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David Theobald

The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… impromptu (adjective, noun): adjective 1: made, done, or formed on or as if on the spur of the moment : improvised 2: composed or uttered without previous preparation : extemporaneous noun 1: something that is impromptu 2: a musical composition suggesting improvisation Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Impromptu

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… anachronism (noun): 1: an error in chronology especially : a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other 2: a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place especially : one from a former age that is incongruous in the

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… lyrical (adjective): :artistically beautiful or expressive quality, often one that is reminiscent of song. Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : To the ancient Greeks, anything lyrikos was appropriate to the lyre. That elegant stringed instrument was highly regarded by the Greeks and was used to accompany intensely

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… divest (verb): 1a: to deprive or dispossess especially of property, authority, or title b: to undress or strip especially of clothing, ornament, or equipment c: rid, free 2: to take away from a person Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The vest in divest is a close

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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.

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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-

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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,

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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,

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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,

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

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

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