Word of the Day

Roscian is an adjective that means related to or skilled at acting. Quintus Roscius (KWEEN toos RAW shoos) was a famous ancient Roman actor whose skill was so admired that his name became an epithet for any particularly successful or talented actor. Today his name may be used as an adjective for anything related to acting. In my brief career as an actor, I didn’t have much roscian talent. But I co...

Maven is a noun that refers to an expert at a particular topic. Our word of the day’s earliest incarnation is from Hebrew and means ‘one who understands.’ It was later imported into Yiddish and eventually, English as a synonym of ‘expert’ or ‘connoisseur.’ I’m no wine maven, but this particular brand just doesn’t seem quite right. It doesn’t take an expert in alcoholic beverages to know that wine...

Slipshod is an adjective that means sloppy or careless. Our word of the day entered English in the late 16th century as a word for ‘wearing slippers or loose shoes,’ an appearance that some people thought of as lazy or sloppy. In time, the word become a synonym of ‘sloppy,’ as in: Don’t get me wrong, Chuck has a lot of talent as a mechanic, but his work can get a little slipshod — especially when...

Regnant is an adjective that means dominant or widespread. Coming from the Latin word regnare (ren YAR ay) which means ‘to reign,’ - R-E-I-G-N - our word of the day can mean anything that is dominant, either because it is forced upon people, as in from a reigning king or queen, or simply because it is popular. Here’s an example of the latter: I thought my clothes in high school were what the cool...

Redux is an adjective that means brought back or revisited. Coming directly from the Latin phrase for ‘coming home,’ our word of the day usually follows the word it modifies, for example: Jeff was a great office manager, but he made many of the same mistakes Janet did. At times he seemed to be Janet redux.

Magnum opus is a noun that refers to a great work of art. Our word of the day comes directly from the Latin phrase for ‘great work.’ It’s usually reserved for highly respected artists in reference to the their very best known masterpiece. I enjoyed the film a lot, but I wouldn’t say it was the director’s magnum opus. Any movie with that many unintentional laughs can’t really be considered a master...

Requite is a verb that means to repay or to make retaliation for. Having its origin in Middle English, our word of the day simply means to repay, but the repayment may take place in different forms. You can requite a person’s love or requite an act of violence. For example: The kid that was mean to me in high school was probably afraid I would requite his meanness at the reunion. But I’ve mov...

Athenaeum is a noun that refers to a library or reading room. The ancient city of Athena was named after the Roman Goddess of wisdom. Our word of the day comes from the temple of Athena in Rome, a school for the study of arts. Today an athenaeum may refer to any room or building with reading material, but it’s best used in reference to a place of great learning. After entering the university’s gia...

Pervious is an adjective that means penetrable or accessible. The Latin prefix P-E-R means ‘through’ while V-I-A means ‘road.’ Together they refer to ‘that which may be passed through.’ You may be familiar with the negative form of our word of the day — impervious, which describes something that cannot be penetrated. When something can be penetrated, it is pervious. At first I thought Larry’s offi...

Rejoinder is a noun that refers to a reply or answer to a question. With its origin in Middle English, our word of the day can be used in formal or legal contexts, but it’s not limited to such formality. I really hate being called to answer a question in biology class. It seems every time a question comes my way, I have no rejoinder.

Sapid is an adjective that means tasty or having flavor. The Latin word sapere (sah PAIR ay) means ‘tasty.’ After evolving into English, our word of the day retains this same meaning. Those sapid lemonades after the game made us forget we had just been beaten 20 to nothing. Something about a tasty drink can erase the most unpleasant memories.

Moniker is a noun that refers to a nickname. Our word of the day’s exact origin is not known for sure, but it is believed to have started in Shelta (SHELL tah) a secret jargon spoken by Irish immigrants. I always wondered how Harvey got the moniker butterfingers, but after watching his clumsy play on the football field, I instantly understood the origin on that unflattering nickname.

Excursive is an adjective that means tending to ramble. Our word of the day is has its origin in the Latin word excurrere (ex coo RARE ay) which means ‘to extend’ or ‘run out.’ When it later evolved into English, it became a synonym of digressive or meandering. My students always get excursive when discussing a topic they don’t care about. They tend to lose focus and drift into unrelated issues.

Anthropomorphize is a verb that means to attribute human qualities or personalities to things not human. Our word of the day is a fairly recent addition to the English language, dating back to the early 19th century, but its origin goes back to Ancient Greek. The prefix anthrōpos (AHN throw pose) means ‘human being,’ while the suffix I-Z-E means ‘to become,’ so when we anthropomorphize someth...

Superficies is a noun that refers to the external aspect or appearance of something. The Latin prefix super (SOO pair) means ‘top’ or ‘surface.’ while facies (FAH chez) means ‘face’ or ‘aspect.’ When combined we get a word that refers to the surface or outer appearance of a thing. On a side note, our word of the day ends with an S whether it’s used in the singular or plural. When I first bought it...

Serotine is an adjective that means late in flowering or developing. The Latin word sero (SAY roe) means late. Our word of the day has evolved from this to describe a person or thing that is late. But its most common use is in describing something or someone that is late in in developing. Don’t be fooled by Lori’s Serotine progress. It may take a while for her to fully develop into a competent rea...

Recalcitrant is an adjective that means stubbornly resistant. Although our word of the day is typically used to describe people who are hard to manage and uncooperative, its origin has nothing to do with people at all. The Latin word recalcitrare (ray call see TRAR ay) means ‘to kick back.’ It was used to describe stubborn, difficult to handle mules. By the mid-19th century, the word — now evolved...

Abstemious is an adjective that means marked by restraint with food or alcohol. Our word of the day combines the Latin prefix A-B-S, meaning ‘from’ or ‘away’ with the suffix  temetum (TEM ay tomb) which refers to ‘intoxicating drink.’ As the word evolved, it came to refer to things other than alcohol. For example: When Chuck needed to lose weight, I worried about his ability to stick to a hea...

Brickbat is a noun that refers to an uncomplimentary remark. Our word of the day is a portmanteau, meaning it combines more than one word. In this case, we get the combination of ‘brick’ and ‘bat’ to get a word that, when used literally, refers to a something used as a weapon. But when used figuratively, it may refer to something like an unkind remark. For example: My question about Chad’s tiny ap...

Aliteracy is a noun that refers to the state of being able to read but uninterested in doing so. You may recognize our word of the day’s similarity to the word ‘illiteracy.’ Both words derive from the Latin word littera (LEE tar ah) which means ‘letter.’ Aliteracy adds the prefix ‘A’ which means ‘not.’ An aliterate person is not unable to read, but someone who chooses not to. There is a conce...

Farrago is a noun that refers to a confused mixture. Our word of the day comes almost directly from the Latin word for ‘mixed fodder,’ a feed given to cattle. In time, the word came to be used for other types of mixed things, for example: The bands selected for the festival were a farrago of heavy metal groups, folk trios and religious choirs. This odd mixture seemed as if it were made by someone...

Prepossessing is an adjective that means creating a favorable impression. The Latin word possidere (pose ee DARE ay) means ‘to hold.’ From this we get the word ‘possess’ which maintains the meaning of its Latin ancestor. By adding the prefix P-R-E, we get get the word preposses, which is a synonym of ‘prejudice’ as in ‘I was hoping the mayor’s speech didn’t prejudice your opinion.’ A prepossessing...

Proscribe is a verb that means to forbid or condemn. Our word of the day combines the prefix P-R-O, meaning ‘before’ with S-C-R-I-B-E, which means ‘to write.’ It referred to the fact that behavior that was forbidden or banned was ‘written down’ as law. More recently, the word has be used to describe behavior that is prohibited — even if the prohibition is not officially law. For example: The comed...

Apoplexy is a noun that refers to a state of intense, uncontrollable rage. The Greek word apoplēssein (ap oh play SANE) means ‘to cripple by a stroke.’ In time, it evolved into apoplexy, which maintained its original meaning. But the word can also be used outside of medical contexts to refer to a state of extreme anger, especially if this state makes you unable to speak. For example. When I f...

Compathy is a noun that refers to a shared feeling. Our word of the day combines the prefix C-O-M, which means ‘together’ with P-A-T-H-Y, a suffix of Greek origin that originally referred to ‘suffering or disease.’ More recently though, P-A-T-H-Y has been used to describe a general feeling. We see this in words like sympathy, empathy or telepathy. When combined we get compathy, a word that refers...