The word for today is… ziggurat (noun): : an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : French professor of archaeology Francois Lenormant spent a great deal of time poring over ancient
The word for today is… bamboozle (verb): 1 : to deceive by underhanded methods 2 : to confuse, frustrate, or throw off thoroughly or completely Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In 1710, Irish author Jonathan Swift wrote an article on “the continual Corruption of our English Tongue” in which he complained of “the
The word for today is… accede (verb): accede usually appears with addition ‘to’ – he accedes to….. 1 formal a : to express approval or give consent : to agree to a request or demand b : to become a party to something (such as an agreement) 2 formal : to enter upon an office
The word for today is… banshee (noun): : a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In Irish folklore, a bean sídhe (literally “woman of fairyland”) was not a welcome guest. When she was seen
The word for today is… juggernaut (noun): 1 : a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path 2 chiefly British : a large heavy truck Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In the early 14th century, Franciscan missionary Friar Odoric brought to Europe the story of an
The word for today is… opine (verb): : to express opinions: to state as an opinion Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Opine is not a back-formation of opinion. Both words come from Middle French opiner, meaning “to express one’s opinion,” and Latin opinari, “to have in mind” or “to think.” And
The word for today is… erudite (adjective): : having or showing knowledge that is gained by studying : possessing or displaying erudition Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Erudite derives from Latin eruditus, the past participle of the verb erudire, meaning “to instruct.” A closer look at that verb shows that it is formed
The word for today is… derring-do (noun): : daring action Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Derring-do is a quirky holdover from Middle English that came to occupy its present place in the language by a series of mistakes and misunderstandings. In Middle English, dorring don meant simply “daring to do.” The phrase
The word for today is… non sequitur (noun): 1 : an inference that does not follow from the premises – specifically : a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent 2 : a statement (such as a response) that does
The word for today is… debilitating (adjective): : causing serious impairment of strength or ability to function Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The verb debilitate (and its adjective form debilitating) comes from the Latin word for “weak,” debilis. Often used of disease—as in, “the patient was debilitated”—it can also suggest
The word for today is… winsome (adjective): : generally pleasing and engaging often because of a childlike charm and innocence Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Winsome comes from Old English wynn, meaning “joy” or “pleasure,” which was altered in spelling to win (with the same meaning). That win is obsolete and is
The word for today is… sophomore (noun): : a student in the second year at college or a 4-year secondary school Source : Online Etymology Dictionary Etymology : 1680s, “student in the second year of university study,” literally “arguer,” altered from sophumer (1650s), from sophume, an archaic variant form of sophism, ultimately from
The word for today is… yaw (noun, verb): noun 1 : the action of yawing, especially a side-to-side movement 2 : the extent of the movement in yawing verb a: of a ship – to deviate erratically from a course (as when struck by a heavy sea) especially to move from side to
The word for today is… euphemism (noun): : the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Euphemism comes from Greek euphemos, which means “uttering sounds of good omen,” “fair-sounding,” or “auspicious.” The first part of that root is
The word for today is… meritorious (adjective): : deserving of honor or esteem Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : People who demonstrate meritorious behavior certainly “earn” our respect, and you can use that fact to remember that meritorious comes from the Latin verb merere, which means “to earn.” Nowadays, the rewards earned for
The word for today is… stir-crazy (adjective): slang : distraught because of prolonged confinement Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Stir-crazy originated as a word to describe a prisoner who became distraught after prolonged confinement. Stir is a 19th-century slang word for “prison” that some word historians have suspected to be from Romani
