The word for today is… obeisance (noun) – 1 : a movement of the body made in token of respect or submission : bow 2 : acknowledgment of another’s superiority or importance : homage Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : When it first appeared in English in the 14th century, obeisance shared the same meaning as
The word for today is… mountebank – (noun) 1 : a person who sells quack medicines from a platform 2 : a boastful unscrupulous pretender Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Mountebank derives from the Italian montimbanco, which was formed by combining the verb “montare” (“to mount”), the preposition “in” (converted to im, meaning “in”
The word for today is… insouciance (noun) – : lighthearted unconcern Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Don’t worry – be insouciant. Perhaps your mind will rest easier if we explain that English speakers learned “insouciance” from the French in the 1700s (and the adjective “insouciant” has been part of our language since the
The word for today is… phlegmatic (adjective) – 1 : resembling, consisting of, or producing the humor phlegm 2 : having or showing a slow and stolid temperament Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : According to the ancient Greeks, human personalities were controlled by four bodily fluids or semifluids called humors: blood, black bile, yellow
The word for today is… pabulum – (noun) 1 : food especially : a suspension or solution of nutrients in a state suitable for absorption 2 : intellectual sustenance 3 : something (such as writing or speech) that is insipid, simplistic, or bland Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : Pabulum derives from the Latin term for “food”
The word for today is… destine (verb) – 1 : to decree beforehand 2a : to designate, assign, or dedicate in advance b : to direct, devise, or set apart for a specific purpose or place Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Middle English, from Anglo-French destiner, from Latin destinare, from de- + -stinare (akin to
The word for today is… tribute (noun) – 1a : something given or contributed voluntarily as due or deserved especially : a gift or service showing respect, gratitude, or affection b : something (such as material evidence or a formal attestation) that indicates the worth, virtue, or effectiveness of the one in question 2a
The word for today is… feint (noun, verb) – (n) : something feigned (v) 1 : to lure or deceive with a feint 2 : to make a pretense of Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Noun: borrowed from French feinte, going back to Middle French fainte, feinte “act of dissembling, subterfuge,” noun derivative from feminine
The word for today is… sarcophagus (noun) – a stone coffin Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Body-eating coffins might sound like something out of a horror film, but flesh-eating stone? The latter plays a role in the etymology of sarcophagus; it is the literal translation of líthos sarkóphagos, the Greek
I was out chatting to some friends when the news filtered through that we had been handed our latest dose of house arrest. I have been handed this sentence for the crime of living nominally in Auckland even though I can not even see another house from my property. One
The word for today is… charlatan (noun) – A person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge; a quack or fraud. Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In medieval times, people claiming medical skills they did not have roamed throughout Italy, selling “medicine” that was often completely without
The word for today is… pariah (noun) – 1 : a member of a low caste of southern India 2 : one that is despised or rejected Source : Online Etymology Dictionary Etymology : 1610s, “member of a low caste in southern India, shunned as unclean,” from Portuguese paria or directly from Tamil (Dravidian) paraiyar,
The word for today is… vituperative (adjective) – uttering or given to censure : containing or characterized by verbal abuse Source : Wordsmith Etymology : From Latin vituperare (to blame), from vitium (fault) + parare (to make or prepare). Earliest documented use: 1727. If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing
The word for today is… modicum (noun) – a small portion; a limited quantity Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : What does “modicum” have to do with a toilet? It just so happens that “modicum” shares the same Latin parent as “commode,” which is a synonym of “toilet.” “Modicum” and “commode” ultimately derive
The word for today is… ersatz (adjective) – being a usually artificial and inferior substitute or imitation Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : Ersatz can be traced back in English to 1875, but it really came into prominence during World War I. Borrowed from German, where Ersatz is a noun meaning “substitute,” the
The word for today is… polemic (noun) 1a : an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another b : the art or practice of disputation or controversy —usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction 2 : an aggressive controversialist : disputant Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : When
