Word of the Day

Efface is a verb that means erase from a surface. Our word of the day comes from Latin and took a slight detour through French with the word effacer (EF ah say). It came be used literally or metaphorically. An example of its metaphorical use is: I hope my good deeds done at the shelter can efface the mistakes I made. I really regret those years of shoplifting candy bars.

Abase is a verb that means humiliate or lower in condition. The Latin word bassus (BOSS oos) means ‘short of stature.’ When we abase someone, we make them feel small or lesser. I probably shouldn’t have scolded the employees for coming in late. I just wanted to underscore the need to arrive on time, not to humiliate them.

Luminary is a noun that refers to a person who inspires others. Our word of the day comes from the Latin word lumen (LOO men) which means ‘light.’ Luminary was once a word to describe a natural light-giving body, especially the sun or moon. These days when we refer to someone as a luminary, the light they give off is metaphorical and refers simply to the light of inspiration they give others. The...

Behoove is a verb that means to make necessary or proper because of a duty. Coming from Old English our word of the day is often used in a formal context. For example: Because of the immense responsibility involved with raising a child, it behooves a parent to step in when the child begins to develop unhealthy eating habits. This duty comes with everyone who chooses to have kids.

Mythos is a group of beliefs prevalent to a group or culture. Our word of the day comes directly from Greek and refers to the unique cultural identity of a particular group of people. As a kid I was always fascinated with the mythos of the Mayan people, especially those surrounding the pyramids. Their beliefs and cultural background held a special place in my heart.

Liminal is an adjective that means related to the initial stage of a process. The Latin word limen (LEE men) means ‘threshold.’ Our word of the day is used to describe things at their threshold, when a transition is taking place. For example: we had reached that liminal stage in our business when we were just connecting with our consumer base. But after a while, I became impatient, wanted to get b...

Isomorphic is an adjective that means having a similar form. The Greek prefix I-S-O means ‘equal’ or ‘identical,’ while morphe (MORE fey) is Greek for shape. The two chemicals were isomorphic and yet, despite their similarities, they had very different effects on the body.

Epistolary is an adjective that means related to a letter. The Latin word epistola (ay pee STOLE uh) means a letter. This word gave birth to its English equivalent epistle, meaning ‘letter.’ Our word of the day is the adjective version of this word, indicating something related to an epistle or a letter. My favorite novels are told in epistolary form. There’s something about the exchange of letter...

Monomania is a noun that refers to an obsession with one particular thing. We have the Greeks to thank for our word of the day. The prefix M-O-N-O means ‘single’ or ‘alone.’ And the Greek word mania refers to an excessive enthusiasm or obsession. Together they get monomania, an enthusiastic preoccupation with one particular thing. Andrew’s fascination with potatoes became pretty weird after a whil...

Metastasize is a verb that means to dramatically spread. The Greek word methistanai (methy STAHN ay) means ‘to change.’ This word later evolved into metastasis, a word for a disease, which later became our word of the day. Metastasize usually refers to a growth of something malignant in the body, but it can also be used metaphorically. For example: The payroll difficulties in our office metastasiz...

Repine is a verb that means to complain or express regret. The exact origin of our word of the day is unclear, but we can say with certainty that its prefix R-E refers to the past. When we repine something we regret past actions or behavior. For example: After a while, it gets a little tedious hearing Charlie repine at his past mistakes. We tried to assure him that his decision to not go to clown...

Wrest is a verb that means to pull something away. It can also be used as a noun that refers to the act of pulling something away. Originating in Old English, our word of the day means to take something away forcefully and sometimes with great effort. For example: Roscoe, our Boston Terrier really like to nibble on our remote control. We often have to wrest if from him when we want to change...

Trilemma is a noun that refers to a difficult choice between three options. Our word of the day is a variation of the word dilemma, which refers to a difficult choice made between two options. Just as dilemma begins with the prefix D-I for two, trilemma begins with T-R-I for three, indicating the number of choices a person has now is three. For example. Our recent trip to the movies offered an une...

Careworn is an adjective that means exhausted from stress. Our word of the day combines the common English words ‘care’ and ‘worn’ to describe someone who is worn down from prolonged worry. All those unpaid bills left Debra in bad shape. She looked careworn the other day at work.

Demulcent is an adjective that means soothing or relieving irritation. It can also be used as a noun that refers to something that soothes. The Latin prefix D-E means away, while mulcere (mool CHAIR ay) means ‘to soothe.’ This is the origin of our word of the day. When used as a noun it refers to something that soothes pain or irritation away. As an adjective, it describes the substance doing...

Disquisition is a noun that refers to an elaborate discussion of a particular subject. Our word of the day originates from the Latin word quaerere (kwa WOAR ay) which means ‘seek’ or ‘ask.’ This word evolved into disquisition and referred to an investigation. But more recently the word has come to refer to a lengthy and elaborate discussion — the kind you might have in a college classroom, not in...

Stridor is a noun that refers to a harsh, grating sound. The Latin word stridere (STREE dare ay) means ‘to creak.’ Around the mid 17th century, this word was imported into English and became our word of the day, which is a synonym of creak or other harsh sounds. The stridor coming from my car’s engine irked me on the road trip. Imagine a harsh creak for four hours. That’s describes my road trip th...

Attestation is a noun that refers to evidence or confirmation. The Latin word testis (TESS dis) means ‘witness.’ It’s related to words like ‘testify’ and ‘attest.’ These are verbs that can describe things a person does to give evidence of the truth. Our word of the day is a noun that simply refers to the evidence of the truth. For example: It was difficult to accept the horrible events that took p...

Opine is a verb that means to hold and or state as an opinion. The Latin word opinari (oh pee NAR ee) means ‘think or believe.’ This word gave birth to our word of the day, which is closely related to the word ‘opinion.’ When a person opines, they are formulating or expressing what they think or believe. For example: I wasn’t expecting our economics professor to opine on the latest bill in congres...

Epochal is an adjective that means highly momentous or important. Our word of the day has its origin in the Greek word epoche (EP oke) which means ‘a fixed point in time.’ When something is described as an epoch, we mean it is an important point in time. Epochal is the adjective version of that. For example: There was something epochal about that last day of school. I had the feeling that everythi...

Middling is an adjective that means of medium or average quality or size. Appropriately enough, our word of the day comes from Middle English. Its prefix M-I-D means ‘middle.’ A person of middling appearance would be an average looking person and so on. I would describe our lemonade stand as a middling success. We didn’t come close to reaching fortune 500 status, but we did a lot better than...

Bon mot is a noun that refers to a clever word or phrase. Coming from French, the literal translation of our word of the day is ‘good word.’ But it is more clearly understood as a clever or witty word or series of words. For example: Annabelle was never been at a loss for words. She could find a bon mot to deliver to a judge as he sends her away to prison.

Sociolect is a noun that refers to a dialect of a particular class. Our word of the day is a fairly recent addition to English, originating in the 1970s. The prefix S-O-C-I-O means ‘related to society,’ while the suffix L-E-C-T refers to a dialect. When combined we get a word for a way of speaking unique to a social class. The guys I worked with on the dock spoke with a sociolect that distinguishe...

Dollop is a noun that refers to a massive blob of something. Our word of the day’s origin is uncertain, but we know it can mean a wide range of things from a giant lump of ice cream to a huge mound of dirt. Although mostly a noun, it can also be used as a verb, which means to add or serve a giant blob of something. For example: I have no idea what this big green blob is. The cafeteria worker just...

Demiurge is a noun that refers to an autonomous creative force. Our word of the day combines Greek word demos (DAY mos) which means ‘people,’ and ergos (AIR gos) which means “working.’ It was originally used to describe a god-like figure, or creator of the universe. But it later came to refer to any powerful or creative force. Emma has been promoted to the head of the office. As such, she’s regard...