Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Build your vocabulary with Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day! Each day a Merriam-Webster editor offers insight into a fascinating new word -- explaining its meaning, current use, and little-known details about its origin.

Episodes

  1. 11 HR AGO

    guttural

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 27, 2024 is: guttural \GUTT-uh-rul\ adjective A guttural sound—such as speech, laughter, or a grunt—is formed or pronounced in the throat. // Her friends always found her deep, guttural laugh to be highly contagious. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guttural) Examples: “Mantled howler monkeys are one of the largest primates in Mexico and Central America, measuring around 25 inches on average. Covered in thick black fur, they are known for their low, guttural calls.” — Manuela Andreoni, The New York Times, 22 May 2024 Did you know? Get your mind out of the gutter. Despite appearances, guttural is not related to the English word [gutter](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gutter); that word comes ultimately from the Latin verb gutta, meaning “drop,” while guttural has a different Latin root: the noun guttur, meaning “throat.” Since the late 1500s guttural has been used to describe sounds that are formed or pronounced in the throat, from cries and sobs to howls and grunts. A second sense, describing sounds or utterances which strike the listener as harsh or disagreeable (as in “the guttural roar of a motorcycle engine disturbed the afternoon’s quiet”) followed. A new sense appears to be developing as well, describing things that are instinctively or deeply felt irrespective of grunts or noises from the throat, as in “a guttural response/reaction,” but this sense has yet to meet the [criteria for inclusion](https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-words-into-dictionary) in our dictionary.

    2 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    eddy

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 26, 2024 is: eddy \EDD-ee\ noun An eddy is a current of water or air running contrary to the main current, especially as a whirlpool. In figurative use, eddy may also refer to a contrary or circular current of thought or policy. // The strong gusts whipped up eddies of fallen leaves. // They were caught up in the eddies of chaos. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eddy) Examples: "These adventures were avenues to experience nature, the way a river current bends around rocks to form strings of rapids and eddies, the way snow blankets the land in a brisk silence. I made note of these observations. As I explored the landscape, I also began to explore its stories." — Teow Lim Goh, LitHub.com, 1 Nov. 2022 Did you know? "He walked by the stream, far from the houses, and in the light and warmth of the sun fell asleep on the bank. When he awoke and was afoot again, he lingered there yet a little longer, watching an eddy that turned and turned purposeless, until the stream absorbed it, and carried it on to the sea." This use of eddy (from [A Tale of Two Cities](https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Tale-of-Two-Cities-novel) by Charles Dickens) reflects a sense that has been swirling around English for centuries; the earliest documented uses of eddy to refer to water currents goes back to the 1400s. Etymologists trace the word to the Scottish dialect term ydy, which had the same basic meaning as our modern term. The verb form of eddy meaning "to move in or cause to move in an eddy or in the manner of an eddy" (as in "the waves eddied against the pier") appeared a few centuries after the noun.

    2 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    chastise

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 25, 2024 is: chastise \chass-TYZE\ verb To chastise someone is to criticize them harshly for doing something wrong. // The waiter was chastised for forgetting the customer’s order. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chastise) Examples: “… what I’m saying is that we must acknowledge that hypocrisy exists all around us and not jump to chastise and blame someone every time we encounter an example of it. If we rush to judge and shame someone each time we see hypocrisy, we risk hindering progress in solving some of our biggest problems.” — Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024 Did you know? If you want to understand the meaning of chastise (which comes from the Anglo-French verb castier, meaning “to discipline”), you could do worse than to turn to popular music. Pop, rap, jazz, rock, country—there’s not a single genre that isn’t full of songs penned from the point of view of jilted and/or cheated lovers chastising—that is, harshly criticizing—the one who did them wrong. Nearly every song on [Beyoncé’s](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Beyonce) 2016 album Lemonade, for example, is a master class in chastisement (chastisement being, of course, the noun form of chastise), featuring such lyrics as “What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you” and “Ten times out of nine, I know you’re lying.” Chastise itself pops up in lyrics occasionally, too, as sung by artists including [Guns N’ Roses](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Guns-N-Roses) (“So don’t chastise me or think I mean you harm”), [Dr. Dre](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dr-Dre) (“Fool, you better recognize / Death Row came to chastise”), and [Janet Jackson](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Janet-Jackson) (“Control and chastise / An instrument of punishment / Like a whip”). Jackson’s use is notable in particular for representing the word’s oldest sense, less common but still in use, of “to inflict punishment on (as with a whip).”

    2 min

  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    lenient

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 24, 2024 is: lenient \LEEN-yunt\ adjective Someone or something described as lenient is not harsh, severe, or strict. In other words, they allow a lot of freedom and leeway, and do not punish or correct in a strong way. // The teacher was lenient in her grading after the holiday break. // Some concerned citizens felt the punishment was too lenient. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lenient) Examples: “In the adult section of the library, the patrons arrived generally by themselves. … If they did something as human as nodding off, they would be kicked out immediately. … The children’s section was a little more lenient when it came to rules. A child would be splayed on the floor staring at the ceiling with their mittens and boots lying around them as though they were pieces of them that had broken off. There were children playing Battleship. There would be a child sitting in a chair shaped like a giant hand, reading up on the increasingly absurdly horrific circumstances of orphans while eating a box of Goldfish crackers.” — Heather O’Neill, “Lite-Brite Times Square,” Good Mom on Paper: Writers on Creativity and Motherhood, 2022 Did you know? If you’ve ever had a peaceful, easy feeling—perhaps brought on by someone who you know won’t let you down—then you’ll have no problem understanding the earliest meaning of lenient. When it entered English in the mid-1600s, lenient described something soothing—such as a medication—that relieved pain or stress, or otherwise enabled someone to take it easy. For a brief window of time it was even used as a noun, referring to any of various ointments and balms that help heal wounds in the long run. Lenient comes from the Latin verb lenire, meaning “to soften or soothe,” which in turn comes from the adjective lenis, meaning “soft or mild.” The “soothing or easing” sense of lenient is still in use today, but English speakers are more likely to apply it to someone who is [lax](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lax) with the rules (as in “a lenient professor”), who doesn’t mind when someone acts like a certain kind of fool or takes it to the limit one more time.

    3 min

  5. 4 DAYS AGO

    negotiate

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 23, 2024 is: negotiate \nih-GOH-shee-ayt\ verb To negotiate is to discuss something formally in order to make an agreement. Negotiate can also mean, when applied to people or things in motion, "to get through, around, or over successfully." // The [parties](https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-origin-of-party-individuals-groups) negotiated an agreement. // The trail is designed for an experienced skier who can negotiate unpredictable terrain. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/negotiate) Examples: "Once in relationships, millennials are keen to protect their personal interests—a change reflected in their embrace of prenuptial agreements, the unprecedentedly high rates at which they maintain separate bank accounts, and even in the way they negotiate domestic affairs and disputes." — Anastasia Berg and Rachel Wiseman, What Are Children For?: On Ambivalence and Choice, 2024 Did you know? Negotiate found its way into the English language from the Latin verb negōtiārī, meaning "to do business, trade, or deal." Since its arrival, this word has developed a variety of applications. The "doing business" sense is still going strong: in addition to its most common use in situations where formal decisions (such as a price to be paid) are made by way of discussion, negotiate is also used to talk about the transfer or conversion of money, as in the phrase "negotiate a check." Negotiate has applications outside of commerce, too; it is sometimes used to mean "to successfully travel along or over," as when a cyclist is said to "negotiate mountainous terrain."

    2 min

  6. 5 DAYS AGO

    paroxysm

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 22, 2024 is: paroxysm \PAIR-uk-sih-zum\ noun Paroxysm is a formal word that refers to a sudden strong feeling or uncontrollable expression of emotion. In medical use, paroxysm refers to a sudden attack or increase of symptoms of a disease that often occurs repeatedly. // The comedy special sent us into paroxysms of laughter. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paroxysm) Examples: "[Danny] Ray was part of [James] Brown's cape routine for 45 years, assisting him on the song 'Please, Please, Please.' The Godfather of Soul would collapse in a paroxysm of feigned grief during the song, being led away by a [solicitous](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solicitous) Ray, who draped the singer in a cape. Brown would take a few steps, then return to the microphone. Sometimes, they [eschewed](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eschew) the cape, and Brown was merely led away." — Bruce Haring, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2021 Did you know? Paroxysm didn't just burst onto the scene recently; its roots go back to ancient Greek. The word ultimately erupted from the Greek verb paroxynein, which means "to stimulate." (Oxynein, a parent of paroxynein, means "to provoke" and comes from oxys, a Greek word for "sharp.") In its earliest known English uses in the 15th century, paroxysm referred to a sudden attack or increase of symptoms of a disease—such as pain, coughing, shaking, etc.—that often occur again and again. This sense is still in use, but paroxysm soon took on a broader and now much more common sense referring to an outburst, especially a dramatic physical or emotional one, as in "paroxysms of rage/laughter/joy/delight/guilt."

    2 min

  7. 6 DAYS AGO

    tenacious

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 21, 2024 is: tenacious \tuh-NAY-shus\ adjective Something described as tenacious cannot easily be stopped or pulled apart; in other words, it is firm or strong. Tenacious can also describe something—such as a myth—that continues or persists for a long time, or someone who is determined to do something. // Caleb was surprised by the crab’s tenacious grip. // Once Linda has decided on a course of action, she can be very tenacious when it comes to seeing it through. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenacious) Examples: "I put up a nesting box three years ago and nailed it to an oak tree. Beth and Fiona told me the next box location was ideal: seven feet up, out of view of walkways, and within three feet of the lower branches of a tenacious old fuchsia tree." — Amy Tan, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, 2024 Did you know? For the more than 400 years that tenacious has been a part of the English language, it has adhered closely to its Latin antecedent: tenāx, an adjective meaning "holding fast," "clinging," or "persistent." Almost from the first, tenacious could suggest either literal adhesion or figurative [stick-to-itiveness](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stick-to-itiveness). [Sandburs](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sandbur) are tenacious, and so are athletes who don't let defeat get them down. We use tenacious of a good memory, too—one that has a better than average capacity to hold information. But you can also have too much of a good thing: the addition in Latin of the prefix per- ("thoroughly") to tenāx led to the English word [pertinacious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pertinacious), meaning "perversely persistent." You might use pertinacious for the likes of rumors and spam calls, for example.

    2 min

  8. 20 NOV

    snivel

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 20, 2024 is: snivel \SNIV-ul\ verb To snivel is to speak or act in a whining, sniffling, tearful, or weakly emotional manner. The word snivel may also be used to mean "to run at the nose," "to [snuffle](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snuffle)," or "to cry or whine with snuffling." // She was unmoved by the millionaires sniveling about their financial problems. // My partner sniveled into the phone, describing the frustrations of the day. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snivel) Examples: "At first, he ran a highway stop with video gambling. 'To sit and do nothing for 10 to 12 hours drove me nuts,' he [Frank Nicolette] said. That's when he found art. 'I started making little faces, and they were selling so fast, I'll put pants and shirts on these guys,' he said, referring to his hand-carved sculptures. 'Then (people) whined and sniveled and wanted bears, and so I started carving some bears.'" — Benjamin Simon, The Post & Courier (Charleston, South Carolina), 5 Oct. 2024 Did you know? There's never been anything pretty about sniveling. [Snivel](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snivel), which originally meant simply "to have a runny nose," has an Old English ancestor whose probable form was snyflan. Its lineage includes some other charming words of yore: an Old English word for mucus, snofl; the Middle Dutch word for a head cold, snof; the Old Norse word for snout, which is snoppa; and nan, a Greek verb meaning "to flow." Nowadays, we mostly use snivel as we have since the 1600s: when self-pitying whining is afoot, whether or not such sniveling is accompanied by unchecked nasal flow.

    2 min

  9. 19 NOV

    moot

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 19, 2024 is: moot \MOOT\ adjective Moot typically describes something that is no longer important or worth discussing. It can also describe something that is argued about but not possible for people to prove. // I think they were wrong, but the point is moot. Their decision has been made and it can't be changed now. // Perhaps they should have foreseen the effects of the change, but that point is moot. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moot) Examples: "Before the game, there were a few nerves, to be sure. People worried what a second straight loss would mean, about the team having to return to Dallas deflated and without momentum. Those concerns turned out to be moot, with a largely stress-free second half as the Celtics' lead ballooned to more than 20 points in the third quarter as the team never looked back." — Danny McDonald, et al., The Boston Globe, 18 June 2024 Did you know? To describe an argument as "moot" is to say that there's no point in discussing it further. In other words, a moot argument is one that has no practical or useful significance and is fit only for theoretical consideration, as in a classroom. It's no surprise, then, that the roots of moot are entwined with academia. The adjective moot followed a few centuries behind the noun moot, which comes from mōt, an Old English word meaning "assembly." Originally, moot referred to an Anglo-Saxon deliberative assembly that met primarily for the administration of justice. By the 16th century, functioning judicial moots had diminished, the only remnant being [moot courts](https://bit.ly/3Yt50lo), academic mock courts in which law students could try hypothetical cases for practice. The earliest use of moot as an adjective was as a synonym of [debatable](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debatable), but because the cases students tried in moot courts had no bearing on the real world, the word gained the additional sense—used especially in North America—of "deprived of practical significance."

    2 min

  10. 18 NOV

    denigrate

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 18, 2024 is: denigrate \DEN-ih-grayt\ verb To denigrate someone is to criticize them heavily and often unfairly. Denigrate can also mean "to make something seem less important or valuable." // Her essay denigrates her mentor as a person and as a teacher. // Though initially quick to denigrate the work that had been done, the group quickly realized that those efforts had laid a good foundation for what they themselves hoped to accomplish. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denigrate) Examples: "As much as I want to have good taste in books, as much as I want to use that status to sell books that I think make the world a better place … I need to be cognizant of ways people like me have used 'good taste' as an act of cultural authoritarianism to manipulate culture, denigrate creations from other identities, and empower themselves at the expense of others." — Josh Cook, The Art of Libromancy: Selling Books and Reading Books in the Twenty-First Century, 2023 Did you know? The word denigrate has been part of English since the 16th century and can be traced back to the Latin nigrare, meaning "to blacken." When denigrate was first used, it meant "to cast aspersions on someone's character or reputation." Eventually, it developed a second sense of "to make black" ("factory smoke denigrated the sky"), representing an interesting case of a literal sense (now rare) following a figurative one. Nowadays, you’re most likely to hear denigrate used as a synonym of [defame](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defame) or [belittle](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belittle).

    2 min
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Build your vocabulary with Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day! Each day a Merriam-Webster editor offers insight into a fascinating new word -- explaining its meaning, current use, and little-known details about its origin.

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