The word for today is… coquetry (noun): : a flirtatious act or attitude Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The rooster’s cocky attitude has given him a reputation for arrogance and promiscuity. It has also given the English language several terms for people whose behavior is reminiscent of that strutting barnyard fowl.
The word for today is… magniloquent (adjective): : speaking in or characterized by a high-flown often bombastic style or manner Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Magnus means “great” in Latin; loqui is a Latin verb meaning “to speak.” Combine the two and you get magniloquus, the Latin predecessor of magniloquent. English-speakers started
The word for today is… gambit (noun): 1: a chess opening in which a player risks one or more pawns or a minor piece to gain an advantage in position 2a: a remark intended to start a conversation or make a telling point b: a calculated move : stratagem Source : Merriam
The word for today is… besotted (adjective): 1: blindly or utterly infatuated 2: intoxicated or stupefied especially with drink Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : You may be familiar with the noun sot as a synonym of drunkard, and indeed the Old English word sott, referring to a foolish or stupid person,
The word for today is… ignis fatuus (noun): 1: a light that sometimes appears in the night over marshy ground and is often attributable to the combustion of gas from decomposed organic matter 2: a deceptive goal or hope Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Ignis fatuus is a Latin term meaning,
The word for today is… despot (noun): 1a: a ruler with absolute power and authority b: one exercising power tyrannically : a person exercising absolute power in a brutal or oppressive way 2a: a Byzantine emperor or prince b: Christianity : a bishop or patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church c: an
The word for today is… acquiesce (verb): : to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Essentially meaning “to comply quietly,” acquiesce has as its ultimate source the Latin verb quiescere, “to be quiet.” (Quiet itself is also a close relation.) Quiescere can also mean “to repose,
The word for today is… fraught (adjective): 1: full of or accompanied by something specified 2: causing or characterized by emotional distress or tension : uneasy 3: archaic a: laden b: well supplied or provided Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : An early instance of the word fraught occurs in the 14th century
The word for today is… scrutinise (verb): : to examine closely and minutely Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Scrutinise the history of scrutinise far back enough and you wind up sifting through trash: the word comes from Latin scrutari, which means “to search, to examine,” and scrutari likely comes from scruta, meaning
The word for today is… weal (noun): 1: a sound, healthy, or prosperous state : well-being 2 obsolete : body politic, commonweal 3: welt Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Weal has, since the dawn of English, referred to well-being. It’s most often used in the phrase “common weal” to refer to the
The word for today is… force majeure (noun): 1: superior or irresistible force 2: an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Force majeure translates literally from French as superior force. In English, the term is often used in line with its literal
The word for today is… portend (verb): 1: to give an omen or anticipatory sign of 2: indicate, signify Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : It may seem like a stretch to say that portend, beloved verb of seers, soothsayers, and meteorologists alike, is related to tendon—the word we use to
The word for today is… eleemosynary (adjective): : of, relating to, or supported by charity Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : A word today I had never heard of – what a little bonus. A grammarian once asserted in reference to eleemosynary that “a long and learned word like this should only be used
The word for today is… aphorism (noun): 1: a concise statement of a principle 2: a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment : adage 3: an ingeniously terse style of expression : aphoristic language Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Aphorism was originally used in the world of medicine. Credit Hippocrates, the Greek
The word for today is… savant (noun): 1: a person of learning 2: a person affected with a developmental disorder (such as autism or intellectual disability) who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as mathematics or music) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Word-loving Homo sapiens will appreciate
The word for today is… adapt (verb): : to make fit (as for a new use) often by modification Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : “Nothing in this world is as reliable as change” is a common aphorism and one we can certainly attest to as lexicographers. English speakers adapted adapt, for example,
