Word of the Day 12/5/2012

Connive (verb)

1: to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose

2a : to be indulgent or in secret sympathy : wink b : to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding

3: to engage in secret scheming : conspire

Examples: He is not above conniving against his own co-workers if he thinks it will benefit his own career.

"Families fare badly in Western drama. Oedipus kills his father, Lear's daughters connive against one another, and Ibsen's Nora walks out on her husband and their three young children." — From a theater review by Steven G. Kellman in Current (San Antonio), August 22–28, 2012

Did You Know?: "Connive" may not seem like a troublesome term, but it was to Wilson Follett, a usage critic who lamented that the word "was undone during the Second World War, when restless spirits felt the need of a new synonym for plotting, bribing, spying, conspiring, engineering a coup, preparing a secret attack." Follett thought "connive" should only mean "to wink at" or "to pretend ignorance." Those senses are closer to the Latin ancestor of the word ("connive" comes from the Latin "connivēre," which means "to close the eyes" and which is descended from "-nivēre," a form akin to the Latin verb "nictare," meaning "to wink"). But many English speakers disagreed, and the "conspire" sense is now the word's most widely used meaning.

 

#100 Word of the Day!

Word of the Day 12/4/2012

Campestral (adjective): of or relating to fields or open country : rural

 

Examples: "Santiago's proximity to ski resorts, beach resorts, and the idyllic countryside, with its campestral and ranching traditions and colonial estates, offer plenty for the traveler to see and do." — From Frommer’s Chile and Easter Island, 2011

"Just about any amateur naturalist who pays attention to the birds, beasts, flowers and seasons in campestral Maine will find an eye-opener or two here." — From a book review by Dana Wilde in the Bangor (Maine) Daily News, October 26, 2009

Did You Know?: Scamper across an open field, then, while catching your breath, ponder this: "scamper" and "campestral" both ultimately derive from the Latin noun "campus," meaning "field" or "plain." Latin "campester" is the adjective that means "pertaining to a campus." In ancient Rome, a campus was a place for games, athletic practice, and military drills. "Scamper" probably started with a military association, as well (it is assumed to have evolved from the Latin verb "excampare," meaning "to decamp"). In English, "campestral" took on an exclusively rural aspect upon its introduction in the 18th century, while "campus," you might say, became strictly academic.

Word of the Day 12/3/2012

Hotdog (verb): to perform in a conspicuous or often ostentatious manner; especially : to perform fancy stunts and maneuvers (as while surfing or skiing)

Examples: The wide receiver hotdogged in the end zone after catching the touchdown pass.

"Benson hotdogged with her usual flair..." — From Matt Warshaw's 2010 book The History of Surfing

Did You Know?: The verb "hotdog" first appeared in the 1960s as slang for surfing with fast turns and quick movements. Surfers adopted it from the use of the noun "hot dog" for someone who is very good at something, which was popularized around the turn of the 19th century along with the interjection "hot dog" to express approval or gratification. In time, the noun became mainly associated with people who showed off their skills in sports, from basketball to skiing, and the verb form came to be used for the spectacular acts of these show-offs. (As a side tidbit to chew on, the word for the frankfurter that might be eaten while watching athletes perform is believed to have been first used by college students. That "hot dog" was current at Yale in 1895.)

Word of the Day 11/20/2012

Tartar (noun)

1: a person of irritable or violent temper

2: one that proves to be unexpectedly formidable

Examples: "Strange that one whom I have described hitherto as so timid and easily put upon should prove such a Tartar all of a sudden on the day of his marriage." — From Samuel Butler's 1903 autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh

"'Yes, Great-aunt Gert took us both under her wing.' He jerked his head toward the severe woman in the painting. 'My father's spinster aunt, a bold tartar of a woman who most people were frightened to death of.'" — From Anne Gracie's 2008 novel The Stolen Princess

Did You Know?: Originally, their name was "Tatar," not "Tartar." Since at least the 1200s, the Tatar people have lived in Asia and Eastern Europe, and they were among the fiercest fighters of the Golden Horde of the Mongols. In the 13th century, they rode with Genghis Khan and became the terror of their day. Their name, "Tatar," is believed to come from Persian or a Turkic language, but in Europe it was associated with "Tartarus," the Latin name for the part of Hell reserved for the punishment of the wicked. Because of that association, English speakers began calling the Tatar people "Tartars." Over time, "tartar" came to be used for anyone considered as ferocious or violent as the Tartar warriors who had once ransacked the ancient world.

Word of the Day 11/15/2012

Unwieldy (adjective): not easily managed, handled, or used (as because of bulk, weight, complexity, or awkwardness) : cumbersome

Examples: The futon mattress was heavy and unwieldy, and the only effective way to move it was to slide it across the floor.

"In the U.S., unwieldy, multimillion-dollar sports businesses are housed in universities. The danger occurs when a school's prestige, psyche and fundraising come to rely on its football team instead of just being enhanced by it." — From an article by Sean Gregory in Time, November 21, 2011

 

Did You Know? : The verb "to wield" means "to handle or exert something effectively." A carpenter might wield a hammer with impressive dexterity, for example, or a talented orator might wield influence over an audience of listeners. Something that is "wieldy" is capable of being wielded easily, and while that adjective may not be particularly common, its antonym "unwieldy" finds ample use to describe anything that is awkward to handle, move, or manage. "Wield" and its relatives all derive via Middle English from Old English "wieldan," meaning "to control."

Word of the Day 11/14/2012

Watershed (noun)

1a : a dividing ridge between drainage areas b : a region or area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water

2: a crucial dividing point, line, or factor : turning point

Examples: Historians generally agree that the battle was a watershed in the war.

"Penn State's 38–29 win over previously unbeaten Northwestern felt like a watershed, the end of purgatory at the very least." — From an article by Mike Gross in the Intelligencer Journal/New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), October 8, 2012

Did You Know?: Opinion on the literal geographic meaning of "watershed" is divided. On one side of the debate are those who think the word can only refer to a ridge of land separating rivers and streams flowing in one direction from those flowing in the opposite direction. That's the term's original meaning, one probably borrowed in the translation of the German Wasserscheide. On the other side of the argument are those who think "watershed" can also apply to the area through which such divided water flows. The latter sense is now far more common in America, but most Americans have apparently decided to leave the quarrel to geologists and geographers while they use the term in its figurative sense, "turning point."

Word of the Day 11/6/2012

Bugbear (noun)

1: an imaginary goblin or specter used to excite fear

2a : an object or source of dread b : a continuing source of irritation : problem

Examples: The biggest bugbear of the skiing business is a winter with no snow.

"Smartphones are getting better all the time, but one area that's always been a little bit of a bugbear with owners is the quality of the built-in camera. However, inventive third-party manufacturers have been quick to come up with their own solution to this particular snapping quandary." — From an article by Rob Clymo on MSN.co.uk, September 26, 2012

 

Did You Know?: "Bugbear" sounds like some kind of grotesque hybrid creature from fable or folklore, and that very well may be what the word's creator was trying to evoke. When the word entered English in the 16th century, it referred to any kind of creature made up to frighten someone—most often a child; in 1592, Thomas Nashe wrote of "Meere bugge-beares to scare boyes." The word combines "bug," an old word for goblin, with "bear," which is perhaps what such made-up creatures were described as resembling. The "source of dread or annoyance" sense came not long after. In the late 20th century, the word found new life as the name of a particular kind of creature in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

Word of the Day 10/31/2012

Phantasm (noun)

1a : a product of fantasy: as b : delusive appearance: illusion c : ghost, specter d : a figment of the imagination

2: a mental representation of a real object

 

Examples: The old mansion, which according to local legend is inhabited by the phantasm of an 18th-century resident, is the perfect location for a Halloween haunted house.

"Like the railroads, the cattle industry was a creature of finance, a phantasm of numbers and calculations so enticing and so disconnected from any underlying reality that numbers ceased to be representations and became their own world." — From Richard White's 2011 book Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America

Did You Know?: The root "phan" comes from Greek verbs that mean "to appear or seem" or "to present to the mind." Does "phan" bring to your mind any other English words, in addition to "phantasm"? Indeed, this root appears in several English words that have to do with the way things seem or appear rather than the way they really are. "Phantasmagoria" and "diaphanous" are examples. Also from this root are words such as "fanciful" and "fantasy," in which the imagination plays an important part.

 

Happy Halloween!!

Word of the Day 10/25/2012

Enigmatic (adjective): of, relating to, or resembling an enigma : mysterious

 

Examples: When Rolf asked her where she had been, Tianna just gave him an enigmatic smile and answered, "Oh, here and there."

"Chris Marker, who died earlier this year at 91, was an enigmatic figure, reluctant to be photographed and prone to biographical embellishment." — From an article by A.O. Scott in the New York Times, September 26, 2012
 

Did You Know?: When it comes to things that aren't clearly understandable, you have a wide range of word choices, including "dark," "enigmatic," "cryptic," and "equivocal." Of these, "dark" is the most sinister, implying an imperfect or clouded revelation, often with ominous overtones. "Enigmatic" emphasizes a puzzling, mystifying quality, whereas "cryptic" implies a purposely concealed meaning. "Equivocal" is the best choice for language that is left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading.

Word of the Day 10/23/2012

Smashmouth (adjective): characterized by brute force without finesse

 

Examples: Monday night's game, between two teams known for their hard-hitting, aggressive styles, promises to be entertaining if you like smashmouth football.

"The Tigers earned the win behind a smashmouth rushing attack and a passing game that was effective when it needed to be." — From an article by sportswriter Kyle Kendrick in The Ponca City News (Oklahoma), September 23, 2012

Did You Know?: "Smashmouth" crashed its way into the English language during the 1984 football season to describe the brutally hard-hitting play that is characteristic of the game. It has since been used to describe similar physicality in other contact sports, such as hockey and basketball, and has even forced its way out of the realm of sports into politics; we’ve been using it to describe hardball tactics in politics since the 1984 U.S. presidential election. However, this political application of "smashmouth" has yet to make it into the end zone. It occurs too rarely in English to merit its own sense in the dictionary.

Word of the Day 9/26/2012

Interrobang (noun) : a punctuation mark ‽ designed for use especially at the end of an exclamatory rhetorical question

Examples: The essay was peppered with interrobangs and exclamation points, communicating—intentionally or not—an incredulity and outrage that didn't feel very hospitable. "Inevitably, however, you'll cheat on the Period with the Ampersand, Semi-Colon, or possibly the Interrobang." — From an article by Jen Doll in the Atlantic Wire, August 21, 2012

Did You Know?: Most punctuation marks have been around for centuries, but not the interrobang: it's a product of the 1960s. The mark gets its name from the punctuation that it is intended to combine. "Interro" is from "interrogation point," the technical name for the question mark, and "bang" is printers' slang for the exclamation point. The interrobang is not commonly used—its absence from standard keyboards can explain its paucity in print perhaps just as well as its paucity in print can explain its absence from standard keyboards. Most writers who want to communicate what the interrobang communicates continue to do as they did before the advent of the mark, throwing in !? or ?! as they feel so moved.

Word of the Day 9/25/2012

Hypothecate (verb) : to make an assumption for the sake of argument : hypothesize

Examples: The students hypothecated that plants under observation would have different reactions when exposed to artificial light versus natural light. "'Can someone hypothecate where Scotland and Yorkshire would rank in the medal table?' says Marie Meyer." — From the (London) Guardian's Olympics 2012 live blog, August 5, 2012

Did You Know?: "Hypothecate" is a controversial word. It has existed as a synonym of "hypothesize" since 1906, showing up primarily in scientific and linguistic sources, but usage commentators have long criticized it. It is sometimes perceived as a mistaken use of another "hypothecate," one meaning "to pledge as security without title or possession." Both "hypothecate" homographs—and "hypothesize" too—derive ultimately from the Greek "hypotithenai" ("to put under," "to suppose," or "to deposit as a pledge"), but each entered English by a different route. The hypothesizing "hypothecate" is a legitimate (albeit uncommon) word in its own right, not a misuse of its homograph. If you want to avoid the controversy altogether, however, you can stick with the more common "hypothesize."

Word of the Day 9/24/2012

Kitsch (noun)
1 : something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality
2 : a tacky or lowbrow quality or condition

Examples: The "country store" seemed to sell mostly cheaply made kitsch and other tacky memorabilia. "Across the board there was a welcome absence of kitsch." — From a review by Guy Trebay in The New York Times, June 28, 2012

Did You Know?: "The fashionable clothing label ... kicked off the revival last June..., putting its models in Miranda-inspired swimsuits and marching them through a gantlet of 50 tons of bananas," writes Mac Margolis in Newsweek International (January 2006) of a fabulously kitschy gala commemoration for the late Brazilian singer and actress Carmen Miranda. Since we borrowed "kitsch" from German in the 1920s, it has been our word for things in the realm of popular culture that dangle, like car mirror dice, precariously close to tackiness. But although things that can be described with "kitsch" and the related adjective "kitschy" are clearly not fine art, they may appeal to certain tastes—some folks delight in velvet paintings, plastic flamingos, dashboard hula dancers, and Carmen Miranda revivals!

Word of the Day 8/24/2012

Never-Never Land (noun) : an ideal or imaginary place

Examples: Lester seems to think he lives in some kind of never-never land where people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. "China's pride of ownership is all too familiar to most Taiwanese, who are constantly bombarded by Beijing's assertions that they live in a political never-never land, lacking all the elementary accouterments of statehood." — From an Associated Press article by Annie Huang, February 16, 2012

Did You Know?: The phrase "never-never land" is linked to Peter Pan, although it did not originate with that creation of the Scottish playwright Sir James Barrie. In Barrie's original 1904 play, Peter befriends the real-world children of the Darling family and spirits them off for a visit to Never Land, where children can fly and never have to become adults. Then, in his 1908 sequel When Wendy Grew Up, Barrie changed the name to Never Never Land, and subsequent versions of the earlier play incorporated that change. People had been using "never-never land" for a place that was overly idealistic or romantic since at least 1900, but the influence of Peter Pan on the word's popularity and staying-power cannot be discounted.

*Ok, I knew this one... but I love how it's in Merriam-Webster's dictionary!!*

Word of the Day 8/13/2012

A-Go-Go (adjective)
1 : of, relating to, or being a disco or the music or dances performed there : go-go
2 : being in a whirl of motion
3 : being up-to-date — often used postpositively

Examples: The shop is chock-full of the latest in fashionable home decor—it's decorating trends a-go-go. "All of the major plot points are either utterly predictable or thoroughly explained by one of the characters, and that becomes kind of a drag after a while. Nonetheless, there's tons of suspense, monsters-a-go-go and strong performances from the whole cast." — From a film review by Alonso Duralde on thewrap.com, June 4, 2012

Did You Know?: The English word "a-go-go" has two functions. It's an adjective, as we've defined it above, but it's also a noun referring to a nightclub for dancing to popular music—that is, a disco. Both the noun and the first meaning of the adjective betray the word's origins: it's from the name of a Parisian discotheque—the Whisky à Gogo, which translates to "whiskey galore." The French club, which opened in 1947 or possibly 1948, predated the American discos that have also used the name, but the American versions undoubtedly had much to do with spreading the term "a-go-go" in English: the most famous of these, the still-operating Whisky a Go Go on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip, opened in 1964, the year before our earliest evidence of the generic use of either the noun or the adjective "a-go-go."

Word of the Day 4/27/2012

Patagium (noun)

1: the fold of skin connecting the forelimbs and hind limbs of some tetrapods (as flying squirrels)

2: the fold of skin in front of the main segments of a bird's wing

 

Examples: The flying squirrel uses its two patagia to glide from tree to tree.

"One of the key identification marks is the dark leading edge of the wing, called the patagium. These marks on the under wing are only found on the red-tailed hawk." — From an article by Bill Fenimore, The Salt Lake Tribune, February 6, 2012

 

Did You Know? :In Latin, "patagium" referred to a gold edging or border on a woman's tunic, but in English its uses have been primarily scientific. It entered the English language in the early 19th century and was used by entomologists to refer to a process on the back of the foremost segment of an insect. Zoologists borrowed it as a word for the fold of skin of "flying" mammals and reptiles. Then ornithologists took the word to higher heights by the century's end, applying it to the forward part of the wings of birds.

Merriam-Webster Online Word of the Day

Word of the Day 4/26/2012

Unabashed (adjective): not disconcerted : undisguised, unapologetic

Examples: "I am an unabashed fan of the Scripps National Spelling Bee," admitted Carly.

"He long has been an unabashed advocate of increasing the gas tax to help pay for transportation projects…." — From an article by Matt Cella in The Washington Times, April 9, 2012

Did You Know?: When you are "unabashed," you make no apologies for your behavior, but when you are "abashed," your confidence has been shaken and you may feel rather inferior or ashamed of yourself. English speakers have been using "abashed" to describe feelings of embarrassment since the 14th century, but they have only used "unabashed" (brazenly or otherwise) since the late 1500s. Both words can be traced back to the Anglo-French word "abair," meaning "to astonish."

Merriam-Webster Online Word of the Day

Word of the Day 4/25/2012

Cahoot (noun): partnership, league — usually used in plural

Examples: Police suspect that the burglar was in cahoots with the bartender.

"In a huge anti-mafia bust, 16 judges have been arrested near Naples, Italy, according to the BBC, for allegedly being in cahoots with Italy's notorious Camorra crime syndicate." — From a news article in The Huffington Post, March 19, 2012

Did You Know?: "Cahoot" is used almost exclusively in the phrase "in cahoots," which means "in an alliance or partnership." In most contexts, it describes the conspiring activity of people up to no good. (There's also the rare idiom "go cahoots," meaning "to enter into a partnership," as in "they went cahoots on a new restaurant.") "Cahoot" may derive from French "cahute," meaning "cabin" or "hut," suggesting the notion of two or more people hidden away working together in secret. "Cahute" is believed to have been formed through the combination of two other words for cabins and huts, "cabane" and "hutte."

Merriam-Webster Online Word of the Day

Word of the Day 4/24/2012

Kowtow (verb)

1: to show obsequious deference : fawn

2: to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in token of homage, worship, or deep respect

 

Examples: Martin kowtows to our boss every chance he gets, complimenting him on his suits and offering favors.

"It's not honorable to kowtow to the extremes so you can preserve your political career." — From an op-ed column by David Brooks in The New York Times, February 28, 2012

Did You Know?: "Kowtow" originated as a noun referring to the act of kneeling and touching one's head to the ground as a salute or act of worship to a revered authority. In traditional China this ritual was performed by commoners making requests to the local magistrate, by the emperor to the shrine of Confucius, or by foreign representatives appearing before the emperor to establish trade relations. (In the late 18th century, some Western nations resisted performing the ritual, which acknowledged the Chinese emperor as the "son of heaven.") The word "kowtow" derives from Chinese "koutou," formed by combining the verb "kou" ("to knock") with the noun "tou" ("head"). The noun had arrived in English by 1804, and the earliest evidence for the verb dates from 1826.

Merriam-Webster Online Word of the Day

Word of the Day 4/17/2012

Nebbish (noun) : a timid, meek, or ineffectual person

Examples : As a teenager, Lyle was a nebbish who could never stand up to the bullies who gave him such a hard time.

"The play started off deadly dull and only picked up when Lore came on stage. He embodied the myopic, nebbish caricature…. His best moments came in Act II, when he attempted to woo Gretchen. His Robert was so bad at it that it was comical." — From a review by Kathy Greenberg in the Tampa Tribune, February 29, 2012

Did You Know?: "From what I read …. it looks like Pa isn't anything like the nebbish Ma is always making him out to be…." Sounds like poor Pa got a bum rap, at least according to a 1951 book review that appeared in The New York Times. The unfortunate Pa unwittingly demonstrates much about the etymology of "nebbish," which derives from the Yiddish "nebekh," meaning "poor" or "unfortunate." As you might expect for a timid word like "nebbish," the journey from Yiddish to English wasn't accomplished in a single bold leap of spelling and meaning. In its earliest English uses in the 1840s, it was spelled "nebbich" and used interjectionally as an expression of dismay.

Merriam-Webster Online Word of the Day