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.

18 HR AGO

winnow

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 20, 2024 is: winnow \WIN-oh\ verb In general contexts, winnowing is about removing what is not wanted. One can winnow items, or one can winnow something that has items: you winnow less important or less desirable items by removing them from a group, list, etc.; and you winnow a list or group by removing the less important or less desirable items from it. In agricultural contexts, to winnow chaff (unwanted seed coverings and other debris) is to remove it from grain by throwing the grain up in the air and letting the wind blow the unwanted parts away. // The search committee is finding it extremely difficult to winnow the list of job candidates down to three finalists; many of them are highly qualified. // We'll need to winnow down our options. // Harvesters winnowed the chaff from the wheat. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/winnow) Examples: “Tasked with winnowing the field down to 17 semifinalists, the judges filled out score sheets for each part of the competition.” — Madison Malone Kircher and Bridget Bennett, The New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024 Did you know? As Bob Dylan once sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows.” In fact, all you need to do is hold up a dandelion puff the next time there’s a gale blowing, and watch the wind winnow the silver-white seeds from the rest of the head. Winnow and [wind](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wind) are both ancient words in English, and both share an ancestor with the Latin word for wind, ventus. Winnow first applied to the removal of [chaff](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaff) (seed coverings and other unwanted debris) from grain using the wind or other air current. This use was soon extended to describe the removal of anything undesirable or unwanted (a current example of this sense would be “winnowing out sensitive material”). People then began using the word for the selection of the most desirable elements (as in “winnowing down the list to the most qualified applicants”). Although these senses are more familiar today to most English users than the one used in processing grain, if you have trouble remembering any of them, just remember that the answer, friend, is blowing in the wind.

2 min
1 DAY AGO

approbation

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 19, 2024 is: approbation \ap-ruh-BAY-shun\ noun Approbation is a formal word that refers to praise or approval. // Their plan to [rewild](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rewild) portions of the city’s parks has won the approbation of the mayor. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approbation) Examples: “That’s not to say that all slang terms end up on the ash heap of history. Some of them break out and become incredibly popular. The most successful by far is ‘[OK](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/OK),’ which has become a universal means for expressing approbation. OK has been adopted into many other languages, and it may be [the most widely used expression on the planet](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the-hilarious-history-of-ok-okay).” — Roger Kreuz, Psychology Today, 16 Feb. 2024 Did you know? Approbation is similar in meaning to [approval](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approval), and it is also very close to approval etymologically. Both words trace back to the Latin verb approbare, which means “to prove” or “to approve.” Approbation meant “proof” when it first appeared in English in the 1300s, and by the early 1500s it had come to refer to the act of formally or officially approving something, a sense it still retains in certain church-related contexts. Today, however, we mostly use approbation in the looser sense of “approval, admiration, or praise.” The related verb [approbate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approbate) means “to approve or sanction,” and the adjective [approbatory](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approbatory) means “expressing approval or commendation.”

2 min
2 DAYS AGO

by and large

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 18, 2024 is: by and large \BYE-und-LAHRJ\ adverb By and large is another way of saying "in general" or "on the whole." // By and large, I like the way things have gone. [See the entry >](https://bit.ly/3Z4v4DT) Examples: "… HBO’s Insecure, created, written, and produced by [[Issa] Rae](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Issa-Rae), … [is] a beautifully shot, deliciously sound-designed show centered on the friendship of Issa and Molly, two black women in their 30s living in L.A. Insecure is, by and large, for black women and by black women; its return is a refreshing addition to my weekly viewing." — Tyler Tynes, The Ringer, 12 Apr. 2020 Did you know? By and large means “in general” or "on the whole" in most contexts, but in sailors’ lingo of yore, whence the phrase arose, by and large described a vessel alternately sailing as directly into the wind as possible (typically within about 45 degrees of the wind)—that is, [by](https://bit.ly/3SXFjWR)—and away from the direction from which the wind is blowing, with the wind hitting the vessel’s widest point—that is, [large](https://bit.ly/3yPpSZR). (Note that this by also appears in the term [full and by](https://bit.ly/3MgeJ7G): "sailing as directly into the wind as possible and with all sails full.") William Bourne’s 1578 book Inventions or Devises offers insight into the phrase’s original use: “… to make a ship to draw or go but little into the water, and to hold a good wind, and to sail well both by and large, were very necessary …” As has happened with much nautical jargon, the phrase eventually came ashore. By and large, landlubbers welcomed it, first in the sense "in many directions" or "in all ways," and ultimately with its present meaning of "in general."

2 min
3 DAYS AGO

dally

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 17, 2024 is: dally \DAL-ee\ verb The word dally has a number of meanings. To dally can be to physically linger or [dawdle](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawdle), or to waste time. Dally may also mean "to act playfully," especially in a romantic sense, or "to deal with something lightly or in a way that is not serious." // Three members of the hiking group were dallying and didn't arrive at the overlook until others were already starting to head back to the trailhead. // Alton has been dallying with the idea of starting a bakery. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dally) Examples: "Just as businesses that dallied too long before moving into the era of computing lost ground and eventually faded away, companies that delay in adopting the technologies of the future will find it impossible to keep up with those that take the necessary steps quickly." — Pritom Das, Entrepreneur, 21 May 2021 Did you know? English speakers have been [futzing around](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/futz) with dally since the late Middle Ages. They first started using it to mean "to chat," which was also the meaning of dalier, the Anglo-French word whence it came, but this sense fell into disuse. Next, they applied it to acting playfully with someone especially in amorous and flirtatious ways (the noun [dalliance](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dalliance), meaning "an act of dallying," is to this day often used for situations where people get all smoochy and whatnot). The idea of more figurative flirtatiousness soon led to a sense of dally meaning "to deal with lightly or in a way that is not serious." Finally, by the mid-16th century, perhaps because [fuddy-duddies](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fuddy-duddy) saw all of this fun and frivolity as a waste of time, dally gained the additional meanings of "to waste time" and "to dawdle."

2 min
4 DAYS AGO

nebula

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 16, 2024 is: nebula \NEB-yuh-luh\ noun A nebula is a large cloud of interstellar gas or dust. In nontechnical use, the word nebula also refers to a galaxy other than the Milky Way. // We were eventually able to see the nebula through the telescope. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nebula) Examples: "Like clouds, the shapes of our galaxy’s glittery nebulae are sometimes in the eye of the beholder. They can look like all sorts of animals: tarantulas, crabs, a running chicken, and now, a cosmic [koi](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/koi) swimming through space." — Laura Baisas, PopSci.com, 13 June 2024 Did you know? The history of nebula belongs not to the mists of time but to the mists of Latin: in that language nebula means "mist" or "cloud." In its earliest English uses in the 1600s, nebula was chiefly a medical term that could refer either to a cloudy formation in urine or to a cloudy speck or film on the eye. Nebula was first applied to great interstellar clouds of gas and dust in the early 1700s. The adjective [nebulous](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nebulous) comes from the same Latin root as nebula, and it is considerably older, being first used as a synonym of [cloudy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cloudy) or [foggy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foggy) as early as the 1300s. Like nebula, this adjective was not used in an astronomical sense until centuries later.

2 min
5 DAYS AGO

liminal

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 15, 2024 is: liminal \LIM-uh-nul\ adjective Liminal is a formal word most often used to describe an intermediate state, phase, or condition. It can also describe something that is barely perceptible or barely capable of eliciting a response. // The essay presents an image of the border region as a liminal zone where one culture blends into another. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liminal) Examples: “The House of Broken Bricks is set in a fictional village situated on the very real Somerset Levels in southwest England. This is a liminal space that despite ongoing modernization is constantly fighting to revert into ancient marshlands. Here the flora and fauna intrude into everyday living, whether it be through the ritual hunting of roe deer come autumn, the picking of ripe sloes for gin, the return of house martins every spring or the war against cabbage white caterpillars on the salad greens.” — Fiona Williams, LitHub.com, 10 Apr. 2024 Did you know? Liminal is a word for the in-between. It describes states, times, spaces, etc., that exist at a point of change—a metaphorical threshold—as in “the liminal zone between sleep and wakefulness.” The idea of a threshold is at the word’s root; it comes from Latin limen, meaning “threshold.” In technical use liminal means “barely perceptible” or “barely capable of eliciting a response,” and it has a familiar partner with a related meaning: [subliminal](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subliminal) can mean “inadequate to produce a sensation or a perception,” though it more often means “existing or functioning below the threshold of consciousness.” Limen has served as the basis for a number of other English words, including [eliminate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eliminate) (“to cast out”), [sublime](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sublime) (“lofty in conception or expression”), [preliminary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preliminary) (“introductory”), and the woefully underused [postliminary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postliminary) (“subsequent”).

2 min
6 DAYS AGO

succor

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 14, 2024 is: succor \SUCK-er\ noun Succor is a literary term meaning "something that you do or give to help someone who is suffering or in a difficult situation." // We see it as our duty to give succor to those in need. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/succor) Examples: "The walls of Barcelona's international convention center might soon rattle once the 4,000 European exhibitors, suppliers and service providers in town for the CineEurope trade show breathe out a collective sigh of relief. At the root of such succor are Europe's more than encouraging box-office admissions, which saw a marked uptick in late 2022 and have continued to rise into the new year." — Ben Croll, Variety, 18 June 2023 Did you know? If you're a sucker for etymology, buckle in as we aid in your understanding of succor. This word comes from the Anglo-French noun sucor (or sucors), which essentially had the same meaning as our modern word. Sucor, in turn, comes from the Latin verb succurrere, meaning "to run to the rescue" or "to bring aid." Succurrere is itself a composite of the prefix sub- (meaning "from below") and the verb currere (meaning "to run"). English also has currere to thank for such words as [current](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/current), [currency](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/currency), [courier](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courier), and even [car](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/car).

2 min
13 SEPT

callow

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 13, 2024 is: callow \KAL-oh\ adjective Callow is a synonym of [immature](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immature) used to describe someone, especially a young person, who does not have much experience and does not know how to behave like an adult. Like the word immature, callow is often used disapprovingly. // The novel’s plot involves a callow youth who eventually learns the value of hard work and self-reliance. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/callow) Examples: “Lowery opted to make Gawain a callow young man who aspires to earn the right to join the Knights of the Round Table by proving his honor and bravery—confronting some hard truths about himself along his journey.” — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 31 July 2021 Did you know? Although callow birds—that is, featherless, baby birds—are quite visibly (and audibly) hungry for the world beyond their nest, they are just as visibly immature, far from ready to step, or hop, into it. This meaning of callow isn’t common (we only define the word this way in our Unabridged dictionary), but it both links the word directly to its origin, the Old English word calu, meaning “bald,” and to today’s more common use in describing someone possessed of youthful naiveté. Calu eventually fledged into callow with the same “bald, hairless” meaning, but was applied to bald land too—that is, land [denuded](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denuded) of vegetation or not producing it in the first place. By the 16th century, callow had expanded beyond the literal sense of “lacking hair or flora” to its avian use of “lacking feathers” as well as to today’s familiar application to people. Callow now is most often used to suggest the inexperience or immaturity of young people brimming with confidence but still, figuratively, [unfledged](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfledged).

2 min
12 SEPT

fraternize

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 12, 2024 is: fraternize \FRAT-er-nyze\ verb To fraternize with someone is to be friendly with them or to spend time with them in a friendly way. Fraternize is often, though not always, used in situations where such friendly behavior is considered wrong or improper, as in “fraternizing with the enemy.” // The boss warned that fraternizing with the junior employees could be a risky career move for a manager. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraternize) Examples: “Ten years after the successful opening of the Tyler Colleges, my grandfather, who was 17 at the time, began to study and take advantage of the rich social and economic legacy of barbering. He opened the first barbershop to be owned and operated by an African American in Gordon Heights, Long Island. From its humble beginnings to the next 68 years thereafter, his business became a place in the Black community that men gathered to connect, fraternize and—of course—get groomed; a place where Black men found hopes, dreams and pride.” — Stacey Morris, Variety, 23 Feb. 2022 Did you know? O [brother](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brother) where art thou? In many an English word descended from the Latin noun frater, meaning “brother,” that’s where. Both fraternize and [fraternal](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraternal) (meaning “of, relating to, or involving brothers”), for example, come to us by way of Medieval Latin from frater. Other frater [progeny](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/progeny) in English include [friar](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friar) and [fraternity](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraternity). Even brother itself shares a relationship with frater (albeit it a more distant one). These days, although fraternize can still apply to a brotherly association or simple friendliness, it is often used in phrases, such as “fraternizing with the enemy,” implying friendliness toward someone who would be better avoided.

2 min
11 SEPT

chockablock

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 11, 2024 is: chockablock \CHAH-kuh-blahk\ adjective Something described as chockablock is very full or tightly packed. // Their mantel is chockablock with knickknacks collected from their travels to all fifty states. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chockablock) Examples: "The official Taylor Swift online store is chockablock with earrings, hoodies, vinyl and other merchandise promoting the star's latest record-breaking album, 'The Tortured Poets Department.'" — Ari Shapiro, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024 Did you know? Ahoy, mateys! Though it is now more often used by [landlubbers](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/landlubber), chockablock has a nautical history. On board a sailing vessel, chock can refer to a wedge or block that is pressed up against an object to keep it from moving (on land, wheel chocks prevent vehicles from rolling), while a [block and tackle](https://bit.ly/3Alz88q) system combines pulleys, often in cases called "blocks," and rope or cable to provide [mechanical advantage](https://bit.ly/47dI4cF) for hoisting and hauling. Using a block and tackle to hoist a sail on a traditional sailing ship, there’s a point when the rope or cable is pulled as far as it will go—the blocks at that point are tight together and said to be "chockablock"; they can no longer move, as if they are being checked by a chock. When non-nautical types associated the chock of chockablock with [chock-full](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chock-full), from the Middle English adjective chokkefull, meaning "full to the limit" (likely a figurative use of "full to choking"), they gave chockablock the additional meaning "filled up." Chockablock can also be an [adverb](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chockablock) meaning "as close or as completely as possible," as in "dorms full of students living chockablock" or the seemingly redundant "chockablock full."

2 min

10 Episodes

Peter Sokolowski

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Merriam-Webster
Years Active

2006 - 2024
Episodes

10
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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Episodes

winnow

approbation

by and large

dally

nebula

liminal

succor

callow

fraternize

chockablock

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Peter Sokolowski

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