The word for today is… phalanx (noun): 1: a body of heavily armed infantry in ancient Greece formed in close deep ranks and files; broadly : a body of troops in close array 2 plural phalanges : one of the digital bones of the hand or foot of a vertebrate 3 plural
The word for today is… scrupulous (adjective): 1: having moral integrity : acting in strict regard for what is considered right or proper 2: punctiliously exact : painstaking Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : People described as “scrupulous” might feel discomfort in anything that challenges their moral sensibilities. Such challenges might present a nagging
The word for today is… baleful (adjective): 1: deadly or pernicious in influence 2: foreboding or threatening evil Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The bale of baleful comes from Old English bealu ("evil"), and the bane of the similar-looking baneful comes from Old English bana ("slayer"
The word for today is… dunce (noun): : a slow-witted or stupid person Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The irony of dunce lies in the fact that this synonym of dullard is derived from the name of one of the most brilliant thinkers of the Middle Ages, John Duns Scotus. So
The word for today is… concinnity (noun): : harmony or elegance of design especially of literary style in adaptation of parts to a whole or to each other Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The Romans apparently found perfect harmony in a well-mixed drink. The cocktail in question was a beverage they
The word for today is… chagrin (noun, verb): noun : disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure verb : to vex or unsettle by disappointing or humiliating Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Despite what its second syllable may lead one to believe, chagrin has nothing to do with grinning
The word for today is… disparage (verb): 1: to belittle the importance or value of (someone or something) : to speak slightingly about (someone or something) 2: to lower (someone or something) in rank or reputation : degrade Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In Middle English, to "disparage" someone meant causing
The word for today is… rationale (noun): 1: an explanation of controlling principles of opinion, belief, practice, or phenomena 2: an underlying reason : basis Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Rationale comes from Latin ratio, meaning "reason," and rationalis, "endowed with reason." Ratio is reasonably familiar as an
The word for today is… moil (verb,noun): verb 1: to work hard : drudge 2: to be in continuous agitation : churn, swirl noun 1: hard work : drudgery 2: confusion, turmoil Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Moil may mean "to work hard" but its origins are the opposite of hard;
The word for today is… pre-eminent (adjective): : having paramount rank, dignity, or importance : outstanding, supreme Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : What is noteworthy about the following sentence? "Mont Blanc is a prominent eminence on the Alpine landscape." You very likely recognised two words that are closely related to
The word for today is… impervious (adjective): 1a: not allowing entrance or passage : impenetrable b: not capable of being damaged or harmed 2: not capable of being affected or disturbed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The Latin ancestor of impervious is impervius, which adds the prefix im-, meaning “not,” to pervius,
The word for today is… apotropaic (adjective): : designed to avert evil Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Apotropaic is a literal descriptor for things believed to protect against evil. Apotropaic motifs can be found throughout history, from carvings of Greek Gorgons to charms worn to repel the evil eye. The word apotropaic
The word for today is… fester (verb, noun): verb 1: to generate pus 2: putrefy, rot 3a: to cause increasing poisoning, irritation, or bitterness : rankle b: to undergo or exist in a state of progressive deterioration noun : a suppurating sore : pustule Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Both noun and verb forms
The word for today is… uncanny (adjective): 1a: seeming to have a supernatural character or origin : eerie, mysterious b: being beyond what is normal or expected : suggesting superhuman or supernatural powers 2 chiefly Scotland : severe, punishing Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Uncanny describes that which unsettles us, such as disquieting observations,
The word for today is… percolate (verb): 1a: to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance (such as a powdered drug) especially for extracting a soluble constituent b: to prepare (coffee) in a percolator 2: to be diffused through : penetrate Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Percolate comes from a
The word for today is… craven (adjective): 1: lacking the least bit of courage : contemptibly fainthearted 2 archaic : defeated, vanquished Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Craven and its synonyms dastardly and pusillanimous are all basically fancy words for "cowardly." Craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance. One
