The word for today is… ascetic (adjective) – 1 : practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline 2 : austere in appearance, manner, or attitude Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Ascetic comes from “ask?tikos,” a Greek adjective meaning “laborious,” and ultimately traces back to the Greek verb
The word for today is… cede (verb) – 1 : to yield or grant typically by treaty 2 : assign, transfer Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : 1630s, “to yield, give way,” from French céder or directly from Latin cedere “to yield, give place; to give up some right or property,” originally “to go from,
The word for today is… fiduciary (adjective, noun) Adjective: of, relating to, or involving a confidence or trust, such as:- a : held or founded in trust or confidence, a fiduciary relationship, a bank’s fiduciary obligations b : holding in trust c : depending on public confidence for value or currency Noun:
The word for today is… egregious (adjective) – 1 : conspicuous: especially conspicuously bad 2 : archaic: distinguished Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Egregious derives from the Latin word egregius, meaning “distinguished” or “eminent.” In its earliest English uses, egregious was a compliment to someone who had a remarkably good quality that placed him
The word for today is… diffident (adjective) – 1 : hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence 2 : reserved, unassertive 3 : (archaic) : distrustful Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Diffident and confident are etymologically related antonyms, perched at opposite ends of a scale of self-assurance. Both words trace back to
The word for today is… foist (verb) – 1a : to introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant b : to force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit 2 : to pass off as genuine or worthy Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : An early sense of the word foist, now obsolete, referred to
The word for today is… categorical (adjective) – 1 : absolute, unqualified 2a : of, relating to, or constituting a category b : involving, according with, or considered with respect to specific categories Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The ancestor of categorical and category has been important in logic and philosophy since the days of
blarney (noun) – 1 : skillful flattery 2 : nonsense, humbug Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The village of Blarney in County Cork, Ireland, is home to Blarney Castle, and in the southern wall of that edifice lies the famous Blarney Stone. Legend has it that anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone will gain
exodus (noun) – 1 capitalized : the mainly narrative second book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture 2 : a mass departure Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The Biblical book of Exodus describes the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, so it’s no surprise that the word has come to refer more generally
The word for today is… sesquipedalian (adjective) – 1 : having many syllables 2 : given to or characterized by the use of long words Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Horace, the Roman poet known for his satire, was merely being gently ironic when he cautioned young poets against using “sesquipedalia verba”-“words a
The word for today is… quash (verb) : to nullify especially by judicial action : to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : There are two quash verbs in the English language, and although their meanings are similar, they have entirely different origins. Both essentially mean to get rid
The word for today is… equinox (noun) – 1 : either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic 2 : either of the two times each year (as about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are
The word for today is… abrogate (verb) – 1 to abolish by authoritative action : annul a treaty 2 to treat as nonexistent : to fail to do what is required by something, such as a responsibility 3 to suppress or prevent (a biological function or process and especially an immune response) Source
prevaricate (verb) – to deviate from the truth Source : Online Etymology Dictionary Etymology : 1580s, “to go aside from the right course or mode of action” (originally figurative, now obsolete), a back formation from prevarication or else from Latin praevaricatus, past participle of praevaricari “to make a sham accusation, deviate” (from the
The word for today is… whet (verb, noun) – verb – 1 : to sharpen by rubbing on or with something (such as a stone) – whet a knife 2 : to make keen or more acute noun – 1 : a spell of work done with a scythe between the time it is sharpened and the
The word for today is… invective (noun, adjective) – noun – 1 : insulting or abusive language 2 : an abusive expression or speech adjective – of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Invective originated in the 15th century as an adjective meaning “of, relating to, or characterized by
