The word for today is… bellicose (adjective): : favoring or inclined to start quarrels or wars Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Since bellicose describes an attitude that hopes for actual war, the word is generally applied to nations and their leaders. In the 20th century, it was commonly used to describe such
The word for today is… bloviate (verb): : to speak or write verbosely and windily Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Warren G. Harding is often linked to bloviate, but to him the word wasn’t insulting; it simply meant “to spend time idly.” Harding used the word often in that “hanging around”
The word for today is… ramshackle (adjective): 1 : appearing ready to collapse 2 : carelessly or loosely constructed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Ramshackle has nothing to do with rams, nor the act of being rammed, nor shackles. The word is an alteration of ransackled, an obsolete form of the verb ransack,
The word for today is… conclave (noun): 1 : a private meeting or secret assembly – especially, a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals secluded continuously while choosing a pope 2 : a gathering of a group or association Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Conclave comes from a Latin word meaning “room that can be
The word for today is… orientate (verb): : to face or turn to the east Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Orientate is a synonym of orient. Both can mean “to cause to face toward the east.” The proper noun Orient refers to “the East.” The verbs, however, have broader meanings that relate
The word for today is… ovine (adjective): of, relating to, or resembling sheep Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Sheep belong to the same family of mammals as goats, antelope, bison, buffalo, and cows. The genus Ovis includes at least five species, including the domestic sheep. Some 12,000 years ago, in
The word for today is… fallacy (noun): 1a : a false or mistaken idea b : erroneous character 2a : deceptive appearance b obsolete : guile, trickery 3 : an often plausible argument using false or invalid inference Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Philosophers are constantly using the word fallacy. For them, a fallacy is reasoning
The word for today is… darling (noun): 1 : a dearly loved person 2 : favorite Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Darling comes from Old English deorling, which was formed by attaching the Old English suffix -ling (“one associated with or marked by a specified quality”) with the adjective deore, the ancestor of
The word for today is… sagacious (adjective): 1a : of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment b : caused by or indicating acute discernment 2 obsolete : keen in sense perception Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : You might expect the root of sagacious to be sage, which, as an adjective, means “wise” or, as
The word for today is… mollify (verb): 1 : to soothe in temper or disposition 2 : to reduce the rigidity of 3 : to reduce in intensity Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Mollify, like its synonyms pacify, appease, and placate, means “to ease the anger or disturbance of.” But mollify is particularly well-
The word for today is… fractious (adjective): : tending to be troublesome Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The Latin verb frangere means “to break or shatter” and is related to a few common words, which is evident in their meanings. Dishes that are fragile break easily. A person whose health is easily
The word for today is… abeyance (noun): 1 : a state of temporary inactivity : suspension —used chiefly in the phrase in abeyance 2 : a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Abeyance comes from Old French baer, meaning “to
The word for today is… gullible (adjective): : easily duped or cheated Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : You are gullible if you think there is no entry for gullible in the dictionary. It descends from the verb gull, meaning “to deceive or take advantage of.” The verb was borrowed into English from
The word for today is… leviathan (noun): 1a often capitalized : a sea monster defeated by Yahweh in various scriptural accounts b : a large sea animal 2 capitalized : the political state especially : a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy 3 : something large or formidable Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Old Testament references
The word for today is… labyrinth (noun): 1a : a place constructed of or full of intricate passageways and blind alleys b : a maze (as in a garden) formed by paths separated by high hedges 2 : something extremely complex or tortuous in structure, arrangement, or character 3 : a tortuous anatomical structure
The word for today is… schmooze (verb): : to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Schmooze (also spelled shmooze) comes from Yiddish schmues, meaning “talk,” which itself is from Hebrew sh?mu’?th, “news” or “rumor.” Although
