The word for today is… dialectic (noun): 1 philosophy : logic 2 philosophy a: discussion and reasoning by dialogue as a method of intellectual investigation specifically : the Socratic techniques of exposing false beliefs and eliciting truth b: the Platonic (see platonic sense 1) investigation of the eternal ideas 3 philosophy : the
The word for today is… context (noun): 1: the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning 2: the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs : environment, setting Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In its earliest uses (documented in the 15th
The word for today is… chasten (verb): 1: to correct by punishment or suffering : discipline also : purify 2a: to prune (something, such as a work or style of art) of excess, pretense, or falsity : refine b: to cause to be more humble or restrained : subdue Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Chasten,
The word for today is… asunder (adverb or adjective): 1: into parts 2: apart from each other Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Another adverb today; I like it when adverbs turn up. To get to the root of today’s word, it helps to take it apart and focus on the
The word for today is… travesty (noun, verb): noun 1: a debased, distorted, or grossly inferior imitation 2: a burlesque translation or literary or artistic imitation usually grotesquely incongruous in style, treatment, or subject matter verb : to make a travesty of : parody Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : When disaster strikes, keeping
The word for today is… fungible (adjective , noun): adjective 1: being something (such as money or a commodity) of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in paying a debt or settling an account 2: capable of mutual substitution : interchangeable
The word for today is… myrmidon (noun): 1 capitalized : a member of a legendary Thessalian people who accompanied their king Achilles in the Trojan War 2: a loyal follower Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The Myrmidons, legendary inhabitants of Thessaly in Greece, were known for their fierce devotion to Achilles, the
The word for today is… encomium (noun): : glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Kudos to encomium for being a marvelous, magnificent, must-have word for high praise for over four centuries—at least in formal speech and writing. Indeed, like its synonym panegyric, encomium (from the Greek word
The word for today is… feckless (adjective): 1: weak, ineffective 2: worthless, irresponsible Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Someone feckless is lacking in feck. And what, you may ask, is feck? In Scots—our source of feckless—feck means “majority” or “effect.” The term is ultimately an alteration of the Middle
The word for today is… environment (noun): 1: the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded 2a: the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (such as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival
The word for today is… preen (verb): 1 of a bird : to groom with the bill especially by rearranging the barbs and barbules of the feathers and by distributing oil from the uropygial gland 2: to dress or smooth (oneself) up : primp 3: to pride or congratulate (oneself) on an
The word for today is… malaise (noun): 1: an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness 2: a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Malaise, whose Old French ancestor was formed from the combination
The word for today is… desolate (adjective, verb): adjective 1: devoid of inhabitants and visitors : deserted 2: joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through separation from a loved one 3a: showing the effects of abandonment and neglect : dilapidated b: barren, lifeless c: devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope
The word for today is… debonair (adjective): 1a: suave, urbane b: lighthearted, nonchalant 2archaic : gentle, courteous Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : French has a certain cachet, a fanciness and prestige owing in part to its deep etymological, historical, and political connections with English. This extends to many French words that English
The word for today is… gumption (noun): 1: enterprise, initiative 2 chiefly dialectal : common sense, horse sense Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : English speakers have had gumption (the word, that is) since the early 1700s. The term’s source isn’t known, but early examples of it are found in Scottish
The word for today is… incarcerate (verb): 1: to put in prison 2: to subject to confinement Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Just as English is full of nouns referring to places where prisoners are confined, from the familiar (jail and prison) to the obscure (calaboose and bridewell), so we have
