Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster

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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.

12 HR AGO

frugal

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2024 is: frugal \FROO-gul\ adjective Someone described as frugal is careful about spending money or using things unnecessarily. Frugal can also describe something that is simple and plain in a way that reflects such carefulness with money and resources. // By being frugal and limiting unnecessary purchases, the family is able to stretch its monthly budget. // Sometimes a frugal meal of bread, cheese, and grapes can be just as satisfying as a [lavish](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lavish) feast. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frugal) Examples: “‘I would take anything that I had and put it into a pan and just fry it up, and then eat it with a fork out of the pan, because it would also cut down on the minimum amount of dishes for me to have to clean,’ he [Kevin Bacon] recalls of some of his early egg-onion-leftover-pasta concoctions. And though his frugal days are behind him, the star still prefers cooking over fancy restaurant meals most of the time.” — Clarissa Cruz, People, 9 Nov. 2023 Did you know? Folks who are frugal tend to frown on the frivolous [frittering away](https://bit.ly/4f5vVt7) of the fruits of their labor, so it may surprise you to learn that frugal comes from the Latin word frūx, which means, among other things, “fruit.” Perhaps because of fruit’s financial value, from frūx followed frūgī, an adjective meaning “deserving, sober, or thrifty,” which finagled its way into Late Latin in the form of frūgālis (“not given to excess; temperate, sober, simple”), then Middle French, and finally English, as the familiar frugal. Today, frugal is used to describe things that reflect a [fastidious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastidious) dedication to foregoing the fancy, as in “he insists on a frugal diet of fungi and fava beans.” Frugal can also describe a person, usually with respect to money, but one can be frugal with other things, too, such as words that start with the letter f, though we certainly haven’t been in this paragraph.

2 min
1 DAY AGO

obfuscate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 29, 2024 is: obfuscate \AHB-fuh-skayt\ verb To obfuscate something is to make it more difficult to understand. Obfuscate can also mean “to be evasive, unclear, or confusing.” // The revised wording of the rule obfuscates its meaning. // They allege that the company’s representative lied and obfuscated when answering questions about the report. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obfuscate) Examples: “‘I firmly believe that cyber-insecurity is fundamentally a policy problem,’ says Brett Callow, a threat analyst at the security firm Emsisoft. ‘We need standardized and uniform disclosure and reporting laws, prescribed language for those disclosures and reports, regulation and licensing of negotiators. Far too much happens in the shadows or is obfuscated by [weasel words](https://bit.ly/40vei1t). It’s counterproductive and helps only the cybercriminals.’” — Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023 Did you know? “Hello darkness, my old friend / I’ve come to talk with you again.” So begins the classic 1960s [Simon and Garfunkel](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Simon-and-Garfunkel) song “The Sound of Silence,” which was written by Paul Simon with a seemingly [oxymoronic](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oxymoron) title that has obfuscated—that is, confused—ten thousand people, maybe more (probably a lot more) in the decades since. It confuses us too, but we’re not above being oxymoronic ourselves when we say that darkness, our old friend, shines a helpful light on the meaning of the word obfuscate. When obfuscate first came into use in the early 16th century, it was with the meaning “to throw into shadow.” This makes sense, since the word comes from the Latin obfuscāre (“to obscure or darken”) which itself comes in part from fuscus (“dark-colored”). The word was used for both figurative and literal darkening before developing the even more figurative senses of “to make more difficult to understand,” “to be evasive or unclear,” and “to confuse,” which in modern use are now more common.

2 min
2 DAYS AGO

victuals

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 28, 2024 is: victuals \VIT-ulz\ noun plural Victuals is a word with an old-fashioned feel that refers to food, and sometimes to both food and drink. // Rachel’s grandparents’ larder was full of canned tomatoes and peaches, jars of pickled beans, jugs of dandelion wine, and other time-honored victuals. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/victual) Examples: “May in Atlanta brings refreshing cocktails, meals on the patio and Cinco de Mayo festivities. The holiday, which celebrates the Mexican army’s victory over France at the 1862 Battle of Puebla, offers the perfect occasion to appreciate Mexican-American culture and all the great victuals associated with it.” — Olivia Wakim, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 22 Apr. 2024 Did you know? In the introduction to her 2016 cookbook Victuals, writer Ronni Lundy remarks on the (to some) unusual divergence between how her book’s title is spelled and how it is pronounced: “Say it the way my people have for centuries: vidls. ... Maybe you thought saying it that way was wrong. But look up that word in your dictionary. It turns out my people, the people of the southern Appalachian Mountains, have been right about victuals all along.” Indeed, they have! Victuals refers to supplies of usually prepared foods (rather than raw ingredients) and comes from the Late Latin word victualia meaning “provisions,” and ultimately from Latin vivere, “to live.” It went through French before it came into English, and the pronunciation VIT-ulz was presumably established based on the French spelling vitaille before the spelling was changed to better reflect the Latin root of the word. Victuals would be spelled “vittles” if its pronunciation dictated its form, and [vittles](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vittles) is in fact given in our dictionaries as a variant of victuals, though the spelling is used mostly playfully to evoke the supposed language of cowboys as depicted in movies, etc.

2 min
3 DAYS 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
4 DAYS 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
5 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
6 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
23 NOV

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
22 NOV

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
21 NOV

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.

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frugal

obfuscate

victuals

guttural

eddy

chastise

lenient

negotiate

paroxysm

tenacious

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