Word of the Day

Sward is a noun that refers to an expanse of grass.  Coming from an Old English word for ‘skin,’ our word of the day soon became a term for the upper layer of soil. More recently it’s come to refer to an upper layer that is covered with grass. Here’s an example: I once got a little confused when my dad told me to cut the sward out back. After learning that he meant the grass, I apologized for sawi...

Logophile is a noun that refers to a lover of words.  The Greek word logo (LOW go) means ‘words,’ while the suffix P-H-I-L-E means ‘a lover of.’ Here’s an example of logophile in use: When Annette told me she never misses an episode of Word of the Day, she explained to me that she was such a logophile that her love of words makes her hungry to learn new ones. And here I was thinking it was the dul...

Disapprobation is a noun that refers to a strong disapproval.  The Latin word probus (PRO boose) means ‘good.’ By adding the prefix D-IS-, we get a word to describe behavior that is bad enough to receive disapproval.  My family is usually comfortable with all the decisions I make except where clothes are concerned. When I show up with an ill-fitting pair of bell-bottom jeans, I face some pretty he...

Blatherskite is a noun that may refer to foolish talk, or it may refer to a person who engages in foolish talk. Coming from the mid-17th century, our word of the day was first used in the Scottish song Maggie Lauder. It soon became popular among Americans as well as Brits. Example: There was a lot of blatherskite spoken at the party, but perhaps the most foolish thing said was that we needed anoth...

Engender is a verb that means to cause or give rise to a feeling, situation or condition.  Our word of the day comes from the Old English word ‘beget’ (buh GET) which means to give birth to. Engender may be used to describe anyone giving birth to a particular feeling or emotion, for example: Whenever I hear that song, it engenders feelings of great joy. That thunderous crescendo at the end always...

Requisite is an adjective that means made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations.  The Latin word requisitus (wreck we SUITE oose) meaning, ‘deemed necessary’ provides the basis for requisite. It shares its root with other English words like ‘require’ and ‘inquire.’ Example: There I was, the last batter with two outs in the ninth inning and I was ready to hit a game-winning home run....

Gomer is a noun that refers to a stupid colleague.  The precise origin of our word of the day is something of a mystery. There is a man named Gomer in the Bible, but some believe that the name became an insult after it was used on the character Gomer Pyle, the inept soldier depicted in the popular 1960s sitcom of the same name. Regardless of its source, Gomer has become an unflattering term for so...

Paronomasia is a noun that refers to a play on words.  Coming directly from a Greek word that means ‘beside’ and ‘name,’ our word of the day has been around since the late 16th century. Here’s an example of paronomasia in use: I call my dad the Prince of Paronomasia. There is no play on words that is too silly or too corny for him to use at a family function. 

Datum is a noun that refers to a piece of information.  Having been around the English language since the mid-18th century, our word of the day comes directly from the Latin word for ‘something given.’ It is the singular version of the commonly used plural word ‘data.’ Here’s an example: While eating a hot dog at the company picnic, Harvey walked up to me and delivered this fun fact: The average h...

Depuration is a noun that refers to the act or process of freeing something of impurities.  The root word of depuration is the Latin-based word, ‘pure.’ By adding the prefix D-E, meaning ‘completely.’ we get a word that means to make something completely pure. Here’s an example of our word of the day in use: The depuration of our city’s water supply was an important step toward creating better hea...

Chthonian is an adjective that means related to or resembling something from the underworld.  Coming from the Greek word for ‘earth,’ our word of the day has been with us since the late 19th century, usually as a reference to the goings on in Greek mythology, for example: As a kid, I loved Greek mythology, but I didn’t want the stories to get too chthonian. Any reference to the Ancient underworld...

Logogram is a noun that refers to a sign or character representing a word or phrase.  Coming from two Geek words ‘logos’ for ‘word’ and ‘gram’ for letter, our word of the day has been around since the 19th century. Here’s an example: It wasn’t easy to make sense of all the logograms contained in the graffiti. But it helps to understand that certain letters or symbols have a meaning related to cert...

Cyclopean is an adjective that means made of huge blocks of stone.  The cyclops of Ancient Greek mythology were giant one-eyed creatures. Our word of the day has been around since the mid-17th century to describe a style of buildings built with huge stones. Here’s an example of cyclopean in use: Those cyclopean buildings look strange around all these steel and glass structures.

Squall is a noun that refers to a sudden gust of wind.  Our word of the day has been around since the mid-17th century. It is thought to be an alteration of the word squeal, in imitation of the sound made by a strong gust. Here’s an example: As if the rain wasn’t bad enough, that squall nearly knocked me off my feet. The last thing you want is to be thrown by a strong gale into a giant puddle. 

Thersitical is an adjective that means given to scurrilous language.  Our word of the day comes from the Greek word for ‘little beast.’ In time, thersitical came to refer to plays that were rude or crude. It may also be used to describe the temperament of an unpleasant person, for example: After grumbling all day about the weather, Paul had established a reputation as a thersitical guy. It wasn’t...

Fetor is a noun that refers to a strong, foul smell.  Our word of the day comes directly from the Latin word for ‘soul smell.’ It’s been around since the 17th century and is used to describe foul smells that have been around much longer. Example: The fetor coming from the parking lot dumpster became such a distraction that we had to move it. Rotten smells aren’t exactly the kind of things you want...

Theriac is a noun that refers to a medicine that is reputed to cure all.  Our word of the day comes directly from ancient Greece where it referred to the venom of a snake reputed to contain healing properties. Centuries later, doctors no longer believe in prescribing snake venom to their patients, but the term theriac is still very much around describing all manner of cure-alls.  After getting sic...

Agglutinate is a verb that means to firmly stick together to form a mass.  The Latin word gluten (GLUE ten) meaning ‘to adhere’ has given birth to the word ‘glue’ as well as our word of the day. Agglutinate has stuck around since the mid-16th century. It’s often sued in a medical context. Here’s an example: In medical school, we learned how red blood cells often agglutinate and form intricate mesh...

Palladian is an adjective that means wise or learned.  Our word of the day is an eponym, meaning it is a word named after a historical figure. Palladian takes its name from an architect of the 18th century named Andrea Palladio. Palladio was known for his elegant style. Here’s an example: This Palladian apartment building I’ve just moved into makes me feel like I’ve stumbled into 18th-century Euro...

Mimesis is a noun that refers to duplication or mimicry.  Our word of the day comes directly from the Greek word that means ‘to imitate.’ It’s been around since the mid-16th century. Example: As a kid, I drove my parents crazy trying to imitate them. This got laughs from everybody — except my parents. They didn’t have much admiration for skill at mimesis. 

Macrology is a noun that refers to the use of more words than necessary.  Our word of the day is derived from two words of Greek origin, ‘macro,’ meaning ‘long,’ and ‘logos,’ which means ‘words.’ Simply put, macrology is the use of too many words. Example: The Mayor’s tendency toward macrology made listening to him a very tedious affair. It would take him five thousand words to say ‘good morning.’

Ostensible is an adjective that means stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.  Having been around since the mid-18th century, our word of the is derived from the Latin word ostentere (oh sten TEAR ay) which means ‘to display.’ Here’s an example: The ostensible reason for not giving the employees free coffee anymore was that the company could no longer afford it. But looking at the...

Deipnosophist is a noun that refers to a person skilled at dinner talk.  The Greek word for ‘meal’ provides the prefix D-E-I-P-N-O of our word of the day, while the suffix S-O-P-H-I-S-T comes from the Greek word for ‘wisdom.’ Here’s an example of it in use: My son has become something of a deipnosophist at the dinner table lately. He can discuss a wide range of topics, but his favorite thing to ta...

Deepfake is a noun that refers to an image or recording altered to misrepresent someone.  A recent addition to the English language, our word of the day is derived from two common words of Old English origin, ‘Deep’ and ‘fake’ and describes a practice that has only become possible in the past few decades. Here’s an example: That deepfake of my favorite actor looked so convincing I nearly believed...

Satiate is a verb that means to satisfy a desire.  The Latin word satis (saw TEES) means ‘enough.’ Its linguistic offspring satiate has been around since the Late Middle English period and can be thought of as a synonym for quench or satisfy.  After a long day at work, it takes more than a tiny sandwich to satiate me. Some days it may take nine or ten sandwiches before I can truly consider myself...