The word for today is… pareidolia (noun): : the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If you’ve ever spotted an image of a dog or a shoe in the clouds, you’ve exhibited what is called pareidolia,
The word for today is… ambiguous (adjective): 1a: doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness b: inexplicable 2: capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Ambiguous has, like many words in English, more than one possible meaning; a quality some
The word for today is… gauntlet (noun): 1: a glove worn with medieval armor to protect the hand 2: any of various protective gloves used especially in industry 3: an open challenge (as to combat) – used in phrases like throw down the gauntlet 4: a dress glove extending above the
The word for today is… oleaginous (adjective): 1: resembling or having the properties of oil : oily also : containing or producing oil 2: marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The oily oleaginous slipped into English via Middle French oleagineux, coming from Latin oleagineus, meaning “of
The word for today is… upbraid (verb): 1: to criticize severely : find fault with 2: to reproach severely : scold vehemently Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : First things first: do not confuse upbraid with topknot lest you be upbraided for it. Topknot is a noun referring to a hairstyle, while upbraid is
The word for today is… embargo (noun, verb): noun 1: an order of a government prohibiting the departure of commercial ships from its ports 2: a legal prohibition on commerce 3: stoppage, impediment, especially : prohibition 4: an order by a common carrier or public regulatory agency prohibiting or restricting freight
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
