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# The BFD Word of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/the-bfd-word-of-the-day-1617/
- Published: 2024-07-03T18:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-04-21T18:15:02.000Z
- Author: David Theobald
- Tags: General, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-20 04:39

The word for today is…

gingerly (adjective, adverb):

*adjective*  
: very cautious or careful

*adverb*  
: with extreme care concerning the result of a movement or action : very cautiously and carefully

Source : [Merriam -Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gingerly?ref=goodoil.news)

Etymology : Always extra pleasure when WOTD features an adverb – breaks up the endless procession of nouns, adjectives and verbs. Though more common as an adverb meaning “very cautiously and carefully,” as in “moving gingerly across the icy pond,” gingerly has for more than four centuries functioned both as an adverb and as an adjective. Etymologists take a gingerly approach to assigning any particular origins to gingerly. While it might have come from the name of the spice, there’s nothing concrete to back up that idea. Another theory is that it’s related to an Old French word, gençor, meaning “prettier” or “more beautiful,” with evidence being that in 16th century English an earlier sense of gingerly often described dancing or walking done with dainty steps. It wasn’t until the 17th century that gingerly was applied to movements done with caution in order to avoid being noisy or causing injury, and to a wary manner in handling or presenting ideas.

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