The word for today is… pantheon (noun): 1a : the gods of a people especially b : a temple dedicated to all the gods 2 : a group of illustrious or notable persons or things I 3 : a building serving as the burial place of or containing memorials to the famous dead of
The word for today is… calculus (noun): 1a : a method of computation or calculation in a special notation (as of logic or symbolic logic) b : the mathematical methods comprising differential and integral calculus 2 : calculation 3a : a concretion usually of mineral salts around organic material found especially in hollow organs
The word for today is… galvanize (verb): 1 : to cause (people) to become so excited or concerned about an issue, idea, etc., that they want to do something about it 2 : to cause (a force that is capable of causing change) to become active 3 technical : to cover (steel or
The word for today is… smarmy (adjective): 1 : revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, or false earnestness 2 : of low sleazy taste or quality Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Something smarmy will often ooze with self-satisfaction and insincerity. Much like its synonyms unctuous and slick, smarmy has a history that
The word for today is… derrick (noun): 1 : a hoisting apparatus employing a tackle rigged at the end of a beam 2 : a framework or tower over a deep drill hole (as of an oil well) for supporting boring tackle or for hoisting and lowering Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : During
The word for today is… hoity-toity (adjective): 1 : thoughtlessly silly or frivolous 2 : marked by an air of assumed importance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Today we most often use hoity-toity as an adjective, but before it was an adjective it was a noun meaning “thoughtless giddy behavior.” The noun, which
The word for today is… menorah (noun): a candelabra with seven or nine lights that is used in Jewish worship Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : English speakers originally used the Hebrew borrowing menorah for the seven-branched candelabra used in Jewish worship since ancient times. The nine-branched Hanukkah candelabra is called hanukkiah
The word for today is… commensurate (adjective): 1 : corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree : proportionate 2 : equal in measure or extent Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Commensurate is a word that really measures up. And no wonder – it’s a descendant of the Latin noun mensura, meaning “measure,” from “mensus,
Today marks my first birthday as collator of the BFD’s Word of the Day. As a birthday present to myself I am going to re-post my favourite word from the last year. This was first posted on 2nd February 2021 and was the first word I chose after I
The word for today is… malice (noun): 1 : desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another 2 : intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Malicious and malevolent are close in meaning, since both refer to ill will that
The word for today is… jovial (adjective): : characterized by good-humored cheerfulness and conviviality Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Jupiter, also called Jove, was the chief Roman god and was considered a majestic, authoritative type—just the kind of god to name a massive planet like Jupiter for. Our word jovial comes
The word for today is… feign (verb): 1a : to give a false appearance of b : to assert as if true 2 archaic a : invent, imagine b : to give fictional representation to 3 obsolete : disguise, conceal Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Feign is all about faking it, but that hasn’t always
The word for today is… enclave (noun): : a distinct territorial, cultural, or social unit enclosed within or as if within foreign territory Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Looking for the keys to the etymology of enclave? You’ll find them in French and Latin. English speakers borrowed “enclave” from French in
The word for today is… garbage (noun): 1a : food waste b : discarded or useless material 2a : trash b : inaccurate or useless data Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Middle English, “poultry organs and body parts used for food, poultry refuse,” borrowed from Anglo-French. Garbage (implied in sergant garbagere – “kitchen servant tasked with
The word for today is… univocal (adjective): 1 : having one meaning only 2 : unambiguous Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Earliest known print evidence of univocal, in the sense of “having one meaning only,” dates the word to the mid-1500s, somewhat earlier than its more familiar antonym equivocal (meaning “often misleadingly subject
The word for today is… trepidation (noun): 1: a nervous or fearful feeling of uncertain agitation 2: archaic : a tremulous motion, tremor Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : If you’ve ever trembled with fright, you know something of both the sensation and etymology of trepidation. The word comes from the Latin
