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word of the day

The word for today is…

incumbent (noun, adjective) –

noun:
1 : the holder of an office or ecclesiastical benefice
2 : one that occupies a particular position or place

adjective:
1 : imposed as a duty : obligatory – incumbent on us to take action
2 : having the status of an incumbent
3 : lying or resting on something else
4 : bent over so as to rest on or touch an underlying surface

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : When incumbent was first used in English in the 15th century, it referred to someone who occupied a benefice—a paid position in a church. This was often a lifetime appointment; the person could only be forced to leave the office in the case of certain specific legal conflicts. In the mid-17th century, incumbent came to refer to anyone holding any office, including elected positions. These days, in the American political system, incumbent generally refers to someone who is the current holder of a position during an election to fill that position. Incumbent came to English through Anglo-French and derives from the Latin incumbere, meaning “to lie down on.”

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