The word for today is… surd (adjective, noun) - adjective 1: lacking sense : irrational 2: voiceless — used of speech sounds noun 1a: an irrational root (such as √3) b: irrational number 2: a surd speech sound Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Both surd and its more common cousin absurd come from the
The word for today is… garniture (noun) - 1: embellishment, trimming 2: a set of decorative objects (such as vases, urns, or clocks) Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : In Middle French, garniture meant "accessory." It is an alteration of the Old French noun garneture, which is derived from the verb
The word for today is… choreography (noun) - 1: the art of symbolically representing dancing 2a: the composition and arrangement of dances especially for ballet b: a composition created by this art 3: something resembling choreography Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : In ancient Greece, a choreia was a circular dance accompanied by
The word for today is… chorography (noun) - 1: the art of describing or mapping a region or district 2: a description or map of a region, also : the physical conformation and features of such a region Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The word chorography was borrowed in the 16th century from
The word for today is… notch (noun, verb) - noun 1a: a V-shaped indentation b: a slit made to serve as a record c: a rounded indentation cut into the pages of a book on the edge opposite the spine 2: a deep close pass : gap 3: degree, step verb
The word for today is… vicereine (noun) - 1: the wife of a viceroy 2: a woman who is a viceroy Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : French, from vice- + reine queen, from Old French, from Latin regina, feminine of reg-, rex king. A viceroy is the governor of a country or province
The word for today is… proclivity (noun) - : an inclination or predisposition toward something, especially : a strong inherent inclination toward something objectionable Source : Merriam-Webster Have you always had this leaning toward wanting to know about words and their etymologies? Maybe you even have a propensity to use the featured word
The word for today is… penury (noun) - 1: a cramping and oppressive lack of resources (such as money), especially : severe poverty 2: extreme and often stingy frugality Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The exact meaning of "penury" (from Latin penuria, meaning "want") can vary a bit from
The word for today is… friable (adjective) - : easily crumbled or pulverized Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Friable entered into English in the mid-1500s, and was borrowed either from Middle French or directly from Latin friabilis. This Latin adjective comes from the verb "friare," which means "to crumble.
The word for today is… pettifogger (noun) - 1: a lawyer whose methods are petty, underhanded, or disreputable : shyster 2: one given to quibbling over trifles Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : In its earliest English uses, "pettifogger" was two separate words: "pettie fogger." "Pettie" was a
The word for today is… levity (noun) - 1: excessive or unseemly frivolity 2: lack of steadiness : changeableness Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Levity originally was thought to be a physical force exactly like gravity but pulling in the opposite direction, like the helium in a balloon. As recently as the 19th
The word for today is… sylvan (noun, adjective) - noun : one that frequents groves or woods adjective 1a: living or located in the woods or forest b: of, relating to, or characteristic of the woods or forest 2a: made, shaped, or formed of woods or trees b: abounding in woods, groves,
The word for today is… digress (verb) - : to speak or write about something that is different from the main subject of attention or course of argument Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The verb digress is often encountered in the phrase “but I digress.” This is an idiomatic expression that has been
The word for today is… Parthian (adjective) - 1: of, relating to, or characteristic of ancient Parthia or its people 2: relating to, being, or having the effect of a shot fired while in real or feigned retreat Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The adjective Parthian, which often shows up in the
The word for today is… innocuous (adjective) - 1: not likely to bother or offend : inoffensive 2: causing no injury or damage : harmless Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Innocuous is rooted in a lack of harm: it comes from the Latin adjective innocuus, which was formed by combining the negative prefix in-
The word for today is… gumbo (noun) - 1: a soup thickened with okra pods or filé and containing meat or seafoods and usually vegetables 2: okra 3a: any of various fine-grained silty soils especially of the central U.S. that when wet become impervious and soapy or waxy and
