Word of the Day

ntractable is an adjective that means not easily managed or controlled. The Latin word tractabilis (tract uh BEEL us) roughly translates to ‘manageable.’ With the addition of the prefix I-N, meaning ‘not’  we get ‘that which can not be managed. Our word of the day has a wide range of uses and may refer to people, ideas or even policies: The intractable economic changes created by Senator Blai...

Mercurial is an adjective that means characterized by rapid, unpredictable change. Our word of the day shares its roots with a planet and a Roman god. Mercury was Rome’s equivalent to the Greek god Hermes, and was known for being eloquent and ingenious. When mercurial entered the English language in the 14th century, the word was used to describe someone possessing these qualities. In time its mea...

Vacuous is an adjective that means empty or lacking content. Coming from the Latin word vacuus (vah KOOS) meaning ‘empty’ our word of the day shares its roots with words like vacuum, evacuate and vacant. It often refers to ideas or thoughts that are empty in a metaphorical sense, meaning they have no intelligent content behind them. I was disappointed by professor Harold’s lecture. It contained mo...

Bugbear is a noun that means an object of fear or dread. Our word of the day entered English in the 16th century where it was used by writers of scary tales. It combined the word ‘bug,’ which referred a goblin and ‘bear’ to conjure up an imaginary creature designed to scare children. These days it refers to anything that serves as an object that is feared or dreaded. Example: Trips to the dentists...

Solecism is a noun that means a blunder in speech. The city of soloi was known for the bad grammar of its inhabitants known as solikos (SO loy kos). This gave birth to the word soloikismos (solo KIZZ moss) meaning, ‘an ungrammatical combination of words,’ which later became the basis for our word of the day. In more recent years, solecism has also come to refer to a social blunder as well as a ver...

Yeasayer is a noun that means someone with a positive attitude. You may have heard of the word naysayer, a noun referring to a person constantly denying or opposing things. Conversely, a yeasayer may refer to an upbeat, positive person known for saying ‘yes’ to things. Its less flattering meaning is a person always agreeing with or being submissive to other people, as in: It makes sense that Denni...

Niveous is an adjective that means related to or resembling snow. The Latin word ‘nix’ (NEEKS uh) means snow. Niveous, a word that entered English in the early 17th century, may refer either to a large quantity of snow or something that resembles snow. The niveous look of dad’s graying beard gives him a Santa Claus look. If his beard were any whiter we might be tempted to shovel his face.

Aver is a verb that means to declare. Our word of the day is a combination of the Latin words ‘ad,’ meaning ‘to’ and verus (VARE oos) meaning ‘real’ or ‘true.’ To aver something is to declare it to be true, for example: my client will aver that he is innocent of all charges. I’m confident that the jury will be moved by this declaration of his innocence.

Inexorable is an adjective that means not to be persuaded, moved or stopped. The Latin word exorabilis (ex or uh BEE lees) means flexible or lenient. If we add the prefix I-N, for ‘not,’ we get a word that means ‘inflexible’ or ‘unyielding.’ The word is more frequently used to describe things than people, for example: The inexorable trend of bigger budgets in movies has made things difficult for a...

Velutinous is an adjective that means soft and smooth like velvet. The Latin word for velvet is velutum (vel LOOT oom), which also provides the origin for our word of the day, velutinous. Something described as velutinous isn’t necessarily connected to velvet though. It may simply be soft and smooth like velvet. I always seem to fall asleep in those movie theater seats. Something about that veluti...

Fussbudget is a noun that refers to a person who worries about unimportant things. Our word of the day is a combination of the words ‘fuss,’ meaning ‘to show unnecessary concern’ and ‘budget,’ which refers to ‘an estimate of income and expenditures needed for a period of time.’ Together they create a word for somebody who worries needlessly about minor things — like a budget. My grandpa can be a f...

Newspeak is a noun that means deliberately ambiguous language designed to deceive. Author George Orwell first coined the word newspeak for his dystopian novel nineteen eighty four. It described a new language designed to manipulate people into believing lies. Today the word isn’t generally used to refer to a new language but simply to mean words meant to deceive. Carl can’t bear to watch the news...

Inscape is a noun that refers to a person's inner character. Our word of the day combines the prefix I-N, for ‘inner’ and the suffix ‘scape’ which refers to a specific kind of scene, as in ‘landscape,’ ‘moonscape,’ or ‘cityscape.’ Inscape was first coined in the mid-19th century by a writer named Gerald Manley Hopkins in reference to poetry. The word is still often used to describe works of art: I...

Impend is a verb that means to be about to happen. It may surprise you to learn that our word of the day is a close relative of the word pendant. Both words came from the Latin word pendere (PEN dare ay) which means ‘to hang.’ The best way to sort this confusion out is to consider that a pendant hangs from a chain that hangs around a neck, while something that impends hangs metaphorically over you...

Obvert is a verb that means to turn so as to present a different view. Our word of the day combines the prefix O-B meaning ‘toward’ with the Latin word vertere (Vare TEAR ay) meaning ‘to turn.’ The result gives us a word to describe turning to display another angle. It may also mean ‘to alter the appearance of’ as in: Cindy was almost unrecognizable after her trip to the spa. I didn’t expect them...

Mooncalf is a noun that means a foolish or absent-minded person. The exact origin of our word of the day is something of a mystery, but some believe it may have been derived from the German word Mondkalb (MOON kype) which means a ‘fleshy mess.’ It was also believed that a mooncalf was deformed because of the influence of the moon. Regardless of its origin, the word came to mean an idiotic person,...

Quiescent is an adjective that means at rest. The Latin quiēscere (kwee ACE sare ay) means ‘to be quiet’ or ‘to rest.’ A person or thing that quiescent is at rest or dormant. Don’t worry about that grizzly bear out back. He’ll be quiescent for the next few hours, so he won’t be able to bother you.

Stolid is an adjective that means not easily moved. Don’t be misled by out word of the day’s origin. It comes from the Latin stolidus (STOW lee doos) which means stupid. But a stolid person isn’t necessarily lacking in intelligence. Instead it referred to people who appear stupid because they say nothing. More recently the word has shed any connection to stupidly and is more likely to be used as a...

Bogart is a verb that means to bully or take more that ones fair share. Hollywood legend Humphrey Bogart was known for playing rough, highly intimidating characters. In recent years his name has become a verb to describe the behavior befitting such characters. Charles tried to Bogart his way into the restaurant. But unfortunately, the restaurant security would not allow themselves to be bullied.

Highbinder is a noun that means a swindler or gangster. Not much is known about the exact origin of our word of the day, but, highbinder seems to have been the name of a 19th century gang. Our word of the day may refer specifically to a professional killer operating in the Chinese quarter of an American city or it may refer, more broadly to a person — usually a politician — who has engaged in some...

Copper-bottomed is an adjective that means reliable. Our word of the day combines two common English words ‘copper’ and ‘bottomed.’ In a literal sense it simply refers to something that is coated with copper — a very firm metal — on the bottom. But in a more metaphorical sense it refers to something that is solid like Copper and that comes with a guarantee. I was told I had just purchased a copper...

Senectitude is a noun that refers to old age. Our word of the day is an appropriately old word. The Latin word senectus (SEN eck toos) means old age. As my parents near their senectitude, we are contemplating the best way to take care of them. These are the kinds of decisions that must be made for the elderly.

Satisfice is a verb that means to accept an available option as satisfactory. Our word of the day is a blend of satisfy and suffice, two English words of Latin origin. Understanding satisfice as a mix of these words may help understand its best use. I told my kids never to safistice with their education. They should always press to learn way more than the bare minimum.

Superlunary is an adjective that means beyond the moon. From the Latin Luna (LOO nah) we get moon. And from the Latin super (SOO pair) we get ‘above’ or ‘beyond.’ As a kid, I wondered if we’d ever put an astronaut any place beyond the moon. Today superlunary space travel is very much within reach.

Argot is a noun that refers to the jargon or slang of a particular group. Borrowed from the French in the mid 19th century, our word of the day refers to the ‘language’ of a particular group. But don’t be misled by the term ‘language.’ German is not an argot, but cyberspeak is. Ed tends to get confused by the argot his grandkids use. When he heard that Tommy’s house was ‘lit,’ he called the fire d...