Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 07, 2014 is: coax \KOHKS\ verb 1 : to influence or gently urge by caressing or flattering : wheedle 2 : to draw, gain, or persuade by means of gentle urging or flattery 3 : to manipulate with great perseverance and usually with considerable effort toward a desired state or activity Examples: Stem cells can be cultured to divide and then coaxed to turn into many different cell types. "He is a little scared of the other cats, but he would love for you to come coax him out from under the kennels and admire his big, beautiful blue eyes." — From an article in Los Alamos Monitor (New Mexico), December 7, 2013 Did you know? In the days of yore, if you made a "cokes" of someone, you made a fool of them. "Cokes"—a now-obsolete word for "fool"—is believed to be the source of our verb "coax," which was first used in the 16th century (with the spelling "cokes") to mean "to make a fool of." Soon, the verb also took on the kinder meaning of "to make a pet of." As might be expected, the act of cokesing was sometimes done for personal gain. By the 17th century, the word was being used in today's senses that refer to influencing or persuading people by kind acts or words. By the early 19th century, the spelling "cokes" had fallen out of use, along with the meanings "to make a fool of" and "to make a pet of."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 06, 2014 is: behest \bih-HEST\ noun 1 : an authoritative order : command 2 : an urgent prompting Examples: At the manager's behest, several of us stayed to work late so that we could finish the project ahead of the deadline. "They say the constitutional separation of powers blocks the panel—created at the governor's behest—from policing the legislative branch." — From an editorial in The New York Post, November 29, 2013 Did you know? Today's word first appeared in 12th century Old English as "behλst," which is formed from the prefix "be-" and the Old English verb "hātan" ("to command" or "to promise"). While "behest" was originally used only in the sense of "promise," it acquired the additional sense of "command" among speakers of Middle English. Among contemporary English speakers, "behest" is no longer used in the sense of "promise" but rather denotes an authoritative or urgent request or command. Old English "hātan" also gave English the now-archaic words "hest" (meaning "command") and "hight" ("being called or named").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 05, 2014 is: scrutinize \SKROO-tuh-nyze\ verb : to examine closely and minutely Examples: The new $100 bill has enough novel security features that the urge to scrutinize it will likely be irresistible to most people upon encountering it for the first time. "After being scrutinized by City Council and local businesses, several designs for the Santa Monica Pier bridge were passed on for environmental review at this week's meeting." — From an article by David Mark Simpson in the Santa Monica Daily Press (California), November 28, 2013 Did you know? A close look at the etymology of "scrutinize" reveals that the word stems from the Latin verb "scrutari" (meaning "to search" or "to examine"), which in turn probably comes from "scruta" (meaning "trash," or more specifically "a mixture of worthwhile articles and trash"). In the 15th century "scrutari" gave us the noun "scrutiny," a word that originally meant "a formal vote" and then "an official examination of votes." "Scrutinize" retained reference to voting, with the meaning "to examine votes," at least into the 18th century—and even today in Britain a "scrutineer" is a person who counts votes.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 04, 2014 is: mimesis \muh-MEE-sis\ noun : imitation, mimicry Examples: Later on in her life, the painter became less interested in mimesis and began to experiment in styles of abstraction. "It is four million years ago. The great apes emerged. Their brains were large enough to give them cognitive capacities that exceeded other species of animals. They could teach their young through mimesis and episodic memory." — From an article by Don Heath in The Edmond Sun (Oklahoma), October 28, 2013 Did you know? "Mimesis" is a term with an undeniably classical pedigree. Originally a Greek word, it has been used in aesthetic or artistic theory to refer to the attempt to imitate or reproduce reality since Plato and Aristotle. "Mimesis" is derived from the Greek verb "mimeisthai," which means "to imitate" and which itself comes from "mimos," meaning "mime." The English word "mime" also descends from "mimos," as do "mimic" and "mimicry." And what about "mimeograph," the name of the duplicating machine that preceded the photocopier? We can't be absolutely certain what the folks at the A. B. Dick Company had in mind when they came up with "Mimeograph" (a trademark name that has since expired), but influence from "mimos" and its descendants certainly seems probable.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 03, 2014 is: writhe \RYTHE\ verb 1 : to move or proceed with twists and turns 2 : to twist from or as if from pain or struggling 3 : to suffer keenly Examples: After falling off the ladder, James lay on the ground, writhing in pain. "Now Revel is trying to attract more people with features such as the 'DigiPit,' a performance space on the gambling floor where acrobats writhe and tumble in front of the people playing on digital gaming machines." — From an article by Adrienne Raphel on The New Yorker's Currency blog, November 25, 2013 Did you know? "Writhe" wound its way to English from the Old English verb "wrīthan" ("to twist") and is akin to the Old English verb "wrigian" ("to turn or go"). "Wrigian" gave us our words "wriggle," "awry," and "wry." When something wriggles it twists from side to side with quick movements, like an earthworm. When something goes awry, its twists or winds off course, or toward catastrophe. "Wry" can mean "bent or twisted" but now usually implies clever, ironic humor. Nowadays, "writhe" often suggests the physical contortions one makes when enduring crippling pain or when trying to extract oneself from a tight grasp (as an animal from a predator's claws). Alternatively, it can imply an emotionally wrenching feeling (as of grief or fear) from which one seeks relief.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 02, 2014 is: endemic \en-DEM-ik\ adjective 1 : characteristic of or prevalent in a particular field, area, or environment 2 : restricted or peculiar to a locality or region Examples: A recent report identifies the country as a "failed state," citing endemic corruption at all levels of government. "Aucoin's research focuses on the development of rapid diagnostics as a resource to countries where disease is endemic and expanding." — From an article in the Reno Gazette-Journal (Nevada), December 3, 2013 Did you know? If you translate it literally, "endemic" means "in the population." It derives from the Greek "endēmos," which joins "en," meaning "in," and "dēmos," meaning "people" or "populace." "Endemic" is often used to characterize diseases that are generally found in a particular area; malaria, for example, is said to be endemic to tropical and subtropical regions. This use differs from that of the related word "epidemic" in that it indicates a more or less constant presence in a particular population or area rather than a sudden, severe outbreak within that region or group. The word is also used by biologists to characterize the plant and animal species that are only found in a given area.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 01, 2014 is: abecedarian \ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-un\ adjective 1 a : of or relating to the alphabet b : alphabetically arranged 2 : rudimentary Examples: The children recited an abecedarian chant, beginning with "A is for apple" and ending with "Z is for zebra." "'The Future of Terror' and 'Terror of the Future' are abecedarian poems, which is to say that they follow a particular scheme through the alphabet." — From a poetry review by David Orr in The New York Times, February 17, 2008 Did you know? The history of "abecedarian" is as simple as ABC—literally. The term's Late Latin ancestor, "abecedarius" (which meant "of the alphabet"), was created as a combination of the letters A, B, C, and D, plus the adjective suffix "-arius"; you can hear the echo of that origin in the pronunciation of the English term (think "ABC-darian"). In its oldest documented English uses in the early 1600s, "abecedarian" was a noun meaning "one learning the rudiments of something"; it specifically referred to someone who was learning the alphabet. The adjective began appearing in English texts around 1665.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 31, 2013 is: pococurante \POH-koh-kyoo-RAN-tee\ adjective : indifferent, nonchalant Examples: Even the most pococurante museum-goers are bound to be moved by the photos in the new exhibit. "[Anonymous restaurant reviewers] lumbered in as any other diner would, assessing astutely yet nonchalantly the performance of the coat-check girl, the host, the bringers of water, and the offerings of wine; the service was scrutinized while maintaining an entirely pococurante front. " — From an article by Bethany Jean Clement in The Stranger, September 5-11, 2012 Did you know? The French writer Voltaire carefully named his characters in Candide (1759) to create allegories. He appended the prefix "pan-," meaning "all," to "glōssa," the Greek word for "tongue," to name his optimistic tutor "Pangloss," a sobriquet suggesting glibness and talkativeness. Then there is the apathetic Venetian Senator Pococurante, whose name appropriately means "caring little" in Italian. Voltaire's characters did not go unnoticed by later writers. Laurence Sterne used "Pococurante" in part six of Tristram Shandy, published three years after Candide, to mean "a careless person," and Irish poet Thomas Moore first employed the word as an adjective when he described Dublin as a poco-curante place in his memoirs of 1815.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 30, 2013 is: saponaceous \sap-uh-NAY-shus\ adjective : resembling or having the qualities of soap Examples: "When boiled or bruised in water, the leaves turn saponaceous, and the resulting lather cuts through grease." — From an article in Mountain Xpress (Asheville, North Carolina), March 16, 2005 - March 22, 2005 "Wilberforce's smooth and slippery manner had led a contemporary to call him saponaceous, after the adjective from soap." — From an award acceptance speech by British writer Philip Pulman, printed in The Humanist, July 1, 2008 Did you know? "Saponaceous" is a New Latin borrowing by scientists that is based on "sapo," the Latin word for "soap." It describes natural substances, like aloe gel or some plant roots, used in making soap or having the properties of soap. It also describes things that feel or appear soapy—for example, some shales and clays, mica, and certain chemical preparations. In the 19th century, "saponaceous" began to be used for people having a slippery, evasive, or elusive character. One famous example is the elocutionist Bishop Wilberforce mentioned in our second example sentence, whom British politician Benjamin Disraeli described as "unctuous, oleaginous, saponaceous." In The Devil's Dictionary, author Ambrose Bierce uses Disraeli's quote to illustrate the word "oleaginous," noting that "the good prelate was ever afterward known as Soapy Sam."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 29, 2013 is: imbricate \IM-brih-kut\ adjective : lying lapped over each other in regular order Examples: During the tour of the mansion, Glenda noted the pattern of imbricate slate tiles on the roofs of the gables, a feature common to houses of the period. "Recent geological studies and limited geophysical measurements in this region have been cited to argue that uplift is due to internal imbricate 'stacking' of Asian crust…." —Professor James Ni as quoted by Donyelle Kesler in Las Cruces Sun-News (New Mexico), July 22, 2011 Did you know? The ancient Romans knew how to keep the interior of their villas dry when it rained. They covered their roofs with overlapping curved tiles so the "imber" (Latin for "pelting rain" or "rain shower") couldn't seep in. The tiles were, in effect, "rain tiles," so the Romans called them "imbrices" (singular "imbrex"). The verb for installing the tiles was "imbricare," and English speakers used its past participle—"imbricatus"—to create "imbricate," which was first used as an adjective meaning "overlapping (like roof tiles)" and later became a verb meaning "to overlap." These days, the adjective is usually encountered in scientific contexts.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 28, 2013 is: mea culpa \may-uh-KOOL-puh\ noun : a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error Examples: The mayor's public mea culpa didn't satisfy his critics. "Here's my mea culpa: I admit I'm carrying around 20 pounds I could do without and also don't exercise enough." — From an article by Eli Amdur in the Patriot News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), November 10, 2013 Did you know? "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 apology or remorse that is used to mean "It was my fault" or "I apologize." "Mea culpa" is also a noun, however. A newspaper might issue a mea culpa for printing inaccurate information, or a politician might give a speech making mea culpas for past wrongdoings. "Mea culpa" is one of many English terms that derive from the Latin "culpa," meaning "guilt." Some other examples are "culpable" ("meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful") and "culprit" ("one guilty of a crime or a fault").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 27, 2013 is: exhilarate \ig-ZIL-uh-rayt\ verb 1 : to make cheerful and excited : enliven, elate 2 : refresh, stimulate Examples: "There is nothing like a cold swim to exhilarate the body," said Susan, explaining why she was considering participating in her town's upcoming Polar Bear Plunge. "If being perched on a 2,000-foot coastal ridge in a lightning storm frightens rather than exhilarates you, then you might not be cut out for life on Kings Mountain…." — From an article by Aaron Kinney in the San Jose Mercury News (California), August 31, 2012 Did you know? Many people find "exhilarate" a difficult word to spell. It's easy to forget that silent "h" in there, and is it an "er" or "ar" after the "l"? It may be easier to remember the spelling if you know that "exhilarate" is ultimately derived from the Latin adjective "hilarus," meaning "cheerful." (This also explains why the earliest meaning of "exhilarate" is "to make cheerful.") "Exhilarate" comes from "exhilaratus," the past participle of "exhilarare," which is formed by combining "ex-" and "hilarare," a verb that derives from "hilarus" and means "to cheer or gladden." If "hilarus" looks familiar, that may be because it's also the source of "hilarious" and "hilarity" (as well as "hilariously" and "hilariousness," of course).

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2013 is: paraphernalia \pair-uh-fuh-NAIL-yuh\ noun 1 : the separate real or personal property of a married woman that she can dispose of by will and sometimes according to common law during her life 2 : personal belongings 3 a : articles of equipment : furnishings b : accessory items : appurtenances Examples: "Pearls and jewels, even though only worn on state occasions, may go to the widow as paraphernalia,—but with a limit." — From Anthony Trollope's 1872 novel The Eustace Diamonds "Over the years, he's been into stained glass window-making, hiking, grilling and smoking meat, golfing, collecting bar paraphernalia, and kayak fishing." — From an article by Michael Warren in The Weekly Standard, November 11, 2013 Did you know? In current use, "paraphernalia" is typically encountered in its "equipment" sense in such contexts as "arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia." But the word hasn't always been used in that way. Originally, paraphernalia was property that a married woman owned herself—as opposed to her husband's property or the dowry she brought to the marriage. "Paraphernalia" came to English, via Medieval Latin, from Greek "parapherna," meaning "bride's property beyond her dowry" (from "para-," meaning "beyond," and "phernē," meaning "dowry"). Although "paraphernalia" was plural in Medieval Latin, it can take either a singular or plural verb in English.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 25, 2013 is: noel \noh-EL\ noun 1 : a Christmas carol 2 : capitalized Christmas Examples: We unwrapped our Christmas presents while listening to a CD of delightful and familiar noels. "Holiday music will fill the air as the Southern Miss Gulf Coast Civic Chorale performs their annual holiday concerts on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The performance, 'Peaceful Noel,' will feature Franz Schubert's 'Mass in G,' along with traditional seasonal favorites." — From an article by Charmaine Williams Schmermund in Southern Miss Now (Mississippi), November 26, 2013 Did you know? English speakers borrowed the word "noel" from French. It can be traced further back to the Latin word "natalis," which can mean "birthday" as a noun or "of or relating to birth" as an adjective. (The English adjective "natal" has the same meaning and is also an offspring of "natalis."). Noels were being sung in Latin or French for centuries before the word found its way into our language in the 1800s. The earliest known musical use of "noel" occurred in the text of a Christmas motet called "Nova vobis gaudia," which was written in the 1400s.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 24, 2013 is: debonair \deb-uh-NAIR\ adjective 1 : dressing and acting in an appealing and sophisticated way : fashionable, attractive, and confident : suave, urbane 2 : lighthearted, nonchalant Examples: David, a handsome and debonair bachelor, was among the first guests to arrive at Hannah's Christmas Eve party. "One of the staunchest of these loyalists was Godfrey McHugh. McHugh was an Air Force general and Kennedy's Air Force aide from 1961 onward. A debonair figure who spoke French fluently and as a young major dated future first lady Jacqueline Bouvier, McHugh revered JFK." — From an article by Peter Grier in the Christian Science Monitor, November 19, 2013 Did you know? In Anglo-French, someone who was genteel and well-brought-up was described as "deboneire"—literally "of good family or nature" (from the three-word phrase "de bon aire"). When the word was borrowed into English in the 13th century, it basically meant "courteous," a narrow sense now pretty much obsolete. Today's "debonair" incorporates charm, polish, and worldliness, often combined with a carefree attitude (think James Bond). And yes, we tend to use this sense mostly, though not exclusively, of men. In the 19th century, we took the "carefree" part and made it a sense all its own. "The crowd that throngs the wharf as the steamer draws alongside is gay and debonair; it is a noisy, cheerful, gesticulating crowd," wrote Somerset Maugham in 1919 in his novel The Moon and Sixpence.