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David Theobald

The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… substantive (adjective): 1 : having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned 2 : considerable in amount or numbers 3a : real rather than apparent : b : belonging to the substance of a thing : essential c : expressing existence 4a : having the nature or function of

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… obliterate (verb): 1a : to remove utterly from recognition or memory b : to remove from existence : destroy utterly all trace, indication, or significance of c medical : to cause (something, such as a bodily part, a scar, or a duct conveying body fluid) to disappear or collapse

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… colossus (noun) : 1 : a statue of gigantic size and proportions 2 : a person or thing of immense size or power Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The original colossi (notice the plural form) were the larger-than-life statues made by the Greeks and Romans. The most famous of

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… facsimile (noun): 1 : an exact copy 2 : a system of transmitting and reproducing graphic matter (such as printing or still pictures) by means of signals sent over telephone lines Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The facsimile machine (or fax machine) was an office staple, but its

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… mawkish (adjective): 1 : lacking flavor or having an unpleasant taste 2 : exaggeratedly or childishly emotional Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Mawkish really opens up a can of worms—or maggots, as it were: the word wriggled out from Middle English mawke, meaning “maggot.” Its earliest sense,

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… conciliate (verb): 1 : appease 2 : to gain (something, such as goodwill) by pleasing acts 3 : to make compatible : reconcile Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The immediate source of conciliate is a form of the Latin verb conciliare, meaning “to assemble, unite, win over,” and when conciliate

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… panache (noun): 1 : an ornamental tuft (as of feathers) especially on a helmet 2 : dash or flamboyance in style and action Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Few literary characters can match the panache of French poet and soldier Cyrano de Bergerac, from Edmond Rostand’s 1897

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is.. assiduous (adjective): : showing great care, attention, and effort : marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Assiduous came to English directly from the Latin assiduus, an adjective derived from the verb assidere “to sit beside.” To the ancient Romans, assiduus carried

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… demeanour (noun): : behaviour toward others Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The history of demeanour begins with a threat: the word has its roots in Latin minari “to threaten.” A form of that word was used in contexts having to do with driving animals—that is, impelling

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… adjure (verb): 1 : to command solemnly under or as if under oath or penalty of a curse 2 : to urge or advise earnestly Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Adjure comes, by way of Anglo-French, from the Latin verb adjurure, which means “to affirm with an oath”

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… umbrage (noun): 1 : a feeling of pique or resentment at some often fancied slight or insult 2 : shady branches : foliage 3 : shade, shadow 4a : an indistinct indication : vague suggestion : hint b : a reason for doubt : suspicion Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Umbrage is a word born

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… firework (noun): 1 : a device for producing a striking display by the combustion of explosive or flammable compositions 2 fireworks plural : a display of fireworks 3 fireworks plural a : a display of temper or intense conflict                                  b : strong feelings of usually romantic or sexual attraction

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… brandish (verb): 1 : to shake or wave (something, such as a weapon) 2 : to exhibit in an ostentatious or aggressive manner Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Often when we encounter the word brandish in print, it is followed by a word for a weapon, such as

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… effulgence (noun): : radiant splendor : brilliance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Effulgence is not a shiny “new” word, having made its English language debut in the 17th century, but it does come from the Latin verb fulgere, meaning “to shine.” Effulgence isn’t used for bog-standard brightness,

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… jaunty (adjective): 1 : sprightly in manner or appearance 2 archaic : stylish or genteel Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Does throwing on a jaunty hat make someone appear more genteel? Maybe, but something more definitive links the words: both jaunty and genteel come from the French word

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… devolve (verb): 1: : to pass on (something, such as responsibility, rights, or powers) from one person or entity to another 2a : to pass by transmission or succession b : to fall or be passed usually as a responsibility or obligation 3 : to come by or as

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