Podcasts about Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2026 is: maverick • MAV-rik • noun Maverick refers to a person who refuses to follow the customs or rules of a group; in other words, a nonconformist. // Ayo has always been a bit of a maverick in the fashion world, inventing new trends rather than following them. See the entry > Examples: “[Luis] Alvarez has been described as a scientific Indiana Jones, but his reputation as a maverick was built on a foundation of patience and discipline.” — Alec Nevala-Lee, Collisions: A Physicist's Journey from Hiroshima to the Death of the Dinosaurs, 2025 Did you know? When a client gave Samuel A. Maverick 400 cattle to settle a $1,200 debt, the 19th-century south Texas lawyer had no use for them, so he left the cattle unbranded and allowed them to roam freely (supposedly under the supervision of one of his employees). Neighboring stockmen recognized their opportunity and seized it, branding and herding the stray cattle as their own. Maverick eventually recognized the folly of the situation and sold what was left of his depleted herd, but not before his name became synonymous with such unbranded livestock. By the end of the 19th century, the term maverick was being used to refer to individuals who prefer, like cattle left to their own devices, to blaze their own trails.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2026 is: stalwart • STAWL-wert • adjective Stalwart is a formal word used to describe someone or something that is very loyal and dedicated or that is physically or mentally strong. // He was a stalwart civil rights supporter throughout his political career. // The football team's stalwart defense only gave up a single field goal in the second half. See the entry > Examples: "Arbour is a stalwart defender of women's rights, having witnessed the struggle for equality during Quebec's Quiet Revolution." — Allison Hanes, The Montreal Gazette, 6 May 2026 Did you know? Stalwart is a word with ancient roots that has lent its stalwart service to the English language for centuries. Coming, via Middle English, from the Old English word stǣlwierthe, meaning "serviceable," stalwart describes people or things that are marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or spirit, as revealed by traits such as loyalty and steadfastness, capability and dependability, or physical robustness. Old oak trees, for example, have long been described as stalwart for their imposing stature and endurance. A baseball team's closing pitcher may be deemed stalwart by showing mental fortitude in consistently striking out opposing batters in high-pressure situations. And a stalwart lover is one who, through thick and thin, is never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and hurt you.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2026 is: stalwart • STAWL-wert • adjective Stalwart is a formal word used to describe someone or something that is very loyal and dedicated or that is physically or mentally strong. // He was a stalwart civil rights supporter throughout his political career. // The football team's stalwart defense only gave up a single field goal in the second half. See the entry > Examples: "Arbour is a stalwart defender of women's rights, having witnessed the struggle for equality during Quebec's Quiet Revolution." — Allison Hanes, The Montreal Gazette, 6 May 2026 Did you know? Stalwart is a word with ancient roots that has lent its stalwart service to the English language for centuries. Coming, via Middle English, from the Old English word stǣlwierthe, meaning "serviceable," stalwart describes people or things that are marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or spirit, as revealed by traits such as loyalty and steadfastness, capability and dependability, or physical robustness. Old oak trees, for example, have long been described as stalwart for their imposing stature and endurance. A baseball team's closing pitcher may be deemed stalwart by showing mental fortitude in consistently striking out opposing batters in high-pressure situations. And a stalwart lover is one who, through thick and thin, is never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and hurt you.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2026 is: dog days • DAWG-DAYZ • plural noun Dog days is a plural noun that refers to the hottest time of the year, which in the northern hemisphere is usually between early July and early September. Dog days can also refer to a period of stagnation or inactivity suggestive of hot, sultry weather when it can be difficult to summon the energy required for hard work. // Spending the day at a swimming hole has always been the perfect relief for the dog days of summer. See the entry > Examples: “When the dog days of summer were at their fullest, my new friends and I often played scrub baseball at Cameron Street School. We also rode our bicycles all over the south end.” — Gary Baldwin, The Peterborough (Ontario) Examiner, 19 July 2025 Did you know? Idle hands may be the devil's workshop, but let's be serious: when it's stiflingly hot outside, who among us isn't tempted to shirk work to go lie doggo in the shade somewhere? Such is the desire of many a creature—not just dogs (or lexicographers)—during the dog days of summer. If you're curious about how dogs got singled out in this expression, we might say it was in the stars. The dog in dog days is the Dog Star, aka Sirius, the star that represents the hound of the hunter Orion in the eponymous constellation. The star has long been associated with sultry weather in the northern hemisphere because it rises simultaneously with the sun during the hottest days of summer.

Dr. Jeannine Brown is The David Price Professor of Biblical and Theological Foundations at Bethel Seminary, where she has taught for 26 years. She focuses her research on the New Testament, hermeneutics, and integration. She's written a bunch of books and commentaries, including Scripture as Communication, Becoming Whole and Holy, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (editor), commentaries on Matthew, Philippians, and 1 Peter (forthcoming), and a couple books most pertinent to our conversation: Gospels as Stories and The Greatest Story Ever Retold (with John Anthony Dunne). Jeannine is a member of the NIV translation committee. In this podcast conversation, we talk about reading the gospels as narratives versus harmonizing the 4 Gospels, and we also talk about the portrayal of Jesus in film, including the popular The Chosen series. Time Stamps:00:00 Introduction02:57 Why Read the Gospels as Narrative?07:36 Are the Gospel Differences Contradictions?11:45 Ancient Biography and the Gospels21:45 Why John's Gospel Is Different33:44 How Each Gospel Presents Jesus39:15 How to Read the Gospels Well44:15 Bible Movies and Portraying Jesus54:20 The Chosen: Creative License and Biblical FaithfulnessSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 20, 2026 is: raffish • RAF-ish • adjective Raffish describes people and things that show a careless but usually attractive unconventionality. // She didn't expect to like him but his raffish charm quickly won her over. See the entry > Examples: "Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant." — David Wingrave, Harper's Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 Did you know? Raffish combines the English noun raff with the suffix -ish, which in this case means "characteristic of": when we use the word raffish, we literally mean "resembling raff." But what exactly is raff? You might be more familiar with raff's synonym, riffraff, which refers to disreputable people of low social status. Despite the resemblance, these two nouns are distinct in origin. Raff comes directly from the Middle English raf, meaning "rubbish," while riffraff descends from the Anglo-French rif e raf, meaning "altogether." The similarities between raff and riffraff prompted people to start using the two words as synonyms, and raff gained a "rabble" sense. It was that ragtag raff that gave rise to the adjective raffish in the late 1700s.

Show #2710 Show Notes: 2 Thessalonians 2: https://biblehub.com/kjv/2_thessalonians/2.htm Millennium Hotel at St. Louis arch demolished: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqYKvPiTGrU Matthew 5:13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%205%3A13&version=KJV John 15:13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2015%3A13&version=KJV ‘Abomination’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/abomination ‘Artificial’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/artificial Data Centers and AI video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t7CvtloqtE Craig’s link: https://impactquantum.com/what-i-learned-from-geordie-rose-why-quantum-ai-and-consciousness-are-all-connected/ […]

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 19, 2026 is: accentuate • ak-SEN-shu-wayt • verb To accentuate something is to make it more noticeable. // He likes to wear clothes that accentuate his muscular build. See the entry > Examples: “My mother could make me anything I wanted to be. As a child she transformed me into a swan, a mermaid, a white Persian cat dressed like an elegant Victorian lady with a porkpie hat and a ruffled bustle to accentuate my tail. She'd trained as a costume designer.” — Perdita Finn, Mothers of Magic: Summoning the Wisdom of Our Ancestors, 2026 Did you know? When you accentuate something you put an “accent,” or emphasis, on it. Stress not about the word's history; its journey into the English language was very straightforward. It comes from the Latin accentus, meaning “accent” (which itself comes in part from cantus, meaning “song”), and since the early 18th century, its meanings haven't changed much. The word was initially used as a synonym of the verb accent to mean “to pronounce with greater stress or force,” which is a small leap from today's meaning of “to make something more noticeable; to emphasize.” One excellent way to remember not only how to pronounce accentuate but also its etymological connection to song is the classic (and helpfully titled) tune “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, which has been performed by such luminaries as Dinah Washington, Sam Cooke, and Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 18, 2026 is: quid pro quo • kwid-proh-KWOH • noun Quid pro quo refers to something that is given to you or done for you in return for something you have given to or done for someone else. // If they do us this favor, they'll expect a quid pro quo. See the entry > Examples: “For each proposal, it's almost guaranteed you'll have to negotiate with at least one faction, which usually involves some kind of quid pro quo. Maybe you agree to pass a policy they want next, or to advance research on a new technology of their choice.” — Deven McClure, Polygon, 24 Jan. 2026 Did you know? In the 1500s, a quid pro quo was something obtained from an apothecary. That's because when quid pro quo (New Latin for “something for something”) was first used as a phrase in English it appeared especially in situations where one medicine was substituted for another—whether intentionally (and sometimes fraudulently) or accidentally. The meaning of the phrase was quickly extended, however, and within several decades it was being used for more general equivalent exchanges, and as a noun for the act of substituting, or the substituted thing itself. By the mid-1600s the noun could be used for a bargain made between two parties involving the giving of one thing in return for another, e.g. “I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine.” Although such bargains are not inherently illegal, this sense of quid pro quo often appears today in legal contexts where the giving and taking is less than completely lawful.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 17, 2026 is: obdurate • AHB-duh-rut • adjective Obdurate is a formal word that means "resistant to persuasion." It is usually used to describe someone who is not willing to change their methods or opinions, or something that is not easily altered. // Though obdurate problems loom, the organization under its new leadership is poised to make real and effective changes. See the entry > Examples: "... even great careers must end sometime, and as often as not against obdurate wills." — Greg Baum, The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 Dec. 2025 Did you know? When trying to persuade someone who has an obdurate disposition, you may end up feeling rather dour about your ability to change their mind. To endure such encounters in the future, you may find that you need to be more durable and not let the person's mulishness get you down. Maybe you will find such situations less stressful if you can face them knowing that the words obdurate, dour, endure, and durable are etymological kissing cousins. All trace back to the Latin adjective durus, which means "hard."

We're continuing our “fundamentals of therapy” series today and taking a closer look at empathy. We all know how central empathy is to the therapeutic process, but we don't always talk about how to practice becoming more empathic. In this episode, we explore the facets of empathy, and name some practices to help us become more empathic therapists.Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year :)Watch the previous episode in this series on Active Listening:https://youtu.be/8bZFqdxUrF4Links Mentioned:Carl Rogers: “Empathic: An Unappreciated Way of Being"http://www.sageofasheville.com/pub_downloads/EMPATHIC_AN_UNAPPRECIATED_WAY_OF_BEING.pdfArticle: "A transdisciplinary framework for empathy research"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2026.1703147/fullAPA's Dictionary of Psychology Definition of Empathy:https://dictionary.apa.org/empathyPsychepedia Article: “Empathy: Affective vs Cognitive Types Explained"https://psychepedia.arabpsychology.com/trm/empathy-affective-vs-cognitive-types-explained/Article: "Therapist Empathy and Client Outcome: An Updated Meta-Analysis"https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpst0000175Article: “Cultivating Empathy"https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/11/feature-cultivating-empathyPrevious Episode on the importance of staying curious with therapy clients:https://youtu.be/SSNG7iHEar8LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 16, 2026 is: bibelot • BEE-buh-loh • noun A bibelot is a small household ornament or decorative object. // His grandfather set up a table every week at the flea market where he sold all sorts of bibelots and bric-a-brac, from ceramic figurines to tiny blown glass sculptures. See the entry > Examples: “One by one, the beads and baubles and charms and bibelots have been cleaned and polished and now they are being placed on shelves, in jars and containers, in bins, and in a bathtub in Beadniks' new store on Main Street.” — Bob Audette, The Brattleboro (Vermont) Reformer, 21 June 2025 Did you know? The English language, it would seem, can't get enough of synonyms for trinket, including gewgaw, gimcrack, and knickknack, just as lovers of tchotchkes can't get enough of such ornamental trifles. Lady Charlotte Guest (1812-1895) was just such a lover of baubles and bric-a-brac. Not only was Guest an accomplished linguist, educator, publisher, and philanthropist, she also amassed collections of everything from porcelain to playing cards, which she ultimately donated to museums. We also have Guest to thank for the first known use in English of the French word for “trinket,” bibelot, which she recorded in a journal entry in 1873 while in Paris: “After 3, walked up to Lady Hopetoun's to amuse her with some of our little bibelots.”

Today we’re talking lifestyle creep: with every pay rise, your spending quietly upgrades too, until your bigger paycheck feels just as tight as the last. Welcome back to this special miniseries, brought to you by Ubank! In these bonus six episodes, we’re breaking down a different financial term each week to make you the money savvy baddie you were always meant to be. Thanks to our sponsor Ubank for making this episode of Two Broke Chicks possible!

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 15, 2026 is: loquacious • loh-KWAY-shus • adjective Loquacious means “liking to talk and talking smoothly and easily.” Someone described as loquacious might also be called wordy (prone to using more words than necessary) or garrulous (tending to talk a lot). // We were entertained all afternoon by our host's loquacious parrot and its nonstop script of favored phrases. See the entry > Examples: “Due to their loquacious nature, marmosets have recently become a focus of studies on the evolutionary origin of human speech and language.” — Tobias Kahland et al., Nature Communications, 28 Mar. 2026 Did you know? Loquacious undeniably has a poetic ring to it. It's been a favorite of the writerly sort since it made its first appearance in English in the 17th century and, with poetic license, writers stretched its meaning beyond “talkative,” and especially “excessively talkative,” to describe such things as the chattering of birds and the babbling of brooks. The ultimate source of all this chattiness is loquī, a Latin verb meaning “to talk, speak.” Other words descended from loquī include colloquial, eloquent, soliloquy, and ventriloquism.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2026 is: yaw • YAW • verb The verb yaw when used for the action of a ship, aircraft, spacecraft, or projectile means "to move to the left or right especially in an uncontrolled manner." More broadly, yaw is used as a synonym of alternate to mean "to change from one to another repeatedly." // The rogue wave hit the vessel, and the ship yawed hard to the right. // The album yaws from soulful ballad to up-tempo pop hit and back again. See the entry > Examples: "The out-of-control motion radiated down to the spacecraft itself, which began yawing and pitching in response to the force." — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025 Did you know? In the heyday of large sailing ships, numerous nautical words appeared on the horizon. Yaw is one such word. Its origin isn't exactly known, but it began turning up in print in the 16th century, first as a noun meaning "movement off course" or "side to side movement," and then as a verb. For centuries, it remained a sailing word—often alongside pitch ("to have the front end rise and fall")—with occasional extended use as a synonym of the verb alternate. When the era of airplane flight dawned, much of the vocabulary of sailing found new life in aeronautics, and "yawing" was no longer confined to the sea. Nowadays yaw, pitch, and roll are just as likely to be used by pilots and rocket scientists to describe the motion of their crafts.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2026 is: implacable • im-PLAK-uh-bul • adjective Someone or something described as implacable is not capable of being appeased or changed. // The project faced implacable resistance from community members, and is now off the table. See the entry > Examples: “Unlike, say, the globetrotting stories of Ian Fleming or John le Carré, in which victories only temporarily frustrate an implacable foe, [Agatha] Christie's smaller worlds feel put right when the cover closes or credits roll.” — The Economist, 17 Jan. 2026 Did you know? Implacable is rooted in the Latin verb placare, meaning “to soothe,” but its im- prefix is a variant of the negating prefix in- (as in inactive) and it signals that there's nothing warm and fuzzy here. Someone or something described as implacable cannot be soothed, which usually means trouble: implacable is most often attached to words like foe, enemy, hatred and hostility. The opposite of implacable is, of course, placable; it means “easily soothed,” but sadly isn't called upon very often. Another placare word is likely more familiar. Placate means “to soothe or appease”; it's frequently applied when an angry person is made to feel less so.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2026 is: implacable • im-PLAK-uh-bul • adjective Someone or something described as implacable is not capable of being appeased or changed. // The project faced implacable resistance from community members, and is now off the table. See the entry > Examples: “Unlike, say, the globetrotting stories of Ian Fleming or John le Carré, in which victories only temporarily frustrate an implacable foe, [Agatha] Christie's smaller worlds feel put right when the cover closes or credits roll.” — The Economist, 17 Jan. 2026 Did you know? Implacable is rooted in the Latin verb placare, meaning “to soothe,” but its im- prefix is a variant of the negating prefix in- (as in inactive) and it signals that there's nothing warm and fuzzy here. Someone or something described as implacable cannot be soothed, which usually means trouble: implacable is most often attached to words like foe, enemy, hatred and hostility. The opposite of implacable is, of course, placable; it means “easily soothed,” but sadly isn't called upon very often. Another placare word is likely more familiar. Placate means “to soothe or appease”; it's frequently applied when an angry person is made to feel less so.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2026 is: fulcrum • FULL-krum • noun In technical use, fulcrum refers to the support on which a lever moves when it is used to lift something. In figurative use, fulcrum refers to a person or thing that makes it possible for something to function or develop, or in other words, one who plays an essential role in something. // Although the lead actor was phenomenal, critics suggested that the supporting cast was the real fulcrum of the show. See the entry > Examples: “The moral fulcrum of Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, in which a scholar gains knowledge and power through a demonic pact, is a relatively straightforward statement on the human condition.” — Eric Olson, Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026 Did you know? The Latin word fulcrum, which refers to the head or back support of a couch, comes from the verb fulcīre, which means “to prop, support.” When fulcrum was first used in English in the 17th century, it referred to the point on which a lever or similar device (such as the oar of a boat) is supported. The literal use easily supported figurative use, and it didn't take long for the word to develop a meaning referring to one deemed essential to the function or development of something. Despite fulcrum's multiple senses, the word's meanings have kept a steady theme. In zoology, fulcrum refers to a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support, such as the joint supporting a bird's wing.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2026 is: xeric • ZEER-ik • adjective Xeric means "characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture." // She is a botanist who primarily studies xeric plants. See the entry > Examples: "Thoughtfully designed xeric, or low-water, landscapes can be dynamic, layered and full of color. Native plants and those adapted to the Intermountain West ... provide habitat and food for pollinators and birds while needing a fraction of the water that bluegrass demands." — Pula Davis and Scott Curry, The Colorado Springs Gazette, 16 May 2026 Did you know? Few English words begin with the letter X, but of those that do, a number come from the Greek xēros, meaning "dry." Around the turn of the 20th century, botanists were using the terms xerophyte and xerophytic for plants that were well adapted to survive without much water. But when seeking a more generic word that included both animals and plants, they came up, ahem, dry. In a 1926 issue of Ecology, specialists proposed using xeric as a more generalized term for either flora or fauna. They further suggested that xerophytic, among other terms, "be entirely abandoned as useless and misleading." Not everyone liked the idea. In fact, the Ecological Society of America stated that xeric was "not desirable," preferring terms such as arid. Others declared that the word should refer only to habitats, not to organisms. Enough scientists used it anyway, however, that by the 1940s xeric was well documented in scientific literature.

Catch a quick bite of the Classics this week courtesy of 'Doug' at Etymonline. On the menu is a discussion of the first English dictionary, the Latinate tome of Henry Cockeram, 1623. Jeff and Dave also stratuminate your path toward the labors of Sir Thomas Elyot, another aspiring neologist who sought to beef up the paucity of the English verbalate with some gems exveined of Latin. The question is, does English with its popping and snapping monosyllables really have room for meridiation ("a sleeping at noone-tide"), desipiate ("to wax foolish"), and galluate ("beginne to have a big voice")? Hard to say, but we advise that you just morigerate ("do as commanded"), stop secubating ("lying about by one's selfe"), and knock off any desire to bubulcitate ("cry like a cowboy"). Rather, transliminate the vomitorium with us! It'll be persebonate, and we make that claim with all bellitude.   

We’re chatting security and scams: they’re everywhere at the moment, but there are ways you can protect yourself and your money from even the really sophisticated schemes. Welcome back to this special miniseries, brought to you by Ubank! In these bonus six episodes, we’re breaking down a different financial term each week to make you the money savvy baddie you were always meant to be. Thanks to our sponsor Ubank for making this episode of Two Broke Chicks possible!

Show #2700 Show Notes: Register for the Huddle: https://coachdavelive.com/event/pass-the-salt-annual-huddle Best Western near the Annual Huddle: https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.36144.html?groupId=4Z6RZ7Q1 Cherry Valley Hotel: https://www.reservationcounter.com/hotels/show/5ff6e4f/cherry-valley-hotel-newark-ohio-newark-ohio/?cid=sem::TPRC::BA::Reservation%20Counter%20%3E%20US%20%3E%20Northeast%20%3E%20Ohio::US%20%3E%20Ohio%20%3E%20Newark%20%3E%20Cherry%20Valley%20Hotel%20%3E%20did-5ff6e4f%20%3E%20100625999::cherry%20valley%20hotel::e&creative=78890149916794&device=c&iv_=__iv_m_e_c_78890149916794_k_78890453476033_w_kwd-78890453476033:loc-4117_g_1262239710314178_n_o_e__h_94188_ii__p_2_b_be_d_c_vi__ Remembering Our Beginning, Reclaiming Our Calling song: https://youtu.be/8wGmkGk83j8?si=mjJ5aVRJ6sda9YJj ‘Licentiousness’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/licentiousness ‘Semite’: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/semite ‘Religion’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/religion ‘Deist’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/deist Charlottel […]

Poison is when you bite it. Venom is when it bites you. Why do you need to know this? Accuracy. Also - pedantry. Copywriter Rachel Allen of Bolt from the Blue Copywriting is back in the studio for a two-parter on that very topic. We're considering Eli Burnstein's Dictionary of Fine Distinctions, a pedant's dream about the tiny gaps between words that at first glance appear identical. We look at the pedantry in architecture, menus + how to turn furious pedants into helpful ones. Look for more in the Book Huddle strand. Book discussed in this episode: Dictionary of Fine Distinctions - Ellie Bernstein Rachel's Website:  boltfromthebluecopywriting.com Rachel's Instagram: instagram.com/boltfromthebluecopywriting Rachel's Substack: boltfromtheblue.substack.com Rachel's email : hello at boltfromthebluecopywriting.com ==== If you'd like my help with your Business go to www.lizscully.com/endlessClients ==== And don't forget to get your reading list of the 10 essential reads for every successful biz owner - these are the books Liz recommends almost on the daily to her strategy + Mastermind clients. This isn't your usual list of biz books, these answer the challenges you've actually got coming up right now. Helpful, quick to read and very timely. Click here lizscully.com/reading to get your book list

We’re breaking down money dysmorphia: if you ever feel like your perception of your finances doesn’t quite match the reality, this one’s for you. Welcome back to this special miniseries, brought to you by Ubank! In these bonus six episodes, we’re breaking down a different financial term each week to make you the money savvy baddie you were always meant to be. Thanks to our sponsor Ubank for making this episode of Two Broke Chicks possible!

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2026 is: nabob • NAY-bahb • noun A nabob is a very rich or important person. // The upscale hotel downtown is a popular meeting spot for the city's corporate nabobs. See the entry > Examples: “NBA nabobs were dismayed by the player empowerment era, where players dictated trades or abandoned teams via free agency.” — Christopher L. Gasper, The Boston Globe, 26 Jan. 2025 Did you know? In India's Mogul Empire, founded in the 16th century, provincial governors carried the Urdu title of nawāb. In 1612, Captain Robert Coverte published a report of his “discovery” of “the Great Mogoll, a prince not till now knowne to our English nation.” The Captain informed the English-speaking world that “An earle is called a Nawbob,” thereby introducing the English version of the word. Nabob, as it later came to be spelled, gained its extended sense of “a prominent person” in the 18th century, when it was applied sarcastically to British officials of the East India Company returning home after amassing great wealth in Asia. But the word was most famously used by Vice President Spiro Agnew, in a 1970 speech written by William Safire, when he referred to critical members of the news media as “nattering nabobs of negativism.”

Show #2697 Show Notes: ‘Affront’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/affront Email Texas Court for Patricia Louise Lock: https://coachdavelive.com/wp-content/uploads/Bullet-points-for-media-blitz.pdf Annual Event: https://coachdavelive.com/event/pass-the-salt-annual-huddle Fritz Zimmerman: https://www.facebook.com/FritzZimmerman Tina Peters in Oval office: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10231631467162191 Stephen Miller scolds SCOTUS on birthright citizenship: https://rumble.com/v7c2k7m-stephen-miller-blasts-supreme-court-justices-after-birthright-citizenship-r.html Plan […]

Today's Mystery:When a young wife disappears from a Colorado mountain town, reporter Bernard Beckwith notices inconsistencies in her husband's story that no one else seems to question. As he quietly follows one clue after another, what begins as a routine missing persons case slowly develops into a murder investigation.Original Radio Broadcast: December 6, 1950Originating in New YorkStarring Benton Hayworth as Bernard Beckwith.Also featuring Adrian Byan, Scott Tennyson, John McQuade, Nat Polen, and Jason Johnson.Based on the reporting of Bernard Beckwith of the The Denver Post.Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.netPatreon Supporter of the Day: Bueno, Patreon supporter since March 2023.Support the show on a one-time basis at support.greatdetectives.netMail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715Take the listener survey at survey.greatdetectives.netGive us a call 208-991-4783Follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/greatdetectivesBecome one of our friends on Facebook at facebook.com/radiodetectivesFollow us on Twitter/X at twitter.com/radiodetectivesJoin us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 30, 2026 is: bereft • bih-REFT • adjective To be bereft is to be deprived or robbed of something, or to lack something that you need, want, or expect. Bereft is also used as a synonym of bereaved. // They appear to be completely bereft of new ideas. See the entry > Examples: "... this morning when I was going out to play in the gardens, I went to put on my favorite baseball cap since the sun was hot and, being bereft of my own natural covering, I wished to avoid a sun-scorched scalp." — Dick Brooks, The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, New York), 7 May 2026 Did you know? In Old English, the verb berēafian meant "to deprive of something." The modern equivalent (and descendant) of berēafian is bereave, a verb used to say that one has deprived or stripped someone of something, often suddenly and unexpectedly, and sometimes by force. Bereft comes from the past participle of bereave; Shakespeare uses the participle in The Merchant of Venice, when Bassanio tells Portia, "Madam, you have bereft me of all words." But by Shakespeare's day bereft was also being used as an adjective. The Bard uses it in The Taming of the Shrew, as a newly obedient and docile Katharina declares, "A woman mov'd is like a fountain troubled—muddy, … thick, bereft of beauty."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 29, 2026 is: umami • oo-MAH-mee • noun Umami refers to the taste sensation that is produced by several amino acids and nucleotides and that has a rich or meaty flavor characteristic of cheese, cooked meat, mushrooms, soy, and ripe tomatoes. // The chef's secret ingredient added the perfect burst of umami to the signature dish. See the entry > Examples: "This recipe uses a classic marble cake technique to swirl rich layers of cinnamon into a fluffy olive oil-scented loaf cake. It's topped with a malted milk glaze for a punch of umami, but you can skip it entirely or substitute a simple vanilla glaze." — Tanya Bush, Will This Make You Happy: Stories & Recipes from a Year of Baking, 2026 Did you know? Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda is credited with identifying as a distinct taste the savory flavor of the amino acid glutamic acid, which he first noticed in soup stocks made with seaweed. This fifth basic taste—alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter—was named umami, meaning "savoriness" in Japanese. Umami can be experienced in foods such as mushrooms, anchovies, and mature cheeses, as well as in foods enhanced with monosodium glutamate, or MSG, a sodium salt derived from glutamic acid.

Show #2695 Show Notes: ‘Secular’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/secular 10 Commandments: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/10-commandments/the-ten-commandments/10-commandments-list/ ‘Organic’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/organic Mayflower Compact: https://themayflowersociety.org/history/the-mayflower-compact/ ‘Compact’: https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/compact Declaration of Independence: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript Religion in 13 colonies: https://ecdn.teacherspayteachers.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=avif,quality=70,onerror=redirect/thumbitem/Religion-in-the-Colonies-Map-Worksheet-5815706-1714645796/750f-5815706-1.jpg Separation of Church and State (Search): https://www.bing.com/search?q=separation+of+church+and+state+1947&FORM=R5FD Stare Decisis (Search): https://search.brave.com/search?q=stare+decisis&summary=1&conversation=09439417afce4c665cb0e778afb0b9dd80c5 Prayer banned in […]

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 28, 2026 is: gainsay • gayn-SAY • verb To gainsay something is to deny or disagree with it, or to show or say that it is not true. Gainsay is a formal word usually used in negative statements. // Although the defendant initially denied involvement in the incident, there was no gainsaying the evidence that the prosecutor presented at the trial. See the entry > Examples: “Whatever you think of it, there's no gainsaying the fact that ‘The Sound of Music' is a remarkably durable vehicle. It's frequently produced, and suffered no lasting damage to its reputation from a live NBC performance in 2013 ...” — Don Aucoin, The Boston Globe, 9 Jan. 2026 Did you know? You might have trouble figuring out the meaning of gainsay if you're thinking of our modern word gain plus say. It should help to know that the gain part comes to us from the Old English word gēan-, meaning “against” or “in opposition to.” (The familiar verb gain comes from Anglo-French and is unrelated.) In Middle English, gēan- was joined to seyen (“to say”) to form gein-seyen, which led to the modern word gainsay. So when you see gainsay, think “to say against”—that is, “to deny” or “to contradict.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 27, 2026 is: oracular • aw-RAK-yuh-ler • adjective Oracular is a formal word that can describe something used to forecast or prophesize, or something that resembles or relates to something used for such purposes. Oracular can also describe something that resembles an oracle—a person (such as a priestess of ancient Greece) through whom a deity is believed to speak; in this sense, an oracular statement, voice, etc. conveys wisdom or solemnity. // A few recordings of the famous speaker still exist, and though his language is formal to the point of sounding almost foreign to the modern listener, the oracular quality of his speech remains effective. See the entry > Examples: "The conversation that unfolds is some of [writer Ben] Lerner's most brilliant and daring writing to date, a mad, oracular burst of speech—about technology, parenthood, and dreaming—that flits effortlessly between prose and poetry." — Kevin Lozano, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2026 Did you know? When the ancient Greeks had questions or problems, they would turn to the gods for answers by consulting an oracle, a person through whom the gods communicated, usually in the form of cryptic verse. Oracle also referred to the god's answer or to the shrine that worshippers approached when seeking advice; the word's root is the Latin verb orare, which means "to speak." English speakers today can use oracle to simply refer to an authoritative pronouncement or to a person who makes such pronouncements—for example, "a designer who is an oracle of fashion." And the related adjective oracular is used in similar contexts: "a designer who is an oracular voice of fashion."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 26, 2026 is: symbiosis • sim-bee-OH-sis • noun Symbiosis is a formal word that refers to a relationship between two people or groups that work with and depend on each other. In biology, symbiosis refers to the relationship between two different kinds of living things that live together and depend on each other. // The new playground is the result of symbiosis between multiple stakeholders, including residents, donors, and town officials. // The bacteria exist in symbiosis with the plant's roots. See the entry > Examples: “In the old days, which weren't that long ago ... there was that ritual moment when a rock ‘n' roll idol, in the midst of delivering a classic anthem, would point the mic away from himself and into the arena, indicating that it was time for the audience to take over and sing the lines. It might be Springsteen doing ‘Thunder Road,' or Madonna doing ‘Holiday.' ... The loving symbiosis of pop star and pop audience doesn't get much more reverent than that.” — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 May 2026 Did you know? Symbiosis was adopted by the scientific community in the late 1800s, coming ultimately (via German) from the Greek symbíōsis, meaning “living together, companionship.” Of course, there are a lot of ways to live together and, accordingly, several flavors of symbiosis. When a biological symbiosis between two organisms is mutually beneficial, it is termed mutualism. For example, oxpeckers are birds so named because they “peck” ticks off of infested cattle and wild mammals, a likely satisfying arrangement for both parties, and textbook mutualism. When one organism lives off another at the other's expense, however (as, for one icky instance, head lice do), it's called parasitism. If only parents of elementary school students could call upon an equivalent of oxpeckers to engage in mutualistic symbiosis when the need arose, but alas.

Meaning Meaning, Meaning Maxxing, God Accessible, 1990s SNL Movie Making, Pitching to Dictionary, Vomit is a Word, Masculinity is a Prison, War Spoon, Calmer SutraYou can purchase A Listener hats by emailing twointhethinktank@gmail.comCatch up on the 500th episode hereCheck out the sketch spreadsheet by Will Runt hereAnd visit the Think Tank Institute website:Check out our comics on instagram with Peader Thomas at Pants IllustratedOrder Gustav & Henri from Andy and Pete's very own online shopYou can support the pod by chipping in to our patreon here (thank you!)Join the other TITTT scholars on the TITTT discord server hereHey, why not listen to Al's meditation/comedy podcast ShusherAlasdair Tremblay-Birchall: @alasdairtb and instaAnd you can find us on the Facebook right here(Oh, and we love you) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2026 is: jaundiced • JAWN-dist • adjective Jaundiced means “showing or influenced by feelings of distrust, distaste, or hostility.” Someone described as jaundiced, or as possessing jaundiced opinions or views, is typically understood to feel that way because of negative past experiences. // She developed a jaundiced view of politics after years of chairing her local school board committee and witnessing all kinds of petty shenanigans. See the entry > Examples: “Now, I'm not accusing the mayor of anything. I'm saying that all of these actions were highly inappropriate for an elected official. I voted for her, but will forevermore look at her actions with a jaundiced eye.” — Eric Rinehimer, The Retrospect (Collingswood, New Jersey), 23 Jan. 2026 Did you know? Cast not a jaundiced eye on the word jaundiced—and by that we mean this: don't dislike or distrust jaundiced because of past experiences with the word or with others like it. Jaundiced is handy for describing the grumps among us who tend toward envy, aversion, or hostility, and who doesn't know a few of those? This useful 17th century adjective comes from an also-useful 14th century noun jaundice that still refers to a medical condition in which excess bile pigments in the bloodstream and body tissues cause a person's skin to turn yellow. The connection between the physical condition and the bad attitude lies in the physiological theory of the bodily humors, which holds that a hostile, irritable temperament is caused by excess yellow bile in one's body.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 25, 2026 is: jaundiced • JAWN-dist • adjective Jaundiced means “showing or influenced by feelings of distrust, distaste, or hostility.” Someone described as jaundiced, or as possessing jaundiced opinions or views, is typically understood to feel that way because of negative past experiences. // She developed a jaundiced view of politics after years of chairing her local school board committee and witnessing all kinds of petty shenanigans. See the entry > Examples: “Now, I'm not accusing the mayor of anything. I'm saying that all of these actions were highly inappropriate for an elected official. I voted for her, but will forevermore look at her actions with a jaundiced eye.” — Eric Rinehimer, The Retrospect (Collingswood, New Jersey), 23 Jan. 2026 Did you know? Cast not a jaundiced eye on the word jaundiced—and by that we mean this: don't dislike or distrust jaundiced because of past experiences with the word or with others like it. Jaundiced is handy for describing the grumps among us who tend toward envy, aversion, or hostility, and who doesn't know a few of those? This useful 17th century adjective comes from an also-useful 14th century noun jaundice that still refers to a medical condition in which excess bile pigments in the bloodstream and body tissues cause a person's skin to turn yellow. The connection between the physical condition and the bad attitude lies in the physiological theory of the bodily humors, which holds that a hostile, irritable temperament is caused by excess yellow bile in one's body.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 24, 2026 is: pantheon • PAN-thee-ahn • noun Pantheon usually refers to a group of famous or notable people or things. It also refers to the officially recognized gods of a particular people, as well as to the Roman Pantheon, the domed temple begun in 27 B.C. and rebuilt circa 118-128 A.D. // With her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the distinguished bassist and songwriter joined a pantheon of musical legends. // His research is primarily dedicated to the Greek and Roman pantheons. See the entry > Examples: "From cheeky shots of celebrities like Jane Fonda and Arnold Schwarzenegger to extravagant, sensual portfolios of America's Olympic squads, the magazine's pantheon of photographers have helped to define the genre of sports portraiture." — Kahina Sekkaï, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026 Did you know? Some of the earliest uses of pantheon in the English language refer to the most famous Pantheon, the circular domed temple built in Rome more than 19 centuries ago (and still standing). We can easily identify the origins of the temple's name, which the Romans borrowed from the Greek word for a temple honoring all their gods. That Greek word, pantheion, combines pan- ("all") and theos ("god"). In today's English, pantheon often refers to all the gods of a particular people (as in "the Egyptian pantheon"), a sense that arose in the 16th century but was rarely used until the 19th century. More often, though, pantheon bears a meaning developed later to refer to the eminent company of the highly venerated, be they human or not. A pantheon of this type includes no deities; it is a group of famous or notable people or things, as in "a book joining the pantheon of great world literature."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2026 is: quail • KWAIL • verb To quail is to feel afraid and often to show your fear in a way that can be clearly seen. // Although giving a 5-minute speech was a requirement for passing the class, a few students quailed at the thought of public speaking, seeming to shrink behind their desks. See the entry > Examples: “Several came to protest but didn't want their own voices cited. A woman holding a sign reading ‘I'M A 77 YEAR OLD GRANNY FOR FREEDOM' quailed at the prospect of having her photo in the newspaper.” — Neil Steinberg, The Chicago Sun-Times, 19 Oct. 2025 Did you know? Turning to the noun quail, referring to any of a number of chicken-related game birds, for information about the verb quail is of little help. The two are etymologically unrelated, and there's nothing specific in the behavior of quails to suggest the verb's meaning. But never fear—the next time you hear quail, think quiver instead. Although quail and quiver are also unrelated, they both start with a distinctive qu and have meanings involving a physical reaction to fear. When you quiver (as in response to, say, hearing things that go bump in the night), you shake or move with a slight trembling motion. Quailing often goes a bit beyond trembling; quail implies shrinking or cowering in fear, as perhaps when the things that go bump in the night suddenly start approaching.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 22, 2026 is: cavalcade • kav-ul-KAYD • noun Cavalcade most often refers to a series of related things. An older meaning, still in use, is “a procession of riders or carriages”; vehicles or ships in a procession can be referred to as a cavalcade too. // Since the high-powered console's debut late last year, video game companies have steadily unveiled a cavalcade of new games that showcase its groundbreaking graphics. See the entry > Examples: “The event opened with a cavalcade of musicians, dancers and local children, followed by a horse-drawn carriage carrying the Watercress King and Queen ... who threw bags of freshly harvested watercress into the crowd as they paraded up and down Broad Street.” — Paul Coates, The Haslemere (England) Herald, 18 May 2026 Did you know? Cavalcade is a word with deep equestrian roots: it comes (via French and probably Italian) ultimately from the Latin word caballus, meaning “work horse” or “gelding.” (Spanish speakers may recognize the influence of caballus in the word caballo, meaning “horse.”) In the 17th century, cavalcade was used specifically to refer to a procession of horseback riders or carriages, especially as part of a special occasion, whether joyous or funereal. Over time, that meaning was extended to processions of other modes of travel, including ships, vehicles, or even paraders on foot or float (as invoked by the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith in his song “Rose Parade” with the lyric “a wink and a wave from the cavalcade”). As a cavalcade of words before and since have done, cavalcade also took on a figurative sense to refer to a series of related things, whether or not they happen to be marching (or trotting) down the road.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 21, 2026 is: assiduous • uh-SIJ-uh-wus • adjective Assiduous is a formal word that means “showing great care, attention, and effort.” // Thanks to the assiduous efforts of the local land trust over many years, a substantial amount of whip-poor-will habitat is now protected from development. See the entry > Examples: “My mom was also assiduous about what we would today call food safety, avoiding anything that could possibly cause illness, especially raw meat: ‘Well done' was the norm for everything, and anything that could possibly go bad was kept in the fridge.” — James Martin, Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool, and Priest, 2026 Did you know? While assiduous means “showing great care, attention, and effort,” and in some situations may be an appropriate substitute for careful, it's got a bit more oomph than careful in that it suggests a dogged or tireless persistence. If you are assiduous in your efforts (or work, research, analysis, training, preparations, etc.) for example, it's implied that you're in it for the long haul, or that you have the ability to “sit with” a task or challenge for a considerable amount of time. This idea is fitting given that assiduous comes from the Latin verb assidēre, meaning “to sit beside.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 20, 2026 is: longueur • lawn-GUR • noun Longueur refers to a boring part of something (such as a book or play). It is usually used in the plural form. // Though not without its longueurs, the opera came to life in the last act. See the entry > Examples: “Game 3 of the World Series was a stone-cold thriller, with peaks of high drama and longueurs of exquisitely tense tedium ...” — Steve Rushin, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025 Did you know? You've probably come across long, tedious sections of books, plays, or musical works before, but perhaps you didn't know there was a word for them. The French borrowing longueur has been doing the job for us since the late 18th century. As in English, French longueurs are tedious passages, with longueur itself literally meaning “length.” An early example of longueur used in an English text is from 18th-century writer Horace Walpole, who wrote in a letter, “Boswell's book is gossiping; ... but there are woeful longueurs, both about his hero and himself.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 19, 2026 is: indomitable • in-DAH-muh-tuh-bul • adjective Indomitable is a formal word used to describe something that is impossible to defeat or discourage. // Juneteenth celebrates the abolition of slavery in the United States, and honors the indomitable spirit of African Americans past and present fighting for justice, liberation, and the fulfillment of this nation's ideals. See the entry > Examples: “During his legendary NBA career, Michael Jordan was renowned not only for his athleticism and skill but also for his indomitable will to win.” – Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026 Did you know? At five punchy syllables, indomitable is an imposing word, so it's inevitable that some are perplexed by this synonym for impregnable. But it's not so tough once you break it into parts. The prefix in- (spelled im- before b, m, and p) means “not” in an innumerable collection of English words. (How many have you counted so far?) The common suffix -able means “capable of, fit for, or worthy of.” Combine those two English affixes with the Latin verb domitare (“to tame”), and voila: indomitable. Indomitable was first used in English as a synonym of wild, describing—appropriately enough—things that cannot be tamed, but over time the wildness associated with indomitable developed into a specific kind of invulnerable strength.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 18, 2026 is: acquiesce • ak-wee-ESS • verb To acquiesce to something is to accept it, agree with it, or allow it to happen by staying silent or by not arguing. Acquiesce is somewhat formal, and is often used with in or to. // Eventually, the professor acquiesced to the students' request to have the seminar's final class be a potluck lunch. See the entry > Examples: “It may be just the right time for a chicken burger to become a significant stop on the American burger's continual evolution—but whether beef-clinging purists will acquiesce to a poultry spin, or cry fowl, remains to be seen.” — Talib Visram, Slate, 6 Apr. 2026 Did you know? If you're looking to give your speech a gentle, formal flair, don't give acquiesce the silent treatment. Essentially meaning “to comply quietly,” acquiesce has as its ultimate source the Latin verb quiēscere, “to be quiet.” (Quiet itself is also a close relation.) Quiēscere can also mean “to repose,” “to fall asleep,” or “to rest,” and when acquiesce arrived in English via French in the early 1600s, it did so with two senses: the familiar “to agree or comply” and the now-obsolete “to rest satisfied.” Herman Melville employed the former in Moby-Dick, when Ahab orders the “confounded” crew to change the Pequod's course after a storm damages the compasses: “Meanwhile, whatever were his own secret thoughts, Starbuck said nothing, but quietly he issued all requisite orders; while Stubb and Flask—who in some small degree seemed then to be sharing his feelings—likewise unmurmuringly acquiesced.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 17, 2026 is: wifty • WIF-tee • adjective Wifty, a synonym of ditzy, describes something or someone eccentrically silly or scatterbrained. // The play features a wifty character who starts out blissfully unaware of the conflict driving the plot but ultimately pulls it together to save the day. See the entry > Examples: “When he dreams, he dreams about moving to Wyoming, which he has visited with his family. ... Sometimes when he talks about this, it sounds as ordinary and hard-boiled as a real estate appraisal; other times it can sound fantastical and wifty and achingly naive ...” — Susan Orlean, Joyride: A Memoir, 2025 Did you know? Whence wifty? Wordsmiths have been wondering for a while. The earliest print evidence of wifty comes from the early 20th century, though the word was certainly being used in spoken English before that. The adjective suffix -y is clear enough; when added to another word it can mean “full of” (as in “muddy), “having the character of” (think “waxy”), “tending or inclined to” (as in “sleepy”), etc. So what's wift? Well, that element could come from whiff, which as a noun can refer to a quick puff or slight gust of air—a person described by the word wifty might also, if unkindly, be called an airhead. Or perhaps the wift is related to waft, “to move or go lightly on a buoyant medium,” if it's fair to say that the wifty among us have their heads in the clouds. Whatever once may have been known about it, the answer is now blowing in the wind.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2026 is: gamut • GAM-ut • noun A gamut is a range or series of related things. When we say that something “runs the gamut,” we are saying that it encompasses an entire range of related things. // The flea market offerings run the gamut with a wide array of vendors each offering something unique. See the entry > Examples: “... she brings a certain je ne sais quoi to the production with themes running the gamut from circuses and rodeos to mermaids and pirates.” — Heather Douglas, Coast Weekend (Astoria, Oregon), 23 Apr. 2026 Did you know? With the song “Do-Re-Mi,” the 1965 musical film The Sound of Music (adapted from the 1958 stage musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein) introduced millions of non-musicians to solfège, the singing of the sol-fa syllables—do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti—to teach the tones of a musical scale. Centuries earlier, however, the do in “Do-Re-Mi” was known as ut. Indeed, the first note on the scale of Guido d'Arezzo, an 11th century musician and monk who had his own way of applying syllables to musical tones, was ut. d'Arezzo also called the first line of his bass staff gamma, which meant that gamma-ut was the term for a note written on the first staff line. In time, gamma-ut underwent a shortening to gamut, and later its meaning expanded first to cover all the notes of d'Arezzo's scale, then to cover all the notes in the range of an instrument, and, eventually, to cover an entire range of any sort.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2026 is: tenuous • TEN-yoo-us • adjective Something described as tenuous is flimsy, weak, or uncertain. // The theater had a tenuous existence for years, but today is on much more solid financial footing. See the entry > Examples: “While more non-screen-based interactive technology could be an antidote to our screen-obsessed society, it's an extremely tenuous link to more human interaction ...” — Jennifer Pattinson Tuohy, The Verge, 4 May 2026 Did you know? Lean into the history of tenuous and you'll find that the word comes to English from the Latin adjective tenuis, meaning “fine-drawn, thin, narrow, or slight,” and is a relative of thin. Like that more familiar word, tenuous has a wide array of meanings: it can describe a literal thinness, as in “a silkworm's tenuous threads,” or rarity (the opposite of density), as in “a tenuous fluid,” or it can describe things that are figuratively thin or flimsy. If one team in a game has a tenuous lead, either team still has a chance at winning. If there is only a tenuous connection between two events, those events are likely unrelated.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 15, 2026 is: tenuous • TEN-yoo-us • adjective Something described as tenuous is flimsy, weak, or uncertain. // The theater had a tenuous existence for years, but today is on much more solid financial footing. See the entry > Examples: “While more non-screen-based interactive technology could be an antidote to our screen-obsessed society, it's an extremely tenuous link to more human interaction ...” — Jennifer Pattinson Tuohy, The Verge, 4 May 2026 Did you know? Lean into the history of tenuous and you'll find that the word comes to English from the Latin adjective tenuis, meaning “fine-drawn, thin, narrow, or slight,” and is a relative of thin. Like that more familiar word, tenuous has a wide array of meanings: it can describe a literal thinness, as in “a silkworm's tenuous threads,” or rarity (the opposite of density), as in “a tenuous fluid,” or it can describe things that are figuratively thin or flimsy. If one team in a game has a tenuous lead, either team still has a chance at winning. If there is only a tenuous connection between two events, those events are likely unrelated.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 14, 2026 is: emblazon • im-BLAY-zun • verb To emblazon something is to decorate its surface, usually with a name, slogan, or picture. // Her favorite souvenir from her trip to the Grand Canyon was a t-shirt emblazoned with a rosy sunset over the famous chasm. See the entry > Examples: “Later that week we were boarding our flight with the painting secured in an enormous case with a toothy, bespectacled cartoon squirrel emblazoned on the back and a speech bubble that read ‘I'M JUST NUTS ABOUT PUZZLES!'” — Orlando Whitfield, All That Glitters: A Story of Friendship, Fraud and Fine Art, 2025 Did you know? Blazon is a less commonly used synonym of the more familiar coat of arms. Both centuries-old terms refer to heraldic designs, symbols, and other imagery (think crosses, lions, stripes, etc.) that typically appear on banners, shields, armor, and elsewhere. The verb form of blazon meaning “to depict heraldic figures or designs in drawing or engraving” and emblazon, “to inscribe or adorn with or as if with heraldic figures or designs,” came into use around the same time in the late 1500s, from the French spoken in medieval England. (The word heraldry, also ultimately from Anglo-French, came into use then too.) Emblazon still refers to marking something with an emblem of heraldry, but it is now more often used for adorning or publicizing something in any conspicuous way, whether with eye-catching decoration or colorful words of praise.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 13, 2026 is: hale • HAIL • adjective Someone described as hale is in good and often exceptional health. Hale is commonly used in the phrase "hale and hearty." // Their mother remains hale and hearty in her old age. See the entry > Examples: "Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell star [in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes] as two vivacious all-American showgirls whose friendship is as fast as their attitudes to men are poles apart. Whereas Monroe's Lorelei Lee prizes wealth and devotion in a suitor, Russell's Dorothy Shaw is more inclined towards the hale and hunky ..." — Robbie Collin, The Telegraph (United Kingdom), 2 May 2026 Did you know? English has two hale homographs: the adjective that is frequently paired with hearty to describe those healthy and strong, and the somewhat uncommon verb that has to do with literal or figurative hauling or pulling. (One can hale a boat onto shore, or hale a person into a courtroom with the aid of legal ramifications for resistance.) The verb comes from the Middle English halen (also the root of our word haul), but the adjective has a bifurcated origin, with two Middle English terms identified as sources: hale and hail. Both of those come from words meaning "healthy," the former from the Old English hāl, and the latter from the Old Norse heill. The Middle English hail is also the source of the three modern English words spelled as hail, the verb, interjection, and noun that have to do with greeting.