The word for today is… astrolabe (noun) - : a compact instrument used to observe and calculate the position of celestial bodies before the invention of the sextant Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : “Thyn Astrolabie hath a ring to putten on the thombe of thi right hond in taking the height of thinges.
The word for today is… elicit (verb) - 1: to get (information, a response, etc.) from someone 2: to bring out (something latent or potential) Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Say them fast—or even slow—in isolation, and no one will know which one you mean: elicit and illicit both rhyme
The word for today is… solecism (noun) - 1: an ungrammatical combination of words in a sentence, also : a minor blunder in speech 2: something deviating from the proper, normal, or accepted order 3: a breach of etiquette or decorum Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The city of Soloi had a reputation
The word for today is… nectar (noun) - 1a: the drink of the Greek and Roman gods b: something delicious to drink c: a beverage of fruit juice and pulp 2: a sweet liquid that is secreted by the nectaries of a plant and is the chief raw material of honey
The word for today is… festinate (verb, adjective) - verb : hasten adjective : hasty Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Festinate is one among many in the category of words whose early recorded use is in the works of William Shakespeare. He used it as an adjective (which is pronounced \FESS-tuh-nut) in
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
