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

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2024 is: brainiac \BRAY-nee-ak\ noun
A brainiac is a very intelligent person.

// Her ability to solve almost any puzzle within minutes secured her place as the brainiac of the family.

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


Examples:

"In this modern, adult-oriented take on the classic 'Scooby-Doo' franchise, the series follows the origin story of Velma Dinkley (Kaling), the brainiac of the Mystery Inc. gang. After a corpse is found in her high school, Velma teams up with Daphne (Constance Wu), Shaggy (Sam Richardson) and Fred (Glenn Howerton) to solve the murder." — Michaela Zee, Variety, 21 Dec. 2022

Did you know?

As [Superman](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Superman-fictional-character) fans know, Brainiac was the superintelligent villain in the [Action Comics](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Action-Comics) series and its spin-offs. His name is a portmanteau of [brain](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brain) and [maniac](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maniac). You don't need x-ray vision to see the connection here—etymologists think Superman's brainy adversary is the likely inspiration for the common noun brainiac. The term was not coined right away though. The comic-book series was launched in 1938 and the character Brainiac debuted in 1958, but current evidence doesn't show general use of brainiac to refer to a superintelligent person until the 1970s.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2024 is: apocryphal \uh-PAH-kruh-ful\ adjective
Something described as apocryphal is of doubtful authenticity; the term is often applied to stories or legends that are often repeated but likely not true. Apocryphal can also describe something resembling or relating to the [Apocrypha](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocrypha), the ancient Jewish books that are not part of the Hebrew Bible but are considered canonical in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. In the biblical use, the word is often capitalized.

// The legend of how the song was fully composed while the singer was in a deep fever state is probably apocryphal.

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

Examples:

"There is a likely apocryphal story about how Michelangelo, upon getting criticism about David's nose being too big, climbed a ladder and pretended to chisel it." — Rita Bullwinkel, The New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024

Did you know?

In biblical study, [Apocrypha](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocrypha) refers to books outside an accepted [canon](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canon) of scripture. In modern use, the term refers specifically to a group of ancient Jewish books that are not part of the Hebrew Bible but are considered canonical in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches; Protestant churches follow Jewish tradition in considering these books noncanonical. Both apocrypha and apocryphal come, via Latin, from the Greek word apokrýptein, meaning "to hide (from), keep hidden (from)," which in turn comes from krýptein, "to conceal, hide." Both words entered English in the 16th century with their nonbiblical meanings, apocrypha referring to writings or statements of dubious authenticity, and apocryphal describing such things. Apocryphal is now the more common word. It most often describes an oft-repeated tale that is almost certainly not true.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2024 is: paradigm \PAIR-uh-dyme\ noun
Paradigm is a formal word that refers to a pattern or example, and especially to an outstandingly clear or typical example or archetype. It can also refer to a theory or group of ideas about how something should be done, made, or thought about.

// Her latest book provides us with a new paradigm for modern biography.

// Several speakers at the conference focused their presentations on challenging what has been a dominant educational paradigm.

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


Examples:

“In a music paradigm that’s increasingly focused on individual tracks, artists still have a chance to make a bigger statement about the world, and themselves, through larger collections that can explore a variety of styles and emotions.” — Tom Roland, Billboard, 23 Jan. 2024

Did you know?

Paradigm comes from the Greek verb paradeiknynai, meaning “to show side by side.” It has been used in English to mean “example” or “pattern” since the 15th century. There is debate, however, about what kind of example qualifies as a paradigm. Some people say it’s a typical example, while others insist it must be an outstanding or perfect example. The scientific community has added to the confusion by using paradigm to mean “a theoretical framework,” a sense popularized by American scientist [Thomas S. Kuhn](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-S-Kuhn) in the second edition of his influential book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1970. Some usage commentators now advise avoiding the term entirely on the grounds that it is overused, but we contend that it can [sometimes make a useful, conversation-enriching replacement](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/top-10-simple-but-intelligent-words-vol-2) for idea, theory, or concept, as in “[an article about sandwiches](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/to-chew-on-10-kinds-of-sandwiches) that shifts the paradigm by including hot dogs.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2024 is: unbeknownst \un-bih-NOHNST\ adjective
Unbeknownst means “without being known about by (a specified person or group of people).”

// Unbeknownst to the students, the teacher had entered the room.

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


Examples:

“Unbeknownst to many tenants across the city, an obscure city rule requires some newly built rental properties to be put under the city’s rent stabilization ordinance, commonly referred to as rent control.” — Andre Khouri, The Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2024

Did you know?

For reasons unbeknownst to perhaps all of us, unbeknownst is a word in good standing. It has the ring of a true [archaism](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archaism), what with that -st ending we know from such Shakespearean gems as “thou dost snore distinctly,” and yet it is not what it seems; unbeknownst may resemble archaic verb forms like dost and canst, but it’s just playing dress-up. To authentically use dost and canst one has to be addressing someone else, and no one has ever said “thou unbeknownst,” or even “thou beknownst.” Beknown, which had some meager use between the 16th and 19th centuries, was a form of the verb beknow (in use between the 14th and 16th centuries) but was mostly used as an adjective meaning “known, familiar.” If anything would get the -st ending, it would be beknow, and the form would be beknowst or beknowest. All this to say, when unbeknownst started cropping up in fictional dialogue in the early decades of the 19th century, the word did not please everyone. By the early 20th century, it was being disparaged as [“a vulgar provincialism”](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/48907/48907-h/48907-h.htm) and a term [“out of use except in dialect or uneducated speech.”](https://www.google.com/books/edition/ADictionaryofModernEnglishUsage/cicUDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22out+of+use+except+in+dialect+or+uneducated+speech%22&pg=PA676&printsec=frontcover) The slander has done no good whatsoever. Unbeknownst is perfectly standard today, even in formal prose. Note that speakers of British English prefer unbeknown, which lacks that unjustified -st and is 200 years older. Perhaps our friends across the pond beknow more than we do.

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.