The word for today is… skirl (verb, noun): verb of a bagpipe : to emit the high shrill tone of the chanter noun : a high shrill sound produced by the chanter of a bagpipe Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Not every musical instrument is honored with its very own verb. But then,
The word for today is… propinquity (noun): 1: nearness of blood : kinship 2: nearness in place or time : proximity Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Propinquity and its cousin "proximity" are related through the Latin root prope, which means "near." That root gave rise to "proximus"
The word for today is… clement (adjective): 1: inclined to be merciful : lenient 2: mild - especially of weather Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Weather reporting being what it is, one is more likely to encounter the word inclement (“stormy”) in a forecast than its opposite, clement. But both words, naturally,
The word for today is… newfangled (adjective): 1: attracted to novelty 2: of the newest style or kind Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Newfangled is actually a pretty old word. It dates all the way back to the 15th century, and likely developed from the even older adjective newfangle, which probably
The word for today is… dearth (noun): 1: scarcity that makes dear, specifically famine 2: an inadequate supply : lack Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The facts about the history of the word dearth are quite simple: the word derives from the Middle English form derthe, which has the same meaning as
The word for today is… appellation (noun): 1: an identifying name or title : designation 2: a geographical name (as of a region, village, or vineyard) under which a winegrower is authorized to identify and market wine also : the area designated by such a name 3 archaic : the act of calling
The word for today is… lethargic (adjective): 1: of, relating to, or characterized by laziness or lack of energy : feeling or affected by lethargy : sluggish 2: indifferent, apathetic Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In Greek mythology, Lethe was the name of a river in the underworld that was also called "
The word for today is… impugn (verb): 1: to assail by words or arguments : oppose or attack as false or lacking integrity 2 obsolete a: assail b: resist Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : When you impugn, you hazard repugnant pugnacity. More simply put, you risk insulting someone so greatly that they
The word for today is… copious (adjective): 1a: yielding something abundantly b: plentiful in number 2a: full of thought, information, or matter b: profuse or exuberant in words, expression, or style 3: present in large quantity : taking place on a large scale Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Copious dates to the
The word for today is… encumber (verb): 1: weigh down, burden 2: to impede or hamper the function or activity of : hinder 3: to burden with a legal claim (such as a mortgage) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : To be encumbered is to be held back, weighed down, overburdened. One can
The word for today is… gadabout (noun): : a person who flits about in social activity Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If you had to pick an insect most closely related to a gadabout, you might wryly guess the "social butterfly." But there's another bug that's
The word for today is… iota (noun): 1: an infinitesimal amount : jot 2: the 9th letter of the Greek alphabet Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The words iota and jot share a lot more than just a common meaning—both ultimately come from the same word. When Latin scholars transcribed the
The word for today is… vitiate (verb): 1: to make faulty or defective : impair 2: to debase in moral or aesthetic status 3: to make ineffective Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Vitiate comes ultimately from the Latin noun vitium, which refers to a fault, vice, shortcoming, or impediment to success or
The word for today is… fusty (adjective): 1 British : impaired by age or dampness : mouldy 2: saturated with dust and stale odors : musty 3: rigidly old-fashioned or reactionary Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Evidence suggests that fusty comes from the Middle English noun foist, meaning “wine cask,” which in turn traces
The word for today is… reify (verb): : to consider or represent (something abstract) as a material or concrete thing : to give definite content and form to (a concept or idea) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Reify is a word that attempts to provide a bridge between what is abstract and what
The word for today is… extemporaneous (adjective): 1a(1): composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the moment : impromptu (2): carefully prepared but delivered without notes or text b: skilled at or given to extemporaneous utterance c: happening suddenly and often unexpectedly and usually without clearly known causes or
