The word for today is… malapropism (noun) – 1. Ludicrous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound. 2. An example of such misuse. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Richard Sheridan’s 1775 play The Rivals, was known for her verbal blunders.
The word for today is… flotsam (noun) – 1. Goods floating on the surface of a body of water after a shipwreck or after being cast overboard to lighten the ship. 2. Discarded or unimportant things. 3. People who are considered to be worthless or to have been rejected by society.
The word for today is… exiguous (adj) – Extremely scanty; meagre. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Exiguous is so expansive sounding that you might expect it to mean “extensive” instead of “meagre.” Even a scanty glimpse at the word’s etymology will disabuse you of that notion, however. Exiguous derives from
The word for today is… bodacious (adj) – 1. Remarkable; impressive. 2. Sexually attractive. Used chiefly of women. 3. Audacious; gutsy. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Some of our readers may know bodacious as a word that figured prominently in the lingo of the 1989 film Bill and Ted’s Excellent
The word for today is… politesse (noun) – Courteous formality; politeness. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Nowadays, no one refers to a “polite” looking glass or houses “polite” and in good repair, but polite (or polit or polyt, as it was spelled in Middle English) originally meant simply “polished” or “clean.
The word for today is… lorn (adj) – (Archaic) Abandoned; forlorn. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Lorn and forlorn are synonyms that mean “desolate” or “forsaken.” The similarity in form and meaning of the two words is hardly a coincidence. Lorn comes down to us from loren, the Middle English past
The word for today is… gratuitous (adj) – 1. Given or granted without return or recompense; unearned. 2. Given or received without cost or obligation; free. 3. Unnecessary or unwarranted; unjustified. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Like gratitude, grace, and congratulate, gratuitous is a descendant of the Latin word gratus, which
Dame Vera Lynn has died, aged 103: Forces’ Sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn who entertained troops with morale-boosting visits to the front line during the Second World War has died aged 103, her family said today. Dame Vera’s relatives said in a statement they were ‘deeply saddened to announce
The word for today is… emblem (noun) – 1. A distinctive badge, design, or device. 2. An object or representation that functions as a symbol. 3. An allegorical picture usually inscribed with a verse or motto presenting a moral lesson. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Both emblem and its synonym symbol
The word for today is… disingenuous (adj) – 1. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating. 2. Pretending to be unaware or unsophisticated; faux-naïf. 3. Unaware or uninformed; naive. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : A disingenuous remark might contain some superficial truth, but it is delivered with the intent to
The word for today is… collimate (verb) – 1. To make parallel; line up. 2. To adjust the line of sight of (an optical device). Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : One might expect a science-y word like collimate to have a straightforward etymology, but that’s not the case. Collimate
The word for today is… appellation (noun) – 1. A name, title, or designation. 2. A protected name under which a wine may be sold, indicating that the grapes used are of a specific kind from a specific district. 3. The act of naming. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Ask a
The word for today is… vanilla (noun) – 1. Any of various tropical American vines of the genus Vanilla in the orchid family, especially V. planifolia, widely cultivated for its long narrow seedpods, which yield an aromatic substance used especially as a flavouring. 2. The seedpod of this plant. Also called
The word for today is… umbra (noun) – 1. A dark area, especially the blackest part of a shadow from which all light is cut off. 2. (Astronomy) (a) The completely dark central portion of the shadow cast by the earth, moon, or other body during an eclipse. (b) The darkest
The cancel culture continues with the BBC withdrawing the famous ‘Don’t Mention the War’ episode of Fawlty Towers from streaming. An episode of Fawlty Towers from which the N-word and other offensive terms had previously been cut has been taken down from the BBC’s Netflix-style streaming
The word for today is… regurgitate (verb) – 1. To cause to pour back, especially to cast up (partially digested food). 2. To repeat (facts or other learned items) from memory with little reflection. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Something regurgitated has typically been taken in, at least partially digested, and
