The word for today is… anecdote (noun) - : a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The Byzantine official Procopius wrote three historical works in Greek. In the first two, he dealt with wars and public works projects, but the third was something of
The word for today is… revanche (noun) - : revenge, especially : a usually political policy designed to recover lost territory or status Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Revanche first appeared in English in the mid-19th century, deriving, along with our noun "revenge," from the Middle French verb revenchier ("to
The word for today is… monologue (noun) - 1a: a poem, discourse, or utterance of a character in a drama that gives the illusion of being a series of unspoken reflections b: a dramatic sketch performed by one actor c: the routine of a stand-up comic 2: a literary composition
The word for today is… licentious (adjective) - 1: lacking legal or moral restraints, especially : disregarding sexual restraints 2: marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : License and licentious come ultimately from the same word in Latin, licentia, whose meanings ranged from "freedom to act&
The word for today is… orgy (noun) - 1: secret ceremonial rites held in honor of an ancient Greek or Roman deity and usually characterized by ecstatic singing and dancing 2a: drunken revelry b: a sexual encounter involving many people, also : an excessive sexual indulgence (see indulgence sense 1a) 3: excessive
The word for today is… viand (noun) - 1: an item of food, especially : a choice or tasty dish 2 viands plural : provisions, food Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : The etymology of viand reflects the close link between food and life. Viand was borrowed into English in the 15th century from the
The word for today is… portfolio (noun) - 1: a hinged cover or flexible case for carrying loose papers, pictures, or pamphlets 2 [from the use of such a case to carry documents of state] : the office and functions of a minister of state or member of a cabinet 3: the
The word for today is… abbreviation (noun) - 1: a shortened form of a written word or phrase used in place of the whole word or phrase 2: the act or result of abbreviating something : abridgment Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : An abbreviation is a shortened form of a written word or
The word for today is… contemn (verb) - : to view or treat with contempt : scorn Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Contemn is derived from the Latin verb contemnere, a word formed by combining con- and temnere ("to despise"). Surprisingly, our verb may have come within a hair's breadth
The word for today is… recluse (adjective, noun) - adjective : marked by withdrawal from society : solitary noun : a person who leads a secluded or solitary life Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Greta Garbo and Howard Hughes were two of the most famously reclusive celebrities of modern times. She had been a great
The word for today is… valedictory (adjective, noun) - adjective : of or relating to a valediction : expressing or containing a farewell noun : an address or statement of farewell or leave-taking Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Though it is not known where the first valedictory address was given, we do know that
The word for today is… asseverate (verb) - : to affirm or declare positively or earnestly Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : In a 2001 essay in The New York Times, novelist Elmore Leonard warned writers against using any verb other than "said" to carry dialogue, describing how an encounter with asseverated
The word for today is… erratic (adjective, noun) adjective 1: having no fixed course : wandering 2a: characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity b: deviating from what is ordinary or standard : eccentric 3: transported from an original resting place especially by a glacier 4 archaic : nomadic noun : one that
The word for today is… inevitable (adjective) - : incapable of being avoided or evaded Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Inevitable can occasionally be found used as a noun (“the inevitable had come to pass”), but more frequently it is encountered as an adjective. Some, in fact, would classify this word not only
The word for today is… banal (adjective) - : lacking originality, freshness, or novelty : trite Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : There are several pronunciations of banal, but the three most common are \BAY-nul, \buh-NAHL, and \buh-NAL\ (which rhymes with canal). The earliest pronunciation given in our dictionaries is the now-
The word for today is… crux (noun) - 1: a puzzling or difficult problem : an unsolved question 2: an essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome 3: a main or central feature (as of an argument) Source : Merriam-Webster Etymology : Latin speakers used crux to refer literally to an instrument
