The word for today is… apologia (noun): : a defense especially of one's opinions, position, or actions Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : As you might expect, apologia is a close relative of apology. Both words derive from Late Latin; apologia came to English as a direct borrowing while apology traveled
The word for today is… hidebound (adjective): 1 of a domestic animal : having a dry skin lacking in pliancy and adhering closely to the underlying flesh 2: having an inflexible or ultraconservative character Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Hidebound has its origins in agriculture. The word, which appeared in English as
The word for today is… hapless (adjective): : having no luck : unfortunate Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Hapless literally means what you'd expect it to mean: "without hap"—hap being another word for fortune or luck. Hap derives from the Old Norse word for "good luck,"
The word for today is… hierarchy (noun): 1: a division of angels 2a: a ruling body of clergy organized into orders or ranks each subordinate to the one above it, especially the bishops of a province or nation b: church government by a hierarchy 3: a body of persons in
The word for today is… accoutrement (noun): 1a: equipment, trappings - specifically : a soldier's outfit usually not including clothes and weapons. Usually used in plural b: an accessory item of clothing or equipment. Usually used in plural 2: an identifying and often superficial characteristic or device. Usually used
The word for today is… sublimate (verb, noun): transitive verb 1 archaic : to improve or refine as if by subliming 2: to divert the expression of (an instinctual desire or impulse) from its unacceptable form to one that is considered more socially or culturally acceptable intransitive verb : to pass directly
The word for today is… fulgent (adjective): : dazzlingly bright : radiant Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : "The weary Sun betook himself to rest; — / Then issued Vesper from the fulgent west." That's how the appearance of the evening star in the glowing western sky at sunset looked to 19th-century
The word for today is… ambigram (noun): : something (such as an image of a written word or phrase) that is intended or able to be oriented in either of two ways for viewing or reading Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Ambigram was introduced by cognitive scientist Douglas R. Hofstadter in his
The word for today is… drub (verb): 1: to beat severely 2: to berate critically 3: to defeat decisively Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Sportswriters often use the word drub when a team they are covering is drubbed—that is, routed—but the term’s history reveals that it wasn’t
The word for today is… hoity-toity (noun, adjective): noun : thoughtless giddy behavior adjective 1: thoughtlessly silly or frivolous : flighty 2: marked by an air of assumed importance Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In modern use, hoity-toity is used almost exclusively to describe someone who's got their nose stuck up
The word for today is… complaisant (adjective): 1: marked by an inclination to please or oblige 2: tending to consent to others' wishes Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Complaisant and complacent are often confused, and for good reason. Not only do the words look and sound alike, but they also
The word for today is… scintilla (noun) : spark, trace Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Wonder what scintillas (or scintillae) are? It may help spark your memory to look up above the world so high at the tiny (to our eyes) stars twinkling like diamonds in the sky. Scintilla comes directly from
The word for today is… ponderous (adjective): 1: of very great weight 2: unwieldy or clumsy because of weight and size 3: oppressively or unpleasantly dull : lifeless Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Ponderous is ultimately from the Latin word for "weight," namely, "pondus" (which also gave us
The word for today is… placate (verb): : to soothe or mollify especially by concessions : appease Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : The earliest documented uses of the verb placate in English date from the late 17th century. The word is derived from Latin placatus, the past participle of placare, and placate still
The word for today is… plaudit (noun): 1: an act or round of applause 2: enthusiastic approval, usually used in plural Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Plaudit is a word coined by shortening Latin plaudite, meaning "applaud". Plaudit had gained approval status in English by the first years of
The word for today is… nerd (noun): 1: a person devoted to intellectual, academic, or technical pursuits or interests, Also a person preoccupied with or devoted to a particular activity or field of interest 2: an unstylish or socially awkward person Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Dork, when used to refer
