The word for today is… vertiginous (adjective) - 1a: characterized by or suffering from vertigo or dizziness b: inclined to frequent and often pointless change : inconstant 2: causing or tending to cause dizziness 3: marked by turning : rotary Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The climactic scene of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller
The word for today is… canoodle (verb) - : to engage in amorous embracing, caressing, and kissing : pet, fondle Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The origins of canoodle are uncertain, but may have their genesis in an English dialect noun of the same spelling meaning “donkey,” “fool,” or “foolish lover.” That canoodle may
The word for today is… allegory (noun) - 1: the expression of truths or generalizations about human existence by means of symbolic figures and actions 2: a symbolic representation Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Allegory is the expression of truths or generalizations about human existence by means of symbolic fictional figures and
The word for today is… prototype (noun) - 1: an original model on which something is patterned : archetype 2: an individual that exhibits the essential features of a later type 3: a standard or typical example 4: a first full-scale and usually functional form of a new type or design
The word for today is… paramour (noun) - : lover - specifically : an illicit or secret lover Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Paramour came to English from French (a language based on Latin), though the modern French don't use the word. Since par amour meant "through love", it implies a
The word for today is… vacuous (adjective) - 1: emptied of or lacking content 2: marked by lack of ideas or intelligence : stupid, inane 3: devoid of serious occupation : idle Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : As you might have guessed, "vacuous" shares the same root as "vacuum"-the
The word for today is… parabolic (adjective) - 1: expressed by or being a parable : allegorical 2: of, having the form of, or relating to a parabola Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The two distinct meanings of parabolic trace back to the development of Late Latin and New Latin. Late Latin is
The word for today is… animosity (noun) - : a strong feeling of dislike or hatred : ill will or resentment tending toward active hostility : an antagonistic attitude Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The important Latin word animus (very closely related to anima) could mean a great many things having to do with the
The word for today is… meme (noun) - 1: an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media 2: an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture Source
The word for today is… timorous (adjective) - 1: of a timid disposition : fearful 2: expressing or suggesting timidity Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Timid and timorous don't just have similar spellings and meanings; they are etymologically related as well. Both words ultimately derive from the Latin verb timēre, meaning
The word for today is… syllepsis (noun) - 1: the use of a word to modify or govern syntactically two or more words with only one of which it formally agrees in gender, number, or case 2: the use of a word in the same grammatical relation to two adjacent words
The word for today is… maritime (adjective) - 1: of, relating to, or bordering on the sea 2: of or relating to navigation or commerce on the sea 3: having the characteristics of a mariner Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The maritime countries of Portugal and England produced many seafaring explorers during
The word for today is… aphaeresis (noun) - : the loss of one or more sounds or letters at the beginning of a word (as in round for around) Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Borrowed from Late Latin, borrowed from Greek aphaíresis "taking away, removal, dropping of a letter or sound from
The word for today is… diaphanous (adjective) - 1: characterised by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing through 2: characterised by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal 3: insubstantial, vague Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : What do the words diaphanous, epiphany, fancy, phenomenon, sycophant, emphasis, and phase all have in common?
The word for today is… sinuous (adjective) - 1a: of a serpentine or wavy form : winding b: marked by strong lithe movements 2: intricate, complex Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Although it probably makes you think more of snakes than head colds, sinuous is etymologically more like sinus than serpent. Sinuous and
The word for today is… quintessential (adjective, noun) - adjective : perfectly typical or representative of a particular kind of person or thing noun : a quintessential element : something that is a typical part or pure example — usually plural Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The philosophers and scientists of the ancient world and the
