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
The word for today is… flummox (verb): : confuse Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : No one is completely sure where the word flummox comes from, but Charles Dickens was aware of it and used it in his 1837 novel The Pickwick Papers. It became quite common in both British and American English
The word for today is… minion (noun): 1 : a servile dependent, follower, or underling 2 : one highly favored 3 : a subordinate or petty official Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Minion comes from Middle French and is related to filet mignon. The two terms are connected by mignon, meaning “darling.” The earliest
The word for today is… hoary (adjective): 1 : gray or white with or as if with age 2 : extremely old Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Hoary is an Old English word that comes from hoar, which shares its meanings. Both words refer to anything that is old or that has the
The word for today is… deem (verb): : to come to think or judge : consider Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Originally, deem meant “to legally condemn.” The word is still frequently used in contexts pertaining to the law but with the general meaning “to judge” or “to decide after inquiry and deliberation,
The word for today is… attrition (noun): 1: sorrow for one’s sins that arises from a motive other than that of the love of God 2 : the act of rubbing together : the act of wearing or grinding down by friction 3 : the act of weakening or exhausting by constant
The word for today is… laudable (adjective): : worthy of praise : commendable Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Both laudable and laudatory derive ultimately from Latin laud- or laus, meaning “praise.” Laudable and laudatory differ in meaning, however, and usage commentators warn against using them interchangeably. Laudable means “deserving praise” or “praiseworthy,” as
The word for today is… askance (adverb): 1 : with disapproval or distrust : scornfully 2 : with a side-glance : obliquely Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Askance, which etymologists believe may have been influenced by askew, comes from Middle English forms such as askaunce, a-skans, a-skaunces, meaning variously “in such a
The word for today is… juxtapose (verb): : to place (different things) side by side (as to compare them or contrast them or to create an interesting effect) Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : A back-formation is a word that has come about through the removal of a prefix or a suffix
The word for today is… imprimatur (noun): 1a : sanction, approval b : a mark of approval or distinction 2a : a license to print or publish especially by Roman Catholic episcopal authority b : approval of a publication under circumstances of official censorship Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Imprimatur means “let it be printed”
The word for today is… instigate (verb): : to goad or urge forward, provoke Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Instigate is often used as a synonym of incite (as in “hoodlums instigating violence”), but the two words differ slightly in their overall usage. Incite usually stresses an act of stirring something up
