word ‘gain’ means against, while ‘say’ has the same meaning it does today. To gainsay is to speak against something or someone. As much as I don’t like to gainsay anyone arguing for the addition of donuts for our weekly meeting, I had to contradict Aurora’s...

Splutter is a verb that means to say something with a spitting sound, as a result of a strong emotion. It is also a noun that refers to a short explosive noise. Our word of the day goes back to the 17th century and appears to have been imitative in origin. Here’s an example of splutter in use: Watching the boss splutter in rage for an hour in the office like that suggested that the mistake made wa...

Apportion is a verb that means to divide and allocate. Having been around since the 15th century, our word of the day derives from the Latin word portionner (POOR shun her) which means ’to divide.’ We were told the coach would apportion the pizza equally between players. But the pizza was so tiny, that just meant everybody received an equally sized crumb.

Allay is a verb that means to diminish or put to rest. The Old English word Alegan (al uh GAN) means ‘to lay down or aside.’ This is the basis for our word of the day. Here’s an example: In an effort to allay my daughter’s disgust of Brussels sprouts, I ate several of them myself. Unfortunately, the upset stomach I had afterwards, didn’t do much to put aside her dislike of the vegetable.

Metagrobolize is a verb that means to puzzle or mystify. Our word of the day comes almost directly from the French variation of it that has basically the same meaning. Here’s an example of metagrobalize in use: This week’s installment of my favorite science fiction series really started to metagrobalize me. All those characters and plots and subplots and planets can really get your head spinning a...

Deglutition is a noun that refers to the act or process of swallowing. The Latin word deglutire (de glue TIRE ay) means ’to swallow down.’ Deglutition reached English in the mid 17th century where it hold pretty firmly to it original meaning. Here’s an example: The patient was unable to consume food because of how bloated his throat was. A throat that swollen can often make deglutition difficult.