The word for today is… sophomore (noun): : a student in the second year at college or a 4-year secondary school Source : Online Etymology Dictionary Etymology : 1680s, “student in the second year of university study,” literally “arguer,” altered from sophumer (1650s), from sophume, an archaic variant form of sophism, ultimately
The word for today is… yaw (noun, verb): noun 1 : the action of yawing, especially a side-to-side movement 2 : the extent of the movement in yawing verb a: of a ship – to deviate erratically from a course (as when struck by a heavy sea) especially to move from
The word for today is… euphemism (noun): : the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Euphemism comes from Greek euphemos, which means “uttering sounds of good omen,” “fair-sounding,” or “auspicious.” The first part of that root
The word for today is… meritorious (adjective): : deserving of honor or esteem Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : People who demonstrate meritorious behavior certainly “earn” our respect, and you can use that fact to remember that meritorious comes from the Latin verb merere, which means “to earn.” Nowadays, the rewards earned for
The word for today is… stir-crazy (adjective): slang : distraught because of prolonged confinement Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Stir-crazy originated as a word to describe a prisoner who became distraught after prolonged confinement. Stir is a 19th-century slang word for “prison” that some word historians have suspected to
The word for today is… tome (noun): 1 : book especially : a large or scholarly book 2 : a volume forming part of a larger work -tome (noun combining form) 1 : part, segment – e.g. myotome 2 : cutting instrument – e.g. microtome Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Tome comes from Greek tomos, meaning
The word for today is… finesse (noun,verb): noun : skill and cleverness that is shown in the way someone deals with a situation, problem, etc. verb : to make a finesse in playing cards Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Finesse originally referred to refinement or delicacy of workmanship, structure, or texture; that
The word for today is… layman (noun): 1 : a person who is not a member of the clergy 2 : a person who does not belong to a particular profession or who is not expert in some field Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Layman is a closed compound of lay man. Lay
The word for today is… voluble (adjective): 1 : easily rolling or turning 2 : characterized by ready or rapid speech Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Voluble traces back to Latin volvere, meaning “to set in a circular course” or “to cause to roll.” English rolled with that meaning, using voluble as an
The word for today is… probity (noun): adherence to the highest principles and ideals Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Probity and its synonyms honesty, honor, and integrity all mean uprightness of character or action, with some slight differences in emphasis. Honesty implies a refusal to lie or deceive in any way.
The word for today is… predicate (noun, verb, adjective): A seemingly simple little word today, but a lot lurks within. noun: 1a : something that is affirmed or denied of the subject in a proposition in logic b : a term designating a property or relation 2 :grammar : the part of a
The word for today is… antithetical (adjective): 1 : being in direct and unequivocal opposition Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Antithetical and antithesis come from Greek antitithenai (“to oppose”). The oldest sense of antithesis refers to a language pattern that contrasts parallel ideas, as in “action, not words” or “they promised freedom
The word for today is… palindrome (noun): : a word, verse, sentence or number that reads the same backward or forward Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Palindrome comes from Greek palindromos, meaning “running back again,” which itself is from palin (“back,” “again”) and dramein (“to run”). Nowadays, we appreciate a clever palindrome—
The word for today is… captious (adjective): 1 : marked by an often ill-natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections 2 : calculated to confuse, entrap, or entangle in argument Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Captious comes from Latin captio, which refers to a deception or verbal quibble. Arguments labeled captious
The word for today is… repudiate (verb): 1a : to refuse to accept, especially to reject as unauthorized or as having no binding force: repudiate a contract repudiate a will b : to reject as untrue or unjust 2 : to refuse to acknowledge or pay – repudiate a debt 3 : to refuse to
The word for today is… pejorative (noun, adjective): noun: a word or phrase that has negative connotations or that is intended to disparage or belittle adjective: having negative connotations, especially tending to disparage or belittle Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything
