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David Theobald

The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… pundit (noun): 1: pandit 2: a learned person : teacher 3: a person who gives opinions in an authoritative manner usually through the mass media : critic Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :  The original pundits were highly learned scholars and teachers in India. Our English word pundit comes

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… caustic (adjective, noun): adjective 1: capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action : corrosive 2: marked by incisive sarcasm 3: relating to or being the surface or curve of a caustic noun 1: a caustic agent: such as a: a substance that burns or

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… assay (verb, noun): verb 1a: to analyze (something, such as an ore) for one or more specific components b: to judge the worth of : estimate 2: try, attempt noun 1: examination and determination as to characteristics (such as weight, measure, or quality) 2: analysis (as

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… myriad (noun, adjective): noun 1: ten thousand 2: a great number adjective 1: innumerable 2: having innumerable aspects or element Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Recent criticism of the use of myriad as a noun, both in the plural form myriads and in the phrase a

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… suffrage (noun): 1: a short intercessory prayer usually in a series 2: a vote given in deciding a controverted question or electing a person for an office or trust 3: the right of voting : franchise Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Why would a 17th-century writer warn

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… retribution (noun): 1: recompense, reward 2: the dispensing or receiving of reward or punishment especially in the hereafter 3: something given or exacted in recompense, especially punishment Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : With its prefix re-, meaning “back”, retribution means literally “payback”. And indeed we usually

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… empirical (adjective): 1: originating in or based on observation or experience 2: relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory 3: capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment 4: of or relating to empiricism Source : Merriam

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

he word for today is… lacklustre (adjective): : lacking in sheen, brilliance, or vitality : dull, mediocre Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Lacklustre may describe things that are dull, but the word itself is no yawn. In its earliest uses in the early 17th century, lacklustre usually described eyes that were dull or

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… frisson (noun): : a brief moment of emotional excitement : shudder, thrill Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : A chill down one’s spine isn’t always a sensation of fear or suspense. As Daniel Marenco writes, “What is most exciting about literature is how much it surprises us

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… balmy (adjective): 1a: having the qualities of balm : soothing b: mild, temperate Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Aromatic ointments and fragrances are literally, balms: healing substances and soothing scents with the power to ease both mind and body. The original balm, what Latin-speakers referred to as

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… slake (verb): intransitive verb 1 archaic : subside, abate 2: to become slaked : crumble transitive verb 1 archaic : to lessen the force of : moderate 2: satisfy, quench 3: to cause (a substance, such as lime) to heat and crumble by treatment with water : hydrate Source : Merriam

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… eructation (noun): : an act or instance of belching Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Eructation is simply a fancier, and some might argue a more decorous, word for “belch.” “Eructation” was borrowed from Latin in the 15th century; the verb eruct, meaning “to belch,” followed in the

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… futile (adjective): 1: serving no useful purpose : completely ineffective 2: occupied with trifles : frivolous Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Futile broke into 16th-century English as a Latinate borrowing from Middle French. The Latin derivative, f?tilis, was used to describe things that are brittle or fragile

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… inkling (noun): 1: a slight knowledge or vague notion 2: a slight indication or suggestion : hint, clue Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Inkling has nothing to do with ink, whether of squid, tattoo, or any other variety. Originating in English in the early 16th century, inkling

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… volatile (adjective, noun): adjective 1a: characterized by or subject to rapid or unexpected change b: unable to hold the attention fixed because of an inherent lightness or fickleness of disposition 2a: tending to erupt into violence : explosive b: easily aroused c: lighthearted, lively 3: readily

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… soiree (noun): : a party or reception held in the evening Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In English, soiree means “a fancy evening affair.” The word comes directly from French and was formed from the word soir, meaning “evening” or “night.” The French make a subtle distinction

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