Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day Podcast

sacerdotal • \sass-er-DOH-tul\  • adjective
*1 : of or relating to priests or a priesthood : priestly 2 : of, relating to, or suggesting religious belief emphasizing the powers of priests as essential mediators between God and mankind

Example sentence:
It surprised Jim whenever Father Thomas would shed his sacerdotal role to take up a secular topic of conversation such as contemporary rock music.

Did you know?
"Sacerdotal" is one of a host of English words derived from the Latin adjective "sacer," meaning "sacred." Other words derived from "sacer" include "desecrate," "sacrifice," "sacrilege," "consecrate," "sacrament," and even "execrable" (developed from the Latin word "exsecrari," meaning "to put under a curse"). One unlikely "sacer" descendant is "sacrum," referring to the series of five vertebrae in the lower back connected to the pelvis. In Latin this bone was called the "os sacrum," or "holy bone," a translation of the Greek "hieron osteon."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 07, 2009 is:

bastion • \BAS-chun\  • noun
1 : a projecting part of a fortification 2 : a fortified area or position 3 a : a place of security or survival* b : a place dominated by a particular group or marked by a particular characteristic

Example sentence:
The university's economics department was considered the last bastion of political conservatism within an otherwise liberal campus.

Did you know?
"Bastion" is constructed of etymological building blocks that are very similar to those of "bastille" (a word now used as a general term for a prison, but probably best known as the name of the Parisian fortress-turned-prison stormed by an angry mob at the start of the French Revolution). The history of "bastion" can be traced through Middle French to the Old Italian verb "bastire," which means "to build." "Bastille" descends from the Old Occitan verb "bastir," which also means "to build." "Bastir" and "bastire" are themselves of Germanic origin and akin to the Old High German word "besten," meaning "to patch."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 06, 2009 is:

nudnik • \NOOD-nik (the "OO" is as in "good")\  • noun
: a person who is a bore or nuisance

Example sentence:
James worried that he would never finish his work if the office nudnik didn't quit hanging around his cubicle.

Did you know?
The suffix "-nik" came to English through Yiddish (and ultimately from Polish and Ukrainian). It means "one connected with or characterized by being." You might be familiar with "beatnik," "computernik," or "neatnik," but what about "no-goodnik" or "allrightnik"? The suffix "-nik" is frequently used in English to create nonce words that are often jocular or slightly derogatory. Some theorize that the popularity of the suffix was enhanced by Russian "Sputnik," as well as Al Capp's frequent use of "-nik" words in his "L'il Abner" cartoons. The "nud-" of the Yiddish borrowing "nudnik" ultimately comes from the Polish word "nuda," meaning "boredom."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 05, 2009 is:

maugre • \MAW-gur\  • preposition
archaic : in spite of

Example sentence:
"I love thee so that, maugre all thy pride, / Nor wit nor reason can my passion hide." (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act III, Scene i)

Did you know?
"Maugre" is now quite rare, but having served the English language for more than 700 years, it's due whatever rest it's currently enjoying. Although it may not be a word worth incorporating into your expressive vocabulary, being familiar with it will be helpful in reading the works of such authors as Shakespeare, Scott, Milton, and, as in this quote from his Essays, First Series, Emerson: "By virtue of this inevitable nature, private will is overpowered, and, maugre our efforts or our imperfections, your genius will speak from you, and mine from me." The word is Anglo-French in origin, coming from "mal" or "mau," meaning "evil," and "gré," meaning "grace, favor."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 04, 2009 is:

invective • \in-VEK-tiv\  • noun
*1 : an abusive expression or speech 2 : insulting or abusive language : vituperation

Example sentence:
The sonnet is an invective against the poet's wife and the man who cuckolded him.

Did you know?
"Invective" began life in the 15th century as an adjective meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse." In 1523, it appeared in print as a noun meaning "an example of abusive speech." Eventually, the noun developed a second sense applying to abusive language as a whole. "Invective" comes to us from the Middle French word "invectif," which in turn derives from Latin "invectivus," meaning "reproachful, abusive." ("Invectivus" comes from Latin "invectus," past participle of the verb "invehere," one form of which means "to assail with words.") "Invective" is similar to "abuse," but it tends to suggest not only anger and vehemence, but also verbal and rhetorical skill. It sometimes implies public denunciation, as in "blistering political invective."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 03, 2009 is:

regimen • \REJ-uh-mun\  • noun
*1 : a systematic course of treatment or training 2 : government, rule 3 : a government in power : regime

Example sentence:
Sherry’s personal trainer at the gym started her on a workout regimen of 30 minutes on the treadmill followed by 30 minutes of weight training.

Did you know?
We borrowed "regimen" straight from Latin, spelling and all -- but in Latin, the word simply meant "rule" or "government." In English, it usually refers to a system of rules or guidelines, often for living a healthy life or taking a regular dose of exercise. The Latin "regimen" derives from another Latin word, the verb "regere," which means "to lead straight" or "to rule." If you trace straight back from "regere," you'll find that "regimen" has plenty of lexical kin, including "correct," "erect," "region," "rule," and "surge." If you are using the "training" sense of "regimen," be careful not to confuse the word with "regiment," another "regere" descendant, which is used for a military unit.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 02, 2009 is:

voluble • \VAHL-yuh-bul\  • adjective
1 : easily rolling or turning : rotating *2 : characterized by ready or rapid speech : glib, fluent

Example sentence:
The young man proved to be a voluble informer who would tell stories of bookies, smugglers, and hit men to the detectives for hours.

Did you know?
English has many terms for gabby types, but it's important to choose the right word to get across what kind of chatterbox you mean. "Talkative" usually implies a readiness to engage in talk or a disposition to enjoy conversation. "Loquacious" generally suggests the power to express oneself fluently, articulately, or glibly, but it can also mean "talking excessively." "Garrulous" is even stronger in its suggestion of excessive talkativeness; it is most often used for tedious, rambling talkers. "Voluble" describes an individual who speaks easily and often.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 01, 2009 is:

disavow • \dis-uh-VOW\  • verb
1 : to deny responsibility for : repudiate *2 : to refuse to acknowledge or accept : disclaim

Example sentence:
The candidate has disavowed any knowledge of the letter -- received by thousands of voters -- in which her opponent was maligned.

Did you know?
If you trace the etymology of "disavow" back through Middle English to Anglo-French, you'll arrive eventually at the prefix "des-" and the verb "avouer," meaning "to avow." The prefix "des-" in turn derives from the Latin prefix "dis-," meaning "apart." That Latin prefix plays a significant role in many current English words, including "disadvantage," "disappoint," and "disagree." "Avouer" is from Latin "advocare," meaning "to summon," and is also the source of our word "advocate."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 31, 2009 is:

lycanthropy • \lye-KAN-thruh-pee\  • noun
1 : a delusion that one has become a wolf *2 : the assumption of the form and characteristics of a wolf held to be possible by witchcraft or magic

Example sentence:
The 1941 film The Wolf Man starred Lon Chaney, Jr., as a man cursed with lycanthropy.

Did you know?
If you happen to be afflicted with lycanthropy, the full moon is apt to cause you an inordinate amount of distress. "Lycanthropy" can refer to either the delusional idea that one is a wolf or to the werewolf transformations that have been the stuff of superstitions for centuries. In some cultures, similar myths involve human transformation into other equally feared animals: hyenas and leopards in Africa, for example, and tigers in Asia. The word "lycanthropy" itself, however, comes from the Greek words "lykos," meaning "wolf," and "anthropos," meaning "human being." Werewolf myths are usually associated with the phases of the moon; the animal nature of the werewolf (or "lycanthrope") is typically thought to take over when the moon is full.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 30, 2009 is:

pescatarian • \pess-kuh-TAIR-ee-un\  • noun
: one whose diet includes fish but no meat

Example sentence:
As she savored the bite of fish taco -- a food she had dearly missed since being on her vegetarian diet -- Gwyneth thought to herself, "I'll just have to consider myself a pescatarian instead."

Did you know?
The word "vegetarian" sprouted up in 1839. "Fruitarian" ("a person who lives on fruit") ripened by 1893. In 1944, vegetarians who consume no animal or dairy products began calling themselves "vegans." Then, in 1993, those who eat fish but no other meat chose "pesce," the Italian word for "fish," to create the designation "pescatarian." In that same year, "meatatarian" was served up as a word for those whose diet largely includes meat; that word is rare, however, and is usually used in informal and humorous ways, making it the type of fare not included in our dictionaries. Another fairly recent dietary word that we will be chewing over when we next update our dictionary is "flexitarian," a person who follows a mostly vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat or fish.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 29, 2009 is:

hobnob • \HAHB-nahb\  • verb
: to associate familiarly

Example sentence:
Bill hoped his new job as a reporter would give him an opportunity to hobnob with politicians and other notables.

Did you know?
"Hob" and "nob" first came together in print in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, when Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," said Sir Toby, using "hob nob" to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's term is probably an alteration of "habnab," a phrase that meant "to have or not have, however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, "hob" and "nob" became established in the phrases "to drink hob or nob" and "to drink hobnob," which were used to mean "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, "hobnob" came to refer to congenial social interaction.