Word of the Day

Lurdane is a noun that refers to an idle or incompetent person. The Latin word luridus (loo READ oos) means ‘lurid.’ Over time our word of the day’s meaning has shifted to now refer to someone who is simply lazy or ‘good-for-nothing.’ Here’s an example of lurdane in use: My brother-in-law is such a lurdane, he doesn’t even bother to look for work. In fact, he’s so lazy, he doesn’t even have a resu...

Belvedere is a noun that refers to a rooftop view. Our word of the day comes from the Italian words bel for ‘beautiful’ and vedere (vay DARE ay) which means ‘to see.’ In the late 16th century, it came to refer to a summerhouse or open-sided gallery, usually at rooftop level. Today it can often refer to any kind of a rooftop view. Having a belvedere was really important thing for Max when he was se...

Whilom is an adverb that means formerly or in the past. Coming from Old English with the meaning of ‘at times,’ our word of the day could be thought of as a synonym of ‘erstwhile’ or ‘former.’ I was an athlete whilom so I make every effort to keep my body in great shape. All those years of getting great exercise on the basketball court has made me understand the importance of conditioning.

Penman is a noun that refers to an author. Derived from two common English words, ‘pen’ and ‘man,’ Penman can be used as a synonym of ‘writer,’ or ‘scribe.’ But can can also refer to someone skilled in calligraphy. Here’s an example of the latter: My brother has worked for years as a penman. It seems to be painstaking work, but his ability to create beautiful letters has apparently paid off in lif...

Passim is an adverb that means scattered throughout the text. The Latin word passus (PAAH soos) means ‘scattered.’ When used in a modern context, our word of the day means ‘scattered at various places of the text. Here’s an example: The book has many stories about my father’s experiences during the war passim. When you read those stories at various points, you get a sense of how brave a man he was...

Tsuris is a noun that refers to trouble or woe. Our word of the day comes from Yiddish. Here’s an example to illustrate the best way to use it: It’s been a tough year for us at the office. But even with all the tsuris, we’ve had plenty of good times to savor.

Alliaceous is an adjective that means smelling or tasting like onions or garlic. The Latin word allium (AH lee oom) refers to garlic. Since joining the English language in the lat e18th century, our word of the day has come to refer to anything that is a part of the alliums family, which include, among other things, onions and garlic. It generally refers to the smell or taste. The alliaceous scent...

Clicktivism is a noun that refers to the practice of supporting a cause through the internet. Our word of the day is a 21st century variant of activism, a word of Latin descent. Clicktivism replaces the word ‘act’ because it refers to a lazy, less active form of social engagement. Here’s an example: People criticize clicktivism, but I think it’s kind of fun. Right from my own home, I voted on who...

Myology is a noun that refers to the muscular anatomy of a person or animal. The Latin prefix M-Y means muscles, while O-L-O-G-Y is a Greek suffix that means ‘subject or study of interest.’ The myology of that cougar suggests he has a build intended for a predator, with an ability to strike fast at any time. All of this means he’s got a lot of strong and fast muscles, so we’d better get out of her...

Tyro is noun that refers to a beginner or novice. Tyro comes from the Latin tiro (T-I-R-O), which means "young soldier," "new recruit," or more generally, "novice."  The word has a long history of being used attributively—that is, directly before another noun—in phrases like "tyro reporter" and "tyro actors." My nephew plays the drums well and has even started a band with some of his friends....

Litterateur is a noun that refers to a professional who makes a living in the world of literature. Our word of the day comes directly from the French. Our word of the day may refer to either a professional writer or someone who has a great interest and knowledge of literature. Here’s an example of the former. My career as a litterateur really took off with my last book. From that point on, I could...

Castigatory is an adjective that means punitive or intended to punish. The Latin word castus (cos toose) means ‘pure’ or ‘chaste.’ When we castigate someone, we reprimand them for not being pure or chaste. Any action done for this purpose is considered castigatory. The board’s castigatory action did little to prevent further problems. It seems James was just determined to be a bad guy no matter ho...

Quietive is a noun that refers to something that has a soothing effect. The root word of quietive is quiet, from a Latin word which, of course, means quiet. The suffix I-V-E refers to ‘that which performs toward.’ In this case, a quietive performs toward a ‘quieting’ or soothing of a person’s temperament. Even after taking the quietive the doctor prescribed, I couldn’t help but feel a little nerve...

Calumny is a noun that refers to a false and slanderous statement. Our word of the day comes from the Latin word calumnia (kah LOOM nee uh) which means ‘trickery.’ It first appeared in the 15th century and you can find it in the Shakespearean play ‘Hamlet.’ Here’s an example of it in use: I expected my first year in college to be rough, but I never thought I’d receive calumny from other students....

Manavelins is a noun that refers to odds and ends left over. The origin of our word of the day is unknown. It’s frequently used as a slang for leftovers. Here’s an example of manavelins in use: Today’s manavelins weren’t as good as I was hoping. That’s the last time I ever try to reheat oatmeal.

Extraterritoriality is a noun that refers to an exemption from the application of local laws. Our word of the day combines the prefix E-X-T-R-A with the word territory that refers to a piece of land. Here’s an example: Due to extraterritoriality, one of the kids on our trip to Spain wasn’t punished for shoplifting at the airport. But that didn’t stop him from getting a spanking from his dad at hom...

Casuist is a noun that refers to a person who uses clever but unsound reasoning. The Latin word casus (KAH soose) means ‘case,’ and you could think of casuists as similar to lawyers, constantly working on a case. Here’s an example of our word of the day in use: My daughter’s only ten and she’s already become something of a casuist. She managed to convince me and her mother that she shouldn’t eat c...

Docent is a noun that refers to a guide in a museum, gallery or zoo. The Latin word docere (doe SAIR ay) means ‘to teach.’ Our word of the day can sometimes be used to describe a member of the teaching staff immediately below professorial rank. It can also be used to refer to a guide. Here’s an example of the latter. In the gallery, the docent explained to us that Jackson’s Pollock’s paintings wer...

Chortle is a verb that means to laugh in a breathy, gleeful way. Our word of the day is one of many words that come to us from the 19th century author Lewis Carroll. He first used chortle — a combination of chuckle and snort — in the novel Through the Looking Glass. I plead guilty to having been a nerd in high school. On top of my ill-fitting wardrobe and coke-bottle glasses, I also had this dorky...

Rend is a verb that means to tear into into two or more pieces. Our word of the day comes from Old English and is used with an object. Here’s an example: I was tempted to rend the contract in half when I saw how little I was being paid. But then I realized that ripping the contract in half would do nothing to boost my salary.

Lapsus calami is a noun that refers to a slip of the pen. Our word of the day comes directly from a Latin phrase that translates into “slip of the pen.’ It is used to describe any mistake made in writing. In my movie debut I played a character named Jeb in an old west thriller. But thanks to a lapsus calami, my character’s name was listed in the credits as Jen. I hope I don’t have any more slips o...

Ken is a noun that refers to one’s range of knowledge. Our word of the day has its roots in the German word kennen (KEN en) which means ‘to know’ or ‘be acquainted with.’ The word was imported into English in the 16th century, carrying its same basic meaning. Here’s an example: That World War Two movie we saw the other day was fun, but it didn’t seem realistic. Granted, history is a little out of...

Pied is an adjective that means consisting of more than one color. Our word of the day has its origin in Middle English and was initially used to describe things that were black and white, as in a ‘magpie.’ These days the terms can refer to any combination of colors. I remember this pied mare from summer camp. She was half beige and half white and it was endless fun riding her across the prairie.

Ruritanian is an adjective that means filled with romantic adventure and intrigue. The 1894 novel, the Prisoner of Zenda is set in the imaginary kingdom of Ruritania. It’s a novel of high adventure and romance. We use the word Ruritanian to describe any place that fits this description. Example: My son talks about this Ruritanian place inside his closet that is filled with monsters and dragons and...

Dissilient is an adjective that means springing apart. Our word of the day combines the Latin prefix D-I-S, for ‘apart’ with salire (suh LEER ay) which means ‘to leap.’ Here’s an example of dissilient in use: We liked the old mattress at the garage sale, but soon realized why it was being sold for only twenty-five dollars. It was a mess. Not only was covered with dust, but it was dissilient, with...