Sprezzatura
Last Friday @greenie messaged me that sprezzatura would be a good word of the day. I'm very glad she did. Sprezzatura was originally defined as a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort...haberdasher
Once upon a time, men wore hats. Not just a few men, but pretty much all men. Even boys would wear caps. [[ image ]] Since hats were such a popular item, there were plenty of retailers specializing in this fashion acessory. Such purveyors were called habe...vocab quiz
What does propinquity mean? [[ SPOILER!!! ]]- lack of fairness of justice9 votes
- lack of solidity or substance2 votes
- conformance to accepted standards16 votes
- state of closeness11 votes
chauffeuse
Today's word comes courtesy of the TV show Archer. In an episode this season the annoying titular character chastises Lana for not knowing that the female equivalent of a chauffeur is a chauffeuse. As a word nerd, I love hidden words like this that are in...ultracrepidarian
Ultracrepidarian is a person who expresses opinions on matters outside the scope of their knowledge or expertise. I came across this one on Reddit the other day. And it gave me chuckle. Mostly because Reddit is a site full of ultracrepidarians.phrenology
So I was backpacking this weekend and Kelcy told me that one of the bumps on the back of my skull made a funny-looking line down the back of my head. It was a little weird because we've been married seven years. But it made me think of one of my favorite ...vocab quiz
What does mulct mean? [[ SPOILER!!! ]]- To overlook4 votes
- To cultivate14 votes
- To acclaim4 votes
- To penalize13 votes
contronym
Merriam-Webster recently published a cool article about having figuratively as a secondary definition for literally. This usage clearly pisses off a lot of pedants but has been used that way since at least Charles Dickens. I'm not going to rehash their po...Guest Posts
Here at Word of the Day we want to create a community where members enjoy and feel comfortable commenting and posting. One event that we are going to start implementing is “Guest Posts.” While posting is always open to everyone sometimes it feels nice to ...cirque
Spring is (kinda) here and that means weekend backpacking for me. I recently went to a gorgeous lake in the mountains in a cirque. A cirque is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. It is often shaped by fluvial erosion. Often a small lake...vocab quiz
What does lachrymose mean? [[ SPOILER!!! ]]- cheerful2 votes
- tearful32 votes
- tired1 votes
- angry3 votes
Catawamptiously
This delightful word catawampus has many incarnations and different meanings and is a fun Americanism. Its equivalent forms include catawampus, kattywampus, and kittywampus. It primary usage is as a synonym of kitty-corner, which itself has many forms: ca...Sindonology
For this one I need to do a little of background first. The Shroud of Turin is a burial cloth. The legends claim that it is in fact the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth. The Shroud itself has an interesting history and it is worth a read if you're into ...Flummery
Aside from being fun to say, this word has a fun etymology and evocative imagery. The definition of this word that is most common in American English is meaningless flattery, nonsense. This definition is an evolution of the original a starch-based sweet s...vocab quiz
What does demesne mean? [[ SPOILER!!! ]]- estate23 votes
- political initiative3 votes
- intermediary8 votes
- member of the lowest class6 votes
argentine
Today's word is courtesy of my mom. She was reading a book that was set in the early 1800s and came across this word and had no idea of its meaning outside of the well known meaning from the country of Argentina. She looked it up and discovered that origi...Curmudgeon
I used this word the other day and it made me think about how much I like it. It means a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man. Now not that I think it is good to be a curmudgeon, but occasionally you have to recognize and support your inner curmudgeo...vocab quiz
What does efflorescent mean? [[ SPOILER!!! ]]- Having a sheen resembling that of clover1 votes
- Emitting a soft, glowing light27 votes
- Young in appearance3 votes
- Flowering or blossoming13 votes
drunk
I have a friend who I would describe as a professional alcoholic. He probably averages 10 vodka sodas a night. And he probably drinks 6 days of the week. When I hang out with him, I always drink a little more than I should. And hence, I get a little drunk...Groke
This is an old Scots word that was incorporated in English and then died. It means to stare at somebody while they're eating in the hope that they'll give you some of their food. For example, what every dog does everytime someone is eating.Vocab quiz
What does inamorata mean? [[ SPOILER!!! ]]- Unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable9 votes
- A woman with whom you are in love or have an intimate relationship24 votes
- A weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy2 votes
- A privately owned land inside the boundary of a national park, national forest, state park2 votes
Malagueña
I was playing old pieces that I enjoy on the piano and I pulled out Malagueña. Later that day, Kelcy, who speak Spanish, asked me if I knew what Malagueña means. Which I am a bit ashamed to say, I did not. Evidently, the literal translation, is a girl fro...Vocab Quiz
What does apocopate mean? [[ SPOILER!!! ]]- the part of the stem of an embryo plant beneath the stalks of the seed leaves3 votes
- to remove the final sound or syllable16 votes
- root out, destroy completely19 votes
- a widgeon the male of which has a white crown0 votes
Dough vs Batter
You probably all know this one already, but it was new to me. We were making pancakes this weekend and I said something about "pancake dough". My wife laughed at me and told me it was "pancake batter", a term which I had of course heard before but didn't ...



