Summary: Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 19, 2013 is: vivacious \vuh-VAY-shus\ adjective : lively in temper, conduct, or spirit : sprightly Examples: The hostess was a pretty, vivacious woman with a knack for making people feel comfortable. "Jennifer Lawrence may be everyone's hilarious, exuberant spirit animal, but it turns out the Oscar-winning actress wasn't always vivacious and outgoing. In fact, she tells French magazine Madame Figaro, she suffered from social anxiety growing up." From an article in the Huffington Post, November 19, 2013 Did you know? It's no surprise that "vivacious" means "full of life," since it can be traced back to the Latin verb "vivere," meaning "to live." The word was created around the mid-17th century using the Latin adjective "vivax," meaning "long-lived, vigorous, or high-spirited." Other descendants of "vivere" in English include "survive," "revive," and "victual"all of which came to life during the 15th centuryand "vivid" and "convivial," both of which surfaced around the same time as "vivacious." Somewhat surprisingly, the word "live" is not related; it comes to us from the Old English word "libban."
