The word for today is… gratuitous (adjective): 1: not called for by the circumstances : not necessary, appropriate, or justified : unwarranted 2a: given unearned or without recompense b: costing nothing : free c: law : not involving a return benefit, compensation, or consideration Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Like gratitude, grace, and congratulate, gratuitous
The word for today is… zeitgeber (noun): : an environmental agent or event (such as the occurrence of light or dark) that provides the stimulus setting or resetting a biological clock of an organism Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Zeitgebers are alarm clocks—both biologically and etymologically. The word zeitgeber comes from
The word for today is… acquisitive (adjective): Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : While acquisitive is a useful synonym of the likes of greedy and avaricious, it’s relatively unknown compared to its more popular lexical relations, acquire and acquisition. The former of that pair is most often used to mean “to
The word for today is… prognosticate (verb): 1: to foretell from signs or symptoms : predict 2: to give an indication of in advance : foreshadow Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Prognosticate, which ultimately traces back to the Greek word prognostikos (“knowing beforehand, prescient”), first appears in English during the 15th century. Since
The word for today is… bailiwick (noun): 1 law enforcement : the office or jurisdiction of a bailiff 2: the sphere in which one has superior knowledge or authority : a special domain Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The first half of the word bailiwick comes from the Middle English word for “bailiff”
The word for today is… emote (verb): : to give expression to emotion especially in acting Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Emote is an example of what linguists call a back-formation—that is, a word formed by trimming down an existing word. In this case, the parent word is emotion, which came
The word for today is… acme (noun): : the highest point or stage also : something or someone that represents perfection of the thing expressed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In Greek, acme meant a mountain peak, but in English we hardly ever use it in the physical sense. Instead we speak of
The word for today is… docile (adjective): 1: easily taught 2: easily led or managed : tractable Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Docile students have always made teaching easier than it otherwise would be. Today calling students “docile” indicates that they aren’t trouble-makers, but there’s more than just good behavior
The word for today is… pandiculation (noun): : a stretching and stiffening especially of the trunk and extremities (as when fatigued and drowsy or after waking from sleep) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Cat and dog owners who witness daily their pets’ methodical body stretching upon awakening might wonder if there is
The word for today is… lunatic (noun, adjective) noun 1 dated, now offensive : someone affected with a severely disordered state of mind 2 informal : a person who behaves in a wildly foolish, reckless, or uncontrolled manner adjective 1a dated, now offensive : affected with a severely disordered state of mind b
The word for today is… lexicographer (noun): : an author or editor of a dictionary Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The ancient Greeks were some of the earliest makers of dictionaries; they used them mainly to catalog obsolete terms from their rich literary past. To create a word for writers of dictionaries,
The word for today is… vivacious (adjective): : lively in temper, conduct, or spirit : sprightly Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Vivacious may not be onomatopoeic in a strict sense, but there’s definitely something lively in the way its three syllables trip off the tongue. Perhaps this is why it has appealed
The word for today is… capitulate (verb): 1a: to surrender often after negotiation of terms b: to cease resisting : acquiesce 2 archaic : parley, negotiate Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : When it first entered English in the 16th century, capitulate meant “to discuss terms with an enemy; to negotiate.” Its Latin source
The word for today is… unfettered (adjective): : not controlled or restricted : free, unrestrained Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : A fetter is a chain or shackle for the feet (such as the kind sometimes used on a prisoner), or, more broadly, anything that confines or restrains. Fetter and unfetter both function as
The word for today is… sarcasm (noun): 1: a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain 2a: a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language that is usually directed against an individual b: the use or
The word for today is… conflate (verb): 1a: to bring together : blend b: confuse 2: to combine (things, such as two versions of a text) into a composite whole Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Conflate can be traced back to the same roots as the English verb blow. Conflate comes from
