The word for today is… fortuitous (adjective): 1: occurring by chance 2a: fortunate, lucky b: coming or happening by a lucky chance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :For its first 250 years, until the early part of the 20th century, fortuitous meant one thing only: “happening by chance.” This was no
The word for today is… delegate (noun, verb): noun : a person acting for another such as a representative to a convention or conference verb 1: to entrust to another 2: to appoint as one’s representative 3: to assign responsibility or authority Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :To delegate is, literally
The word for today is… precocious (adjective): 1: exceptionally early in development or occurrence 2: exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Precocious got its start in Latin when the prefix prae-, meaning “ahead of,” was combined with the verb coquere, meaning “to cook” or
The word for today is… soliloquy (noun): 1: the act of talking to oneself 2: a poem, discourse, or utterance of a character in a drama that has the form of a monologue or gives the illusion of being a series of unspoken reflections Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology :Soliloquy and
The word for today is… farce (verb, noun): verb 1: stuff 2: to improve or expand (something, such as a literary work) as if by stuffing noun 1: a savoury stuffing 2: a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot 3: the broad humor characteristic of
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
