Category: Word of the Day
Daily posts of an individual word study
Word of the Day: Alloy
Today’s word of the day, thanks again to The Dictionary Project, is alloy. Alloy can be a noun or a verb. As a noun, it means “a substance composed of […]
Word of the Day: Alley
Today’s word of the day, courtesy of the Dictionary Project email, is alley. Alley is a noun that can mean “a passage, as through a continuous row of houses, permitting […]
Word of the Day: Allay
Today’s word of the day, courtesy of the Dictionary Project email, is allay. According to the email, allay was at one point a noun meaning “a calming, soothing force,” and […]
Word of the Day: Maecenatism
Today’s word of the day, thanks to the Wordsmith’s daily A.Word.A.Day email, is maecenatism. Maecenatism means “Patronage, for example, the support or financial sponsorship provided to artists, musicians, or writers,” […]
Word of the Day: Caveat
Today’s word of the day, thanks to Merriam-Webster, is caveat. Caveat is a noun that means “an explanation or warning that should be remembered when you are doing or thinking […]
Word of the Day: Galvanic
Today’s word of the day, courtesy of Wordsmith’s “A Word A Day” email, is galvanic. The –ic suffix should make it clear that galvanic is an adjective. According to the […]
Word of the Day: Enamor
Today’s word of the day, courtesy of the Word Guru, sort of, is enamor. Enamor is a transitive verb (one that takes a direct object) that means “to fill or […]
Word of the Day: Orchestra
Today’s word of the day, thanks to the History of English Podcast, episode 176, “All the World’s a Playhouse” (https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/2024/05/09/episode-176-all-the-worlds-a-playhouse/), is orchestra. An orchestra is “a group of performers on […]
Word of the Day: Extempore
Today’s word of the day is extempore. Extempore is an adverb that means “in an extemporaneous manner,” according to Merriam-Webster in another one of those really annoying circular definitions (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extempore). […]
Word of the Day: Etymology
Today’s word of the day, courtesy of The New York Times, is etymology, which is also one of the features of this blog. The Times defines it as “a history […]
Word of the Day: Deracinate
Today’s word of the day, thanks to Vocabulary.com, is deracinate. Deracinate is a verb that means “to pull up by the roots” or “to isolate or alienate (a person) from […]
Word of the Day: Connoisseur
Today’s word of the day, courtesy of The Dictionary Project’s daily email, is connoisseur. A connoisseur is a person “who has expert knowledge and is competent to critique, particularly in […]