Author: Paul Schleifer
Word of the Day: Justice
There are several definitions for justice: the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause. rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim […]
Word of the Day: Palimpsest
I’ve been away for a while now, but I’m back with a new word. A palimpsest is, according to Mirriam Webster, “writing material (such as a parchment or […]
Word of the Day: Temerity
Temerity is a noun which means boldness or rashness or audacity or excessive confidence. According to www.etymonline.com, the word comes into the language in the “late 14c., from Latin temeritatem (nominative temeritas) ‘blind […]
Word of the Day: Impudent
Impudent: “of, relating to, or characterized by impertinence or effrontery.” “Obsolete: shameless or brazenly immodest” (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/impudent). I came across this word while reading “Lilies That Fester,” an essay by […]
Word of the Day: Charisma
Charisma means “compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in other,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Webster’s Dictionary takes it a step further: “a personal magic of leadership […]
Word of the Day: Surveil
Surveil is a regular verb, as one would expect given its oh-so-brief history. It is what linguists call a backformation. Here’s how it works. Often we derive a noun from […]
Word of the Day: Benign
Benign is an adjective meaning “mild or favorable (result). Gentle, kind, good.” It is often used in relation to medical cases, like “The tumor was benign.” According to www.etymonline.com, the […]
Word of the Day: Cacophony
Paul Schleifer According to www.dictionary.com, cacophony means “harsh discordance of sound; dissonance; a discordant and meaningless mixture of sounds.” The etymology, according to www.etymonline.com, is actually kind of fun: “1650s, […]
Word of the Day: Enervate
Paul Schleifer Enervate is one of those words that means the opposite of what you might think it means. It sounds something like energize, right? So you might think it […]
Word of the Day: Swank
Paul Schleifer Swank, to English speakers in the US, means “fancy, elegant and showy.” In the UK, swank can also be a verb “to display one’s wealth, knowledge, or achievements […]
Word of the Day: Taciturn
Paul Schleifer According to the OED, taciturn means “Characterized by silence or disinclination to conversation; reserved in speech; saying little; uncommunicative.” The first recorded use is from the Tobias Smollett […]
Word of the Day: Evanescent
Paul Schleifer According to the OED, evanescent is an adjective describing something “That is on the point of vanishing or becoming imperceptible” or something “That quickly vanishes or passes away; […]