The word for today is… alchemy (noun) - 1: a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of 2: a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way 3: an inexplicable or
The word for today is… pseudonym (noun) - : a fictitious name, especially pen name Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Pseudonym has its origins in the Greek adjective pseudōnymos, which means “bearing a false name.” French speakers adopted the Greek word as the noun pseudonyme, and English speakers later modified the French word
The word for today is… cajole (verb) - 1a: to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in the face of reluctance : coax b: to obtain from someone by gentle persuasion 2: to deceive with soothing words or false promises Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : However hard we try, we can’t
The word for today is… propriety (noun) - 1: the quality or state of being proper or suitable : appropriateness 2a: conformity to what is socially acceptable in conduct or speech b: proprieties plural : the customs and manners of polite society c: fear of offending against conventional rules of behavior especially
The word for today is… sparge (verb) - 1: sprinkle, bespatter, especially : spray 2: to agitate (a liquid) by means of compressed air or gas entering through a pipe Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Etymologists think that "sparge" likely came to English by way of the Middle French word espargier,
The word for today is… longevity (noun) - 1a: a long duration of individual life b: length of life 2: long continuance : permanence, durability Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : As living conditions improve and the science of medicine advances, the longevity of the average Western European has increased greatly, from about 45
The word for today is… tergiversation (noun) - 1: evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement : equivocation 2: desertion of a cause, position, party, or faith Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The roots of tergiversation are about an unwillingness to pick a course and stay on it. The Latin verb tergiversari means
The word for today is… rhomboid (noun, adjective) - noun : a parallelogram with no right angles and with adjacent sides of unequal length adjective : shaped somewhat like a rhombus or rhomboid Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Rhomboids, like triangles, may take various different shapes, but they always look like a lopsided diamond
The word for today is… plaintive (adjective) - : expressive of suffering or woe : melancholy Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : “The people are drifting from door to door / Can’t find no heaven I don’t care where they go.” So sang Nehemiah Curtis “Skip” James on a Depression-era recording of his song
The word for today is… perdition (noun) - 1a: eternal damnation b: hell 2a archaic : utter destruction b obsolete : loss Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Not a word very suitable for the festive season, but them's the breaks. Perdition is a word that was borrowed into English in the 14th
The word for today is… nativity (noun) - 1: the process or circumstances of being born : birth, especially, Nativity : the birth of Jesus 2: a horoscope at or of the time of one's birth 3: the place of origin Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Happy Christmas to all. Nativity is
The word for today is… aperçu (noun) - 1: a brief survey or sketch : outline 2: an immediate impression Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : In French, aperçu is the past participle of the verb apercevoir ("to perceive" or "to comprehend"), which in turn comes from Latin percipere ("
The word for today is… carceral (adjective) - : of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Carceral is a member of a small but imposing family: like its close relations incarcerate (meaning "to imprison") and incarceration (meaning "confinement in a jail or prison&
The word for today is… volant (adjective) - 1: having the wings extended as if in flight — used of a heraldic bird 2: flying or capable of flying 3: quick, nimble Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : English picked up "volant" from Middle French. The term survives in Modern French as
The word for today is… numismatic (adjective) - 1: of or relating to numismatics 2: of or relating to currency : monetary Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The first metal coins are believed to have been used as currency by the Lydians, a people of Asia Minor, during the 7th century BC, and
The word for today is… nocebo (noun) - : a harmless substance or treatment that when taken by or administered to a patient is associated with harmful side effects or worsening of symptoms due to negative expectations or the psychological condition of the patient Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Nocent has been in
