Word of the Day

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Pettifog is a verb that means to argue over minor points. Our word of the day comes from two early English words: petty, meaning ‘tiny and unimportant’ and fog, derived from ‘fogger’ a word that referred to a ‘cheater.’ Over time, pettifog simply came to mean ‘to quibble’ over insignificant details. The city council had a lot of work to do, so it was frustrating to see them pettifog over the upcom...

Fantod is a noun that refers to an attack of nervousness. The origin of our word of the day is unclear, but it entered English around the mid 19th century and was often used by Literary giants like Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to refer to a case of the nerves. A synonym of ‘the heebie-jeebies,’ our word of the day is also usually used in the plural. Here’s an example: Public speaking has always...

Vade mecum is a noun that refers to something regularly carried by a person. Coming directly from a Latin phrase that translates to ‘come with me,’ our word of the day, after entering English in the early 17th century, came to refer to anything typically carried by a person. It sometimes refers more specifically to a handbook to be constantly kept around. For example: When travelling through Italy...

Tootle is a verb that means to travel in a leisurely way. It can also be used as a noun that refers to a leisurely journey. The origin of our word of the day isn’t clear, but we know it entered the English language around the early 19th century. Here’s an example of Tootle as a verb and a noun: We’d love to tootle up and down the west coast next summer, but our schedule won’t allow it. W...

Umami is a noun that refers to a delicious meaty taste. Umami is also an adjective that means ‘meaty in taste.’ The Japanese word umami (ooh mah ME) simply means ‘tasty,’ but when imported into English it has a more specific meaning. It refers to foods that have a rich ‘meaty’ taste, something we often find in cheeses, soy, tomatoes, and of course, meat itself. Here’s an example of umami in u...

Lese majesty is a noun that refers to an attack on a custom or tradition. The Latin phrase leasa majestas (la AYS uh ma JACE dus) translates to ‘injured majesty.’ After being imported into French, it took a new meaning, and became a reference to any attack on conventional behaviour. The lese majesty back in my old high school was for people to wear their pants backwards. I don’t know if it succeed...

Corollary is a noun that refers to something that follows naturally. The Latin word corolla (co ROLL uh) refers to a ‘gratuity’ or ‘bonus’ given to people. You could think of a corollary as a bonus observation. For example: As a college professor, I often find it helpful to offer a corollary to my statements to drive the point home. Sometimes a bonus thought can make the abstract more concrete.

Abseil is a verb that means to lower with a rope. Our word of the day comes from the German word abseilen (ob SILE en) which means ‘to descend by a rope.’ Its English equivalent, Abseil, has retained the same meaning. The word is often used when describing coming down a mountain or a building. For example: When scaling Mount. Columbia became too much of a challenge, we had to abseil roughly h...

Conlang is a noun that refers to an artificially created language. Our word of the day came around in the 1990s. It is short for ‘constructed language.’ The conlang of Klingon from the TV show Star Trek may be the best example of a conlang. It originated on the show itself and continued by fans. When we were kids, my sister and I tried to create a conlang of our own, but it didn’t get very far. In...

Recreant is an adjective that means cowardly or unfaithful to duty. The word can also be used as a noun that refers to a coward. The Latin word ‘recredere’ means ‘to surrender.’ A recreant is someone eager to surrender. In difficult times, being a recreant is not what the world needs. A truly courageous person accepts the challenge of trying times.

Organon is a noun that refers to an instrument for acquiring knowledge. Our word of the day comes directly from Greek. Organon was the title of a philosophical work by Ancient philosopher Aristotle. The word is mainly derived from the word ‘organ.,’ as in an ‘instrument’ or ‘device.’ Phil’s big turning point as a thinker was when he learned to use his computer as more than a device for entertainme...

Popinjay is a noun that refers to a vain or supercilious person. Our word of the day comes indirectly from the Arabic word ‘babbagha’ (bob BOB ah) a disparaging term for a parrot or flamboyant person. A popinjay is often a person who dresses and behaves with great extravagance. Being the popinjay that he was, Peter entered the building in a loud, flamboyant manner. His purple feathered boa attract...

Hermitage is a noun that refers to a secluded hideaway. The word ‘hermit,’ meaning ‘a person living in solitude,’ comes from Middle English. Our word of the day may refer to the dwelling of a hermit or it can refer to any remote, hidden location. After finding a hermitage in the woods, the band was able to record their second album without endless distractions from fans and media. Sometimes a...

Appellative is a noun that refers to a descriptive name or designation. It can also be used as an adjective that means relating to or denoting the giving of a name. The Latin word appellare (ah pel LAR ay) means ‘to address.’ This is the origin of our word of the day. An appellative can be used formally or informally, meaning words like ‘Doctor’ or ‘professor’ can be appellatives, but so can...

Egress is a noun that refers to an exit or place to leave. Our word of the day comes almost directly from the Latin word egressus (eh GRESS oos) meaning ‘gone out.’ Egress is mostly used as a noun, but it can also be a verb meaning ‘to leave.’ Here’s an example of it as a noun: The scariest thing about the haunted house is how difficult it is to find the egress. Theres is something about being tra...

Infinitesimal is an adjective that means immeasurably small. It is also a noun that refers to a very small amount. The root word of infinitesimal is ‘infinite,’ which means ‘not finite,’ or ‘not having limits.’ ‘Finite’ comes from the Latin word ‘finitus,’ (FEE knee toos) meaning ‘finished.’ When something is called infinitesimal, it is infinitely small or so small it cannot be measured. I pl...

Avidity is a noun that refers to eagerness. Our word of the day is derived from the adjective avid, which comes from the Latin word avere (ah VAIR ay) meaning ‘’crave.’ Avidity is simply the noun that describes the craving or enthusiasm for something. I didn’t know how skilled Charlie would be on the job, but I knew his avidity was a good sign. The fact that he was so eager to get started probably...

Granular is an adjective that means finely detailed. Our word of the day comes from the Latin word granum (GRAHN oom) which means ‘grain.’ When we analyze the grains of something, we are inspecting all the details. So a granular report means a highly detailed one. Here’s an example of granular in use: The initial information given to me wasn’t detailed and specific enough to be helpful. It wasn’t...