Word of the Day

Lorn is an adjective that means lonely and abandoned. Or word of the day comes indirectly from Old English and is commonly used in literary writing. Here’s an example of it: The princess found herself lorn in the castle all alone. In spite of her immense wealth, she needed the companionship and intimacy that only love can provide.

Agrarian is an adjective that means related to cultivating the land. The latin word ager (ah JER) means ‘field.’ From this word comes our word of the day. In addition to being an adjective that means ‘farming’ or ‘cultivating the land,’ agrarian can also be used as a verb to refer to a person who advocates farming. I know for a fact that the agrarian life isn’t for everybody. Farming is hard...

Compendium is a noun that refers to a concise collection of information. The Latin prefix C-O-M means ‘together,’ while pendere (PEN dare ay) is Latin for ‘weight.’ Compendium entered the English language around the late 16th century to refer to ‘what is weighed together.’ The word later came to refer to a collection of information about a particular subject. I found a compendium on UFOs that...

Calumniate is a verb that means to defame or make false statements about. The Latin word calumnia (cal OOM ne uh) means ‘oppression.’ More recently, the English ancestor or this word, calumniate, has come to mean ‘injure the reputation of.’ Here’s an example: When I ran for office, I swore I would never calumniate my opponents. But I have to confess that I did have a few occasions where I made sta...

Splenetic is an adjective that means ill-tempered or spiteful. Our word of the day shares its origin with the word spleen, an abdominal organ that serves as part of the immune system. The Ancient Greeks believed the spleen was the seat of a bad temper, so the word splen (splan) meant ‘ill-tempered.’ Centuries later, splenetic entered English as an adjective for spiteful or malevolent. After w...

Shirty is an adjective that means irritable or ill-tempered. Our word of the day came from the word shirt although it’s not clear exactly how. But we do know it came to become slang in the 19th century. Alice could be a bit shirty at times, but I don’t blame her. Having to deal with those guys in packaging would make anybody irritable.

Accelerant is a noun that refers to something that aids in acceleration. It comes also be used as an adjective to describe something that causes an acceleration. The word accelerate comes from the Latin accelerare (ak sell er ARE ay) meaning to ‘to hasten’ or ‘make faster.’ Our word of the day is often used in a technical context. The police suspected those responsible for the blast used cert...

Contestation is a noun that refers to controversy or debate. The Latin word contestari (con test TAR ay) means ‘to call upon a witness.’ It later evolved into a number of English words like ‘contest.’ Our word of the day is often used in formal settings to describe a process of disputing or arguing. When debating over their borders, the two nations engaged in several years of contestation. Once th...

Torpid is an adjective that means lethargic. Our word of the day comes from the Latin word torpere (tor PAIR ay) which means ‘to be numb or sluggish.’ Torpid can be used to describe a lethargic person but it can also be used to describe an animal that is dormant or in hibernation. During most of my torpid youth, I spent all day playing video games and watching TV. I’ve now become a lot less lethar...

Indolent is an adjective that means lazy. The Latin word dorere (doe LARE ay) means ‘to suffer or cause pain.’ This word added the prefix I-N to mean ‘not causing pain’ and became indolent in the mid 17th century. Initially it was used in a medical context to refer to a disease or condition that didn’t cause pain. But it soon came to also describe someone who wanted to avoid work or exertion. Here...

Faineant is an adjective that means idle or inactive. It can also be used as a noun that refers to an idle or ineffective person. Our word of the day comes from the French phrase fait neant (fe nee AW) that translates to ‘does nothing.’ It has been imported into English since the early 17th century. With nothing to do all day, I found myself feeling hopelessly faineant. With any luck, there will b...

Detritus is a noun that refers to debris or discarded items. Our word of the day comes directly from Latin. After being imported into English in the late 18th century, its pronunciation has shifted from dee TREE toose to its English equivalent de TRY tus, but it has retained the same meaning of ‘waste or discarded material.’ When we changed offices, some people came to think of all those photos on...

Morass is a noun that refers to a complicated or confused situation. The Latin word mariscus (mar EESE coose) means ‘marsh.’ This later evolved into morass, which originally held the same meaning. While it is still used in this context, morass may also be used figuratively to refer to any muddy or confusing situation. Here’s an example: Before the lawsuit could be resolved, we had to climb through...

Putative is an adjective that means generally considered to be. The Latin word putare (poo TAR ay) means ‘to think.’ When something is described as putative, it means ‘generally thought to be.’ For example: Greg was the putative leader of the trumpet section, but regardless of what everyone thought, I was the one actually leading things.

Fistic is an adjective that means pugilistic or related to boxing. The English word fist came from Old English and came to exist simply by turning a noun into an adjective with the addition of the suffix I-C. The word is often used sarcastically and playfully. As a kid, my fistic skills weren’t very intimidating. That’s why I never considered boxing as a career path.

Doctrinaire is an adjective that means seeking to impose a doctrine in all circumstances without regard to practical considerations. It is also a noun that refers to a person with doctrinaire behavior. In Latin, the word doctrina (doak TREE na) means ‘learning.’ This later evolved into the English word doctrine, referring to a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political pa...

Vertex is a noun that refers to the highest point. The Latin word vertere (VARE tear ay) means ‘to turn,’ but its meaning has evolved over time, so that it later was used in geometry to refer to a meeting point of two lines form an angle. The word still holds that meaning, but it can also be used more metaphorically to refer to the apex or the highest point. Here’s an example of vertex being used...

Collimate is a verb that means to make parallel. The Latin word collineare (co lynn ee ARE ay) means to ‘align.’ When we collimate things, we put them in line or make them parallel. I tried to collimate all the items on my desk because I really like order. But all the chaos in the office makes it impossible for things to remain in a straight line.

Bunkum is a noun that refers to nonsense. Our word of the day came to life after a mid-19th century speech that referred to a county in North Carolina called Buncombe. The speech was apparently made solely to please a politician’s constituents, so the word stuck and was later changed to its current form. Example: We all got a feeling that the governor’s speech was bunkum when he started trotting o...

Imagineer is a noun that refers to a person skilled in bringing creative ideas into practical form. A fairly recent addition to the English language, imagineer came to exist around the middle of the twentieth century. It takes its root from the word imagine and follows the pattern of ‘engineer.’ You could think of an imagineer as an engineer of the imagination. As a child, all of my heroes we...

Mythomania is a noun that refers to the tendency to exaggerate. We have the Greeks to thank for our word of the day. Its root word is ‘myth,’ coming from the Greek word mythos (MYTH ose) and its suffix is M-A-N-I-A, coming also from Greek and usually refers to a state of frenzy or enthusiasm. A person engaging in mythomania may be guilty of fabricating or simply stretching the truth. Before unders...

Redress is mainly used as a verb that means to remedy or set right. But it can also be used as a noun that refers to a remedy or compensation. Sharing its Middle English origin with the word ‘address,’ redress simply adds the Latin prefix R-E. So when we redress something, as opposed to addressing it, we ‘address’ something that was missed the first time. When my paycheck was short a few weeks, I...

Swivet is a noun that refers to a nervous or flustered state. The origin of our word of the day is unknown, but it is often used in casual conversation to refer to a state of tense, frayed nerves. My bad grades really got my parents in a swivet for a while. But they calmed down a great deal after I received that football scholarship. A ticket to success has a way of resolving tension.

Perihelion is a noun that refers to the highest point or the peak. The Greek prefix P-E-R-I means ‘near,’ while the word helios (HE lee ose) — also from Greek — means ‘the sun.’ The word is often used in specifically scientific contexts, but can also, more figuratively, refer to the peak or highest point of something. For example: I felt our band’s first show was our perihelion, but then again, as...

Deontology is a noun that refers to the study of obligation. Our word of the day’s origin comes mainly from Greek. The Greek prefix D-E-O-N-T means ‘being needed,’ while the suffix L-O-G-Y — also from the Greeks — denotes study. Here’s an example of deontology in use: I wasn’t sure how to approach the situation, but after a careful look at the deontology of it, I understood my true obligation. Som...