The word for today is… caucus (noun, verb): noun 1: a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy 2: a group of people united to promote an agreed-upon cause verb : to meet in
The word for today is… anthropomorphic (adjective): 1 : described or thought of as having a human form or human attributes 2 : ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman things Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :We are endlessly fascinated by the uniqueness and complexity of human language. Many species use sounds and gestures to
The word for today is… conscription (noun): : compulsory enrollment of persons especially for military service Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :With its scrip- root, conscription means basically writing someone’s name on a list—a list that, unfortunately, a lot of people usually don’t want to be on. Conscription has
The word for today is… misnomer (noun): 1 : the misnaming of a person in a legal instrument 2a : a use of a wrong or inappropriate name b : a wrong name or inappropriate designation Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :What’s in a name? Well, in some cases, a name will contain
The word for today is… defer (verb): 1a : put off, delay 1b : to postpone induction of (a person) into military service 2 : to delegate to another Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :There are two distinct words spelled defer in English, each with its own history and meaning. The defer having to
The word for today is… perspicacious (adjective): : of acute mental vision or discernment Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Some perspective on perspicacious: the word combines the Latin perspicac- (from perspicax meaning “clear-sighted,” which in turn comes from perspicere, “to see through”) with the common English adjective suffix -ious. The result is
The word for today is… verdigris (noun): 1a : a green or greenish-blue poisonous pigment resulting from the action of acetic acid on copper and consisting of one or more basic copper acetates b : normal copper acetate Cu(C2H3O2)2·H2O 2 : a green or bluish deposit especially of copper carbonates
The word for today is… haywire (adverb or adjective): 1 : being out of order or having gone wrong 2 : emotionally or mentally upset or out of control Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The noun haywire refers to a type of wire once used in baling hay and sometimes for makeshift repairs.
The word for today is… ilk (noun, pronoun): noun : sort, kind – e.g. politicians and their ilk pronoun (chiefly Scotland) : same —used with that especially in the names of landed families Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The Old English pronoun ilca is the predecessor of the modern noun ilk, but by
The word for today is… exponent (noun): 1 : a symbol written above and to the right of a mathematical expression to indicate the operation of raising to a power 2a : one that expounds or interprets b : one that champions, practices, or exemplifies Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :You probably won’t
The word for today is… laconic (adjective): : using or involving the use of a minimum of words Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Laconia was an ancient country in southern Greece. Its capital city was Sparta, and the Spartans were famous for their terseness of speech. Laconic comes to us by way
The word for today is… coalesce (verb): 1 : to grow together 2a : to unite into a whole : fuse b : to unite for a common end : join forces 3 : to arise from the combination of distinct elements Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The meaning of many English words equals the sum of
The word for today is… rancid (adjective): 1 : having an unpleasant smell or taste usually from chemical change or decomposition 2 : distinctly unpleasant or distasteful : offensive Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Rancid and putrid and fetid. While all three words are used to describe unpleasant smells and tastes, each also traces
The word for today is… broadside (noun, adjective, adverb, verb): noun 1a(1) : a sizable sheet of paper printed on one side (2) : a sheet printed on one or both sides and folded b : something (such as a ballad) printed on a broadside 2 archaic : the side of a ship
The word for today is… titivate (verb): : to make smart or spruce Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Titivate, spruce, smarten, and spiff all mean “to make a person or thing neater or more attractive.” Titivate often refers to making small additions or alterations in attire (“titivate the costume with sequins and
The word for today is… invective (noun, adjective): noun 1 : insulting or abusive language 2 : an abusive expression or speech adjective : of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Invective originated in the 15th century as an adjective meaning “of, relating to, or characterized by
