Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 28, 2013 is: laudable \LAW-duh-bul\ adjective : worthy of praise : commendable Examples: Parents, faculty, and members of the community commended the students for their laudable efforts at cleaning up the park and renovating its play structures. "This revision of the school funding formula would align with and enable those laudable reforms to come to full fruition." — From an editorial in the Denver Post, February 23, 2013 Did you know? Both "laudable" and "laudatory" derive ultimately from Latin "laud-" or "laus," meaning "praise." "Laudable" and "laudatory" differ in meaning, however, and usage commentators warn against using them interchangeably. "Laudable" means "deserving praise" or "praiseworthy," as in "laudable efforts to help the disadvantaged." "Laudatory" means "giving praise" or "expressing praise," as in "a laudatory book review." People occasionally use "laudatory" in place of "laudable," but this use is not considered standard.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 27, 2013 is: flehmen \FLAY-mun\ noun : a mammalian behavior (as of horses or cats) in which the animal inhales with the mouth open and upper lip curled to facilitate exposure of the vomeronasal organ to a scent or pheromone Examples: The vet explained to the children that what appeared to be a display of anger in the cat was actually a behavior called flehmen. "One of the behavioural components of male sexual display in all hoofed stock except the pig is the 'olfactory reflex' known as flehmen. In this reflex, [the] animal fully extends the head and neck, contracts the nares and raises the upper lip while taking shallow respiration." — From an article by S. Gul in the Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, September 30, 2012 Did you know? "Flehmen" comes to English by way of German, in which language the word applies to animals and means "to curl the upper lip." The German source of the English word is a verb, and the English word is also used—albeit rarely—as a verb, as in "the horse flehmened." More often, though, the verbal form is actually a gerund: "the horse's flehmening." "Flehmen" is sometimes capitalized in English, as nouns are in German, but more often it is lowercase.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 26, 2013 is: hallmark \HAWL-mahrk\ noun 1 : a mark put on an article to indicate origin, purity, or genuineness 2 : a distinguishing characteristic, trait, or feature Examples: The entertainer's new book features the same kind of wry humor that is the hallmark of his radio show. "His usually sympathetic, sometimes overgenerous interpretation of others' motives has been a hallmark of his character at least since his student days." — From an article by Hendrik Hertzberg in The New Yorker, February 4, 2013 Did you know? Centuries ago, King Edward I of England decreed that gold and silver had to be tested and approved by master craftsmen before being sold. Later, London artisans were required to bring finished metal goods to Goldsmith's Hall to be checked, and if those items met the quality standards of the craft-masters there, they would be marked with a special stamp of approval. (The process is much the same today.) At first, people used "hallmark" to name that mark of excellence from Goldsmith's Hall, but over the years the word came to refer to any mark guaranteeing purity or genuineness, and eventually to name any sign of outstanding talent, creativity, or excellence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 25, 2013 is: nascent \NASS-unt\ adjective : coming or having recently come into existence Examples: Brent began working at the company when it was in its nascent stage, with just a single one-room office and four employees. "Both Enterprise and Hertz have small car-sharing units. Zipcar is estimated to have the largest share of the nascent industry, which has about $400 million in annual sales among all companies." — From an article by Jerry Hirsch in the Los Angeles Times, January 3, 2013 Did you know? "Nascent" comes from "nascens," the present participle of the Latin verb "nasci," which means "to be born." It is a relative newcomer to the collection of English words that derive from that Latin verb. In fact, when the word "nascent" was itself a newborn, in the first quarter of the 17th century, other "nasci" offspring were already respectably mature. "Nation," "native," and "nature" had been around since the 1300s; "innate" and "natal," since the 1400s. More recently, we picked up some French descendants of "nasci": "née" in the 1700s and "Renaissance" in the 1800s. Our newest "nasci" word? It may well be "perinatology," which was first used in the late 1960s to name the specialized branch of medicine concerned with childbirth.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 24, 2013 is: canorous \kuh-NOR-us\ adjective : pleasant sounding : melodious Examples: A canorous chorus of birdsong filled the morning air. "The album features fast and brooding melodies … and standout canorous piano and clean guitar moments…." — From a post by Caroline Jensen at Rock Edition, February 6, 2013 Did you know? In Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821), the essayist Thomas de Quincey describes a manservant who, after accidentally letting a loaded trunk fall down a flight of stairs, "sang out a long, loud, and canorous peal of laughter." "Canorous" typically describes things, such as church choirs or birds in the spring, that are a pleasure to listen to. It derives from the Latin verb "canere" ("to sing"), a root it shares with a number of words that evoke what is sweet to the ear, such as "chant," "canticle," "cantor" (a leader of a choir), "carmen" (a song, poem, or incantation) and even "accent."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 23, 2013 is: riposte \rih-POHST\ noun 1 : a fencer's quick return thrust following a parry 2 : a retaliatory verbal sally : retort 3 : a retaliatory maneuver or measure Examples: The lifelong friends always greeted each other the same way: John would point out Gary's thinning hair, then Gary would come back with a riposte about John's golf game. "Modernism, with its strong Gothic influences recalling the glories of medieval Barcelona, was very much a riposte to the conservative architecture that flourished in Madrid at the time." — From an article by Andrew Allen in The New York Times, February 8, 2013 Did you know? In the sport of fencing, a riposte is a counterattack made after successfully fending off one's opponent. English speakers borrowed the name for this particular maneuver from French in the early 1700s, but the French had simply modified Italian "risposta," which literally means "answer." Ultimately these words come from the Latin verb "respondēre" meaning "to respond." It seems fitting that "riposte" has since come full circle to now refer to a quick and witty response performed as a form of retaliation.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 22, 2013 is: grift \GRIFT\ verb 1 : to obtain (money) illicitly (as in a confidence game) 2 : to acquire money or property illicitly Examples: John grifted much of his income by carrying out elaborate cons against unsuspecting tourists. "Both victims lost substantial amounts of money, with one being grifted out of an astonishing $35,000.…" — From an article in SFist, September 6, 2012 Did you know? "Grift" was born in the argot of the underworld, a realm in which a "grifter" might be a pickpocket, a crooked gambler, or a confidence man—any criminal who relied on skill and wits rather than physical violence—and to be "on the grift" was to make a living by stings and clever thefts. "Grift" may have evolved from "graft," a slightly older word meaning "to acquire dishonestly," but its exact origins are uncertain. We do know that the verb "grift" first finagled its way into print in 1915 in George Bronson-Howard's God's Man: "Grifting ain't what it used to be. Fourteenth Street's got protection down to a system—a regular underworld tariff on larceny."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 21, 2013 is: demotic \dih-MAH-tik\ adjective 1 : of, relating to, or written in a simplified form of the ancient Egyptian hieratic writing 2 : common, popular 3 : of or relating to the form of Modern Greek that is based on everyday speech Examples: The style of her art work is intentionally demotic, aimed at ordinary people rather than the elite of the art world. "The demotic dictionary gives researchers definitions, shows word uses and helps with translating texts. But it also serves as a reference guide for reconstructing and understanding ancient Egyptian culture, whether it's the nuances of government, commerce, politics, religion or male-female relationships." — From an article by Dawn Turner Trice in the Chicago Tribune, October 22, 2012 Did you know? You may recognize the root of "demotic" from words like "democracy" and "demography." The source of these words is the Greek word "dēmos," meaning "people." "Demotic" is often used of everyday forms of language (as opposed to literary or highbrow versions). It entered English in the early 1800s and originally designated a form of ancient Egyptian cursive script which by the 5th century BCE had come into use everywhere in Egypt for business and literary purposes (in contrast to the more complex, hieratic script retained by the clergy). "Demotic" has a newer specialized sense as well, referring to a form of Modern Greek that is based on everyday speech and that since 1976 has been the official language of Greece.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 20, 2013 is: plaudit \PLAW-dit\ noun 1 : an act or round of applause 2 : enthusiastic approval — usually used in plural Examples: The latest installment in the movie series earned plaudits from critics and fans alike. "Just a year and a half after graduating from Los Angeles' private Harvard-Westlake School, Platt has … scored the show-stealing 'Mormon' role and won plaudits for offering an interpretation decidedly different from Josh Gad's Tony-nominated performance." — From a review by Kerry Reid in the Chicago Tribune, January 3, 2013 Did you know? Give yourself a round of applause if you recognize the similarity between today's featured word and a pair of familiar words. (There's a hint in the first half of the previous sentence, as well as in the first sense of the definition.) "Plaudit" was borrowed into English in the early 17th century from a form of the Latin verb "plaudere," meaning "to applaud." "Plaudere" is, of course, also the ancestor of "applaud" and "applause," as well as of "explode," "plausible," and the now archaic "displode" (a synonym of "explode").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 19, 2013 is: sacrosanct \SAK-roh-sankt\ adjective 1 : most sacred or holy : inviolable 2 : treated as if holy : immune from criticism or violation Examples: Our family traditions may seem silly to outsiders, but to us they are sacrosanct. "'Is college a lousy investment?' This was the question posed in a Newsweek cover story in the fall, a blunt challenge to America’s long-standing, nearly sacrosanct belief in the value of a college education." — From an article by Bob King in Business Lexington (Kentucky), February 14, 2013 Did you know? That which is sacrosanct is doubly sacred: the two Latin components underlying the word, "sacro" and "sanctus," were combined long ago to form a phrase meaning "hallowed by a sacred rite." "Sacro" means "by a sacred rite" and comes from "sacrum," a Latin noun that lives on in English anatomy as the name for our pelvic vertebrae—a shortening of "os sacrum," which literally means "holy bone." "Sanctus" means "sacred" and gave us "saint" and obvious words like "sanctimony," "sanctify," and "sanctuary."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 18, 2013 is: fetter \FET-er\ noun 1 : a chain or shackle for the feet 2 : something that confines : restraint Examples: John keeps his smartphone with him when he goes hiking, but Linda leaves hers at home, preferring to free herself momentarily of the fetters of technology. "At the moment, legally speaking, Internet cafes operate in Ohio without fetter or review." — From an editorial by Thomas Suddes in The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, December 2, 2012 Did you know? While now used as a more general term for something that confines or restrains, "fetter" was originally applied specifically to a chain or shackle for the feet. Not surprisingly, the word's Old English ancestor, "feter," is etymologically shackled to "fōt," the Old English ancestor of "foot." Both words have a long history in the English language, dating back to the early 9th century, and are chained to Sanskrit "pad," Latin "ped-" and "pes," Greek "pod-" and "pous," Gothic "fotus," Norse "fōtr," and Old High German "fuoz."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 17, 2013 is: katzenjammer \KAT-sun-jam-er\ noun 1 : hangover 2 : distress 3 : a discordant clamor Examples: The morning after the wedding, Pamela woke up with a blinding katzenjammer. "Combating your attack of the katzenjammers with more liquor may seem absurd, but desperate times demand desperate measures." — From an article by Lissa Townsend Rodgers in the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise (Oklahoma), August 16, 2012 Did you know? Have you ever heard a cat wailing and felt that you could relate? Apparently some hungover German speakers once did. "Katzenjammer" comes from German "Katze" (meaning "cat") and "Jammer" (meaning "distress"). English speakers borrowed the word for their hangovers (and other distressful inner states) in the 19th century and eventually applied it to outer commotion as well. The word isn't as popular in English today as it was around the mid-20th century, but it's well-known to many because of the "Katzenjammer Kids," a long-running comic strip featuring the incorrigibly mischievous twins Hans and Fritz.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 16, 2013 is: carminative \kahr-MIN-uh-tive\ adjective : expelling gas from the stomach or intestines so as to relieve flatulence or abdominal pain or distension Examples: Fennel is a carminative herb that helps alleviate gas after a spicy meal. "Cumin seeds contain numerous phyto-chemicals that are known to have antioxidant, carminative and anti-flatulent properties, and are also an excellent source of dietary fibre." — From an article in Facts For You, May 5, 2012 Did you know? In times gone by, human personalities were believed to be controlled by four humors: blood, phlegm, choler (yellow bile), and melancholy (black vile). Though this belief was long ago discredited, its influence lingers on in the English language. When "carminative" came into use in the 15th-century medical field, carminative agents were thought to be effective because they influenced the humors. The word comes from Latin "carrere," meaning "to card," referring to the act of cleansing or disentangling. This history reflects the theory that certain humors could be "combed out" like knots in wool.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 15, 2013 is: voracious \vaw-RAY-shus\ adjective 1 : having a huge appetite : ravenous 2 : excessively eager : insatiable Examples: Cemal is a voracious reader who whips through three or four books each week. "Hundreds of Humboldt squid washed up on Santa Cruz County beaches Sunday in a mass stranding that is not uncommon but remains somewhat of a mystery to marine scientists. The even more intriguing question, they say, is why the voracious feeders, also called jumbo flying squid, began venturing up to the Central Coast in 2000 from the Sea of Cortez and other warmer spots—and what their effect is on the ocean environment." — From an article by Cathy Kelly in Contra Costa Times, December 11, 2012 Did you know? "Voracious" is one of several English words that derive from the Latin verb "vorare," which means "to eat greedily" or "to devour." "Vorare" is also an ancestor of "devour" and of the "-ivorous" words that describe the diets of various animals. These include "carnivorous" ("meat-eating"), "herbivorous" ("plant-eating"), "omnivorous" ("feeding on both animals and plants"), "frugivorous" ("fruit-eating"), "graminivorous" ("feeding on grass"), and "piscivorous" ("fish-eating").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 14, 2013 is: quirk \KWERK\ verb : curve, twist Examples: "She was surprised by the humor that quirked his fine straight lips." — From Elizabeth George Speare's 1958 book The Witch of Blackbird Pond "Refusing to relinquish his own control in Jacksonville, Elvis created the familiar hysteria by surprise moves—standing stock-still and quirking his index finger to mimic the Elvis gyration." — From Bobbie Ann Mason's 2007 book Elvis Presley: A Life Did you know? Did you expect "quirk" to be a noun meaning "a peculiarity of action or behavior"? If so, you're probably not alone; the "peculiarity" sense of the noun "quirk" is commonly known and has been a part of our language since the 17th century. But "quirk" has long worn other hats in English, too. The sense meaning "a curve, turn, or twist" has named everything from curving pen marks on paper (i.e., flourishes) to witty turns of phrase to the vagaries or twists of fate. In contemporary English, the verb "quirk" is most often used in referring to facial expressions, especially those that involve crooked smiles or furrowed eyebrows.