The word for today is… annus mirabilis (noun): : a remarkable or notable year Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :To British poet John Dryden, the “year of wonders” was 1666. That was the year of a great British naval victory over the Dutch, as well as the date of the great London
The word for today is… boondocks (plural noun): : (usually used with ‘the’) a remote, thinly settled rural area Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Boon (“ a timely benefit; a favor”) is a fairly old English word, dating back to the 12th century. In light of this one might be excused for thinking
The word for today is… espouse (verb): 1: marry 2: to take up and support as a cause : become attached to Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The words espouse and spouse are closely connected, both coming from the Latin verb spond?re, meaning “to promise” or “to betroth.” In fact, the
The word for today is… lodestar (noun): 1 archaic : a star that leads or guides, especially the North Star 2: one that serves as an inspiration, model, or guide Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The literal, albeit archaic, meaning of lodestar is “a star that leads or guides”; it is a
The word for today is… tortuous (adjective): 1: marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns 2a: marked by devious or indirect tactics : crooked, tricky b: circuitous, involved Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Be careful not to confuse tortuous with torturous. These two words are relatives—both ultimately come from the Latin
The word for today is… nepotism (noun): : favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Today’s word’s origin has closer relevance to our situation in New Zealand than I thought. During his papacy from 1471–1484, Sixtus IV granted many special favors
The word for today is… speculate (verb): 1a: to meditate on or ponder a subject : reflect b: to review something idly or casually and often inconclusively 2: to assume a business risk in hope of gain Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :It might be said that what separates our species from
The word for today is… deleterious (adjective): harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :When you hold down the delete key on your keyboard or touchscreen, the effect is instantaneous. Deleterious effects, however, are often not so obvious; deleterious is used to describe things that
The word for today is… accoutrement (noun): 1a: equipment, trappings specifically : a soldier’s outfit usually not including clothes and weapons – usually used in plural b: an accessory item of clothing or equipment 2: an identifying and often superficial characteristic or device Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Accoutrement and its rarer
The word for today is… gainsay (verb): 1: to declare to be untrue or invalid 2: contradict, oppose Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :You might have trouble figuring out the meaning of gainsay if you’re thinking of our modern word gain plus say. It should help to know that the
The word for today is… corporal (noun, adjective, noun): noun (1) : a noncommissioned officer ranking in the army above a lance corporal and below a sergeant adjective : of, relating to, or affecting the body noun (2) : a linen cloth on which the eucharistic elements are placed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology
The word for today is… ineluctable (adjective): : not to be avoided, changed, or resisted : inevitable Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Ineluctable has its roots in wrestling, a popular sport in ancient Greece and Rome. The Latin word lucator means “wrestler,” and luctari means “to wrestle,” as well as “to struggle, strive,
The word for today is… oblivion (noun): 1: the fact or condition of not remembering : a state marked by lack of awareness or consciousness 2: the condition or state of being forgotten or unknown Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :The word’s Latin source, oblivisci, means “to forget; to put out
The word for today is… dox (verb – informal): : to publicly identify or publish private information about (someone) especially as a form of punishment or revenge Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Dox is a respelling of docs, plural of doc (short for document), verbal derivative based on earlier dropping docs, doc-dropping,
The word for today is… putative (adjective): 1: commonly accepted or supposed 2: assumed to exist or to have existed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Putative comes from Latin putatus, the past participle of the verb putare, which means “to consider” or “to think.” Putative has been part of English since
The word for today is… undulate (adjective, verb): adjective (or undulated) : having a wavy surface, edge, or markings verb 1: to form or move in waves 2: to rise and fall in volume, pitch, or cadence 3: to present a wavy appearance Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology :Undulate and inundate (“to
