Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 22, 2014 is: teem \TEEM\ verb 1 : to become filled to overflowing 2 : to be present in large quantity Examples: By mid-morning the theme park will already be teeming with visitors. "Dispensing with the last installment's cumbersome mythology, this one gets back to basics, dumping the hero on a desert planet teeming with lethal critters and determined bounty hunters." — From a movie review by Tom Russo in The Boston Globe, January 12, 2014 Did you know? The verb "teem" and the noun "team" are not just homophones, they are also etymological kin. "Teem" is derived from Old English "tīman" or "tæman," which originally meant "to bring forth offspring" or "to become pregnant" and which is related to the ancestor of "team," the Old English noun "tēam," meaning "offspring, lineage, or group of draft animals." "Team" can still be used to refer to a brood of young animals, especially pigs or ducks, but both "teem" and "team" have otherwise largely left their offspring-related senses behind.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 21, 2014 is: small beer \SMAWL-BEER\ noun 1 : weak or inferior beer 2 : something of small importance : trivia Examples: The money we spend on cable is small beer compared to the mortgage payment we have to come up with every month. "The main drink was 'small beer', which had a low alcohol content—just enough to preserve it—and was drunk by almost everyone, from children to old men, instead of water." — From an article by Alex Fensome in The Dominion Post (New Zealand), January 13, 2014 Did you know? "Small beer" dates from Shakespeare's day. The Bard didn't coin it (he would have been just a child in 1568, the date of the first documented instance of "small beer"), but he did put the term to good use. In Henry VI, Part 2, for example, the rebel Jack Cade declares that, when he becomes king, he will "make it felony to drink small beer." In Othello, Desdemona asks Iago to describe a "deserving woman." Iago responds by listing praises for ten lines, only to conclude that such a woman would be suited "to suckle fools, and chronicle small beer"; in other words, to raise babies and keep track of insignificant household expenses. Desdemona quickly retorts, declaring Iago's assertion a "most lame and impotent conclusion."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 20, 2014 is: senescence \sih-NESS-unss\ noun 1 : the state of being old : the process of becoming old 2 : the growth phase in a plant or plant part (as a leaf) from full maturity to death Examples: Vera avoids the pitfalls of senescence by exercising daily and staying active in her community. "Butler's book grew out of the experience of her father's long-drawn-out senescence, enabled primarily by the installation of a pacemaker in his heart that kept it beating long after his other faculties withered." — From a book review by Michelle Dean in The Christian Science Monitor, October 24, 2013 Did you know? "Senescence" can be traced back to Latin "senex," meaning "old." Can you guess which other English words come from "senex"? "Senile" might come to mind, as well as "senior." But another one might surprise you: "senate." This word for a legislative assembly dates back to ancient Rome, where the "Senatus" was originally a council of elders composed of the heads of patrician families. There's also the much rarer "senectitude," which, like "senescence," refers to the state of being old (specifically, to the final stage of the normal life span).

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 19, 2014 is: arch \AHRCH\ adjective 1 : principal, chief 2 a : mischievous, saucy b : marked by a deliberate and often forced playfulness, irony, or impudence Examples: The novel is never mocking or arch in its tone—a marked departure from the writer's usual style. "Bloomberg was harshly criticized for the slow response, especially in Queens and Brooklyn, to a December 2010 blizzard that dumped 20 inches (50 centimeters) of snow on the Big Apple, three times more than on Friday. De Blasio had been among his arch critics at the time." — From an article on TheRawStory.com by Agence France-Presse, January 4, 2014 Did you know? As a prefix, "arch-" appears in a number of titles referring to positions of superiority, such as "archduke" and "archbishop." Ultimately deriving (via Latin and French) from the Greek verb "archein" ("to begin, rule"), it can also mean "chief " (as in "archnemesis") or "extreme" (as in "archconservative"). In the 17th century, as the "extreme" sense of "arch" came to be used frequently to describe rogues, knaves, and other clever and mischievous sorts, "arch" eventually settled into use as an adjective to describe one with impish or playful qualities. Use of the word has since extended to describe actions or remarks meant to be ironic, cutting, or condescending.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 18, 2014 is: redoubtable \rih-DOUT-uh-bul\ adjective 1 : causing fear or alarm : formidable 2 : illustrious, eminent; broadly : worthy of respect Examples: The theater has hired a redoubtable director to direct its upcoming production. "The study's authors—Jason Grissom, Benjamin Master, and the redoubtable Susannah Loeb—assigned researchers to shadow 100-plus principals in the Miami-Dade school district and document their actions in five-minute intervals." — From an article by Karin Chenoweth in the Huffington Post, January 16, 2014 Did you know? The word "redoubtable" is worthy of respect itself, if only for its longevity; it has been used in English for things formidable since at least the 15th century. This "dread"-ful term comes to us through Middle English from the Anglo-French verb "reduter," meaning "to dread," and ultimately derives from "duter," meaning "to doubt." Things or people that are formidable and alarming can also inspire awe and even admiration, however, and it wasn't long before the meaning of "redoubtable" was extended from "formidable" to "illustrious" and "worthy of respect."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 17, 2014 is: probity \PROH-buh-tee\ noun : adherence to the highest principles and ideals : uprightness Examples: The tale of young George Washington's refusal to tell a lie after cutting down his father's cherry tree was told to us as grade schoolers to illustrate his probity. "The Senate has confirmed Jeh Johnson, once the Pentagon's top lawyer, to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Johnson brings a sharp legal mind and reputation for probity to the job." — From an editorial in The New York Times, December 26, 2013 Did you know? "Probity" and its synonyms "honesty," "honor," and "integrity" all mean uprightness of character or action, with some slight differences in emphasis. "Honesty" implies a refusal to lie or deceive in any way. "Honor" suggests an active or anxious regard for the standards of one's profession, calling, or position. "Integrity" implies trustworthiness and incorruptibility to a degree that one is incapable of being false to a trust, responsibility, or pledge. "Probity," which descends from Latin "probus," meaning "honest," implies tried and proven honesty or integrity.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 16, 2014 is: lorn \LORN\ adjective : desolate, forsaken Examples: "One large saucepan lay lorn near the doorstep, a proof that Foster was human." — From Arnold Bennett's 1910 novel Clayhanger "It's a bit unsettling here seeing slides, climbing structures, and the like lost in lone, lorn decay." — From a photography exhibit review by Mark Feeney in The Boston Globe, December 2, 2011 Did you know? "Lorn" and "forlorn" are synonyms that can both mean "desolate" or "forsaken." The similarity in form and meaning of the two words is hardly a coincidence. "Lorn" comes down to us from "loren," the Middle English past participle of the verb "lesen" ("to lose"), itself a descendent of the Old English "lēosan." Similarly, "forlorn" comes from the Middle English "forloren," a descendent of Old English verb "forlēosan," which also means "to lose." The "for-" in "forlorn" is a no longer productive prefix meaning, among other things, "completely," "excessively," or "to exhaustion." Nowadays, "forlorn" is considerably more common than "lorn." "Lorn" does, however, appear as the second element in the compound "lovelorn" ("bereft of love or of a lover").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 15, 2014 is: crepitate \KREP-uh-tayt\ verb : to make a crackling sound : to make a series of short, sharp noises Examples: Most of the tiny town's residents had something to contribute to the bonfire, and it burned brightly and crepitated loudly late into the night. "A familiar synthetic beat starts the disc…. The band slowly fills in around the pulse, wind blowing through tunnels, factories moaning, yawning infrastructure, broken, creaking. Embers of some final blast crepitating." — From a music review by David King in Metroland, October 17, 2013 Did you know? "Crepitate" comes from the Latin word "crepitare," meaning "to crackle." It has been used with this meaning since the late 1820s, but it had a previous life: about 200 years prior it was used to mean "to break wind." That meaning is now obsolete, and the word has no embarrassing remnants. In addition to its general use as a synonym of "crackle," "crepitate" also has a specific medical meaning—"to produce or experience crepitation." "Crepitation" here refers to a grating or crackling sound or sensation, such as that produced by the fractured ends of a bone moving against each other.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 14, 2014 is: Cupid \KYOO-pid\ noun : the Roman god of erotic love 2 not capitalized : a figure that represents Cupid as a naked usually winged boy often holding a bow and arrow Examples: I purchased a large Valentine's Day card decorated with hearts and cupids. "Ever since opening Seventh Sister Bakery at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue three years ago, Ms. Lang has been playing cupid with her regulars…." — From an article by Zosia Bielski in The Globe and Mail (Canada), January 11, 2014 Did you know? According to Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Mercury, the messenger god, and Venus, the goddess of love. In Roman times, the winged "messenger of love" was sometimes depicted in armor, but no one is sure if that was intended as a sarcastic comment on the similarities between warfare and romance, or a reminder that love conquers all. Cupid was generally seen as a good spirit who brought happiness to all, but his matchmaking could cause mischief. Venus wasn't above using her son's power to get revenge on her rivals, and she once plotted to have the beautiful mortal Psyche fall in love with a despicable man. But the plan backfired: Cupid fell in love with Psyche, and she eventually became his immortal wife.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 13, 2014 is: serendipity \sair-un-DIP-uh-tee\ noun : the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also : an instance of this Examples: We found the restaurant by pure serendipity, rather than careful research, but it turned out to be the best deal in town. "Many young people today have never had the experience of getting lost.… They have not experienced the pleasure of wandering while lost and discovering by serendipity interesting new places." — From an op-ed by Katie Davis and Howard Gardner in the Seattle Times, January 7, 2014 Did you know? In the mid-1700s, English author Horace Walpole stumbled upon an interesting tidbit of information while researching a coat of arms. In a letter to his friend Horace Mann he wrote: "This discovery indeed is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word, which as I have nothing better to tell you, I shall endeavor to explain to you: you will understand it better by the derivation than by the definition. I once read a silly fairy tale, called 'The Three Princes of Serendip': as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of…." Walpole's memory of the tale (which, as it turns out, was not quite accurate) gave "serendipity" the meaning it retains to this day.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 12, 2014 is: deracinate \dee-RASS-uh-nayt\ verb 1 : uproot 2 : to remove or separate from a native environment or culture; especially : to remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences from Examples: The old-fashioned gardening book recommended deracinating every other plant in the row to allow the survivors room to grow. "My dilemma was that, on one hand, I am one of those who, by accident of birth, finds herself the daughter of an earl and has insider knowledge of the framework the bill is trying to overhaul. On the other hand, I don't use my title and am deracinated from that life." — From an article by Liza Campbell in The Guardian, January 14, 2014 Did you know? There is a hint about the roots of "deracinate" in its first definition. "Deracinate" was borrowed into English in the late 16th century from Middle French and can be traced back to the Latin word "radix," meaning "root." Although "deracinate" began life referring to literal plant roots, it quickly took on a second metaphorical meaning suggesting removal of anyone or anything from native "roots" or culture. Other offspring of "radix" include "eradicate" ("to pull up by the roots" or "to do away with as completely as if by pulling up by the roots") and "radish" (a crisp edible root). Though the second sense of "deracinate" mentions racial characteristics and influence, the words "racial" and "race" derive from "razza," an Italian word of uncertain origin.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 11, 2014 is: filch \FILCH\ verb : to appropriate furtively or casually : to steal (something that is small or that has little value) Examples: After Devin admitted to filching a candy bar from the convenience store, he apologized to the owner but was not allowed in the store again. "(Shia) LaBeouf directed a 2012 short film, HowardCantour.com. Until Dec. 16, one would have imagined that he wrote the film, too. But no, as BuzzFeed revealed (as though the saga lacked intellectual-property intrigue!), he had filched the plot from 'Justin M. Damiano,' a 2007 comic by artist Daniel Clowes." — From a post by Jack Dickey on TIME.com, December 23, 2013 Did you know? "I am glad I am so acquit of this tinder-box: his thefts were too open; his filching was like an unskilful singer—he kept not time." So says Falstaff in Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Bard was fond of "filch" in both its literal and figurative uses; Iago says to Othello, "he that filches from me my good name / Robs me of that which not enriches him / And makes me poor indeed." "Filch" derives from the Middle English word "filchen" ("to attack" or "to steal") and perhaps from Old English "gefylce" ("band of men, troop, army"). As a noun, "filch" once referred to a hooked staff used by thieves to snatch articles out of windows and from similar places, but this use is now obsolete.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 10, 2014 is: anodyne \AN-uh-dyne\ adjective 1 : serving to alleviate pain 2 : not likely to offend or arouse tensions : innocuous Examples: I felt nervous in their presence and couldn't muster anything more than an anodyne question about the weather. "The cuisine of Spain is largely misunderstood in the United States, where what passes for Spanish food is all too often an anodyne assemblage of yellow rice, green sauce and red peppers." — From a restaurant review by Erica Marcus in Newsday (New York), January 3, 2014 Did you know? "Anodyne" came to English via Latin from Greek "anōdynos" ("without pain"), and it has been used as both an adjective and a noun ("something that relieves pain") since the 16th century. It has sometimes been used of things that dull or lull the senses and render painful experiences less so. Edmund Burke used it this way, for example, in 1790 when he referred to flattery as an "anodyne draft of oblivion" that renders one (in this particular case, the deposed king Louis XVI) forgetful of the flatterer's true feelings. In the 1930s, a newer second sense began appearing in our vocabulary. Now, in addition to describing things that dull pain, "anodyne" can also refer to that which doesn't cause discomfort in the first place.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 09, 2014 is: regnant \REG-nunt\ adjective 1 : exercising rule : reigning 2 a : having the chief power : dominant b : of common or widespread occurrence Examples: There was increasing pressure on the regnant king to produce an heir. "As Washington considers how to save the Postal Service, it ought to cast its eyes toward Europe, where mail delivery is one of the few areas where privatization is regnant." — From an article by Troy Senik in the Orange County Register (California), October 17, 2013 Did you know? The etymology of "regnant" is fairly straightforward: English speakers borrowed the word sometime around 1600 from Latin. "Regnant" is derived from the Latin verb "regnare," meaning "to reign." "Regnare," in turn, traces back to the noun "regnum," meaning "reign," which derives from "rex," the Latin word for "king." Other descendants of "regnum" include "interregnum" ("a period between two successive reigns or regimes"), "regnal" ("of or relating to a king or his reign"), and even "reign" itself.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 08, 2014 is: parvenu \PAHR-vuh-noo\ noun : one who has recently or suddenly risen to an unaccustomed position of wealth or power and has not yet gained the prestige, dignity, or manner associated with it Examples: Washington old-timers viewed the young senator as an upstart parvenu. "Today, Denver continues to reflect the brash carelessness of the parvenu, flush and arrogant with sudden riches." — From an article by Susan Barnes-Gelt in the Denver Post, November 24, 2013 Did you know? French has been generous in providing us with terms for obscure folks who suddenly strike it rich. In addition to "parvenu," French has loaned us "nouveau riche," "arriviste," and "roturier," all of which can describe a rich person of plebeian origins, especially one who is a bit snobby. Those colorful and slightly disparaging terms for the newly moneyed clearly show their French heritage, but it may be harder to see the French background of a term Massachusetts locals once used for coastal merchants made rich through the fishing trade: "codfish aristocracy." "Codfish" comes from Middle English, but "aristocracy" passed into English via Middle French.