The word for today is… fervid (adjective): 1: very hot : burning 2: marked by often extreme fervor Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Fervid comes from the Latin verb fervere, meaning “to boil” or “to glow,” as well as, by extension, “to seethe” or “to be roused.” In English, this root gave
The word for today is… nepotism (noun): : favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Nepotism is favoritism based on kinship, especially in professional contexts. English speakers have kept nepotism in the family since the late 1600s, having adopted it from the French, who
The word for today is… grok (verb)): : to understand profoundly and intuitively Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Grok may be the only English word that derives from Martian. Yes, I do mean the language of the planet Mars. No, I’m not getting too weird; we’ve just ventured into the
The word for today is… lionise (verb): : to treat as an object of great interest or importance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : It is perhaps no surprise that humans have long projected qualities of bravery and regality upon the proverbial “king of the beasts.” It is precisely those and similar admirable
The word for today is… tenebrous (adjective): 1: shut off from the light : dark, murky 2: hard to understand : obscure 3: causing gloom Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Tenebrous can mean both “obscure” and “murky,” but its history is crystal clear. Etymologists know that the word comes from the Latin noun
The word for today is… mesmerise (verb): 1: to subject to mesmerism. Also : hypnotise 2: spellbind Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Experts can’t agree on whether Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was a quack or a genius, but all concede that the Swabian physician’s name is the source of the
The word for today is… regimen (noun): 1a: a systematic plan (as of diet, therapy, or medication) especially when designed to improve and maintain the health of a patient b: a regular course of action and especially of strenuous training 2: government, rule Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Regimen, which usually
The word for today is… churlish (adjective): 1: of, resembling, or characteristic of a churl : vulgar 2: marked by a lack of civility or graciousness : surly 3: difficult to work with or deal with : intractable Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In Old English, the word ceorl referred to a free peasant—
The word for today is… inspire (verb): 1a: to spur on : impel, motivate b: to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on c: affect d: to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration 2a: bring about, occasion b: incite 3a: to draw forth or bring out b:
The word for today is… pontificate (verb, noun): verb 1: to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way 2a: to officiate as a pontiff b: to celebrate pontifical mass noun : the state, office, or term of office of a pontiff Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In ancient Rome,
The word for today is… zenith (noun): 1: the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the nadir and vertically above the observer 2: the highest point reached in the heavens by a celestial body 3: culminating point : acme Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : When you reach the zenith,
The word for today is… shofar (noun): : the horn of a ruminant animal and usually a ram blown as a trumpet by the ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observances and used in modern Judaism especially during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur Source : Merriam -Webster
The word for today is… demure (adjective): 1: reserved, modest 2: affectedly modest, reserved, or serious : coy Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In the nearly seven centuries that demure has been in use, its meaning has only shifted slightly. While it began solely as a descriptive term for people of quiet
The word for today is… harbinger (noun, verb): noun 1a: something that foreshadows a future event : something that gives an anticipatory sign of what is to come b: one that initiates a major change : a person or thing that originates or helps open up a new activity, method, or technology
The word for today is… abstain (verb): 1: to choose not to do or have something : to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice 2:: to choose not to vote Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If you abstain, you’re consciously, and usually with
The word for today is… fallible (adjective): 1: liable to be erroneous 2: capable of making a mistake Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : “Humanum est errare” is a Latin expression that translates as “To err is human.” Of course, cynics might say that it is also human to deceive. The history
