Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 16, 2013 is: caterwaul \KAT-er-wawl\ verb 1 : to make a harsh cry 2 : to protest or complain noisily Examples: The toddler caterwauled loudly when her toy was taken away. "Stockton's leaders clearly calculated that at this point they have little to lose by shortchanging bondholders—its credit rating is already so low that it'd have a hard time financing a used Hyundai with $5,000 down—and that while creditors may sue, complain, and caterwaul, they do not get to vote." — From an article by Kevin D. Williamson in National Review, April 3, 2013 Did you know? An angry (or amorous) cat can make a lot of noise. As long ago as the mid-1300s, English speakers were using "caterwaul" for the act of voicing feline passions. The "cater" part is, of course, connected to the cat, but scholars disagree about whether it traces to Middle Dutch "cāter," meaning "tomcat," or if it is really just "cat" with an "-er" added. The "waul" is probably imitative in origin; it represents the feline howl itself. English's first "caterwaul" was a verb focused on feline vocalizations, but by the 1600s it was also being used for noisy people or things. By the 1700s it had become a noun naming any sound as loud and grating as a tomcat's yowl.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 15, 2013 is: down \DOWN\ noun 1 : an undulating generally treeless upland with sparse soil — usually used in plural b plural and often capitalized : treeless chalk uplands along the south and southeast coast of England 2 often capitalized : a sheep of any breed originating in the downs of southern England Examples: She lives in a large estate outside of the village, at the foot of the downs. "They also said that it is increasingly difficult to walk on the Downs as there are cattle grazing and the ground has been 'churned up' and been made slippery by work carried out by the farm." — From an article by Hannah White in the Salisbury Journal (United Kingdom), March 27, 2013 Did you know? Today's word has a number of homographs in English, all of which share etymological kinship to the same Sanskrit origins, though they followed different paths into modern English usage. The "down" we are featuring today can be traced back to Old English "dūn," which is related to Old Irish "dūn" ("fortress") and Sanskrit "dhūnoti" ("he shakes"). The noun "down" that is used for a covering of soft fluffy feathers comes from Old Norse "dūnn," which is also related to Sanskrit "dhūnoti." The adverb "down" (and the related preposition, adjective, verb, and noun) used to indicate a lower physical position or direction is from Old English "dūne," a shortening of "adūne," itself a combination of "a-" ("from, of, or off") and "dūne," the dative form of "dūn" (the Old English ancestor of today's word).

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 14, 2013 is: requite \rih-KWYTE\ verb 1 a : to make return for : repay b : to make retaliation for : avenge 2 : to make suitable return to for a benefit or service or for an injury Examples: Beautiful but malevolent, Maude requited Sydney's love with scorn and treachery. "Odds are that O’Brien's flare-up of romantic love for Amanda won't be requited." — From a movie review by John Wirt in The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), November 16, 2012 Did you know? You might be familiar with the phrase "unrequited love." Love that has not been requited is love that has not been returned or paid back in kind, which brings us to the common denominator in the above definitions for "requite"—the idea of repayment, recompense, or retribution. The "quite" in "requite" is a now obsolete English verb meaning "to set free, discharge, or repay." ("Quite" is also related to the English verb "quit," the oldest meanings of which include "to pay up" and "to set free.") "Quiten," the Middle English source of "quite," can be traced back through Anglo-French to Latin "quietus" ("quiet" or "at rest"), a word which is also an ancestor of the English word "quiet."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2013 is: sui generis \soo-eye-JEN-uh-ris\ adjective : constituting a class alone : unique, peculiar Examples: Among history's greats, Leonardo da Vinci is often considered sui generis—a man of such stupendous genius that the world may never see his like again. "So let us celebrate the glory that was Elaine Stritch in her prime. For among modern entertainers she is sui generis." — From a review by Stephen Holden in the New York Times, April 4, 2013 Did you know? English contains many terms that ultimately trace back to the Latin forms "gener-" or "genus" (which are variously translated as "birth," "race," "kind," and "class"). Offspring of those roots include "general," "generate," "generous," "generic," "degenerate," and "gender." But "sui generis" is truly a one-of-a-kind "gener-" descendant that English speakers have used for singular things since the late 1600s. Its earliest uses were in scientific contexts, where it identified substances, principles, diseases, and even rocks that were unique or that seemed to be the only representative of their class or group. By the early 1900s, however, "sui generis" had expanded beyond solely scientific contexts, and it is now used more generally for anything that stands alone.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2013 is: sesquipedalian \sess-kwuh-puh-DAIL-yun\ adjective 1 : having many syllables : long 2 : using long words Examples: Jacob's editor advised him to do away with much of the sesquipedalian prose he favored and opt for simpler words that would reach readers of all ages and backgrounds. "'You just don't see that many sesquipedalian writers like William F. Buckley Jr. in the media anymore,' said a colleague to whom I mentioned this topic." — From an article by Mary Schmich in the Chicago Tribune, December 5, 2012 Did you know? Horace, the Roman poet known for his satire, was merely being gently ironic when he cautioned young poets against using "sesquipedalia verba"—"words a foot and a half long"—in his book Ars poetica, a collection of maxims about writing. But in the 17th century, English literary critics decided the word "sesquipedalian" could be very useful for lambasting writers using unnecessarily long words. Robert Southey used it to make two jibes at once when he wrote "the verses of [16th-century English poet] Stephen Hawes are as full of barbarous sesquipedalian Latinisms, as the prose of [the 18th-century periodical] the Rambler." The Latin prefix "sesqui-" is used in modern English to mean "one and a half times," as in "sesquicentennial" (a 150th anniversary).

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2013 is: usurp \yoo-SERP\ verb : to seize and hold by force or without right Examples: In her first managerial position, Hannah was hesitant to delegate critical tasks for fear that a subordinate might usurp her position. "There's a reason James Madison wrote the Constitution the way he did with a 'Separation of Powers' doctrine. That doctrine ensures the three branches of government cannot usurp one another's powers or responsibilities, thus creating a 'checks and balances' system to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful." — From an opinion piece by Jeffrey Scott Shapiro in The Washington Post, April 18, 2013 Did you know? "Usurp" was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Anglo-French word "usorper," which in turn derives from the Latin verb "usurpare," meaning "to take possession of without a legal claim." "Usurpare" itself was formed by combining "usu" (a form of "usus," meaning "use") and "rapere" ("to seize"). Other descendants of "rapere" in English include "rapacious" ("given to seizing or extorting what is coveted"), "rapine" ("the seizing and carrying away of things by force"), "rapt" (the earliest sense of which is "lifted up and carried away"), and "ravish" ("to seize and take away by violence").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2013 is: fountainhead \FOUN-tun-hed\ noun 1 : a spring that is the source of a stream 2 : principal source : origin Examples: Rachel considers Aristotle's Poetics to be the fountainhead of modern art criticism. "Everyone sometimes daydreams like a scientist. Ramped up and disciplined, fantasies are the fountainhead of all creative thinking. Newton dreamed, Darwin dreamed, you dream." — From an article by E. O. Wilson in The Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2013 Did you know? When it first entered English in the late 1500s, "fountainhead" was used only in a literal sense—to refer to the source of a stream. By the early 1600s, however, it was already beginning to be used figuratively in reference to any original or primary source. In his 1854 work Walden, Henry David Thoreau used the word in its figurative sense, while paying full homage to its literal meaning as well: "Morning air! If men will not drink of this at the fountainhead of the day, why, then, we must even bottle up some and sell it in the shops, for the benefit of those who have lost their subscription ticket to morning time in this world."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 09, 2013 is: decussate \DEK-uh-sayt\ verb : to intersect or cross Examples: The illustration on page 34 of your textbook shows how the optic nerves decussate. "The fibers of the lateral spinothalamic tract decussate one or two levels above or below where the injury may occur…." — From an article by Kim Boswell, MD, and Jay Menaker, MD, in Trauma Reports, January 1, 2013 Did you know? The history of "decussate" leads us back to the intersection of "decem," a word meaning "ten," and "ass-," a form that refers to a unit of weight and specifically to a copper coin cut to a half-ounce. In the Roman numeral system the number 10 is represented by X, an intersection of two lines. A man named Sir Thomas Browne coined "decussate" in the 17th century to discuss the crossing fibers that make up human anatomy—for instance, skin tissue. The word continues to be found primarily in scientific contexts today.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 08, 2013 is: diseuse \dee-ZOOZ\ noun : a woman who is a skilled and usually professional reciter Examples: "I say 'chanteuse' but this is by courtesy, for she was more of a diseuse to begin with, speaking her songs…." — From Paul Johnson's 2010 book Humorists: From Hogarth to Noel Coward "At Jurowski's insistence, the cast represented a spectrum of singers from opera to cabaret. So coloratura soprano and contemporary music singer Alison Bell, slinky cabaret diseuse Meow Meow, and bel canto soprano Gabriela Istoc were the women fighting for the affections of Mark Padmore's brutally charismatic Macheath." — From a theater review by Tim Ashley in The Guardian (London), March 4, 2013 Did you know? The American actress Ruth Draper (1884-1956) was known for her character-driven monologues and theatrical sketches, portraying some 58 different characters utilizing a range of languages and dialects. A comparable entertainer today might be labeled a performance artist, but a term that emerged during Draper's lifetime was "diseuse." Broadly, a diseuse is a professional female reciter, though often the word is used specifically to refer to one who recites verse or other text to music. (A male reciter would be a diseur, but that word is rare in English.) Both "diseuse" and "diseur" derive from Old French "dire" ("to say") and ultimately from the Latin verb "dicere."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 07, 2013 is: fustigate \FUSS-tuh-gayt\ verb 1 : to beat with or as if with a short heavy club 2 : to criticize severely Examples: "Hernandez missed most of the preseason practices because of an ankle sprain, and he fustigated himself for committing seven turnovers." — From an article by Jorge L. Ortiz in The San Francisco Chronicle, November 20, 2004 "Coulter is known widely for her propensity to fustigate the likes of environmentalists, atheists and Bush-bashers." — Rachel Davis, Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), March 10, 2007 Did you know? Though it won't leave a bump on your head, severe criticism can be a blow to your self-esteem. It's no wonder that "fustigate," when it first appeared in the 17th century, originally meant "to cudgel or beat with a short heavy stick," a sense that reflects the word's derivation from the Latin noun "fustis," which means "club" or "staff." The "criticize" sense is more common these days, but the violent use of "fustigate" was a hit with earlier writers like George Huddesford, who in 1801 told of an angry Jove who "cudgell'd all the constellations, ... / Swore he'd eject the man i' the moon ... / And fustigate him round his orbit."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 06, 2013 is: troglodyte \TRAH-gluh-dyte\ noun 1 : a member of any of various peoples (as in antiquity) who lived or were reputed to live chiefly in caves 2 : a person characterized by reclusive habits or outmoded or reactionary attitudes Examples: "At the end of the valley, as John Bunyan mentions, is a cavern, where, in his days, dwelt two cruel giants, Pope and Pagan, who had strown the ground about their residence with the bones of slaughtered pilgrims. These vile old troglodytes are no longer there.…" — From Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "The Celestial Railroad," 1843. "I am not on any social media, don't tweet, don't blog, don't text, have no Facebook page; connected only by the umbilical tether of email. Guess that makes me a troglodyte." — From a column by Rosie DiManno in The Toronto Star, November 23, 2012 Did you know? Peer into the etymological cave of "troglodyte" and you’ll find a "trōglē." But don't be afraid. "Trōglē" may sound like a scary cave-dwelling ogre, but it's actually just a perfectly unintimidating Greek root that means "hole" or "cave." Is "troglodyte" the only English word to have descended from "trōglē"? Not exactly. "Troglodyte" and its related adjective "troglodytic" (meaning "of, related to, or being a troglodyte") are the only "trōglē" offspring that are widely used in general English contexts, but another "trōglē" progeny, the prefix "troglo-," meaning "cave-dwelling," is used in scientific contexts to form words like "troglobiont" ("an animal living in or restricted to caves").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 05, 2013 is: fathom \FA-thum\ verb 1 : to measure by a sounding line 2 : probe 3 : to penetrate and come to understand Examples: Even those close to him couldn't always fathom why he repeatedly risked his life to climb the world's tallest mountains. "Just what's in the mind of the North Koreans is hard for outsiders to fathom." — From an article by Wesley Pruden in The Washington Times, April 2, 2013 Did you know? Today's word comes to us from Old English "fæthm," meaning "outstretched arms." The noun "fathom," which now commonly refers to a measure (especially of depth) of six feet, was originally used for the distance, fingertip to fingertip, created by stretching one's arms straight out from the sides of the body. In one of its earliest uses, the verb "fathom" meant to encircle something with the arms as if for measuring and was also a synonym for "embrace." In the 1600s, however, "fathom" took on the meaning of using a sounding line to measure depth. At the same time, the verb also developed senses synonymous with "probe" or "investigate," and is now frequently used to refer to the act of getting to the bottom of something (figuratively speaking).

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 04, 2013 is: exiguous \ig-ZIG-yuh-wus\ adjective : excessively scanty : inadequate Examples: New computer equipment would be prohibitively expensive, given the rural school's exiguous resources. "The president got his tax increases; not only on the wealthy but also by raising the payroll tax that most affects ordinary Americans. Meaningful spending cuts, however, were so exiguous that they can't count for anything more than window dressing." — From a column by Phil Guarnieri in the New Hyde Park Illustrated News (New Hyde Park, New York), March 8, 2013 Did you know? "Exiguous" is so expansive sounding that you might expect it to mean "extensive" instead of "meager." Even a scanty glimpse at the word's etymology will disabuse you of that notion, however. "Exiguous" derives from the Latin "exiguus," which has the same basic meaning as the modern English term. "Exiguus," in turn, derives from the Latin verb "exigere," which is variously translated as "to demand," "to drive out," or "to weigh or measure." The idea of weighing or measuring so precisely as to be parsimonious or petty gave "exiguous" its present sense of inadequacy. Just so we aren't accused of being skimpy with the details, we should also mention that "exigere" is the parent term underlying other English words including "exact" and "exigent."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 03, 2013 is: redaction \rih-DAK-shun\ noun 1 a : an act or instance of preparing something for publication b : an act or instance of obscuring or removing something from a document prior to publication or release 2 : edition, version Examples: The editor defended the redaction of the victims' names from the news article by explaining that their families had yet to be notified of their deaths. "The government might have to make the findings and evidence public, with the fewest redactions needed to protect sources." — From an article by Peter H. Schuck in the Los Angeles Times, February 17, 2013 Did you know? Here's a quiz for all you etymology buffs. Can you pick the words from the following list that come from the same Latin root? A. redaction B. prodigal C. agent D. essay E. navigate F. ambiguous

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 02, 2013 is: berceuse \bair-SOOZ\ noun 1 : a musical composition usually in 6/8 time that resembles a lullaby 2 : lullaby Examples: "After the equally calming signature tune, the berceuse from Faure's Dolly Suite, Oxenford and the other presenters began the programme with a question that became a catchphrase: 'Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.'" — From an obituary for Daphne Oxenford by Richard Anthony Baker in The Stage (London), January 17, 2013 "David Starobin, a classical guitarist who had contributed the colorful, mildly dissonant 'Berceuse Bas de Gamme' ('Cheap Lullaby'), and who runs Bridge Records, offered to release the set." — From an article by Allan Kozinn in the New York Times, April 2, 2013 Did you know? The lullaby is a standard of classical music. German composer Johannes Brahms is perhaps best known for his "Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht" ("Good evening, good night"), Op. 49, No. 4, published in 1868, purportedly written for a friend to celebrate the birth of her son. Compositionally, a berceuse is similar to a lullaby, particularly in its soothing refrain often set to a rocking rhythm usually in 6/8 time. Among the earliest examples of works known by that name is Frédéric Chopin's Berceuse in D-flat Major (1843-44), written for piano; Franz Liszt, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Maurice Ravel also composed berceuses. The word "berceuse" is indicative of its use as an aid to sleep—it derives from the French "bercer" ("to rock") and ultimately from the Old French "bers" ("cradle").