The word for today is… MacGuffin (noun): : an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The first person to use MacGuffin as a word for a plot device was
The word for today is… fissile (adjective): 1: capable of or prone to being split or divided in the direction of the grain or along natural planes of cleavage 2: capable of undergoing fission Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : When scientists first used fissile back in the 1600s, the notion of
The word for today is… absolve (verb): 1 formal : to set (someone) free from an obligation or the consequences of guilt 2 formal : to pardon or forgive (a sin) : to remit (a sin) by absolution Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The act of absolving can be seen as releasing someone from
The word for today is… cygnet (noun): : a young swan Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Middle English sygnett, from Anglo-French cignet, from cigne swan, from Latin cycnus, cygnus, from Greek kyknos. First used in the 15th century. If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with
The word for today is… signet (noun, verb): noun 1: a seal used officially to give personal authority to a document in lieu of signature 2: the impression made by or as if by a signet 3: a small intaglio seal (as in a finger ring) verb : to stamp or
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,
