The word for today is… mea culpa (noun) - : a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Mea culpa, which means "through my fault" in Latin, comes from a prayer of confession in the Catholic Church. Said by itself, it's an exclamation of
The word for today is… obnubilate (transitive verb) - : becloud, obscure Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The meaning of obnubilate becomes clearer when you know that its ancestors are the Latin terms ob- (meaning "in the way") and nubes ("cloud"). It's a high-flown sounding word,
The word for today is… obloquy (noun) - 1: a strongly condemnatory utterance : abusive language 2: the condition of one that is discredited : bad repute Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : English speakers can choose from several synonyms to name a tongue-lashing. Abuse is a good general term that usually stresses the
The word for today is… preternatural (adjective) - 1: existing outside of nature 2: exceeding what is natural or regular : extraordinary 3: inexplicable by ordinary means, especially : psychic Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Preternatural comes from the Latin phrase praeter naturam, meaning "beyond nature." Medieval Latin scholars rendered this as
The word for today is… impetuous (adjective) - 1: marked by impulsive vehemence or passion 2: marked by force and violence of movement or action Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Impetuous types make impetuous decisions: they leap before they look, put carts before horses, count their chickens before even the tiniest of
The word for today is… concise (adjective) - : marked by brevity of expression or statement : free from all elaboration and superfluous detail Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Many people think that adding unnecessary sentences with long words will make their writing more impressive. But in fact almost every reader values concision, since
The word for today is… mediocre (adjective) - : of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance : ordinary, so-so Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : One of the things that is remarkable about mediocre is the extent to which it has retained its meaning over the course of more than four centuries
The word for today is… rebarbative (adjective) - : repellent, irritating Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Rebarbative traces back to the Latin word for "beard" - barba - making it a very distant relative of the English word beard. But there is some sense to the connection. After all, beards may not be
The word for today is… gesundheit (interjection): —used to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : An interjection today; I think this may be the first since I took over the WOTD reins from the late Korau. When English speakers hear "achoo,
The word for today is… anomaly (noun): 1: something different, abnormal, peculiar, or not easily classified : something anomalous 2: deviation from the common rule : irregularity 3: the angular distance of a planet from its perihelion as seen from the sun Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : You might be familiar with the
The word for today is… catch-22 (noun): 1: a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule. Also : the circumstance or rule that denies a solution 2a: an illogical, unreasonable, or senseless situation b: a measure or
The word for today is… triumvirate (noun): 1: a body of triumvirs 2: the office or government of triumvirs 3: a group or association of three Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : A triumvir is one of a commission or ruling body of three. The first triumvirate of the Roman Republic, which
The word for today is… lugubrious (adjective): 1: mournful, especially : exaggeratedly or affectedly mournful 2: dismal Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Everybody hurts, as the classic R.E.M. song goes, and when your day is long and the night is yours alone, lugubrious is a perfect word for describing such
The word for today is… bombard (noun, verb): noun : a late medieval cannon used to hurl large stones verb 1: to attack especially with artillery or bombers 2: to assail vigorously or persistently (as with questions) 3: to subject to the impact of rapidly moving particles (such as electrons) Source
The word for today is… acrid (adjective): 1: sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor : irritating 2: deeply or violently bitter : acrimonious Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Acrid exactly fits the smoke from a fire—a burning building or forest, for example. Dense smog may cast an acrid
The word for today is… placid (adjective): : serenely free of interruption or disturbance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Like placid, the words calm, tranquil, and serene all mean "quiet and free from disturbance." Calm conveys a quiet composure that contrasts with surrounding chaos, while tranquil suggests a very deep
