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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day podcast

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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  Merriam-Webster  

Free daily dose of word power from Merriam-Webster's experts

Free daily dose of word power from Merriam-Webster's experts

 

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#10

urbane

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 30, 2024 is: urbane • \er-BAYN\ • adjective Someone described as urbane is notably polite, confident, or polished in manner. Urbane is also used to describe things that are fashionable and somewhat formal. // "When did my willful, childish cousin turn into this urbane young artist greeting the guests at her opening reception?" wondered Elena. // We were impressed by the hotel's urbane sophistication. [See the entry >] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urbane) Examples: "The classical-meets-country-house architecture offers a relaxed lifestyle fused with urbane glamour and a thoroughly modern slate of [creature comforts] (https://bit.ly/3CVkrdL) ." — Mark David, Robb Report, 18 June 2024 Did you know? City slickers and country folk have long debated whether life is better in town or in the wide-open spaces, and urbane is a term that springs from the throes of that debate. In its earliest English uses, urbane was synonymous with its close relative [urban] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urban) ("of, relating to, characteristic of, or constituting a city"). Both words come from the Latin adjective urbanus ("urban, urbane"), which in turn comes from urbs, meaning "city." The modern sense of urbane developed from the belief (no doubt fostered by [cosmopolitan] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cosmopolitan) city dwellers) that living in the city made one more suave and polished than did leading a rural life. ... Read more

12 hrs Ago

01 MINS

01:40

12 hrs Ago

#9

linchpin

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 29, 2024 is: linchpin • \LINCH-pin\ • noun Linchpin, sometimes spelled lynchpin, literally refers to a locking pin inserted crosswise, as at the end of an axle or shaft. In figurative use, linchpin refers to a person or thing that serves to hold together parts or elements that exist or function as a unit; such a linchpin is often understood as the most important part of a complex situation or system. // Investors are betting that the new product line will be the linchpin that secures the company's place in the very competitive market in the years and decades to come. [See the entry >] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/linchpin) Examples: “When people tell the story of my life, when I tell this story of my life, Trisha doesn’t get much space, but she is a linchpin. For me the linchpin is that tiny bit of aid that holds things together when they might otherwise fall apart that keeps you rolling down the road to where you were already going. It’s not the engine, it’s not the track. It’s invisible but in the moment essential help.” — [Alice Randall] (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alice-Randall) , My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future, 2024 Did you know? In his 1857 novel, Tom Brown’s School Days, [Thomas Hughes] (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Hughes) describes the “cowardly” custom of “taking the linch-pins out of the farmers’ and [bagmens’] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bagman) [gigs] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gig) at the fairs.” The linchpin in question held the wheel on the carriage, and removing it made it likely that the wheel would come off as the vehicle moved. Such a pin was called a lynis in Old English; Middle English speakers added [pin] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin) to form lynspin. By the early 20th century, English speakers were using linchpin for anything as critical to a complex situation as a linchpin is to a wagon, as when Winston Churchill, in 1930, wrote of Canada and the role it played in the relationship between Great Britain and the United States, that “no state, no country, no band of men can more truly be described as the linchpin of peace and world progress.” ... Read more

Yesterday

02 MINS

02:34

Yesterday

#8

condone

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 28, 2024 is: condone • \kun-DOHN\ • verb To condone something that is considered wrong is to forgive or approve it, or to allow it to continue. // We cannot condone that kind of behavior. [See the entry >] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/condone) Examples: "... remaining quiet is the same as condoning bad behavior. Choose to say or do something, as this will help hold people accountable for their words and actions and encourage others to follow your lead." — Sherri Gordon, Health.com, 17 Sept. 2024 Did you know? If you're among folks who don't condone even what they consider minor usage slips, you might want to [hew] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hew) to the more established meaning of condone. Although English speakers sometimes use condone to mean "encourage" or "approve of" (as in "officials accused of condoning corruption"), some people feel strongly that it should only mean something closer to "pardon" or "overlook." Condone comes from the Latin verb condonare, which means "to absolve." Condonare in turn combines the Latin prefix com-, indicating thoroughness, and donare, meaning "to give." Not surprisingly, donare is also the source of our words [donate] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/donate) and [pardon] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pardon) . ... Read more

28 Dec 2024

01 MINS

01:37

28 Dec 2024

#7

feisty

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 27, 2024 is: feisty • \FYE-stee\ • adjective Feisty describes someone who has or shows a lively aggressiveness especially in being unafraid to fight or argue. In some regions of the US, feisty may also be used as a synonym of [fidgety] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fidgety) , [quarrelsome] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarrelsome) , or [frisky] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frisky) . // Even her opponents admire her feisty spirit. [See the entry >] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feisty) Examples: "Hummingbirds may be tiny, but the feisty birds can be fearless. A video ... shows a falcon eating a dragonfly while perched on a tree. Then, out of nowhere, a hummingbird flies into the frame and starts flitting around the bird of prey." — Shelby Slade and Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 26 Sept. 2024 Did you know? In some parts of the southern United States, the word [feist] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feist) (pronounced to rhyme with [heist] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heist) ) has been used since the 18th century as a term for a small dog used in hunting more diminutive game animals (such as squirrels). The word comes from the much older, now obsolete word fisting (pronounced as “feisting” would be) meaning “breaking wind,” which was used scornfully in the 16th and 17th centuries to describe gassy pooches. Feisty developed in the late 19th century, its flatulent origin lost, but its small-dog association still visible with a squint: the term conveys the spunk and determination that one may associate with a dog that manages to make its presence known, through its bark or its bite—or perhaps even its indifference to [olfactory] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olfactory) [decorum] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decorum) —despite its small size. ... Read more

27 Dec 2024

01 MINS

01:59

27 Dec 2024

#6

menorah

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2024 is: menorah • \muh-NOR-uh\ • noun A menorah is a [candelabra] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/candelabra) with seven or nine lights that is used in Jewish worship. // At sundown on the first night of [Hanukkah] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hanukkah) , Elliott's father helped him light the first candle on the menorah. [See the entry >] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/menorah) Examples: "Rich with history and laced with just a bit of latke grease, Hanukkah is a time for Jews to gather with family and friends and retell a fabled story of resistance. While certain symbols of the holiday like the menorah (a decorative candelabra) and the dreidel (a four-sided spinning top) may be more easily recognizable in popular culture, there is plenty more to learn about Hanukkah and why it is celebrated." — Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 7 Dec. 2023 Did you know? In English, menorah was originally the name for the seven-branched candelabra used in Jewish worship. The nine-branched [Hanukkah] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hanukkah) candelabra is called hanukkiah in Hebrew, but English speakers came to use menorah for this too. The Hanukkah menorah recalls expulsion by Judah Maccabee of invading forces from the Temple of Jerusalem. Maccabee and his followers sought oil for the temple’s menorah so that the sanctuary could be rededicated, but they found only enough oil for a single day. Miraculously, that tiny amount of oil burned for eight days, until a new supply could be obtained. The Hanukkah menorah includes a candle for each day the oil burned, plus the [shammes] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shammes) , a "servant candle" that is used to light the others. ... Read more

26 Dec 2024

02 MINS

02:00

26 Dec 2024

#5

evergreen

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 25, 2024 is: evergreen • \EV-er-green\ • adjective Evergreen in its figurative uses describes something, such as a plot, that retains its freshness or interest over a long period of time, or something, such as an issue or concern, that is universally and continually relevant. In botany, evergreen describes foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. // For their first pick of the new year, the book club chose an evergreen self-help book. // Some of the most popular evergreen trees used as Christmas trees are balsam fir, Fraser fir, and Norway spruce. [See the entry >] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evergreen) Examples: “‘... My hope and my assumption is ... that this movie is an evergreen story about cousins who are trying to experience something very personal.... You can’t predict the context that will surround the thing you wrote two years ago, so it would be foolish to attempt to make some kind of commentary on a world that is ever-changing.’” — Jesse Eisenberg, quoted in The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024 Did you know? O [Tannenbaum] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tannenbaum) , O Tannenbaum: as you are one of the most universally recognized symbols for both the [secular] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secular) and religious observances of Christmas, decorating your lovely branches is an evergreen tradition in two ways. First, because you are almost always an evergreen tree, aka a [conifer] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conifer) (such as a fir, spruce, or pine) whose foliage remains green through more than one growing season. Second, because bringing [an evergreen] (https://bit.ly/49oJP7S) into one’s home in late December is an evergreen tradition: one that has occurred perennially, or yearly, [since at least the 16th century] (https://www.britannica.com/video/christmas-tree-decoration-holiday/-295615) , when people in what is now Germany used evergreens to celebrate December 24th, the feast day of Adam and Eve. The adjective evergreen is older than its noun counterpart; it was first used literally to describe trees and their foliage, then later took on the figurative senses of “perennial” and “continually relevant.” ... Read more

25 Dec 2024

02 MINS

02:23

25 Dec 2024

#4

wassail

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 24, 2024 is: wassail • \WAH-sul\ • verb To wassail is to sing carols (popular songs or ballads of religious joy) from house to house at Christmas; the verb is usually used in the phrase "go wassailing." As a noun, wassail can refer to (among other things) a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, as well as spices, sugar, and usually baked apples. Wassail is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime. // Every year at Christmastime the magazine publishes a recipe for the traditional drink served to those who go wassailing and may appear at one's doorstep. [See the entry >] (https://merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wassail) Examples: "As early as the 13th century, people in England would travel between houses to go wassailing and wish their neighbors well during the winter months." — The Cedar County (Missouri) Republican & Stockton Journal, 20 Dec. 2023 Did you know? This season, you might hear (or sing) the Christmas carol that begins, "Here we come a-wassailing / among the leaves so green." As is holiday tradition, you will wonder: what in the world is "a-wassailing?" In fact, wassailing is an old custom that goes back to the 1300s. The verb wassail comes from the noun wassail, which dates to the 1200s and was first used to refer to an Old English custom of hospitality. In medieval England, a courteous host would offer a cup to a guest and toast them with the salutation wæs hæil, or "be in good health." The guest would accept the cup and respond with drinc hæil, "drink in good health." Soon, wassail was also being applied to the party at which the wassail was offered, as well as the actual drink passed around. By the 1400s, it was used to refer specifically to a drink served at Christmastime. As the drink became associated with [yuletide] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yuletide) , wassailing itself changed. The meaning of the verb wassail as it shows up in the carol refers to going around, caroling, and wishing those you visit good health and holiday cheer. ... Read more

24 Dec 2024

02 MINS

02:23

24 Dec 2024

#3

delectation

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 23, 2024 is: delectation • \dee-lek-TAY-shun\ • noun Delectation is a formal word for a feeling of delight or enjoyment. It can also be used to refer to the source of such feelings. // The resort staff left a sampling of fine chocolate in our room for our delectation. // For lovers of art and architecture, Paris offers visitors a peerless abundance of delectations. [See the entry >] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delectation) Examples: “Accept and appreciate the preferences of others. If you want to be a ‘good’ wine snob, work on ‘tasting through someone else's mouth.’ Who knows, you may have an [epiphanic] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epiphanic) moment and discover a whole new lane of delectation—maybe you will find something you like that you did not expect to like.” — Gus Clemens, The Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal, 9 Oct. 2024 Did you know? Pleasure, delight, and enjoyment are all synonyms for the agreeable emotion that comes with the possession or expectation of something good or greatly desired. Why, then, use delectation, that not-so-familiar synonym? Because, as with most synonym groups, each word has its own subtle distinctions. More than all the others, delectation carries a whiff of beyond-the-usual amusement, indulgence, or deliciousness. If a treat is offered to you for your delectation, it is likely something worth taking time to savor. Just as delight and pleasure can refer not only to an emotion but also to the object or experience responsible for it (as in “her new song is an absolute delight” and “it’s been a pleasure”), so can delectation. A tropical resort, for example, may offer vacationers an array of delectations—from poolside lounging to fancy cocktails. ... Read more

23 Dec 2024

02 MINS

02:01

23 Dec 2024

#2

ambient

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 22, 2024 is: ambient • \AM-bee-unt\ • adjective In technical use, ambient describes things—such as air quality or light in a room—that exist or are present on all sides. Ambient is also used to describe electronic music that is quiet and relaxing, with melodies that repeat many times. // The chemicals must be kept at an ambient temperature of 70°F. [See the entry >] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambient) Examples: “Many New Yorkers revel in the city’s ambient rumble—the thump of a bass echoing between buildings, the slap of domino tiles on a card table, the growl of off-road bikes rushing down the block.” — Yessenia Funes, Curbed, 11 Aug. 2023 Did you know? Biologists explore the effects of ambient light on plants; acoustics experts try to control ambient sound; and meteorologists monitor the temperature of ambient air. All this can make ambient seem like a technical term, but when it first saw light of day, that all-encompassing adjective was as likely to be used in poetry as in science, as when [Alexander Pope] (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Pope-English-author) wrote of a mountain “whose tow’ring summit ambient clouds conceal’d.” Both poets and scientists use ambient today to describe things that surround—that is, exist on all sides of—someone or something. And by “all” we mean all. One would not likely describe someone sitting in the middle of their lawn as being amid “ambient grass,” for example. Ambient, which comes from the Latin verb ambīre meaning “to surround, encircle, or embrace,” most often describes things—such as noise or humidity—that are all around someone, from top to bottom. ... Read more

22 Dec 2024

02 MINS

02:12

22 Dec 2024

#1

testimonial

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 21, 2024 is: testimonial • \tess-tuh-MOH-nee-ul\ • noun A testimonial is a written or spoken statement in which a person says they used a product or service and liked it, or that they appreciate someone's work, skill, character, etc. Testimonial is also used as a synonym of [evidence] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evidence) and [testimony] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testimony) . // The website is full of testimonials from satisfied customers. // The book's popularity is a testimonial to its timeliness. [See the entry >] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testimonial) Examples: "To commemorate their successful journey in the sport, the team released a heartfelt tribute video featuring testimonials from team members sharing their fondest memories." — Lydia Mee, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 Did you know? In 1639, Scottish poet [William Drummond] (https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Drummond-of-Hawthornden) responded to the politics of his day with a [cheeky] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheeky) set of new laws, including one stipulating that "no man wear a ... [periwig] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/periwig) , unless he have a testimonial from a town-clerk, that he is either bald, sickly, or asham'd of white hairs." Testimonials take different forms, but always, like in Drummond's [facetious] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/facetious) law, they provide affirmation or evidence. (Testimonial traces to Latin testimonium, meaning "evidence" or "witness.") In the 19th century, testimonial developed a new use, referring to a tribute—that is, a gift presented as a public expression of appreciation. Today, testimonial is most often used to refer to a statement—such as one posted on any number of websites devoted to consumer reviews—that endorses a product or service. ... Read more

21 Dec 2024

01 MINS

01:56

21 Dec 2024