The word for today is… mediocre (adjective) - : of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance : ordinary, so-so Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : One of the things that is remarkable about mediocre is the extent to which it has retained its meaning over the course of more than four centuries of
The word for today is… rebarbative (adjective) - : repellent, irritating Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Rebarbative traces back to the Latin word for "beard" - barba - making it a very distant relative of the English word beard. But there is some sense to the connection. After all, beards may
The word for today is… gesundheit (interjection): —used to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : An interjection today; I think this may be the first since I took over the WOTD reins from the late Korau. When English speakers hear "achoo,
The word for today is… anomaly (noun): 1: something different, abnormal, peculiar, or not easily classified : something anomalous 2: deviation from the common rule : irregularity 3: the angular distance of a planet from its perihelion as seen from the sun Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : You might be familiar with the
The word for today is… catch-22 (noun): 1: a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule. Also : the circumstance or rule that denies a solution 2a: an illogical, unreasonable, or senseless situation b: a measure or policy
The word for today is… triumvirate (noun): 1: a body of triumvirs 2: the office or government of triumvirs 3: a group or association of three Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : A triumvir is one of a commission or ruling body of three. The first triumvirate of the Roman Republic, which
The word for today is… lugubrious (adjective): 1: mournful, especially : exaggeratedly or affectedly mournful 2: dismal Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Everybody hurts, as the classic R.E.M. song goes, and when your day is long and the night is yours alone, lugubrious is a perfect word for describing such
The word for today is… bombard (noun, verb): noun : a late medieval cannon used to hurl large stones verb 1: to attack especially with artillery or bombers 2: to assail vigorously or persistently (as with questions) 3: to subject to the impact of rapidly moving particles (such as electrons) Source
The word for today is… acrid (adjective): 1: sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor : irritating 2: deeply or violently bitter : acrimonious Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Acrid exactly fits the smoke from a fire—a burning building or forest, for example. Dense smog may cast an acrid
The word for today is… placid (adjective): : serenely free of interruption or disturbance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Like placid, the words calm, tranquil, and serene all mean "quiet and free from disturbance." Calm conveys a quiet composure that contrasts with surrounding chaos, while tranquil suggests a very deep
The word for today is… licit (adjective): : conforming to the requirements of the law : not forbidden by law : permissible Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Licit is far less common than its antonym illicit, but you probably won't be surprised to learn that the former is the older of the
The word for today is… torpedo (noun, verb): noun 1: a weapon for destroying ships by rupturing their hulls below the waterline: such as - a: a submarine mine b: a thin cylindrical self-propelled underwater projectile 2: a small firework that explodes when thrown against a hard object 3: electric
The word for today is… abstract (adjective, noun, verb): adjective 1a: disassociated from any specific instance b: difficult to understand : abstruse c: insufficiently factual : formal 2: expressing a quality apart from an object 3a: dealing with a subject in its abstract aspects : theoretical b: impersonal, detached 4: having only intrinsic
The word for today is… macerate (verb): transitive verb 1: to cause to waste away by or as if by excessive fasting 2: to cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid; broadly : steep, soak intransitive verb : to soften and wear
The word for today is… consummate (adjective, verb): adjective 1: extremely skilled and accomplished 2: of the highest degree 3: complete in every detail : perfect verb 1: to make (marital union) complete by sexual intercourse 2a: finish, complete b: to make perfect c: achieve Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Consummate is
The word for today is… zoomorphic (adjective): 1: having the form of an animal 2: of, relating to, or being a deity conceived of in animal form or with animal attributes Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The first-known use of zoomorphic in English is a translation of the French word zoomorphique,
