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
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 impresa
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
The word for today is… ebullient (adjective) – 1 : boiling, agitated 2 :having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Someone who is ebullient is bubbling over with enthusiasm, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the adjective ebullient derives from the Latin verb ebullire, which
The word for today is… touchstone (noun) – 1 : a fundamental or quintessential part or feature 2 : a test or criterion for determining the quality or genuineness of a thing 3 : a black siliceous stone related to flint and formerly used to test the purity of gold and silver by the
The word for today is… adulation (noun) – : excessive or slavish admiration or flattery Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If “adulation” makes you think of a dog panting after its master, you’re on the right etymological track; the word ultimately derives from the Latin verb adulari, meaning “to fawn on” (a
The word for today is… purloin (verb) – : to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The word purloin features in the title of a famous Edgar Allan Poe story in its past tense form: “The Purloined Letter” was included in Poe’s 1845 Tales,
chimera (noun) – 1 a capitalized : a fire-breathing she-monster in Greek mythology having a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail b : an imaginary monster compounded of incongruous parts 2 : an illusion or fabrication of the mind 3 : an individual, organ, or part consisting
