Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2024 is: rebuff \rih-BUFF\ verb
To rebuff something, such as an offer or suggestion, is to reject or criticize it sharply. One can also rebuff a person by rudely rejecting or refusing them.

// When their request was immediately rebuffed by upper management, the staff was left frustrated yet also more determined.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuff)

Examples:

“The state rebuffed the lawyers’ efforts to use the fees as seed money for a new technology system.” — Robert T. Garrett, The Dallas (Texas) Morning News, 15 Feb. 2023

Did you know?

Many English verbs begin with the prefix [re-](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/re-), meaning “again” or “backward,” so we wouldn’t criticize you for drawing a connection between rebuff and [buff](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buff), a verb meaning “to polish or shine.” But rebuff would beg to differ: this word comes to us from the Middle French verb rebuffer, which traces back to the Old Italian ribuffare, meaning “to reprimand.” (Buff, in contrast, comes from the Middle French noun buffle, meaning “wild ox”). A similar word, [rebuke](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rebuke), shares the “criticize” sense of rebuff, but not the “reject” sense; one can rebuke another’s actions or policies, but one does not rebuke the advances of another, for example. Like rebuke, rebuff can also be used as a noun, as in “The proposal was met with a stern rebuff from the Board of Trustees.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 13, 2024 is: lodestone \LOHD-stohn\ noun
When used literally, lodestone refers to the mineral [magnetite](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnetite), a magnetic iron ore. Lodestone is also used figuratively to refer to something that, like a magnet, strongly attracts things.

// The city is a lodestone for aspiring musicians of all genres.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lodestone)


Examples:

“Her [[Britney Spears’](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Britney-Spears)] quest to please a growing constituency was a savvy balancing act; she understood what was expected of a teen star at the time: family-friendly entertainment that didn’t rock anyone’s boat. … Spears handled this feat impressively well in those years. She became a vessel for our intense emotions, but in the process, she would also become a lodestone for criticism of an entire generation’s tastes and habits.” — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2021

Did you know?

The word lodestone is sometimes confused, understandably, with the similar-sounding [lodestar](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lodestar). Both combine [lode](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lode), which comes from the Old English noun lād, meaning “course,” with another word with ancient Old English roots: [stone](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stone) (from stān) and [star](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/star) (from steorra), respectively. Both lodestone and lodestar also refer to things—both literal and figurative—with the power to inspire or compel movement. But while a lodestar is something that leads the way (e.g., a moral principle that guides a person through life), a lodestone draws things toward itself. Sometimes lodestone refers to an actual magnet; indeed, its original use in the early 16th century was as a synonym for [magnetite](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnetite). But it didn’t take long for lodestone to attract a metaphorical sense. Today a business district might be a lodestone for entrepreneurs, or a lottery-playing friend (with the promise of riches as their lodestar) a lodestone—they hope—for good luck.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 12, 2024 is: efficacious \ef-uh-KAY-shus\ adjective
Efficacious is a formal word used to describe something—often a treatment, medicine, or remedy—that has the power to produce a desired result or effect.

// Companies like to tout the number of efficacious natural ingredients in their beauty products.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/efficacious)


Examples:

“Baking soda is commonly used alongside detergent to fix stinky loads ... but [washing soda](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/washing-soda) is the typical go-to for most tough laundry jobs. Baking soda is gentler than washing soda, so it won’t be as efficacious.” — Leslie Corona, Real Simple Magazine, 29 Dec. 2023

Did you know?

If you [guesstimate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guesstimate) that efficacious is the effect of combining effective with the suffix [-ious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/-ious), you’re on the right track. Efficacious came to English from the Middle French word efficace (or that word’s Latin source, efficāc- or efficāx), meaning “effective.” (These words ultimately trace back to the Latin verb efficere, “to make, bring about, produce, carry out.”) English speakers added [-ious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/-ious) to effectively create the word we know today. Efficacious is one of many, er, eff words that mean “producing or capable of producing a result.” Among its synonyms are the familiar adjectives [effective](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effective) and [efficient](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/efficient). Efficacious is more formal than either of these; it’s often encountered in medical writing where it describes treatments, therapies, and drugs that produce their desired and intended effects in patients.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 11, 2024 is: foment \FOH-ment\ verb
To foment something, such as hostility or opposition, is to cause it, or try to cause it, to grow or develop. Foment is used synonymously with [incite](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incite).

// Rumors that the will was a fake fomented distrust between the two families.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foment)

Examples:

"For this prequel to The Witcher, we go back, back, back to 1,200 years before the time of Geralt of Rivia—and if you don’t know who that is, it matters not. Slide right into the self-contained story of a continent where elves, dwarves and other often-warring peoples are living in uneasy proximity, until the arrival of one vicious dictatorship to rule them all makes everyone even less relaxed. Out in the sticks, soldier turned travelling bard Éile (Sophia Brown) is already fomenting revolutionary solidarity by singing rousing folk songs in pubs…" — Jack Seale, The Guardian (London), 25 Dec. 2022

Did you know?

If you had sore muscles in the 1600s, your doctor might have advised you to foment the injury, perhaps with heated lotions or warm wax. Does this sound like an odd prescription? It's less so if you know that foment traces to the Latin verb fovēre, which means "to heat or warm" or "to soothe." The earliest documented English uses of foment appear in medical texts offering advice on how to soothe various aches and pains by the application of moist heat. In time, the idea of applying heat became a metaphor for stimulating or rousing to action. Foment then started being used in political contexts to mean "to stir up" or "to call to action."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 10, 2024 is: tractable \TRAK-tuh-bul\ adjective
Tractable is used to describe someone or something that is easily led, managed, taught, or controlled.

// This new approach should make the problem more tractable.

// The horse’s tractable temperament made her especially popular with new riders.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tractable)


Examples:

“… Kawasaki’s popular KLR650 … only makes about 40 [horsepower](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horsepower), yet it has launched untold numbers of epic rides due to its reliable, tractable and manageable output.” — William Roberson, Forbes, 30 Sept. 2022

Did you know?

A [frequentative](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frequentative) is a form of a verb that indicates repeated action. The frequentative of the word [sniff]( https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sniff), for example, is [sniffle](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sniffle), meaning “to sniff repeatedly.” Some English words come from a frequentative in another language, and tractable is one. Tractable, meaning “easily led or managed,” comes from the Latin adjective tractabilis, which in turn comes from the verb tractare, which has various meanings including “to drag about,” “to handle,” “to deal with,” and “to treat.” Not to drag on too much about Latin, but tractare is the frequentative of another Latin verb, trahere, meaning “to drag or pull.” Now, one can pull or tug a draft animal on a lead, for example, whether or not that animal is willing or compliant. But if one can pull, handle, or otherwise deal with that animal repeatedly or continuously with ease (by treating it well, we presume)? Well, you can see where this is leading—in English we would call our helpful animal friend tractable. Speaking of farms, despite its resemblance, [tractor](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tractor) did not pass through the frequentative tractare but it does come from trahere.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 9, 2024 is: consternation \kahn-ster-NAY-shun\ noun
Consternation is a formal word that refers to a strong feeling of surprise or sudden disappointment that causes confusion.

// The candidate caused consternation among his supporters by changing positions on a key issue.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consternation)


Examples:

“The incarcerated [Freedom] Riders’ new freedom song, which they sang incessantly to the consternation of their guards, was ‘Buses Are a Comin’,’ and the [freedom buses](https://www.britannica.com/event/Freedom-Rides) continued to roll into Mississippi until mid-August.” — Raymond Arsenault, John Lewis: In Search of the Beloved Community, 2024

Did you know?

If you’ve ever been [flummoxed](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flummox), [befuddled](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/befuddle), or even [fuddled](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fuddle), you know a thing or two about consternation—but perhaps not all of it. Consternation and [confusion](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confusion) are not synonymous, though it’s understandable that they are sometimes confused. Consternation refers not to confusion, but to a feeling of amazement or dismay that can lead to confusion, or otherwise hinder or stop someone in their tracks. And much like [dismay](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dismay), consternation is often used in constructions starting with “much to,” as in “much to their consternation, their teacher announced a pop quiz as soon as class started.” People also often “express” or “show” their consternation in various ways, whether with furrowed brow, mouth [agog](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agog), or assorted mumblings and grumblings—visual and audible clues that they are working out just what to do next after being [consternated](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consternate).