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

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 15, 2024 is: wane \WAYN\ verb
To wane is to become smaller or less, or in other words, to decrease in size, extent, or degree.

// The national scandal caused her popularity to wane.

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


Examples:

“In 2023, Royal Caribbean's bookings hit an all-time high ahead of the launch of its newest ship, the Icon of the Seas. Interest has yet to wane: The three strongest booking weeks in the company’s history were at the start of 2024 and ‘wave season,’ when cruise lines typically roll out flashy discounts to incentivize reservations.” — Brittany Chang, Business Insider, 20 Mar. 2024

Did you know?

In her book Braiding Sweetgrass, scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer, an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, recounts some of the stories of her people surrounding [Windigos](https://www.britannica.com/topic/wendigo), fearsome, shrieking monsters that prey on human flesh: “The Windigo is most powerful in the Hungry Times. With the warm breezes his power wanes.” Wane is a verb used when something—such as strength, power, or influence—decreases or diminishes, usually with the implication that the lessening is gradual, natural, or—as in the case of the Windigo—seasonal. Daylight wanes, as does summer. In a classroom, one’s attention may be said to wane if, minute by minute, one becomes more interested in watching birds through the window than following the points of the professor’s lecture. For centuries, wane has also been called upon to describe the seeming decrease in the size of the moon in the later [phases](https://www.britannica.com/science/lunar-phases) of the lunar cycle. The traditional opposite of wane is [wax](https://bit.ly/3JqxWSK), a once common but now rare synonym of grow. Wane and wax have been partnered in references to the moon since the Middle Ages.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 14, 2024 is: caveat \KAV-ee-aht\ noun
A caveat is an explanation or warning that should be remembered when you are doing or thinking about something. In legal contexts, caveat refers to a notice to a court or judicial officer to suspend a proceeding until the opposition can be heard.

// All investment advice should come with a caveat: the stock market is impossible to predict with absolute accuracy.

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

Examples:

"The report details the percentage of students who graduate within four years from when they first enroll in ninth grade. Still, there are caveats to the numbers. For one, students who leave the district after their freshman year to be home-schooled or enroll in private schools aren't included in the calculation." — Sommer Brugal, The Treasure Coast News (Palm Beach, Florida), 7 Jan. 2021

Did you know?

You may be familiar with the old saying [caveat emptor](https://bit.ly/43Yjw5M), nowadays loosely translated as "let the buyer beware." In the 16th century, this adage was imparted as a safeguard for the seller: allow the buyer to examine the item (for example, a horse) before the sale is completed so that the seller can't be blamed if the item turns out to be unsatisfactory. Caveat in Latin means "let him beware" and comes from the verb cavēre, meaning "to be on guard." Perhaps you've also heard the phrase [caveat lector](https://bit.ly/3PT85Gn); translated as "let the reader beware," it's a warning to take what one reads with a [grain of salt](https://bit.ly/3Jh6dDY). English retained caveat itself as a noun for something that serves to warn, explain, or caution. The word [caution](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caution), by the way (no salt needed), is also a descendant of cavēre.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 13, 2024 is: instigate \IN-stuh-gayt\ verb
To instigate something is to cause it to happen or begin by urging or goading others. Instigate is a synonym of [provoke](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provoke).

// The pair was accused of instigating a plot to oust the newly elected mayor.

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


Examples:

"The image of John, Paul, George and Ringo waving from the top steps of Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 at 1.20pm on 7 February 1964 is among the most iconic in rock'n'roll history. … That aeroplane steps photo was pivotal in instigating a dynamic in rock music whereby boys played guitars to the wild adulation of girls, a misguided social 'norm' that became so deeply embedded in the music industry that we're only now beginning to untangle it." — Mark Beaumont, The Independent (London), 7 Feb. 2024


Did you know?

It's time to investigate the true meaning of instigate. Instigate is often used as a synonym of [incite](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incite) (as in "siblings instigating a fight"), but the two words differ slightly in their overall usage. Incite usually stresses an act of stirring something up that one did not necessarily initiate ("the court's decision incited riots"), while instigate implies responsibility for initiating or encouraging someone else's action, and usually suggests [dubious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dubious) or underhanded intent ("he was charged with instigating a conspiracy"). Coming from a form of the Latin verb instigare ("to urge on or provoke"), instigate stepped into English in the 1500s, roughly a century after incite.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 12, 2024 is: torrid \TOR-id\ adjective
Torrid can be used to describe something that is literally hot (such as a region near the Earth’s equator) or figuratively hot (such as a romance).

// The tabloids were relentless in covering every minor detail of the celebrity couple’s torrid affair.

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


Examples:

“Chinese cities such as Chongqing, a southwestern metropolis known for its torrid summers, have for years used their air raid tunnels as public cooling centers.” — The Associated Press, 7 July 2023

Did you know?

[Hot](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot), [steamy](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steamy), [sultry](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultry): English is full of words that do double-duty in describing thirst traps both literal (as in the [tropics](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tropics)) and figurative (as in, well, [thirst traps](https://bit.ly/4aCmX48)). Torrid comes from the Latin verb torrēre, which means “to burn” or “to parch” and is an ancestor of our word [toast](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toast). (Despite its dry implications, torrēre is also an ancestor of [torrent](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torrent), as in “a torrent of rain.”) Torrid first appeared in English in the 16th century and was originally used to describe something burned or scorched by exposure to the sun, but it has since taken on an extended meaning similar to the “sexy” sense of hot: “showing fiery passion,” as in “torrid love letters” or “a torrid affair.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2024 is: zhuzh \ZHUZH (the U is as in PUSH)\ verb
To zhuzh something up is to improve its flavor or appearance by way of a small improvement, adjustment, or addition.

// He likes to zhuzh up his outfits with brightly-colored ties.

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

Examples:

“Ever since my sister introduced me to this life-changing condiment, I’ve slathered [chili crisp] on pretty much everything I could think of—from roasted vegetables and noodles to seafood and popcorn. … That deep savory flavor comes from ingredients like fermented black bean, shallots, mushroom powder, ginger, and seaweed, so it’s no wonder it’s become my go-to pantry staple when I want to zhuzh up my dinner in a matter of seconds.” — Britt Ross, quoted on BuzzFeed, 17 Feb. 2024

Did you know?

Zhuzh (alternatively spelled zhoosh) has an [onomatopoetic](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onomatopoeia) ring to it: it resembles other sound-effect words, such as [whoosh](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whoosh) or [zoom](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zoom), that suggest dynamic movement, or perhaps more appropriately, a ruffling of hair or fabric. The earliest evidence of zhuzh shows that it is part of [Polari](https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/polari-and-hidden-history-of-gay-seafarers), a kind of slang known especially for its use in 20th century British gay culture. The word has been in use since at least the 1970s, and gained wild popularity during the 2018 reboot of Queer Eye, a television series in which a fellow needing help in the areas of fashion, grooming, living space, food, and social grace gets a makeover courtesy of five talented gay men. While often used as a verb (usually paired with up), zhuzh is also a noun that refers to a small improvement or adjustment, as in “my hair just needs a quick zhuzh and I’ll be ready to go.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 10, 2024 is: bogart \BOH-gahrt\ verb
To bogart something is to use or consume it without sharing.

// Nelson advised his friends not to bogart all the snacks before the rest of the party guests arrived.

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


Examples:

"Producers of individual shows should not be allowed to shape any content but their own; otherwise, the telecast winds up being hijacked by beamed-in celebrities singing songs from terrible musicals no one’s yet seen. And as for those stage-swarming investors? Let’s ban them too. The awards they bogart belong to the authors." — Jesse Green, The New York Times, 2 June 2021

Did you know?

The legendary film actor [Humphrey Bogart](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Humphrey-Bogart) was known for playing a range of tough characters in a series of films throughout the 1940s and 1950s, including [The Maltese Falcon](https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Maltese-Falcon-film-1941), [Casablanca](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Casablanca-film-by-Curtiz), and [The African Queen](https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-African-Queen-film-1951). The men he portrayed often possessed a cool, hardened exterior that occasionally let forth a suggestion of romantic or idealistic sentimentality. Bogart also had a unique method of smoking cigarettes in these pictures—letting the butt dangle from his mouth without removing it until it was almost entirely consumed. It is believed that this habit inspired the current meaning of bogart, which was once limited to the phrase "Don't bogart that [joint](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joint)," as popularized by a song on the soundtrack to the film [Easy Rider](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Easy-Rider). Today, bogart can be applied to hogging almost anything.