The word for today is… aghast (adjective): : struck with terror, amazement, or horror : shocked and upset Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If you are aghast, you might look like you’ve just seen a ghost, or something similarly shocking. “Aghast” traces back to a Middle English verb, gasten, meaning “to frighten.
The word for today is… jamb (noun): 1 : an upright piece or surface forming the side of an opening (as for a door, window, or fireplace) 2 : a projecting columnar part or mass Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Middle English jambe, borrowed from Anglo-French jambe, gaunbe “side post of a
The word for today is… defenestration (noun): 1 : a throwing of a person or thing out of a window 2 : a usually swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : These days defenestration is often used to describe the forceful removal of someone
The word for today is… tousle (verb, noun): verb : dishevel, rumple noun 1 Scotland : rough dalliance : tussle 2 : a tangled mass (as of hair) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Tousle is a word that has been through what linguists call a “functional shift.” That’s a fancy way of saying it
The word for today is… boilerplate (noun): 1 : syndicated material supplied especially to weekly newspapers in matrix or plate form 2a : standardized text b : formulaic or hackneyed language bureaucratic boilerplate 3 : tightly packed icy snow Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In the days before computers, small, local newspapers around the U.
The word for today is… bromide (noun): 1 : a binary compound of bromine with another element or a radical including some (such as potassium bromide) used as sedatives 2a : a commonplace or tiresome person : bore b : a commonplace or hackneyed statement or notion Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : After bromine was
The word for today is… undulate (adjective, verb): adjective : having a wavy surface, edge, or markings verb 1 : to form or move in waves : fluctuate 2 : to rise and fall in volume, pitch, or cadence 3 : to present a wavy appearance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Undulate and “inundate” are word
The word for today is… scuttlebutt (noun): 1a : a cask on shipboard to contain fresh water for a day’s use b : a drinking fountain on a ship or at a naval or marine installation 2 : rumor, gossip Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Nowadays, office workers catch up on the latest
The word for today is… callow (adjective): : lacking adult sophistication : immature Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : You might not expect a relationship between the word callow and baldness, but that connection does in fact exist. Callow comes from calu, a word that meant “bald” in Middle English and Old English. By
The word for today is… Nimrod (noun): 1 : a descendant of Ham represented in Genesis as a mighty hunter and a king of Shinar 2 not capitalized : hunter 3 not capitalized, slang : idiot, jerk Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Nimrod is described in Genesis as “the first on earth to be
The word for today is… garnish (verb, noun): verb 1a : decorate, embellish b : to add decorative or savory touches to (food or drink) 2 : to equip with accessories noun 1 : embellishment, ornament 2 : something (such as lemon wedges or parsley) used to decorate or flavor food or drink 3a : an
The word for today is… abject (adjective): 1 : sunk to or existing in a low state or condition : very bad or severe 2a : cast down in spirit : servile, spiritless b : showing hopelessness or resignation 3 : expressing or offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Abject
The word for today is… hubris (noun): exaggerated pride or self-confidence Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : English picked up both the concept of hubris and the term for that particular brand of cockiness from the ancient Greeks, who considered hubris a dangerous character flaw capable of provoking the wrath of
The BFD Word of the Day The word for today is… utopia (noun) 1 : a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions 2 : an impractical scheme for social improvement 3 : an imaginary and indefinitely remote place Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In 1516, English humanist Sir Thomas
The word for today is… resilience (noun) – 1 : the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress 2 : an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In physics, resilience is the ability
The word for today is… fief (noun) – 1 : a feudal estate 2 : something over which one has rights or exercises control Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Never accuse The BFD Word of the Day of being incomplete. Today’s word is a follow up to yesterday’s – just to dot the
