Word of the Day

Haver is a verb that means to vacillate or hem and haw. The origin or our word of the day is uncertain, but we know it has been around since the early 18th century to mean ‘acting in an indecisive manner.’ I always thought Brian was deeply committed to the project, but lately he seems to have a great deal. I really wish he would make up his mind about how he feels about it.

Immemorial is an adjective that means extending beyond the reach of memory. The Latin word memorialis (mem or ee AL ees) roughly translates to ‘memory.’ With the prefix I-M, we get a word that means ‘lacking memory.’ Our word of the day is used to refer to something ‘beyond memory.’ For example: There is something immemorial about the tribal rhythms we heard at the shore. They seemed like echoes f...

Aforethought is an adjective that means premeditated or deliberate. Our word of the day combines the prefix A-F-O-R-E, meaning ‘before’ with the common English word ‘thought.’ Together they refer to something thought out in advance. The word is frequently used in legal proceedings in reference to criminal behavior that is premeditated. For example: The jury felt Carol let her gerbil loose on Robin...

Ministration is a noun that refers to assistance or care. Our word of the day shares its Latin roots with the word minister. Both refer to the act of service, but while minister is usually employed in the context of a church, ministration is a broader term that refers to any kind of help or assistance. The ministration I was given for my back pain was very helpful. Daily massages are a healthy way...

Inimical is an adjective that means indicating hostility. Our word of the day has its roots in the Latin word amicus (ah ME coos) which means ‘friend.’ By adding the negative prefix I-N, we get a word for someone not behaving in a friendly manner. Inimical behavior is considered adversarial or antagonistic. I didn’t understand Charlie’s inimical feelings for his neighbor Jen until I learned about...

Brumal is an adjective that means occurring in the winter. The Latin word bruma means ‘winter.’ The word soon evolved into English and came to mean anything associated with winter. When it gets cold outside, I tend to go into immediate hibernation. My idea of a brumal activity is watching old movies while all my friends go skiing or ice skating.

Cryptonym is a noun that refers to a secret name. Our word of the day combines the prefix C-R-Y-P-T-O, meaning ‘secret’ with the Greek suffix O-N-Y-M which means ‘name.’ A cryptonym is something a spy might have or anyone else who may engage in secret behaviour. I was embarrassed to be writing a biography of a teen singer, so I used a cryptonym. There was no way I’d put my own name in such a silly...

Eristic is a noun that refers to someone who engages in arguments or disputes. It can also be used as an adjective that describes anything involving an argument or dispute. The Greek word eristikos (air EES tee kose) means ‘fond of wrangling.’ And so it may be helpful to think of an eristic person as someone who is fond of arguing. I’m not usually an eristic person, but when I hear people spouting...

Nonesuch is a noun that refers to a person or thing without equal. Our word of the day’s origin is in Middle English and it basically means ‘no such person or things.’ You could think of a nonesuch as an ideal, a model of a particular thing’s perfection that does not actually exist. Tammy is the nonesuch of gymnasts. Her style and execution are unlike any I’ve witnessed. I’ve never seen anybody co...

Travail is a noun that refers to agonizing work. Our word of the day originates from the Latin word trepalium (tray POL ee oom) which was a name of a device used for torture. As this word evolved into travail, it soon came to refer to any kind of torture. Putting the play together required a great deal of patience on everyone’s part. There were many travails to endure before we found success.

Tangential is an adjective that means digressive. The Latin word tangere (tan JAIR ay) means ‘to touch.’ A tangent is a straight line that touches a curve at a single point. It could be said that a tangential speech touches on points in a different sense. Rob really needs to stop being so digressive in his morning speeches. By the time he’s finished touching on everything he needs to say, the day...

Indite is a verb that means to make up or compose. The Latin word indicere (in dee CHAIR ay) means ‘to formally or publicly announce. Announcing something is a lot like documenting it the same way a person would be documenting a story, but composing or creating it. Cheri has an amazingly fertile imagination. I’m amazed by her ability to indite a captivating tale out of thin air.

Cavalcade is a noun that refers to a series. The Greek word kaballeion (caab ah LAY on) means ‘horse.’ As this word migrated toward English and into our word of the day, it came to refer to ‘a horseback ride.’ It later meant an army of people on horseback and more recently it has been used figuratively to refer to any series or procession of things — usually a dramatic or extreme series. For examp...

Agita is a noun that refers to stress or aggravation. The Italian word acido (ACH ee doe) means ‘acid’ when referring to an irritant in a person’s stomach. Its English equivalent, Agita, may refer to the same thing, but the word can be used more broadly to refer to any source of agitation or stress — medical or otherwise. I was pretty stressed out after my first week of college. Not only did I hav...

Dragoon is a verb that means to coerce into something. The similarity of our word of the day with the word ‘dragon’ is no coincidence. Dragoon is French for Dragon and was originally named for the giant muskets used by cavalry soldiers. Those muskets shot what must have seemed like fire to many people — kind of like a dragon. In time, the word came to mean any attempt at forcing someone into somet...

Sciolist is a noun that refers to one who makes superficial displays of knowledge. Our word of the day comes from the Latin word scire (SHE ray) which means ‘to know.’ But a sciolist isn’t simply someone who has knowledge. It’s someone who has superficial knowledge and is showy in displaying that knowledge. Kyle thought he was impressing us by talking about what he’d learned about the law. But in...

Renitent is an adjective that means resistant or recalcitrant. Our word of the day has evolved from the Latin word reniti (ren EAT ee) which means ‘to resist.’ A person described as renitent is usually someone who resists constraints or compulsion. There was a lot of pressure on Gina to sell her house, but she resisted the pressure and remained where she was. In the end, having such a renitent per...

Darwinian is an adjective that means marked by competition. Our word of the day comes from 19th century scientist Charles Darwin. His theory of evolution by natural selection portrays the natural world as a fiercely competitive environment. To refer to something as Darwinian means you are suggesting a great deal of cutthroat competition. I liked working at the office, but things could get Darwinia...

Condign is an adjective that means deserved or appropriate. The Latin prefix C-O-N means ‘thoroughly.’ When combined with the Latin dignus (DEEN yoos) which means ‘worthy,’ we get our word of the day. Condign is frequently used in a negative sense and used in reference to a punishment. For example: I was pretty upset with the guy who banged up my car and took off without notifying anybody. As far...

Polyglot is a noun that refers to one who speaks many languages. Our word of the day is a combination of the Greek prefix P-O-L-Y which means ‘many’ and glōtta (GLOW tah) the Greek word for ‘language.’ Polyglot can be used as an adjective that means multilingual. Or it may be used as a noun that refers to a multilingual person. It’s a good thing my wife is a polyglot. When we arrived in town, we e...

Bootless is an adjective that means useless or unsuccessful. A quick glance at our word of the day may suggest a word to describe someone who doesn’t have boots. But the ‘boot’ in bootless has nothing to do with footwear. It actually comes from Old English and means ‘use’ or ‘avail.’ By adding the suffix L-E-S-S, we get a synonym of ‘useless’ or ‘ineffective.’ For example: With all the financial t...

Illation is a noun that means an inferred conclusion. The Latin word illatio (ee LAH cho) means ‘to bring in or carry.’ When we arrive at an illation, we are bringing in a conclusion based on what we’ve inferred. When Gene hinted that Thursday might be a good day to cancel work and allow all employees to stay home and have cake while opening presents, the illation I gathered was that Thursday was...

Obloquy is a noun that refers to a strongly condemnatory utterance. Our word of the day combines the Latin prefix O-B meaning ‘against’ with loqui (LOW kwee) which means ‘to speak.’ Obloquy may refer to a discredited condition or it may refer to an instance of verbal abuse. I accidentally ordered mustard to be put on Robert’s sandwiches, but after the obloquy he gave me, I was always careful to no...

Stalwart is an adjective that means loyal and hardworking. Our word of the day comes from Middle English and was originally pronounced stalworth. It means possessing loyalty and a great work ethic and can also be used as a noun to refer to a person who has these qualities. It won’t be easy to find an appropriately stalwart person to take over for our receptionist Sara. People with that kind of com...

Dunkirk is a noun that refers to a desperate retreat. Our word of the day’s origin comes from a town in France where a key event took place during World War Two. The allied forces engaged in a desperate withdrawal to avoid defeat. A Dunkirk doesn’t just refer to a retreat, but a retreat done for strategic purposes. For example: We worked all night to get the project completed but in the end,...