Word of the Day

Vivify is a verb that means to enliven or bring to life.  Vivus (VEE voos) the Latin word for life has, appropriately, given life to many common words in English. There’s vivid, vital, vitamin, vivacious and, of course, our word of the day, vivify. It’s usually applied metaphorically to refer to something made to seem alive.  Mrs. Brailey was such an extraordinary history teacher. I’ve k...

Pawky is an adjective that means showing a sardonic wit.  The word pawk comes from Scottish and Northern English and refers to a trick. A pawky person could be considered snide or sardonic. Those pawkly little barbs of yours may get you laughs in the classroom. But they could also get you sent to the principal’s office. 

Rebarbative is an adjective that means causing annoyance or irritation.  The Latin word for beard is barba (BAR buh) which may seem like an odd origin for a word that means ‘causing annoyance or irritation,’ until you consider the journey that our word of the day has taken over the years. Rebarbative is derived from the phrase ‘standing beard to beard,’ which means ‘opposing’ or ‘standing aga...

Betide is a verb that means to take place.  Our word of the day comes from Middle English and although its meaning — ‘to happen’ or ‘take place’ — is fairly simple, it’s probably best used in a context that suits its old school origin. The Duke was wary of the upcoming battle. With the fate of his soldiers unclear, he wasn’t sure what would betide. 

Ambrosial is an adjective that means fragrant or pleasant taste. Our word of the day comes from Greek mythology, where it meant ‘worthy of the gods.’ But it’s just fine to use ambrosial in a more mundane way, such as: the ambrosial scent of my new workplace was a lovely surprise. After all those years of working in sanitation disposal, I wasn’t used to a pleasant-smelling environment.

Amorist is a noun that means someone who writes about love. Speakers of Spanish and Italian may be familiar with the words amor (ah MORE) and amore (ah MORE ay) that mean ‘love.’ They both have their roots in the Latin word amor (ah MORE). By adding the suffix “I-S-T’ we get a word that refers to someone who specializes in ‘love.’ This may refer broadly to anyone in love or more specifically to so...

Asperse is a verb that means to criticize or attack the character of someone.  The Latin word aspergere (a SPARE ghere ay) means ‘to sprinkle’ or ‘to splatter.’ This may seem like an odd origin for a word that means ‘to attack someone’s character,’ but it may help to think of aspersing someone as splattering criticism on their reputation. For example: As a political commentator, I hesitate to...

Ophidian is an adjective that means pertaining to or having the characteristics of a snake. The Greek word for ‘snake’ is Ophia (OH fee uh) a word that, over the centuries has morphed into our word of the day. Ophidian may be used literally to refer to an actual snake or figuratively to describe someone whose demeanor may remind you of those creepy little reptiles, for example: On the surface, Bra...

Apodictic is an adjective that means clearly established or beyond dispute.  The Greek word apodeiktikós (ap oh deek TEEK os) means ‘demonstrable.’ You could think of an apodictic fact as something that has been demonstrated to be true.  After only a few hours of trial, the jury came to see the defendant’s guilt as apodictic. There was simply no doubt that he was the culprit.

Inculcate is a verb that means to instill (an idea).  The Latin word calco (CAHL ko) means to ‘tread’ or ‘trample upon.’ The word’s meaning has shifted over the years to refer to instilling something in somebody’s head. Our job as teachers isn’t just to provide information. We must also inculcate a love of education in our students.

Irresolute is an adjective that means uncertain.  The Latin word resolvere (ray sol VAIR ay) means resolved. From this we get resolute, meaning ‘determined’ and ‘unwavering.’ Our word of the day is the opposite. A person who is irresolute is wavering and undetermined.  With so many offers from colleges, it’s not surprising that Michelle is irresolute. The last time I checked she still ha...

Acquisitive is an adjective that means excessively interested in acquiring money or material things. In Latin, acquiro (ah KWEE roe) means ‘to get’ or ‘obtain.’ The word’s distant relative acquisitive basically carries the same meaning, ‘excessively interested in getting or obtaining things.’ The word is pretty much always used in a judgmental or pejorative sense. You could think of it as a synony...

Vaunt is a verb that means to boast about or praise something excessively.  The Latin word vanus (VAAH noos) means ‘vain,’ and that’s the birthplace of our word of the day, vaunt. The word later came to refer to praising someone excessively, usually in a way that may make them vain. I always make sure to vaunt the salesman shortly after arriving at the car dealership. There’s something about...

Galoot is a noun that means a clumsy or foolish person.  It’s not clear which language galoot takes its origin from, but we know the word was first used to refer to  inexperienced marines. It may be used playfully or abusively.  I probably looked like a galoot when I showed up for my first day for work in an ill-fitting shirt. I had to explain that my washing machine was broken and...

The Latin word for ‘educate’ is erudio (air oo DEE oh). From this we get our word of the day. But  It’s best not to use erudite in the everyday sense of the word ‘educated.’ Your twelve-year-old may be educated in their ABCs, but probably won’t be considered erudite until getting that PhD from an ivy league University.  Brad did his best to come across erudite in the job interview. He ev...

Malapert is an adjective that means boldly disrespectful.  Malapert combines the suffix ‘mal,’ meaning ‘badly,’ and ‘apert,’ meaning ‘skilled.’ It may help to think of a malapert person as badly skilled in all things social.  After his malapert behavior at his sister’s wedding, Toby hasn’t gotten many wedding invitations. Heckling the pastor really wasn’t a good idea.

Toothsome is an adjective that means pleasing to taste or palatable.  Coming from Old English, our word of the day combines the familiar word ‘tooth,’ which was often used to refer to a person’s appetite, with ‘some’, a suffix that means ‘tending to’ or ‘causing.’  That toothsome apple pie is tempting me to forget all about my diet. It’s so appetizing I simply don’t care about how many c...

Snarf is a verb that means to eat or drink quickly or greedily.  The precise origin of our word of the day isn’t known, but snarf may be one of many words that were born in an effort to imitate the sound made by the word’s action. In other words, when you snarf down food or drink, you probably make a sound like snarf.  I didn’t want to snarf down my meal at such a formal dinner party, bu...

Indwell is a verb that means to be permanently present in someone's mind.  Our word of the day is a combination of two fairly common English words ‘in’ and ‘dwell.’ It may be best to think of it as a verb that basically means to ‘dwell in’ someone’s mind. For example: Erica’s sentimental goodbye may indwell my head forever. I don’t think I’ll ever forget those lovely words.

Avulsion is a noun that means the act of pulling or tearing away.  A combination of the Latin words for ‘from’ and ‘pluck’ give us avallere (ah val AIR ay). In time, this morphed into avulsion, meaning to pull or tear away. The word may be used literally or figuratively, as in: Chuck’s avulsion from his family was a painful thing to see. It’s never pleasant to watch someone get separated from...

Supernal is an adjective that means related to the sky or the heavens.  The Latin word supernus (soo PAIR noos) means above or superior. From that we get our word of the day which means anything that refers to the skies or heavens above us.  My great grandfather was deathly afraid of getting on a plane. This was fairly common among people who grew up in the days when supernal travel was...

Nescient is an adjective that means lacking knowledge.  The Latin word scire (SHE ray) for knowledge has given us lots of words related to knowledge. There’s science, conscience and omniscience to name a few. And there’s our word of the day, which, combined with ’N E,’ meaning ‘not,’ gives us a word that means ‘lacking knowledge.’ Rob seems to wear his nescience as a badge of honor. It’s as i...

Puffery is a noun that means false or exaggerated praise.  The word puff, as in something you’d do into a balloon to blow it up, has its origin in Middle English. Like many words, it began as an effort to imitate the sound made while performing the act.  Our word of the day is more likely to be used metaphorically. You may think of puffery as something you do to inflate someone’s ego, ju...

Ineluctable is an adjective that means not to be avoided or resisted. The Latin word luctari (LUKE tar ay) means to struggle. From this root comes ineluctable, which means something you can’t struggle free from.  I was hoping I could get by without having to face Harvey at the office this week. I soon realized that when Harvey is a bad mood, dealing with him is ineluctable.

Mordant is an adjective that means having a sharp or critical manner. You may have heard the word mordacious used to describe a dog inclined to bite. Our word of the day is also derived from the word bite. Both words come from the Latin word Mordere (MORE dair ay) which means — you guessed it — bite. But our word of the day is more likely to be used figuratively, as in: Shelly’s mordant wit doesn’...