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
The word for today is… circumlocution (noun) – 1 : the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea 2 : evasion in speech Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In The King’s English, grammarian H.W. Fowler advised, “Prefer the single word to the circumlocution.” Alas, that good advice
The word for today is… fiscal (adjective) – 1 : of or relating to taxation, public revenues, or public debt 2 : of or relating to financial matters Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Fiscal derives from the Latin noun fiscus, meaning “basket” or “treasury.” In ancient Rome, “fiscus” was the term for the treasury
The word for today is… tutelary (adjective) – 1 : having the guardianship of a person or a thing 2 : of or relating to a guardian Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Tutelary derives from the Latin noun tutelarius, meaning “guardian.” “Tutelarius,” in turn, was formed by combining the word tutela (“protection” or “guardian”
ungainly (adjective) – 1a : lacking in smoothness or dexterity b : hard to handle 2 : having an awkward appearance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : What do you have to gain by knowing the root of “ungainly?” Plenty. The “gain” in “ungainly” is an obsolete English adjective meaning “direct,” ultimately derived from the Old
The word for today is… felicitate (adjective, verb) adjective (obsolete) : made happy verb – 1 archaic : to make happy 2a : to consider happy or fortunate b : to offer congratulations to Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Felix, a Latin adjective meaning “happy” or “fruitful,” is the root of our English words “felicity” and
The word for today is… abhor (verb) – to regard with extreme repugnance : to feel hatred or loathing for Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Abhor means “to loathe” or “to hate,” and while loathe and hate have roots in Old English, abhor derives from Latin. The roots of abhor can give us
The word for today is… meticulous (adjective) – marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : It may surprise you to learn that meticulous is derived from the Latin word for “fearful” – meticulosus – and ultimately comes from the Latin noun metus, meaning
The word for today is… luminary (noun) – 1 : a person of prominence or brilliant achievement 2 : a body that gives light Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Allow us to shed some light on “luminary.” It came to English by way of Anglo-French and Late Latin, and it traces back to
The word for today is… impunity (noun) – : exemption or freedom from punishment, harm, or loss Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Impunity (like the words pain, penal, and punish) traces to the Latin noun poena, meaning “punishment.” The Latin word, in turn, came from Greek poin?, meaning “payment” or “penalty.” People acting
The word for today is… smorgasbord (noun) – 1 : a luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes (such as hors d’oeuvres, hot and cold meats, smoked and pickled fish, cheeses, salads, and relishes) 2 : an often large heterogeneous mixture Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Although smorgasbord might
The word for today is… williwaw (noun) 1a : a sudden violent gust of cold land air common along mountainous coasts of high latitudes b : a sudden violent wind 2 : a violent commotion Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In 1900, Captain Joshua Slocum (the first person to sail solo around the world,
The word for today is… atavistic (derived from atavism (noun)) 1a : recurrence in an organism of a trait or character typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination b : recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity 2 : an individual or character
The word for today is… querulous (adjective) – 1 : habitually complaining 2 : fretful, whining : a querulous voice Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : English speakers have tagged fearful whiners “querulous” since late medieval times. The Middle English form of the word, “querelose,” was an adaptation of the Latin adjective, querulus, which in turn
The word for today is… synonym (noun) – : one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses 2 : a word or phrase that by association is held to embody something (such as a concept
