The word for today is… kibosh (noun): something that serves as a check or stop – usually used in the phrase put the kibosh on Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Evidence of kibosh dates the word to only a few years before Charles Dickens used it in an 1836 sketch, but despite
The word for today is… indoctrinate (verb): 1 : to imbue with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle 2 : to instruct especially in fundamentals or rudiments Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Indoctrinate means “brainwash” to many people, but its meaning isn’t always so negative. When the
The word for today is… nonpareil (adjective, noun): adjective: having no equal noun: an individual of unequaled excellence Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Trace nonpareil back to its Middle French origins and you’ll find that it comes from a term meaning “not equal.” Pareil itself comes from a Latin par,
The word for today is… epithet (noun): 1a : a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing b : a disparaging or abusive word or phrase c : the part of a taxonomic name identifying a subordinate unit within a genus 2 obsolete
The word for today is… hark back (verb): 1 : to turn back to an earlier topic or circumstance 2 : to go back to something as an origin or source Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Hark, a very old word meaning “to listen,” was used as a cry in hunting. The master
The word for today is… verdant (adjective): 1a : green in tint or color b : green with growing plants verdant fields 2 : unripe in experience or judgment Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : English speakers have been using verdant as a ripe synonym of green since at least the 16th century, and as
The word for today is… turpitude (noun): Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Turpitude comes from Latin turpis, meaning “vile” or “base.” The word is often heard in the phrase “moral turpitude,” an expression used in law to designate an act or behavior that gravely violates the sentiment or accepted standard of
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
