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Word of the Day
flotilla
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Mon, 08/09/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 09, 2010 is:
flotilla • \floh-TILL-uh\ • noun
*1 : a fleet of ships or boats; especially : a navy organizational unit consisting of two or more squadrons of small warships 2 : an indefinite large number
Example sentence:
"Just offshore was anchored a flotilla of small motorboats -- Zephyr Cove's rental fleet…." (John Flinn, The San Francisco Chronicle, July 25, 2010)
Did you know?
"Flotilla" comes from the diminutive form of the Spanish noun "flota," meaning "fleet." "Flota" derives via Old French from Old Norse "floti" and is related to Old English "flota" ("ship"), an ancestor to our word "float." Much like other words referring to groups of particular things (such as "swarm"), "flotilla" has taken on expanded usage to refer simply to a large number of something not necessarily having to do with nautical matters, often with humorous effect (e.g., "a flotilla of rather mature-looking male models" -- Jed Perl, The New Republic).
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
eminently
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Sun, 08/08/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 08, 2010 is:
eminently • \EM-uh-nunt-lee\ • adverb
: to a high degree : very
Example sentence:
"The village is eminently walkable and packed with attractions for foodies, shoppers, history buffs, and children." (Ellen Albanese, The Boston Globe, June 30, 2010)
Did you know?
When British physician Tobias Venner wrote in 1620 of houses "somewhat eminently situated," he used "eminently" in a way that now seems unusual. Venner meant that the houses were literally located in a high place, but that lofty use of "eminently" has since slipped into obsolescence. "Eminently" traces to the Latin term "eminēre," which means "to stand out." In its first documented English uses in the 15th century, the term meant "conspicuously," but that sense, like the elevated one we mentioned earlier, is now obsolete. The figurative sense for which the word is best known today began appearing in English texts in the mid-1600s.
twee
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Sat, 08/07/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 07, 2010 is:
twee • \TWEE\ • adjective
: affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint
Example sentence:
I stood in the greeting card section of the store reading through the selections, looking for one that would express my affection and appreciation without being intolerably twee.
Did you know?
Most adults wouldn't be caught dead saying, "Oh, look at the tweet 'ittle birdie!" (at least not to anyone over the age of three), but they probably wouldn't be averse to saying, "He went fishing with his dad," "She works as a nanny," or "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" Anyone who uses "dad," "nanny," or "buddy" owes a debt to "baby talk," a term used for both the childish speech adults adopt when addressing youngsters and for the speech of small children who are just learning to talk. "Twee" also originated in baby talk, as an alteration of "sweet." In the early 1900s, it was a term of affection, but nowadays British speakers and writers, and, increasingly, Americans as well, use "twee" for things that have passed beyond agreeable and into the realm of cloying.
eighty-six
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Fri, 08/06/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 06, 2010 is:
eighty-six • \ay-tee-SIKS\ • verb, slang
: to refuse to serve (a customer); also : to get rid of : throw out
Example sentence:
"NBC's Hannah Storm eighty-sixed her real last name, Storen, when her first employer, a heavy-metal-oriented radio station in Corpus Christi, asked her to host a show titled Storm by the Sea." (Sports Illustrated, September 25, 2000)
Did you know?
If you work in a restaurant or bar, you might eighty-six (or "eliminate") a menu item when you run out of it, or you might eighty-six (or "cut off") a customer who should no longer be served. "Eighty-six" is still used in this specific context, but it has also entered the general language. These days, you don’t have to be a worker in a restaurant or bar to eighty-six something -- you just have to be someone with something to get rid of or discard. There are many popular but unsubstantiated theories about the origin of "eighty-six." The explanation judged most probable by Merriam-Webster etymologists is that the word was created as a rhyming slang word for "nix," which means "to veto" or "to reject."
colloquy
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Thu, 08/05/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 05, 2010 is:
colloquy • \KAH-luh-kwee\ • noun
1 : conversation, dialogue *2 : a high-level serious discussion : conference
Example sentence:
The company's employees worried and speculated as the executive team remained closeted in an intense colloquy for the entire morning.
Did you know?
"Colloquy" may make you think of "colloquial," and there is indeed a connection between the two words. As a matter of fact, "colloquy" is the parent word from which "colloquial" was coined in the mid-18th century. "Colloquy" itself, though now the less common of the two words, has been a part of the English language since the 15th century. It is a descendant of Latin "loqui," meaning "to speak." Other descendants of "loqui" in English include "eloquent," "loquacious," "ventriloquism," and "soliloquy," as well as "elocution" and "interlocutor."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
zwieback
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Wed, 08/04/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 04, 2010 is:
zwieback • \SWEE-back\ • noun
: a usually sweetened bread enriched with eggs that is baked and then sliced and toasted until dry and crisp
Example sentence:
"It's the cheesiest of cheesecakes, with a zwieback crumb crust." (Tina Danze, The Dallas Morning News, February 2, 2000)
Did you know?
In ages past, keeping food fresh for any length of time required a lot of ingenuity, especially when one needed to carry comestibles on a long journey. One of the solutions people came up with for keeping bread edible for traveling was to bake it twice, thereby drying it and slowing the spoiling process. The etymology of "zwieback" reflects this baker's trick; it was borrowed from a German word that literally means "twice baked." Nowadays, zwieback is not just used as a foodstuff -- the texture of the dried bread makes zwieback a suitable teething device for infants.
fester
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Tue, 08/03/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 03, 2010 is:
fester • \FESS-ter\ • verb
1 : to generate pus 2 : putrefy, rot 3 *a : to cause increasing poisoning, irritation, or bitterness : rankle b : to undergo or exist in a state of progressive deterioration
Example sentence:
The marriage counselor advised dealing with problems immediately instead of allowing them to fester.
Did you know?
"Fester" first entered English as a noun in the early 14th century. It was originally used as we now use the word "fistula," for an abnormal passage leading from an abscess or hollow organ and permitting passage of fluids or secretions. It later came to refer to a sore that discharges pus. The connection between "fester" and "fistula" is no accident -- both descend from Latin "fistula," which has the same meaning as the English word but can also mean "pipe" or "tube" or "a kind of ulcer." "Fester" made the trip from Latin to English by way of Anglo-French. By the end of the 14th century, it was also being used as a verb meaning "to generate pus," a use that has since developed extended senses implying a worsening state.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
vicarious
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Mon, 08/02/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 02, 2010 is:
vicarious • \vye-KAIR-ee-us\ • adjective
1 : done or suffered for the benefit of someone else *2 : sharing in someone else’s experience through the use of the imagination or sympathetic feelings
Example sentence:
Though I have never been to the Caribbean, I always take vicarious pleasure in hearing about Leslie’s trips there with her family.
Did you know?
If you act in someone’s stead, you take his or her place, at least temporarily. The oldest meaning of "vicarious," which was first recorded in 1637, is "serving in someone or something’s stead." The word "vicarious" derives from the Latin noun "vicis," which means "change," "alternation," or "stead." "Vicis" is also the source of the English prefix "vice-" (as in "vice president"), meaning "one that takes the place of."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
eisteddfod
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Sun, 08/01/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 01, 2010 is:
eisteddfod • \eye-STETH-vawd\ • noun
: a usually Welsh competitive festival of the arts especially in poetry and singing
Example sentence:
This year's eisteddfod featured some exceptional recorder and guitar playing, but as in past years it was the bards who were the highlight of the festival.
Did you know?
In Medieval times, Welsh bards and minstrels would assemble together for an "eisteddfod" (the Welsh word for "session") of poetry and music competition. Over time, participation and interest in these competitions lessened, and by the 17th century an eisteddfod was far from the courtly affair it once was. The competition was revived in the 19th century as a way to showcase Wales's artistic culture. It was also in that century that an official council was formed to organize the annual National Eisteddfod of Wales, an event still held each summer alternately in North or South Wales. There are awards for music, prose, drama, and art, but the one for poetry remains the eisteddfod's pinnacle.
sirenian
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Sat, 07/31/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 31, 2010 is:
sirenian • \sye-REE-nee-un\ • noun
: any of an order (Sirenia) of aquatic herbivorous mammals (as a manatee, dugong, or Steller's sea cow) that have large forelimbs resembling paddles, no hind limbs, and a flattened tail resembling a fin
Example sentence:
"Looking humanlike in certain aspects, sirenians are thought to be the basis of the myth of mermaids." (Michael McCarthy, The Independent [London], February 28, 2009)
Did you know?
"Sirenian" traces back via Latin to Greek "seirēn," which is equivalent to our word for the sirens of Greek mythology. And what is the connection between sirens and sirenians? Modern sirenians do not resemble the half bird, half woman creatures who lured sailors to their doom with their sweet singing. But as our example sentence states, sirenians are considered by some to underlie the ancient legends about mermaids. In European folklore mermaids were sometimes called "sirens," and apparently this confusion resulted in the granting of sirenians the name they bear today.
inchoate
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Fri, 07/30/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 30, 2010 is:
inchoate • \in-KOH-ut\ • adjective
: being only partly in existence or operation; especially : imperfectly formed or formulated
Example sentence:
Kate had an inchoate suspicion that things were about to go wrong, but she was unable to think of any concrete reason for her concern.
Did you know?
"Inchoate" derives from "inchoare," which means "to begin" in Latin but translates literally as "to hitch up." "Inchoare" was formed from the prefix "in-" and the noun "cohum," which refers to the strap that secures a plow beam to a pulling animal's yoke. The concept of implementing this initial step toward the larger task of plowing a field can help provide a clearer understanding of "inchoate," an adjective used to describe the imperfect form of something (as a plan or idea) in its early stages of development. Perhaps because it looks a little like the word "chaos" (although the two aren't closely related), "inchoate" now not only implies the formlessness that often marks beginnings, but also the confusion caused by chaos.
adjure
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Thu, 07/29/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 29, 2010 is:
adjure • \uh-JOOR\ • verb
1 : to command solemnly under or as if under oath or penalty of a curse *2 : to urge or advise earnestly
Example sentence:
"Byron fled the country, adjuring Annabella to 'be kind' to his beloved sister." (Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times, September 16, 2002)
Did you know?
"Adjure" and its synonyms "entreat," "importune," and "implore" all mean "to ask earnestly." "Entreat" implies an effort to persuade or overcome resistance. "Importune" goes further, adding a sense of annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request. "Implore," on the other hand, suggests a great urgency or anguished appeal on the part of the speaker. "Adjure" implies advising as well as pleading, and is sometimes accompanied by the invocation of something sacred. Be careful not to confuse "adjure" with "abjure," meaning "to renounce solemnly" or "to abstain from." Both words are rooted in Latin "jurare," meaning "to swear," but "adjure" includes the prefix "ad-," meaning "to" or "toward," whereas "abjure" draws on "ab-," meaning "from" or "away."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
friable
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Wed, 07/28/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 28, 2010 is:
friable • \FRYE-uh-bul\ • adjective
: easily crumbled or pulverized
Example sentence:
These plants will grow best in a soft, friable soil.
Did you know?
"Friable" entered into English in the mid-1500s, and was borrowed either from Middle French or directly from Latin "friabilis." This Latin adjective comes from the verb "friare," which means "to crumble." "Fiare" in turn is related to the verb "fricare" ("to rub"), the source of the English noun "friction." "Friable" is used to describe something that can be easily reduced to a powdered form. In contemporary usage, it is often found in the discussion of asbestos. Health concerns about asbestos primarily center around friable asbestos -- that is, asbestos that is easily pulverized into tiny fibers which may remain suspended in the air and become a potential health risk to those who inhale them.
Hobson's choice
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Tue, 07/27/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 27, 2010 is:
Hobson's choice • \HAHB-sunz-choyss\ • noun
*1 : an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative 2 : the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives
Example sentence:
Reportedly, Model T manufacturer Henry Ford once gave this Hobson's choice: "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black."
Did you know?
In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Thomas Hobson worked as a licensed carrier of passengers, letters, and parcels between Cambridge and London, England. He kept horses for this purpose and rented them to university students when he wasn't using them. Of course, the students always wanted their favorite mounts, and consequently a few of Hobson's horses became overworked. To correct the situation, Hobson began a strict rotation system, giving each customer the choice of taking the horse nearest the stable door or none at all. This rule became known as "Hobson's choice," and soon people were using that term to mean "no choice at all" in all kinds of situations.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
parlay
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Mon, 07/26/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 26, 2010 is:
parlay • \PAHR-lay\ • verb
1 : to bet in a parlay 2 a : to exploit successfully* b : to increase or otherwise transform into something of much greater value
Example sentence:
The young actor parlayed his popularity as a teen heartthrob into a successful film career.
Did you know?
If you're the gambling type, you may already know that "parlay" can also be used as a noun describing a series of bets in which a person places a bet, then puts the original stake of money and all of its winnings on new wagers. But you might not know that "parlay" represents a modified spelling of the French name for such bets: "paroli." You might also be unaware that the original French word is still occasionally used in English with the same meaning as the noun "parlay."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
poetaster
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Sun, 07/25/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 25, 2010 is:
poetaster • \POH-uh-tass-ter\ • noun
: an inferior poet
Example sentence:
"Germaine Greer, Chair Of Judges For The National Poetry Competition 2000, Invites Entries From Readers, But Be Warned: Poetasters Need Not Apply" (Headline, The [London] Independent, May 7, 2000)
Did you know?
In Latin, the suffix "-aster" indicates partial resemblance. In both Latin and English, that often translates to "second-rate," or maybe even "third-rate." Not surprisingly, "poetaster" often goes hand in hand with "doggerel," meaning "verse marked by triviality or inferiority." "Most of the people who send me thick sheaves of handwritten or word-processed doggerel," Ms. Greer tells us in the Independent article we quote above, "appear never to have read any poetry, good or bad.... Every week poetasters, like literary flashers seeking to amaze and appal hapless passers-by with the sight of their grey flaccidities, send their effusions to people like me." Are there are other kinds of "-asters" out there? Yes indeed -- we have criticasters, philosophasters, and politicasters, among others.
tactile
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Sat, 07/24/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 24, 2010 is:
tactile • \TAK-tul\ • adjective
1 : perceptible by touch *2 : of, relating to, or being the sense of touch
Example sentence:
"Nothing prepared me for the tactile reality of the original volumes, leaf after carefully written leaf over which his hand had travelled...." (Edmund Morris, The New Yorker, January 16, 1995)
Did you know?
"Tangible" is related to "tactile," and so are "intact," "tact," "contingent," "tangent," and even "entire." There's also the uncommon noun "taction," meaning "the act of touching." Like "tactile," all of these words can be traced back to the Latin verb "tangere," meaning "to touch." "Tactile" made its way to our language by way of French, touching ground in English in the early 17th century.
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
garner
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Fri, 07/23/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2010 is:
garner • \GAHR-ner\ • verb
1 a : to gather into storage b : to deposit as if in a granary 2 *a : to acquire by effort : earn b : accumulate, collect
Example sentence:
Through hard work and a determination to see her students succeed, Ms. Taylor has garnered considerable respect from parents and her fellow teachers.
Did you know?
What do you call a building in which grain is stored? These days, English speakers are most likely to call it a "granary," but there was a time when the noun "garner" was also a likely candidate. That noun, which can also mean "something that is collected," dates from the 12th century. The verb "garner" joined the language two centuries later. The verb was once commonly used with the meaning "to gather into a granary," but today it usually means "to earn" or "to accumulate." The noun "garner" is uncommon in contemporary use; it is now found mainly in older literary contexts, such as these lines of verse from Sir Walter Scott's "The Bride of Lammermoor": "Or, from the garner-door, on ether borne, / The chaff flies devious from the winnow'd corn."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
inenarrable
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Thu, 07/22/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2010 is:
inenarrable • \in-ih-NAIR-uh-bul\ • adjective
: incapable of being narrated : indescribable
Example sentence:
"Their songs were sometimes frenzied like the dances in which they whirled to syncopated rhythms, but more often muffled and sad with the inenarrable misery of their bondage." (Ross Lockridge, Jr., Raintree County)
Did you know?
"Ineffable," "inenarrable," "indescribable" -- English has quite a few words for expressing that which can't be expressed. The prefix "in-," meaning "not," teamed up with Latin "enarrare" ("to explain in detail") to give us "inenarrable," and the same prefix joined with Latin "effabilis" ("capable of being expressed") to create "ineffable." English speakers have used "ineffable" since the 14th century, and "inenarrable" made its way into the language from French in the 15th century. "Indescribable" was a late arrival, relatively speaking -- it has only been with us since the 18th century.
declivity
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - Wed, 07/21/2010 - 01:15
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2010 is:
declivity • \di-KLIV-uh-tee\ • noun
1 : downward inclination *2 : a descending slope
Example sentence:
The hikers cautiously made their way down the somewhat steep and rocky declivity that led to the river.
Did you know?
Three different English words descend from "clivus," the Latin word for "slope" or "hill" -- with the help of three Latin prefixes. "Declivity" combines "clivus" with the prefix "de-," meaning "down" or "away." "Acclivity" uses "ad-" (which may change its second letter depending on the root word), meaning "to" or "toward." Hence, an acclivity is an upward slope. The third word has a figurative meaning in English: "proclivity" makes use of the prefix "pro-," meaning "forward," and this word refers to a personal inclination, predisposition, or "leaning."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
