Word of the Day

Today's word of the day is vespertine. It's spelled V-E-S-P-E-R-T-I-N-E. Vespertine is an adjective that means happening in the evening. Vespertinus (ves pair TEEN oos) the Latin word for evening is where our word of the day began its life. vespertine is a synonym of words like nightly and overnight, but it's best to dust this word off for formal occasions, such as, the good lady's presence was re...

Today's word of the day is catholicon, C-A-T-H-O-L-I-C-O-N. Catholicon is a noun that means a panacea or cure-all. Although our word of the day has nothing to do with religion, it has a connection with Catholicism. Both catholicon and catholic derive from the Greek word Katholikos (kath oh lee KO) which means universal, general. In the case of catholicon, it refers to a universal cure for a condit...

Today’s word of the day is adscititious. It’s spelled A-D-S-C-I-T-I-T-I-O-U-S. Adscititious means coming from the outside. Adscititious is derived from the Latin word adscsicere (ad she SHERE ray) which means ‘to admit’ or ‘to adopt.’ Adscititious is a good word to use when describing the process of adopting something from the outside, for example: the maintenance man needed adscititious equipment...

Today’s word of the day is dulcet, D-U-L-C-E-T. Dulcet is an adjective that means pleasing to taste or hear. Our word of the day is a versatile one that may be used in a wide range of contexts. Dulcet comes from the Latin Dulcis (DOOL chees) that simply means sweet, pleasant or agreeable. Although it may refer to any of the five senses, the two most commonly cited are taste and sound.  After...

Today’s word of the day is perquisite. It’s spelled P-E-R-Q-U-I-S-I-T-E. Perquisite is a noun that means a privilege or profit made in addition to regular pay. The Latin verb quarere (KWA were ay)which means ‘to ask’ has given birth to many commonly used words. Among them, are inquire, inquiry, query and quest. The best way to understand perquisite’s use is  to recall that the word perk is a...

Today’s word of the day is raillery, R-A-I-L-L-E-R-Y. Raillery is a noun that means good natured ridicule. You may have noticed the word rail embedded in our word of the day. The two words do share a common ancestor in the Latin word ragere (rah GER ay). But when used to describe a conversation the two words differ a great deal in tone. Rail means to revile or scold in  harsh or abusive langu...

Today’s word of the day is emblazon. It’s spelled E-M-B-L-A-Z-O-N. Emblazon is a verb that means to celebrate or extol. Emblazon got its start with the Anglo-French word blazon (BLAY son) which referred to a heraldic coat of arms, something intended to celebrate a history of nobility. These days, when we emblazon something, we can do it with words.  It is rare that film lovers emblazon a firs...

Today’s word of the day is impute, I-M-P-U-T-E. Impute is a verb that means to lay the responsibility or blame for. The latin word imputo (eem POO toe) means to lay to a charge. Impute is similar to words like ascribe and attribute, but it is typically used in different contexts. You can attribute or ascribe a successful venture to someone, but you wouldn’t impute it. Our word of the day is saved...

Today’s word of the day is lachrymose. It’s spelled L-A-C-H-R-Y-M-O-S-E. Lachrymose is an adjective that means tending to cause tears. Our word of the day has its origin in lacrima (LAA Cree ma) the Latin word for tear. Lachrymose may refer to someone or something that sheds tears or causes them in others, but let’s be clear that we’re referring here to tears of sadness — not joy.  My sister...

Today’s word of the day is trammel, T-R-A-M-M-E-L Trammel is a verb that means to restraint freedom. The Latin word for three, trēs  (tray ss) may seem like an unusual origin for trammel, but keep in mind that a trammel is the name of a fishing net with three layers. It could be helpful to think of a net when using the word to mean a restraint on freedom. My son was upset when I didn’t allow...

Today’s word of the day is sublimate, S-U-B-L-I-M-A-T-E Sublimate is a verb that means to direct the expression of a desire or an impulse to a more socially acceptable one. When a person sublimates a base impulse for something more acceptable, you could say they are elevating their decorum. So it makes sense that the Latin word sublimis (soo BLEE mees) means elevated or lofty. Mr. Ross can really...

Today’s word of the day is Aesopian. It’s spelled A-E-S-O-P-I-A-N. Aesopian is an adjective that means conveying an innocent meaning to an outsider but a hidden meaning to others. Aesop’s fables are well known for containing a hidden meaning or moral beneath their innocuous surface. An Aesopian statement contains a similarly hidden message.  When Julie told me and the kids to make sure not to...

Today’s word of the day is climacteric. It’s spelled C-L-I-M-A-C-T-E-R-I-C. Climacteric is a noun that means a major turning point.  The word klimakter (KLEE mack ter) comes from Ancient Greek. It’s literal translation is ‘rung on a ladder,’ which may be helpful if you think of that rung as the most important one on the ladder. My first job interview didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. B...

Today’s word of the day is ruction, R-U-C-T-I-O-N. Ruction is a noun that means a disturbance.  The precise origin of ruction is unclear. It seems to be a shortening of insurrection. But while insurrection is a more specific term that refers to something like a rebellion against an authority, ruction may be used to describe anything from a prison riot to the noise made by a pair of unruly tod...

Today’s word of the day is doughty. It’s spelled D-O-U-G-H-T-Y. Doughty is an adjective that means valiant.  A word of Old English derivation, doughty may sound out of place If used in a contemporary context. It’s probably best to use it in reference to figures of the past — or perhaps modern day combatants whose bravery seems to belong to days of lore. My sister stood only five foot three. B...

Today’s word of the day is perpend, P-E-R-P-E-N-D. Perpend is a verb that means to ponder.  The Latin word word perpendere (Per PEN dare ay), which means ‘to weigh’ may seem like a strange origin for a word that means ‘to ponder.’ But keep in mind that when pondering something, you are weighing it in your mind. Dad can be very deliberate when choosing a movie to see. He tends to perpend the c...

Today’s word of the day is megrim. It’s spelled M-E-G-R-I-M. Megrim is a noun that means dizziness or vertigo.  Although it’s often used as a synonym of migraine, megrim is actually a broader term that may refer to dizziness in the head as well as the typical symptoms migraines.  Both migraine and megrim come from the Greek word hermikrania (her me CRAY nee uh) which refer to what Englis...

Today’s word of the day is marginalia, M-A-R-G-I-N-A-L-I-A. Marginalia is a noun that means nonessential items. You probably recognize the word margin, a word that, when used figuratively, may refer to a line that separates inclusion and exclusion from a group. Think of marginalia as the place someone or something winds up after being marginalized. President Arthur was a figure of enormous importa...

Today’s word of the day is pelf. It’s spelled P-E-L-F. Pelf is a noun that means money or riches. Pelf is derived from the Anglo-French word pelfre (PEL free) which means ‘stolen money.’ The English word pilfer (‘to steal’) is also a descendent of pelfre. Pelf’s definition is simply ‘money’ but the word is usually used in a context that suggest the gains are ill-gotten. After years of selling bogu...

Today’s word of the day is perspicacious, P-E-R-S-P-I-C-A-C-I-O-U-S. Perspicacious is an adjective that means keen or of acute mental vision. The Latin word perspicere (PAIR spee care ay) got things started with a word that meant ‘to look through’ or ‘to see clearly.’ From here a number of English words were born, including periscope, a device used to help navigate a submarine. It may help to thin...

Today’s word of the day is homiletic. It’s spelled H-O-M-I-E-T-I-C. Homiletic is an adjective that means related to preaching. Our word of the day’s journey begins with the Ancient Greek word homilos (HO me los) which meant crowd or assembly. This word later morphed into homily, ‘a short sermon.’ Anything related to a homily may be called homiletic. Sandy’s pep talk at the meeting got everybody fi...

Today’s word of the day is predial, P-R-E-D-I-A-L. Predial is an adjective that means related to land or its products. Derived from the Latin word for estate, Praedium (PRAY dee um), predial is frequently used in a legal context, such as: The records show that Howard has paid millions in predial tax. Such a large estate can be quite expensive. Once again, predial is spelled P-R-E-D-I-A-L.

Today’s word of the day us Cassandra. It’s spelled C-A-S-S-A-N-D-R-A. Cassandra means one who predicts misfortune. Understanding the origin of the word Cassandra, requires a quick lesson in Greek mythology. Cassandra was a character who, after rejecting the romantic advances of the god Apollo, was blessed and cursed with the ability to foretell the future, with the catch that her prophecies, altho...

Today’s word of the day is harbinger, H-A-R-B-I-N-G-E-R. Harbinger is a noun that means one that foreshadows what is about to come. In Medieval English the word harbinger referred to a person who went ahead of his fellow travelers to find lodging. The word’s meaning has shifted a little since then, but the image of someone moving ahead of the of the pack may still be helpful. When Julie quit her j...

Today’s word of the day is unctuous. It’s spelled U-N-C-T-U-O-U-S. Unctuous is an adjective that means insincerely smooth. The Latin word for anoint, Unguere (oon GWAY ray) is where unctuous’s journey begins. But a better way to understand the word’s origin is to recall that things were often anointed with oily or greasy substances. As time went by, unctuous came to mean oily, and it later referre...