The word for today is… alienist (noun) – A physician who evaluates the competence of defendants to stand trial. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : “One who scientifically treats or studies mental illness,” 1864, from French aliéniste, from alienation in the sense of “insanity, loss of mental faculty” (compare alienation, since 15th
The word for today is… esoteric (adj) – 1. (a) Intended for or understood by only a small group, especially one with specialised knowledge or interests. b. Relating to or being a small group with specialised knowledge or interests. 2. Not known by or suitable for the public; private. (noun) – 1.
The word for today is… collateral (adj) – 1. Situated or running side by side; parallel. 2. Coinciding in tendency or effect; concomitant or accompanying. 3. Serving to support or corroborate. 4. Of a secondary nature; subordinate. 5. Of, relating to, or guaranteed by a security pledged against the performance of
The word for today is… conspiracy (noun) – 1. An agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful, or subversive act. 2. A group of conspirators. 3. (Law) An agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action. 4. A joining or acting
The word for today is… parsimonious (adj) – 1. Excessively sparing or frugal. 2. Accounting for observed data with a relatively simple explanation. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : English isn’t stingy when it comes to synonyms of parsimonious. Stingy, close, penurious, and miserly are a few terms that, like parsimonious,
The word for today is… louche (adj) – Of questionable morality or repute. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Louche ultimately comes from the Latin word luscus, meaning “blind in one eye” or “having poor sight.” This Latin term gave rise to the French louche, meaning “squinting” or “cross-eyed.” The French gave
The word for today is… internecine (adj) – 1. Of or relating to struggle within a nation, organisation, or group. 2. Mutually destructive; ruinous or fatal to both sides. 3. Characterised by bloodshed or carnage. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : 1660s, “deadly, destructive,” from Latin internecinus “very deadly, murderous, destructive,” from
The word for today is… frisson (noun) – A moment of intense excitement; a shudder. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : “I feel a shiver that’s not from the cold as the band and the crowd go charging through the final notes…. That frisson, that exultant moment….” That’s how writer
The word for today is… confabulate (verb) – 1. To talk casually; chat. 2. (Psychology) To fill in gaps in one’s memory with fabrications that one believes to be facts. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Confabulate is a fabulous word for making fantastic fabrications. Given the similarities in spelling and
The word for today is… legerdemain (noun) – 1. Sleight of hand. 2. Deceitful cleverness; trickery. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : In Middle French, folks who were clever enough to fool others with fast-fingered illusions were described as leger de main, literally “light of hand.” English speakers condensed that phrase into
The word for today is… histrionic (adj) – 1. Of or relating to actors or acting. 2. Excessively dramatic or emotional; affected. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : The term histrionic developed from histrio, Latin for “actor.” Something that is histrionic tends to remind one of the high drama of stage and
The word for today is… farrago (noun) – An assortment or a medley; a conglomeration. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Farrago might seem an unlikely relative of farina (the name for the mealy breakfast cereal), but the two terms have their roots in the same Latin noun. Both derive from far,
The word for today is… emulate (verb) – 1. To strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation. 2. To compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with. 3. (Computers) To imitate the function of (another system), as by modifications to hardware or software that allow the imitating system to accept
The word for today is… dolorous (adj) – Marked by or exhibiting sorrow, grief, or pain. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Circa 1400, “causing grief,” also “causing pain, painful” (a sense now obsolete), from Old French doloros “painful; sorrowful, wretched” (12th century, Modern French douloureux) from Late Latin dolorosus “painful, sorrowful,
The word for today is… deracinate (verb) – 1. To pull out by the roots; uproot. 2. To displace from one’s native or accustomed environment. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : There is a hint about the roots of deracinate in its first definition. Deracinate was borrowed into English in the
The word for today is… bromide (noun) – 1. (a) Univalent anionic bromine, or a compound of bromine, especially a binary compound of bromine with a more electropositive element. (b) Potassium bromide. 2. (a) A commonplace remark or notion; a platitude. See Synonyms at cliché. (b) A tiresome person; a bore.
