Word of the Day

Surreptitious is an adjective that means done in secret.  Surreptitious comes from surripere (soo re PEER ay) the Latin word for ‘seizing or stealing secretly.’ Surreptitious behavior doesn’t necessarily involve stealing, but it typically involves doing things in secret because they are not approved of.  When we found out about those surreptitious meetings at the office, we wondered what...

Ebullience is a noun that means a quality of being full of energy; cheerful.  Ebullience is a quality that may be described as ‘bubbling over’ with enthusiasm or joy. So it makes sense that our word of the day would come from the Latin word ebullire (eb ooh LEER ay)which means to ‘bubble out’ or ‘boil.’ Rhonda announced to her co-workers that she was pregnant. That immediately explained the e...

Omnishambles is a noun that refers to a situation where poor judgement results in chaos.  Emerging in the early 21st century, our word of the day is a very recent addition to English language, combining the Latin omnis, (OME nees) meaning ‘all’ with shambles, meaning total disorder. Craig thought he had control of the plumbing, but he returned home to find an omnishambles unfolding on his bat...

Demotic is an adjective that means colloquial.  The greek word demos (DEM ose) refers to ‘the people.’ It’s the same word that gave us words like democratic and demographic. Demotic refers to language used by ordinary people.  People found the mayor’s speech off-putting. They would have preferred he speak in more demotic terms.

Equable is an adjective that means not easily disturbed or angered.  Aequabilis (EYE kway beel es) is Latin for ‘make equal.’ Similarly, a person with an equable personality has an ability to make their temperaments equal.  The doctor’s equable nature made him ideal for the job. His ability to remain calm in stressful situations came in handy.

Atemporal is an adjective that means existing without relation to time.  The word temporal comes from the Latin temporailis (tem poor AL is) meaning transitory. The addition of A as a suffix implies the opposite, so atemporal means ‘not transitory.’ Or ‘not limited to time. The album was released thirty years ago, but its quality is atemporal. It sounds as fresh today as it did when it was fi...

Equipoise is a noun that means balance of forces or interests.  Equipoise combines E-Q-U-I meaning equal and P-O-I-S-E meaning balance and gives us something that means balance of interests.  The deal struck between me and the law firm was hardly a deal between equals. It could have used a little more equipoise. 

Digerati is a noun that refers to people with expertise or personal involvement with information technology. Our word of the day is a portmenteau, meaning a combination of two words that forms another word. Digerati combines digital — meaning related to computer technology —  with literati — meaning a group of people involved in the literary world —  and gives us a word that means ‘peopl...

Kenspeckle is an adjective that means easily recognizable.  The exact origin of kenspeckle is uncertain, but the word appears to have Scandinavian roots, perhaps through the Old Norse words ‘Kenna’ which means ‘to know or perceive’ and spak which means ‘wisdom.’  I could still identify the old football stadium after twenty-five years. There was something kenspeckle about those rusted old...

Alimentary is an adjective that means related to nourishment or sustenance.  Alimentum (ah lee MENT oom) is Latin for nourishment. After morphing a little, the word entered English in the late 16th century.  After running a marathon, the body craves something alimentary. Soda pop and crackers just won’t do.

Sanative is an adjective that means conducive to good health and well-being.  Sanative came to us from Late Middle English, but has its origin in Latin. The word Sanare (sah NAR ay) means ‘to cure.’ Our word of the day is often used to refer to diets or exercise that may have healing or healthy qualities. Since catching a cold, I’ve been eating lots of chicken soup. According to urban lore, i...

Improbity is a noun that means a lack of honesty or integrity.  The Latin word probus (PRO boos) means upright or generous. By adding the prefix ‘I-M’ we get the opposite meaning or ‘wicked.’  That story on the news about the horrific behavior taking place at the factory put chills through my body. I’d never before seen that kind of improbity in the workplace. 

Nubilous is an adjective that means cloudy or foggy.  Our word of the day is a direct descendent of the Latin word nubes (NOO bess) which means cloud. Nubilous may be used literally to refer to actual clouds or figuratively to mean vague or hazy, as in: I didn’t have a notion of what I wanted to do when I grew up. I just had a nubilous idea of doing something in law enforcement. 

Exonerate is a verb that means to absolve of blame.  The Latin verb exonerare (ecks on air RAHR ay) means ‘freed from a burden.’ Our word of the day is often used in a legal sense, as in: Charles assured us that the DNA would exonerate his client. And sure enough, the blood sample revealed that the defendant was not guilty of the crime.

Minutiae is a noun that means small precise details.  Minutiae is from Latin. Minutias (mi NOOT ee us) means ‘smallness.’ Our word of the day refers to smallness not in physical size but importance. I’ve got important things to worry about. I don’t have to concern myself over the minutiae of my cat’s food preferences. 

Ardor is a noun that means great passion and enthusiasm.  The Latin word ardere (ARE dare ay) means ‘to burn.’ It wasn’t far from there to get to a word that referred to a ‘burning passion.’ Working at the car wash for me, was just another job. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t say I had an ardor to clean hub caps.

Cloister is a verb that means to seclude or hide. The Latin word claudere (klow ooh DARE ay) means ‘shut’ or ‘lock’ as in something you’d do to a door. From there, the word cloister was born, originally meaning a place of ‘religious seclusion,’ then, more specifically to a monastery or convent. It may also be used metaphorically to mean ‘shut off’ as if in a monastery or convent. Jane can be somet...

Salvific is an adjective that means related to the power of salvation.  The Latin word salvus (SOL voos) means safe. Our word of the day emerged in the late 16th century, taking on a theological connotation, as in: ‘the salvific power of the Lord.’ Today the word is still used almost entirely in a religious context. Ellen treated the concert tickets as if they were religious artifacts. The wa...

Paseo is a noun that refers to a leisurely stroll. The Spanish word ‘paseo’ means ‘step.’ When imported into English maintained the meaning of meaning ‘a casual stroll,’ especially in the evening. I’m too tired to do my usual workout routine today. Instead I think I’ll just have a little paseo after dinner.

Raffish is an adjective that means unconventional.  The Old French words rif and raf mean, ‘one and all.’ This phrase gave birth to the term riffraff as well as our word of the day. But the two words aren’t exactly synonyms. Referring to someone as raffish is not as insulting as calling them riffraff.  When I played in a rock band, I often wore tattered clothes. They gave me the raffish...

The Latin word elido (el EE doe) means ‘to dash to pieces.’ The word elide first came to mean ‘omit’ in reference to a sound or syllable being omitted from a word. As time went be, the word took on another meaning. Omitting a sound or syllable often meant joining other sounds. For example, if we take ‘I will’ and omit the W and I sound, we join I and LL together to get ‘I’ll.’ To this day, elide c...

Precipice is a noun that means a steep cliff. The Latin word praeceps (PRY ay cheps) means ‘steep and headlong.’ I had an accident while climbing a mountain last year. I lost my grip of the rope and tumbled down the precipice.

Tertiary is an adjective that means third in order or level.  Our word of the day comes almost directly from Latin. The word tirtius (TEAR tee oos) means third. Tertiary is most commonly used when listing items. The first of a series would be primary. The second, secondary and the third tertiary.  The weather was the tertiary reason for my relocation to Florida. The first was my new job,...

Igneous is an adjective that means related to fire.  The Latin word ignis (EEN yeece) means fire. Today igneous is often used by geologists to refer to volcanoes. But it may also be used as a synonym of fire, as in: I was stunned by Irene’s igneous temper. I had never seen that fiery side of her temperament before.

Metamorphic is an adjective that means ‘related to a change or a metamorphosis.’ Our word of the day combines the Greek prefix ‘meta’ meaning ‘change’ with ‘morph’ meaning ‘form.’ This is a also where the term metamorphosis comes from. Metamorphic is simply an adjective to describe a metamorphosis or change. Winning the lottery seemed to have a metamorphic impact on Chuck’s personality. All the mo...