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David Theobald

The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… steadfast (adjective): 1a : firmly fixed in place : immovable b : not subject to change 2 : firm in belief, determination, or adherence Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Steadfast has held its ground in English for many centuries. Its Old English predecessor, stedefæst, combined stede (meaning “place” or “stead”

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… bevy (noun): 1 : a large group or collection 2 : a group of animals and especially quail Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : What do you call a group of crows? Or swine? Or leopards? Well-educated members of the medieval gentry seem to have been expected to know

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… truncate (verb, adjective): verb 1 : to shorten by or as if by cutting off 2 : to replace (an edge or corner of a crystal) by a plane adjective : having the end square or even Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Truncate descends from the Latin verb truncare,

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… demagogue (noun): 1 : a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power 2 : a leader championing the cause of the common people in ancient times Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : When the ancient Greeks used demagogos (from

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… soporific (adjective, noun): adjective 1a : causing or tending to cause sleep b : tending to dull awareness or alertness 2 : of, relating to, or marked by sleepiness or lethargy noun : a soporific agent Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : “It is said that the effect of eating too

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… propitiate (verb): : to gain or regain the favour or goodwill of Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Like its synonym “appease,” propitiate means “to ease the anger or disturbance of,” but there are subtle differences between the two terms as well. “Appease” usually implies quieting insistent demands

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… camaraderie (noun): : a spirit of friendly good-fellowship Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Camaraderie made its first appearance in English in the middle of the 19th century. It comes from camarade, the French word whose Middle French ancestor was also the source for our word comrade. In

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… lenient (adjective): 1 : of mild and tolerant disposition or effect : not harsh, severe, or strict 2 : exerting a soothing or easing influence Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Lenient is a word with a soothing history. It derives from the Latin verb lenire, meaning “to soothe” or

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… inane (adjective, noun): adjective 1 : lacking significance, meaning, or point 2 : empty, insubstantial noun : void or empty space Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The adjective “inane” is now most commonly encountered as a synonym of “shallow” or “silly.” But when this word first entered the English

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… doppelganger (noun): 1a : double b : alter ego c : a person who has the same name as another 2 : a ghostly counterpart Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : According to age-old German folklore, all living creatures have a spirit double who is invisible but identical to the living

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… misdemeanor (noun): 1 : a crime less serious than a felony 2 : misdeed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Misdemeanor comes from demeanor, which means “behavior toward others” or “outward manner” (as in “his quiet demeanor”), itself derived from the verb demean, which means “to conduct or behave

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… eloquent (adjective): 1 : marked by forceful and fluent expression 2 : vividly or movingly expressive or revealing Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Since “eloquent” can have to do with speaking, it makes sense that it comes from the Latin verb loqui, which means “to speak.” “Loqui” is

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… facile (adjective): 1a(1) : easily accomplished or attained (2) : shallow, simplistic b : used or comprehended with ease c : readily manifested and often lacking sincerity or depth 2 archaic : mild or pleasing in manner or disposition Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Would you have guessed that “facile”

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… hector (noun, verb): noun 1 : capitalized : a son of Priam, husband of Andromache, and Trojan champion slain by Achilles 2 : bully, braggart verb : to behave in an arrogant or intimidating way : to play the bully : swagger : to intimidate or harass by bluster or personal pressure

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… placebo (noun): 1a : a usually pharmacologically inert preparation prescribed more for the mental relief of the patient than for its actual effect on a disorder b : an inert or innocuous substance used especially in controlled experiments testing the efficacy of another substance (such as a

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The BFD Word of the Day

The BFD Word of the Day

The word for today is… mirage (noun): 1 : an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by

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