The word for today is… sprightly (adjective) – 1 : marked by a gay lightness and vivacity 2 : having a distinctively piquant taste Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Sprightly comes from spright, an archaic version of the word we now use for an elf or fairy: sprite. Ariel from Shakespeare’s The Tempest
The word for today is… succumb (verb) – 1 : to yield to superior strength or force or overpowering appeal or desire 2 : to be brought to an end (such as death) by the effect of destructive or disruptive forces Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If the idea of someone succumbing brings to
The word for today is… conciliatory (adjective) – : tending to win over from a state of hostility or distrust Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If you are conciliatory towards someone, you’re trying to win that person over to your side. The verb conciliate was borrowed into English in the mid-16th century
The word for today is… Rubicon (noun, geographical name) – noun : a bounding or limiting line – especially : one that when crossed commits a person irrevocably geographical name : river 15 miles long in north central Italy flowing east into the Adriatic Sea Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In 49 B.C., Julius Caesar
The word for today is… ignorant (adjective) – 1a : destitute of knowledge or education – an ignorant society also : lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified – parents ignorant of modern mathematics b : resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence – ignorant errors 2 : unaware, uninformed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : First
The word for today is… abjure (verb) – 1 formal a : to renounce upon oath b : to reject solemnly 2 formal : to abstain from Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Just as a jury swears to produce an unbiased verdict, and a witness swears to tell the truth on pain of perjury, those
The word for today is… fustian (noun) – 1a : a strong cotton and linen fabric b : a class of cotton fabrics usually having a pile face and twill weave 2 : high-flown or affected writing or speech Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Fustian has been used in English for a kind of cloth
milliner (noun) – a person who designs, makes, trims, or sells women’s hats Source : Online Etymology Dictionary Etymology : 1520s, “vendor of fancy wares, man who deals in articles for women’s wear,” probably originally Milaner “native or resident of Milan” (in Middle English Milain, Milein, Millein, etc.), the northern Italian
The word for today is… irony (noun) – 1a : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b : a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony c : an ironic expression or utterance 2a (1) : incongruity between the actual
The word for today is… dross (noun) – 1 metallurgy : the scum or unwanted material that forms on the surface of molten metal 2 : waste or foreign matter : impurity 3 : something that is base, trivial, or inferior Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Dross has been a part of the English language since
herald (noun,verb) – noun: – 1a : an official at a tournament of arms b : an officer with the status of ambassador acting as official messenger between leaders especially in war c : officer of arms 2 : an official crier or messenger 3a : one that precedes or foreshadows b : one that conveys news
The word for today is… rococo (noun, adjective) – noun – : rococo work or style adjective – 1a : of or relating to an artistic style especially of the 18th century characterized by fanciful curved asymmetrical forms and elaborate ornamentation b : of or relating to an 18th century musical style marked by light gay
epicure (noun) – 1 : one with sensitive and discriminating tastes especially in food or wine 2 archaic : one devoted to sensual pleasure Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The word epicure is currently associated with indulging the appetite, but that is a long way from the teachings of the man to whom we
The word for today is… clandestine (adjective) – marked by, held in, or conducted with secrecy Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In 1658, the English poet John Milton wrote of “clandestine Hostility cover’d over with the name of Peace.” Three and a half centuries later we use clandestine in much the
The word for today is… impresario (noun)- 1 : the promoter, manager, or conductor of an opera or concert company 2 : a person who puts on or sponsors an entertainment (such as a television show or sports event) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : English borrowed “impresario” directly from Italian, whose noun
The word for today is… fatuous (adjective) – complacently or inanely foolish Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : ‘I am two fools, I know, For loving, and for saying so’. In whining Poetry, wrote John Donne, simultaneously confessing to both infatuation and fatuousness. As any love-struck fool can attest, infatuation can make buffoons
