Podcasts about Merriam

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 15, 2025 is: askance • uh-SKANSS • adverb Askance means "in a way that shows a lack of trust or approval" or "with a side-glance."   // I couldn't help but look askance at the dealer's assurances that the car had never been in an accident. // Several people eyed them askance when they walked into the room. See the entry > Examples: "In other cultures they might look askance at such a gnarly, leggy thing wedged into a loaf. But we know that a whole fried soft shell crab is one of the gifts of southeast Louisiana's robust seafood heritage." — Ian McNulty, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate Online, 1 May 2025 Did you know? As with the similar word side-eye, writers over the years have used askance literally when someone is looking with a side-glance and figuratively when such a glance is conveying disapproval or distrust. Back in the days of Middle English you could use askaunce and a-skans and a-skaunces to mean “in such a way that,” “as if to say,” and “artificially, deceptively.” It's likely that askance developed from these forms, with some help from asqwynt meaning “obliquely, askew.” Askance was first used in the 16th century with the meaning "sideways" or "with a sideways glance.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 14, 2025 is: perpetuity • per-puh-TOO-uh-tee • noun Perpetuity refers to a state of continuing forever or for a very long time. // The property will be passed on from generation to generation in perpetuity.   See the entry > Examples: “This isn't new territory for the band—beginning with 2018's Modern Meta Physic, Peel Dream Magazine have taken cues from bands like Stereolab and Pram, exploring the ways that rigid, droning repetition can make time feel rubbery. As they snap back into the present, Black sings, ‘Millions of light years, all of them ours.' The past and future fold into themselves, braided together in perpetuity.” — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 4 Sept. 2024 Did you know? Perpetuity is a “forever” word—not in the sense that it relates to a lifelong relationship (as in “forever home”), but because it concerns the concept of, well, forever. Not only can perpetuity refer to infinite time, aka eternity, but it also has specific legal and financial uses, as for certain arrangements in wills and for annuities that are payable forever, or at least for the foreseeable future. The word ultimately comes from the Latin adjective perpetuus, meaning “continual” or “uninterrupted.” Perpetuus is the ancestor of several additional “forever” words, including the verb perpetuate (“to cause to last indefinitely”) and the adjective perpetual (“continuing forever,” “occurring continually”). A lesser known descendent, perpetuana, is now mostly encountered in historical works, as it refers to a type of durable wool or worsted fabric made in England only from the late 16th through the 18th centuries. Alas, nothing is truly forever.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 13, 2025 is: consummate • KAHN-suh-mut • adjective Someone or something described as consummate is very skilled or accomplished. Consummate can also mean “of the highest degree” and “complete in every detail.” The adjective is always used before the noun it describes. // Ever the consummate professional, the planner ensured that no one attending the event was aware of all the elements that had not gone as planned. See the entry > Examples: “... KEM's legacy serves as a blueprint for excellence. Offstage, his charm extends beyond the microphone. Friends and collaborators describe him as a consummate gentleman and leader with an infectious sense of humor.” — Raquelle Harris, Vibe, 25 July 2025 Did you know? Consummate is a consummate example of a word that's shifted in meaning over the centuries. A 15th century addition to the language ultimately from Latin consummare, meaning “to sum up, finish,” the word first described something that has been brought to completion. Shakespeare used the word this way in Measure for Measure: “Do you the office, friar; which consummate, Return him here again.” By the early 16th century consummate had taken on the meaning of “complete in every detail.” Today it usually describes someone or something extremely skilled and accomplished, but it can also describe that which is supremely excellent, as well as that which is simply extreme.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 12, 2025 is: flummox • FLUM-uks • verb To flummox someone is to confuse or perplex them. // The actor was easily flummoxed by last-minute changes to the script. See the entry > Examples: “If Thursday crosswords flummox you, remember that it's much better for your stress level to do your best and sharpen your skills than to become angry because you aren't sure what's going on.” — Deb Amlen, The New York Times, 11 June 2025 Did you know? When it comes to the origins of flummox, etymologists are, well, flummoxed. No one really knows where the word comes from. The first known print use of the verb flummox appeared in Charles Dickens' novel The Pickwick Papers in the mid-1830s, while the adjective flummoxed appeared italicized a few years earlier in a Dublin newspaper article about laborers striking against employers who oppose their rights: “Lord Cloncurry is actually flummoxed. The people refuse to work for him.” To be flummoxed by something is to be utterly confused by it—that is, to be baffled, puzzled, bewildered, completely unable to understand. Fortunately, a word can be used even if everyone is flummoxed by its etymology, and by the end of the 19th century, flummox had become quite common in both British and American English.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 11, 2025 is: zoomorphic • zoh-uh-MOR-fik • adjective Zoomorphic describes things that have the form of an animal. // The local bakery is famous for its wide variety of zoomorphic treats, from “hedgehog” dinner rolls to delicate, swan-shaped pastries. See the entry > Examples: “The oldest known ceramics come from a handful of sites in the Czech Republic and date back to about 28,000 B.C.E., roughly 10,000 years after the Neanderthals went extinct. A now iconic figure of a woman and assorted ceramics were found at a Czech site called Dolni Vestonice in 1925. Additional anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines were found over the ensuing decades, and in 2002 fingerprints were discovered on many of the objects.” — Jaimie Seaton, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 July 2024 Did you know? The first-known use of zoomorphic in English is a translation of the French word zoomorphique, used in a mid-19th century book on paleography to describe an ornately designed Greek letter in a manuscript from the Middle Ages: “The text commences with a zoomorphic letter, formed of two winged dragons, united by the tails, the open space being ornamented with elegant arabesques, composed of leaves and flowers …” The zoo in zoomorphique comes from the Greek noun zôion, meaning “animal,” and morphique from morphē, meaning “form.” The translation of zoomorphique to zoomorphic made perfect sense given the the existence of a similarly constructed word, anthropomorphic (“having human form”), which made its debut half a century earlier.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 10, 2025 is: griot • GREE-oh • noun The term griot refers to any of a class of musician-entertainers of western Africa whose performances include tribal histories and genealogies. The term is also used broadly to refer to a storyteller. // Tracing her family lineage back to West African griots inspired the singer to focus on storytelling through her music. See the entry > Examples: “Music is both the subject and mechanism of Sinners, which opens with a voiceover history of how some musicians, dating back to the West African griots, have been seen as conduits between this world and the one beyond.” — Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2025 Did you know? In many West African countries, the role of cultural guardian is maintained, as it has been for centuries, by griots. Griot—a borrowing from French—refers to an oral historian, musician, storyteller, and sometimes praise singer. (Griots are called by other names as well: jeli or jali in Mande and gewel in Wolof, for example). Griots preserve the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their tribes. Among the instruments traditionally played by griots are two lutes: the long-necked, 21-string kora, and the khalam, thought by some to be the ancestor of the banjo.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 9, 2025 is: insinuate • in-SIN-yuh-wayt • verb To insinuate something (especially something bad or insulting) is to say it in a subtle or indirect way. Insinuate can also mean "to gradually make (oneself) a part of a group, a person's life, etc., often by behaving in a dishonest way." // When the teacher questioned the students about their identical test answers, they knew she was insinuating that they had cheated. // They have managed to insinuate themselves into the city's most influential social circles. See the entry > Examples: "... when perennial talk among beachgoers about where to spend those beautiful but fleeting summer days involves rumors that, perhaps Narragansett is, say, uninviting to nonlocals, officials contend that just isn't true. 'When people say that or insinuate that Narragansett Town Beach is unfriendly or unwelcoming to nonresidents, this is absolutely untruthful,' said Parks and Recreation director Michelle Kershaw." — Christopher Gavin, The Boston Globe, 3 Nov. 2024 Did you know? Insinuating involves a kind of figurative bending or curving around your meaning: you introduce something—an idea, an accusation, a point of view—without saying it directly. The winding path is visible in the word's etymology: insinuate comes from the Latin verb sinuare, meaning "to bend or curve," which in turn comes from the Latin noun sinus, meaning "curve." The influence of Latin sinus is visible elsewhere too: in the mathematical terms sine and cosine, the adjective sinuous ("having many twists and turns"), and the noun sinus ("any of several spaces in the skull that connect with the nostrils").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 8, 2025 is: sanguine • SANG-gwin • adjective Sanguine is a formal word that today almost always describes someone who is confident and hopeful, or something that shows confidence and hopefulness. Sanguine can also describe something that is bloodred in color, something involving or relating to bloodshed, or a person's reddish complexion. // The young group of entrepreneurs is sanguine about the future of their business. See the entry > Examples: “[David] Corenswet is remarkably sanguine about a film that has been the subject of immense scrutiny. The trailer is the most watched in the history of either DC or Warner Bros. Though he may not want the burden of Superman's success or failure on his, yes, broad shoulders, it will land there anyway.” — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 1 Apr. 2025 Did you know? If you're the sort of cheery, confident soul who always looks on the bright side no matter what happens, you may be described as sanguine. Sanguine traces back to the Latin noun sanguis, meaning “blood,” and over the centuries the word has had meanings ranging from “bloodthirsty” to “bloodred,” among other things in that (ahem) vein, so how did it also come to mean “hopeful”? During the Middle Ages, health and temperament were believed to be governed by the balance of different liquids, or humors, in one's body: phlegm, black bile, yellow bile, and blood. Those lucky people who were governed by blood were strong, confident, and even had a healthy reddish glow (all that blood, you know)—they were, in a word, sanguine. In time, the physiological theory behind the humors was displaced by scientific medicine, but the word sanguine is still commonly used to describe those who are cheerfully confident.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 7, 2025 is: behest • bih-HEST • noun Behest can refer either to an authoritative order or an urgent prompting. // The committee met again at the senator's behest. // At the behest of her friends, Marcie read the poem aloud. See the entry > Examples: “... Raymond Carver and I were selecting stories for our American Short Story Masterpieces. When Ray and I worked on our selections, we would meet in Manhattan, where I lived, or in Syracuse, New York, where he lived. ... Each morning we'd read and then meet for lunch and talk about what we'd read. After lunch we'd read some more, and at dinner we talked about the afternoon's reading. Sometimes we'd reread at the other's behest.” — Tom Jenks, LitHub.com, 2 Aug. 2024 Did you know? In Return of the Jedi, the villain Darth Vader speaks with an old-timey flair when he asks his boss, the Emperor, for instructions: “What is thy bidding, my master?” If the film's screenwriters wanted him to sound even more old-timey, however, they could have chosen to have him ask “What is thy behest?” As a word for a command or order, behest predates bidding in English by a couple centuries, dating all the way back—long, long ago, though still in this galaxy—to the 1100s. Its Old English ancestor, the noun behǣs, referred to a promise, a meaning that continued on in Middle English especially in the phrase “the land of behest” but is now obsolete. The “command” sense of behest is still in good use, typically referring to an authoritative order, whether from an emperor or some other high-ranking figure. Behest is now also used with a less forceful meaning; it can refer to an urgent prompting, as in “an anniversary showing of classic films at the behest of the franchise's fans.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 6, 2025 is: mollify • MAH-luh-fye • verb To mollify someone is to make them less angry. Mollify can also mean "to reduce in intensity." // The celebrity's statement was intended to mollify critics. // Time mollified her anger. See the entry > Examples: "The philanthropic move is likely meant to mollify angry residents who are protesting against the celebrity-filled spectacle being held in their historic backyard." — Madeleine Marr, The Miami Herald, 25 June 2025 Did you know? Mollify is particularly well-suited for referring to the action of soothing emotional distress or anger and softening hard feelings: the word comes from the Latin adjective mollis, meaning "soft." Mollis is also the root of the English adjective emollient, used to describe something (such as a hand lotion) that softens or soothes, and the noun mollusk, which refers to any one of a large group of animals (such as snails and clams) that have a soft body without a backbone and that usually live in a shell.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 5, 2025 is: histrionic • hiss-tree-AH-nik • adjective Histrionic is a word used disapprovingly to describe someone or something that is too emotional or dramatic. // The head chef had a penchant for dish throwing, door slamming, and other histrionic displays of temper whenever a dish was sent back to the kitchen. See the entry > Examples: “‘Where did I put 'em?/ Where'd I misplace 'em?/ Where did I leave 'em?/ Where did you take 'em?' With a barrage of questions ... Jordan Hawkins kicks off his latest single in the throes of borderline histrionic emotional turmoil—as converted by a vocal performance that primarily trades in growls, rasp and impassioned falsetto ...” — Kyle Denis, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2025 Did you know? If you're already familiar with the history of histrionic, take a bow. But if you're still waiting (in the wings or elsewhere) to learn, we've got you covered. The adjective histrionic traces back to the Latin noun histrio, meaning “actor.” Something described as histrionic tends to recall the high drama of stage and screen, and especially the theatrical form known as melodrama, where characters have very strong or exaggerated emotions. But something that is histrionic isn't always overdone; histrionic is also used (though less frequently) simply to describe something related to acting or the theater, as in “histrionic talent/skills.” Note that the noun histrionics refers to either theatrical performances, or, more commonly, to a deliberate display of emotion for effect, as in “parents used to the child's histrionics.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 4, 2025 is: abeyance • uh-BAY-unss • noun Abeyance is a formal word that is almost always used in the phrase “in abeyance” to describe something in a temporary state of inactivity—that is, something in a state of suspension. // The legal case is now being held in abeyance while the parties attempt to find a mutually acceptable solution. See the entry > Examples: “A restaurant popular with college students ... will temporarily lose its liquor license for more than a week in October after the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission found multiple underage patrons consuming alcohol. ... The actual liquor license suspension issued lasts for 18 days, but only nine of those days must be served, from Oct. 7 to 15, according to the report. The other nine days ‘will be held in abeyance for a period of two years provided no further violations' are found ...” — Katelyn Umholtz, Boston.com, 12 Sept. 2024 Did you know? Jaw-dropping suspense is at the etymological heart of abeyance: the word's Anglo-French forbear joined parts meaning “to open wide” and “to have the mouth wide open; gape, pant.” Almost always partnered with the word in, abeyance refers to a temporary lull in activity—a state of suspension (and perhaps suspense) before an action continues. If something, such as a plan or contract, is in abeyance, it is temporarily unable to take effect, be enforced, etc. When first borrowed into English in the early 16th century, abeyance referred to a lapse in succession during which there exists no person with a legal right to an estate or title of nobility; think of a property or title in this type of abeyance as being in a state of limbo, waiting for a rightful heir or owner. This meaning comes directly from its Anglo-French ancestor, which took the jaw-dropping suspense implied in the word's parts and applied it to the edge-of-one's-seat feeling when you don't know who the next Earl or Countess will be.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 3, 2025 is: trivial • TRIV-ee-ul • adjective Something described as trivial is of little worth or importance. // Although her parents initially dismissed her love of pop music as a trivial matter, it became clear as she applied to colleges with strong popular music programs that much of her life was going to be dedicated to it. See the entry > Examples: "No matter how trivial an activity might be, most people seem to feel an innate need to get better at it—whether it's kids learning double Dutch, me just shooting baskets in the driveway or somebody else proud at how much better he's getting at flipping pancakes." — David Brooks, The New York Times, 30 Mar. 2025 Did you know? When English speakers adopted the word trivial from the Latin word trivialis in the 16th century, they used it to mean just what its Latin ancestor meant: "found everywhere, commonplace." But the source of trivialis is about something more specific: trivium, from tri- ("three") and via ("way"), means "crossroads; place where three roads meet." The link between the two presumably has to do with the commonplace sorts of things a person is likely to encounter at a busy crossroads. Today, the English word typically describes something barely worth mentioning. Such judgments are, of course, subjective; feel free to mention this bit of trivia to anyone and everyone who crosses your path.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 2, 2025 is: carp • KAHRP • verb To carp is to complain in an annoying way. // They're always carping about their boss. See the entry > Examples: “David Fincher and Brad Pitt are together again with the sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by David Fincher. ... And while I hear people carping about the wig on Brad Pitt—to quote Caddyshack, ‘you'll take what you get and like it' …” — Sasha Stone, AwardsDaily.com, 29 July 2025 Did you know? Though someone might hypothetically carp about the fish known as carp, the similarity between the words is wholly coincidental. Both entered the English language in the 15th century but from different sources. Like many terms for plants and animals adopted at that point in the language's history, the fish's name traces back to Late Latin, but the verb is of Scandinavian origin. It shares an ancestor with the Icelandic verb karpa, meaning “to dispute.” We promise there's nothing fishy about that.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 1, 2025 is: epitome • ih-PIT-uh-mee • noun Epitome means "a perfect example." It is usually used in the phrase "the epitome of," as in "the epitome of elegance." // In his tailored suit and fashionable haircut, he was the very epitome of style. See the entry > Examples: "The image of Diana standing on a polo field in a white British Lung Foundation sweatshirt is one of the most iconic images of the late princess. Dressed in jeans, a baseball cap, cowboy boots and a blazer over the logo crewneck, Princess Diana—who served as patron of the foundation—looked the epitome of '80s cool." — Kristin Contino, Marie Claire, 27 June 2025 Did you know? Epitome first appeared in print in the early 16th century, when it was used to mean "summary." If someone asks you to summarize a long paper, you effectively cut it up, mentioning only the most important ideas. The etymology of epitome reflects this process: it comes from Greek epitemnein, meaning "to cut short." Your summary probably also presents all the key points of the original work, which may explain why epitome eventually came to be used for any person or object that is a clear or good example of an abstraction, as in "the epitome of grace" or "the epitome of health."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 31, 2025 is: simpatico • sim-PAH-tih-koh • adjective Simpatico typically describes two or more people or things with shared qualities, interests, etc. It can also describe someone who is agreeable or likeable. // Even though they weren't always simpatico with regard to the direction of their company, the pair managed to be successful partners for more than 35 years. See the entry > Examples: “From the early 2010s, when he was a young teen rapper in Chicago ... Chief Keef was flooding his Instagram with self-documentation, all of which is essentially gone now. Enter Eduard Taberner Pérez, an amateur archivist and professional graphic designer, who compiled ‘Sosa Archive,' a limited-run art book that gathers several thousand photos pulled from Keef's Instagram, presenting then in visually simpatico grids of 12.” — Jon Caramanica, The New York Times, 5 Mar. 2025 Did you know? Simpatico, which comes ultimately from the Latin noun sympathia, meaning “sympathy,” was borrowed into English from both the Italian simpatico and Spanish simpatico. In those languages, the word has been chiefly used to describe people who are well-liked or easy to get along with. Early uses of the word in English reflected those of their forebears, as in Henry James's 1881 novel The Portrait of a Lady, in which one character says of another's dying cousin, “Ah, he was so simpatico. I'm awfully sorry for you.” In recent years, however, the word has gained an additional sense describing things or people who get along well or work well together.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 30, 2025 is: protocol • PROH-tuh-kawl • noun Protocol most often refers to a system of rules explaining the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in a formal situation; in computer programming a protocol is a set of rules used in formatting data. Protocol can also refer to a plan for a scientific experiment or medical treatment, or to a document that describes the details of a diplomatic treaty. // What is the proper protocol for declining a job offer? // My doctor recommended a simplified treatment protocol for my condition. See the entry > Examples: "Back in the UK, it's still unclear what kind of royal life, if any, lies ahead for Archie and Lilibet. While they hold their princely and princess titles, bestowed upon them following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, their day-to-day lives in Montecito are a world away from palace protocol." — Faye James, Hello Magazine, 15 July 2025 Did you know? In Late Greek, the word prōtokollon referred to the first sheet of a papyrus roll bearing the date of its manufacture. In some instances, it consisted of a flyleaf that was glued to the outside of a manuscript's case and provided a description of its contents. Coming from the Greek prefix prōt- ("first") and the verb kollan ("to glue together"), prōtokollon gave us our word protocol. In its earliest uses in the 15th century, the word referred to a record of a document or transaction. By the turn of the 18th century it was being used for the original record or minutes of a diplomatic negotiation, and still later for the etiquette observed by heads of state in ceremonies and relations with other dignitaries. This sense has since extended in meaning to cover any code of proper conduct.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 29, 2025 is: incisive • in-SYE-siv • adjective Incisive means "impressively direct and decisive." It is generally applied to either something communicated in a way that is very clear and direct, or to a person who is able to explain difficult ideas clearly and confidently. // The columnist is known for her incisive commentary on local politics. See the entry > Examples: "'Death Becomes Her' might be a combination of an uproarious camp sensibility and the grotesquely macabre, but it also contains incisive social critiques—of impossible beauty standards for women, the difficulties of aging, and the lengths people will go to maintain their youthful looks." — Christopher Wallenberg, The Boston Globe, 1 June 2025 Did you know? An incisive person doesn't hem and haw—they get straight to the point. The original meaning of incisive, from around 1600, was "having a cutting edge or piercing point"; the modern meaning of "impressively direct and decisive" has been part of English since the mid-1800s. Incisive is a close relative of incisor, which refers to a front tooth typically adapted for cutting, so it's no surprise that incisive has a specific meaning in dentistry, describing that which is of, relating to, or situated near the incisors. Both incisive and incisor come from the Latin verb caedere, meaning "to cut." English is rich in cuttings from the fruitful stem of caedere: some examples to sink your teeth into are scissors, chisel, incise ("to cut into or engrave"), excise ("to remove by cutting"), incision ("cut" or "gash"), precise ("minutely exact"), and concise ("brief").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2025 is: diminution • dim-uh-NOO-shun • noun Diminution is a formal word that refers to the act or process of becoming less. // The company is committed to seeing that efforts to scale up production do not result in a diminution of quality. See the entry > Examples: “A sense of abasement hovers over the performer of the Super Bowl halftime show. It is slight, but it is there. ... The gig—a live gig—is essentially done for free. It ends, the performer is spirited away, and the multi-million-dollar commercials and multi-million-dollar game resume. It's popular music as the doula to football. The next morning, everyone makes big talk about history and legend-making; the feeling of diminution lingers.” — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 Did you know? In his late 14th century tragic poem Troilus and Criseyde, Geoffrey Chaucer employed the word diminution, contrasting the verb encrece (“increase”) with the phrase “maken dyminucion” (“make diminution”). Like many words Chaucer used, diminution came to English from Anglo-French, and ultimately from the Latin word deminuere, meaning “to diminish,” which is also an ancestor of the English verb diminish. That word entered the language in the 15th century, and the related noun diminishment, a synonym of diminution, was adopted in the 16th century.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 27, 2025 is: nebulous • NEB-yuh-lus • adjective Nebulous is a formal word used to describe something that is difficult to see, understand, or describe—in other words, something indistinct or vague. // A lot of philosophical concepts can seem nebulous at first, but a good instructor can cut through the jargon and help students see how they apply to day-to-day life. See the entry > Examples: “[Rob] Harvilla began to notice the blurred lines of late-Nineties genres as he produced his podcast 60 Songs That Explain the ‘90s and while writing its corresponding book. ‘The late Nineties were a weird, transitional wasteland,' he says. All of these genres that had such stark lines in the Nineties have now become a more nebulous concept, blending into one supergenre of just ‘Nineties music.'” — Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2025 Did you know? Nebulous may sound otherworldly—after all, it's related to nebula, which refers to an interstellar cloud of gas or dust—but its mysteriousness is rooted in more earthly unknowns. Both words ultimately come from Latin nebula, meaning “mist, cloud,” and as far back as the 14th century nebulous could mean simply “cloudy” or “foggy.” Nebulous has since the late 17th century been the adjective correlating to nebula (as in “nebulous gas”), but the word is more familiar in its figurative use, where it describes things that are indistinct or vague, as when Teju Cole wrote of an avant-garde photographer who viewed photography as existing “neither in the camera nor in the printed photograph, but in a more nebulous zone.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 26, 2025 is: trepidation • trep-uh-DAY-shun • noun Trepidation refers to a feeling of fear that causes someone to hesitate because they think that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen. // The students felt a sense of trepidation upon being summoned to the principal's office. See the entry > Examples: "Met by some with cautious optimism, others with trepidation, and others with doomsday predictions, there is no doubt that AI is here to stay and changing work in ways yet to be fully revealed." — Laurel Donnellan, Forbes, 28 May 2025 Did you know? If you've ever trembled with fright, you know something of both the sensation and etymology of trepidation. The word comes from the Latin verb trepidare, which means "to tremble." (Trepidare also gave English the verb trepidate, meaning "to feel nervous or apprehensive," but that word is now considered archaic.) Early meanings of trepidation, such as "tremulous motion" or "tremor," reflect its "shaky" origins. Over time, however, those senses gave way to our modern meaning referring to fearful hesitancy.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 25, 2025 is: undulant • UN-juh-lunt • adjective Undulant describes things that rise and fall in waves, or things that have a wavy form, outline, or surface. // The exhibit featured a painting with beautiful green strokes that resembled undulant hills. See the entry > Examples: “Though tightly bound by our love of books, we bibliophiles are a sundry lot, managing our obsession in a grand variety of ways. We organize by title, by author, by genre, by topic. By color, by height, by width, by depth. … We stack books into attractive still lifes accompanied by a single tulip in a bud vase, or into risky, undulant towers poised to flatten a passing housecat.” — Monica Wood, LitHub.com, 7 May 2024 Did you know? If you're looking for an adjective that encapsulates the rising and falling of the briny sea, wave hello to undulant. While not an especially common descriptor, it is useful not only for describing the ocean itself, but for everything from rolling hills to a snake's sinuous movement to a fever that waxes and wanes. The root of undulant is, perhaps unsurprisingly, unda, a Latin word meaning “wave.” Other English words swimming the wake of unda include inundate, “to cover with a flood,” and undulate, “to form or move in waves.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 24, 2025 is: cloister • KLOY-ster • verb To cloister someone or something is to shut the person or thing away from the world. // The scientist cloistered himself in his laboratory all weekend to finish analyzing data. See the entry > Examples: “Now, the past Melbourne High student body president and co-valedictorian is planning to step down Jan. 20 after serving nearly four years as NASA's administrator. ... ‘My constitution is such that I'm not going to retire. And what I said is, I'm going to cloister myself and write a book. And then, we'll see what happens,' [Bill] Nelson, who is now 82, told reporters Wednesday during a roundtable discussion at the Kennedy Space Center Press Site.” — Rick Neale, Florida Today, 19 Dec. 2024 Did you know? Cloister first entered the English language as a noun in the 13th century, referring then (as it still does) to a convent or monastery. More than three centuries later, English speakers began using the verb cloister to mean “to seclude in or as if in a cloister.” Today, the noun can also refer to the monastic life or to a covered and usually arched passage along or around a court. You may also encounter the adjective cloistered with the meaning “separated from the rest of the world [as if in a cloister],” as in “She leads a private, cloistered life in the country.” Cloister ultimately comes from the Latin verb claudere, meaning “to close.” Other words that can be traced back to the prolific claudere include close, conclude, exclude, include, preclude, seclude, and recluse.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 23, 2025 is: flagrant • FLAY-grunt • adjective Something may be described as flagrant if it is conspicuously bad—that is, too bad to be ignored. // In a flagrant violation of the family's code of ethics, someone finished the ice cream and left the empty container in the freezer. See the entry > Examples: "'It wasn't such a brilliant thought to sit on an artwork,' Vanessa Carlon, the museum's director, tells the New York Times' Claire Moses. Carlon says the incident highlights just how far people will go to get a good photo, as well as their flagrant lack of accountability. 'These two people decided to escape,' she adds. 'That was the behavior that really offended us.'" — Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025 Did you know? A flagrant foul in sports involves no flame or literal heat—it's just too conspicuously bad for referees to ignore—but the roots of flagrant are hot, hot, hot. In Latin, flagrāre means "to burn," and flagrans means "flaming" or "fiery" (both carry meanings relating to literal flames as well as the figurative flames of passion). When it was first used in the 16th century, flagrant had the same "flaming, fiery" meaning as flagrans, but by the 18th century it had acquired its current meaning of “conspicuously bad or offensive.” (Another flagrāre descendant in English, conflagration, retained its "fiery" meaning.) Some usage experts warn against using flagrant and blatant interchangeably. While both words apply to noticeable lapses, they are not true synonyms. Blatant (likely from a Latin word meaning “to chatter”) typically describes a person, action, or thing that attracts disapproving attention (e.g., "a blatant grammatical error"), while flagrant carries a heavier connotation of offense often for violated morality (e.g., "flagrant abuse of public office").

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 22, 2025 is: apathy • AP-uh-thee • noun Apathy refers either to a lack of feeling or emotion, or to a lack of interest or concern. // Though the girl's expression communicated apathy, Gina knew her daughter was actually very pleased at having won the poetry prize. // While the previous mayor's administration responded to the community's needs with little more than apathy, city hall under the new leadership is making real changes. See the entry > Examples: “I find myself shrugging a lot more. And answering, ‘That seems true.' And saying the exact same thing to the opposing argument. ... I've found myself concerned about my apparent apathy and disinterest in picking fights. On the flip side, I'm an easier person to be around.” — Mari Andrew, How to Be a Living Thing: Meditations on Intuitive Oysters, Hopeful Doves, and Being a Human in the World, 2025 Did you know? Once more without feeling! While its siblings antipathy, sympathy, and empathy refer to often strong emotions, whether tender or terrible, apathy is unconcerned with all that. Whether one is feeling blasé, indifferent, or—to use a more recent coinage—meh, apathy is the perfect word for such a lack of passion. At the root of apathy and its kin is páthos, a Greek word meaning “experience, misfortune, or emotion,” which led first to the adjective apathḗs (“not suffering, without passion or feeling, impassive”) and then the noun apatheîa before passing through Latin and Middle French on its way to English. The prefix a- in both means “without.” The other aforementioned páthos descendants are, of course, supplied with their own prefixes that give clues to their respective meanings: anti- (“opposite”), sym- (“at the same time”), and em- (“in” or “within”).

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 21, 2025 is: validate • VAL-uh-dayt • verb To validate something is to show that it is real or correct. Validate can also mean “to state or show that something is legal or official,” “to put a mark on something to show that it has been checked and is official or accepted,” and “to show that someone's feelings, opinions, etc., are fair and reasonable.” // The company's claims about its latest product are yet to be validated. // You can get discounted parking by having your parking garage ticket validated at the museum's ticket desk. // The decline in sales only validated our concerns about the menu changes. See the entry > Examples: “Rather than capitulate to the common assumption that all Korean immigrants and Korean Americans perceive Korea to be one's home, or America for that matter, Clay Walls serves to fully contextualize and validate one's sense of home and homeland, and the possibility of multiple homes and homelands ...” — David S. Cho, introduction to Clay Walls by Kim Ronyoung, 2024 Did you know? When validate first entered the language in the mid-17th century, its meaning was tied fast to its close relative, the adjective valid, meaning “executed with the proper legal authority and formalities”: to validate something, such as a marriage or treaty, was to make it legally valid. This meaning is still current, but the word is now used in nonlegal and informal contexts as well. If the museum you visit validates your parking garage ticket, you're given an official mark on the ticket and you do not have to pay full price for parking. If someone's claims cannot be validated, those claims cannot be confirmed. And if a coach puts an untested player into the game and the player scores the winning point, the player's strong performance validates the coach's decision.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 20, 2025 is: salient • SAIL-yunt • adjective Something described as salient is very important or noticeable. // The assignment was to write down the most salient points made in the article. // One salient feature of the band's music is the variety of different genres it incorporates into a singular sound. See the entry > Examples: "All actors use their bodies, but [Zoe] Saldaña has long been on another plane. She doesn't just interpret characters, she moves through them with such salient physicality that her body often has as much to say as the dialogue she speaks." — Gia Kourlas, The New York Times, 28 Feb. 2025 Did you know? When salient first hopped into English, it described things—animals especially—that move by jumping, springing, or leaping. Small wonder, then, that the word comes from the Latin verb salire, meaning "to leap." (Polyglots may also recognize the influence of salire on the Spanish verb salir, meaning "to leave," and the French verb saillir, meaning "to jut out.") Today, salient is usually used to describe things that "leap out" in a figurative sense, such as the salient features of a painting or the salient points made in an essay or argument.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 19, 2025 is: euphemism • YOO-fuh-miz-um • noun A euphemism is a mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive. // The HR department advises using the euphemism “let go” instead of saying that someone was fired. See the entry > Examples: “The new model supposedly has fewer hallucinations—a common euphemism for when AI models produce inaccurate or misleading results.” — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 Did you know? There are times when circumstances call for a gentler or pleasanter word or phrase rather than the most direct one. Such words and phrases are known as euphemisms, with the word euphemism coming, fittingly, from the Greek word eúphēmos, meaning “sounding good.” Powder room, for example, is one of many euphemisms in the English language for a lavatory, aka the place where one goes when one requires the use of a toilet and sink. (Actually, we are hard pressed to find a non-euphemistic word for such a room; like powder room, the terms bathroom, restroom, and washroom all tiptoe around the often-primary reason one has for visiting it.) Similarly love handles is a euphemism for fatty bulges along the sides of one's body at the waist, though as everyone who's ever snuggled up to a loved one endowed with such bulges knows, love handles is a much better descriptor for what makes a person extra snuggly.

This episode recorded live at the Becker's 22nd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference features Sarah Carson, Administrator, Ascentist ASC Merriam, LLC. Sarah discusses her center's rapid growth since opening during COVID, their strong focus on pediatric care, and future plans to expand services through additional locations and increased pain management offerings.

The Wonderful World of Wine (WWW) Episode 296 Hosts Kim Simone and Mark Lenzi explore all things wine with you! From Packie to Sonoma: The Peter Merriam Story This week on The Wonderful World of Wine, hosts Kim and Mark uncork a fascinating conversation with Peter Merriam of Merriam Vineyards. A true Massachusetts native, Peter shares his incredible journey from owning a local "packie" (package store) to establishing a renowned winery in the heart of Sonoma. Join us as Peter delves into the world of sustainable and organic winemaking, offering insights into what makes these practices so vital. We'll also explore the intriguing differences in wine trends between California and Massachusetts, and Peter clarifies the distinction between "family-made" and "Mass-produced" wines. Curious where to find Merriam Vineyards wines? Peter reveals where his exquisite selections are available in Massachusetts, including at the esteemed Davio's restaurants. Plus, he provides a detailed look at his winery, vineyards, and tasting room, giving listeners a virtual tour of his Sonoma operation. Of course, no WWW episode is complete without a tasting! Kim and Mark, along with Peter, sample two of Merriam Vineyards' standout creations: the crisp and elegant 2023 Russian River Chardonnay and the rich and velvety 2023 Russian River Merlot. To learn more about Peter's wines and his remarkable story, visit www.merriamvineyards.com. Cheers! Kim and Mark

This episode recorded live at the Becker's 22nd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference features Sarah Carson, Administrator, Ascentist ASC Merriam, LLC. Sarah discusses her center's rapid growth since opening during COVID, their strong focus on pediatric care, and future plans to expand services through additional locations and increased pain management offerings.

This episode recorded live at the Becker's 22nd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference features Sarah Carson, Administrator, Ascentist ASC Merriam, LLC. Sarah discusses her center's rapid growth since opening during COVID, their strong focus on pediatric care, and future plans to expand services through additional locations and increased pain management offerings.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 14, 2025 is: immutable • ih-MYOO-tuh-bul • adjective Immutable is a formal adjective used to describe something that is unable to be changed. // It is hardly an immutable fact that cats and dogs are sworn enemies; over the years our golden retriever has grown both fond and protective of her tabby housemate. See the entry > Examples: “... by the 1800s, naturalists like Lamarck were questioning the assumption that species were immutable; they suggested that over time organisms actually grew more complex, with the human species as the pinnacle of the process. Darwin brought these speculations into public consciousness in 1859 with On the Origin of Species, and while he emphasized that evolution branches in many directions without any predetermined goal in mind, most people came to think of evolution as a linear progression.” — Ted Chiang, LitHub.com, 6 Mar. 2025 Did you know? Immutable may describe something that is incapable of change, but the word itself—like all words—is mutable, both capable of and prone to alteration. To put a finer point on it, if language were fixed, we wouldn't have immutable itself, which required a variety of mutations of the Latin verb mutare (“to change”) to reach our tongues (or pens, keyboards, or touchscreens—oh the many permutations of communication!). Other English words that can be traced back to mutare include mutate, transmute, and commute. Which reminds us—the mutability of language makes great food for thought during one's commute.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 13, 2025 is: calculus • KAL-kyuh-lus • noun Calculus refers to an advanced branch of mathematics that deals mostly with rates of change and with finding lengths, areas, and volumes. The word can also be used more broadly for the act of calculating—that is, estimating something by using practical judgment, or solving or probing the meaning of something. // By my calculus the more efficient air conditioner will have paid for itself within a span of five years. See the entry > Examples: “[Manager, Craig] Counsell said that all options are being considered, and the Cubs will wait to make a decision until they have to, as events between now and [Shota] Imanaga's official return to the active roster could change the calculus.” — Vinnie Duber, The Chicago Sun-Times, 21 June 2025 Did you know? Solving calculus equations on a chalkboard allows one to erase mistakes, and also hints at the word's rocky, and possibly chalky, past. Calculus entered English in the 17th century from Latin, in which it referred to a pebble, often one used specifically for adding and subtracting on a counting board. The word thus became associated with computation; the phrase ponere calculos, literally, “to place pebbles,” meant “to carry out a computation.” The Latin calculus, in turn, is thought to perhaps come from the noun calx, meaning “lime” or “limestone,” which is also the ancestor of the English word chalk. Today, in addition to referring to an advanced branch of mathematics, calculus can also be used generally for the act of solving or figuring something out, and as a medical term for the tartar that forms on teeth, among other things. Whichever way it's used, we think that calculus rocks.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 12, 2025 is: ramshackle • RAM-shak-ul • adjective Ramshackle describes things that are in a very bad condition and need to be repaired, or that are carelessly or loosely constructed. // Toward the back of the property stood a ramshackle old shed. // The book had a ramshackle plot that was confusing and unbelievable. See the entry > Examples: "House of the Weedy Seadragon ... and Semaphore Shack sit side-by-side in the sand dunes. They're part of a cosy cluster of ramshackle residences, built in the 1930s by a Hobart family as weekenders for the extended tribe to fish, swim and while away sun-soaked days." — The Gold Coast (Australia) Bulletin, 4 July 2025 Did you know? Ramshackle has nothing to do with rams, nor the act of being rammed, nor shackles. The word is an alteration of ransackled, an obsolete form of the verb ransack, meaning "to search through or plunder." (Ransack comes from Old Norse rannsaka, which combines rann, "house," and -saka, a relation of the Old English word sēcan, "to seek.") A home that has been ransacked has had its contents thrown into disarray, and that image may be what inspired people to start using ramshackle in the first half of the 19th century to describe something that is poorly constructed or in a state of near collapse. Ramshackle in modern use can also be figurative, as in "a ramshackle excuse for the error."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 11, 2025 is: stipulate • STIP-yuh-layt • verb To stipulate is to demand or require something as part of an agreement. // The rules stipulate that players must wear uniforms. See the entry > Examples: “Nilsson's reputation preceded her. The New York Times wrote of her: ‘Christine Nilsson, the Met's first diva in 1883, could not only stipulate by contract her choice of roles, but could prohibit their performance by any other soprano in the same season.'” — Elise Taylor and Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 20 June 2025 Did you know? Like many terms used in the legal profession, stipulate, an English word since the 17th century, has its roots in Latin. It comes from stipulatus, the past participle of stipulari, a verb meaning “to demand a guarantee (from a prospective debtor).” In Roman law, oral contracts were deemed valid only if they followed a proper question-and-answer format; stipulate was sometimes used specifically of this same process of contract making, though it also could be used more generally for any means of making a contract or agreement. The “to specify as a condition or requirement” meaning of stipulate also dates to the 17th century, and is the sense of the word most often encountered today.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 10, 2025 is: hidebound • HYDE-bound • adjective Someone or something described as hidebound is inflexible and unwilling to accept new or different ideas. // Although somewhat stuffy and strict, the professor did not so completely adhere to hidebound academic tradition that he wouldn't teach class outside on an especially lovely day. See the entry > Examples: “He was exciting then, different from all the physicists I worked with in the way that he was so broadly educated and interested, not hidebound and literal, as my colleagues were.” — Joe Mungo Reed, Terrestrial History: A Novel, 2025 Did you know? Hidebound has its origins in agriculture. The adjective, which appeared in English in the early 17th century, originally described cattle whose skin, due to illness or poor feeding, clung to the skeleton and could not be pinched, loosened, or worked with the fingers (the adjective followed an earlier noun form referring to this condition). Hidebound was applied to humans too, to describe people afflicted with tight skin. Figurative use quickly followed, first with a meaning of “stingy” or “miserly.” That sense has since fallen out of use, but a second figurative usage, describing people who are rigid or unyielding in their actions or beliefs, lives on in our language today.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2025 is: behemoth • bih-HEE-muth • noun A behemoth is something of monstrous size, power, or appearance. Behemoth (usually capitalized) is also the name of a mighty animal described in the biblical book of Job. // The town will be voting on whether or not to let the retail behemoth build a store on the proposed site. See the entry > Examples: "The author ... recounts how his grandfather turned a family spinach farm into an industrial behemoth, and exposes the greed and malfeasance behind the prosperous facade." — The New York Times, 6 July 2025 Did you know? In the biblical book of Job, Behemoth is the name of a powerful grass-eating, river-dwelling beast with bones likened to bronze pipes and limbs likened to iron bars. Scholars have speculated that the biblical creature was inspired by the hippopotamus, but details about the creature's exact nature are vague. The word first passed from the Hebrew word bĕhēmōth into Late Latin (the Latin used by writers in the third to sixth centuries), where, according to 15th century English poet and monk John Lydgate it referred to "a beast rude full of cursednesse." In modern English, behemoth functions as an evocative term for something of monstrous size, power, or appearance.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 8, 2025 is: winsome • WIN-sum • adjective Winsome describes people and things that are cheerful, pleasant, and appealing. // Though a relative newcomer to acting, Maya won the casting directors over with her winsome charm, which was perfect for the role of the plucky young superhero. // Our winsome guide put us at ease immediately. See the entry > Examples: “Wilson's take on Snow White is surprisingly winsome. It delivers a familiar story with a fresh perspective and some unexpected sources of nostalgia.” — Kristy Puchko, Mashable, 19 March 2025 Did you know? Despite appearances, winsome bears no relation to the familiar word win, meaning “to achieve victory.” The Old English predecessor of winsome is wynsum, which in turn comes from the noun wynn, meaning “joy” or “pleasure.” And the ancestor of win is the Old English verb winnan, meaning “to labor or strive.” Given those facts, one might guess that the adjective winning, meaning “tending to please or delight,” as in “a winning personality,” is a winsome relation, but in fact it's in the win/winnan lineage. Winning is more common today than the similar winsome in such constructions as “a winning/winsome smile,” but we sense no hard feelings between the two. It's just the way things (lexically) go: you win some, you lose some.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 7, 2025 is: adjudicate • uh-JOO-dih-kayt • verb To adjudicate a dispute between two parties is to make an official decision about which party is right; to adjudicate a case or claim is to settle it judicially. Adjudicate is also used to mean “to act as judge.” // The case will be adjudicated in the state courts. // The property title cannot be transferred until a case concerning the affected rights of way is adjudicated. See the entry > Examples: “… [Pete] Rose's candidacy won't be adjudicated on the writers' ballot. According to the Hall's voting rules, players who are retired for more than 15 years are considered not by 400-plus writers but rather a smaller ‘era committee,' comprised of a mixture of former players, executives, and media members.” — Scott Lauber, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 14 May 2025 Did you know? Adjudicate, which is usually used to mean “to make an official decision about who is right in a dispute,” is one of several terms that give testimony to the influence of jus, the Latin word for “law,” on our legal language. Others include judgment, judicial, prejudice, jury, justice, injury, and perjury. What's the verdict? Latin “law” words frequently preside in English-speaking courtrooms.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 6, 2025 is: largesse • lahr-ZHESS • noun Largesse is a somewhat formal word that refers to the act of giving away money or the generosity of a person who gives away money. It can also refer to the money that is given away. // The community has benefited greatly from the largesse of its wealthiest family. // The local business owner is a philanthropist known for his largesse. See the entry > Examples: "Over the years, ShelterBox USA, an outgrowth of the Rotary Club and named for the relief boxes it distributes, has helped nearly 3 million people in some of the world's worst disaster zones. It hands out basic survival needs: tents, tools, and household supplies. Twice the organization has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for its life-preserving largesse." — The Olney (Texas) Enterprise, 20 Mar. 2025 Did you know? The English language has benefited from the largesse of Anglo-French, through which a generous number of words have passed; examples range from simple to account to desert. English speakers owe Anglo-French a huge thanks, in particular, for its adjective large. That word, meaning "generous, broad, or wide," is the source of both largesse and the familiar duo of large and enlarge. Most people understand enlarge to mean "to make larger," but a less common sense (used in Shakespeare's Henry V) is "to set free." Largesse also contains the notion of freedom, specifically with regard to a lack of financial constraints: it's not about having a "large" amount of money but rather being "free" with it. Incidentally, the English word large wasn't about size when it was first adopted in the 13th century. Back then it meant "lavish."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 5, 2025 is: contentious • kun-TEN-shuss • adjective Contentious describes something that is likely to cause people to argue or disagree or that involves a lot of arguing. When used of a person, contentious describes someone likely or willing to argue. // I think it's wise to avoid such a contentious topic at a dinner party. // After a contentious debate, members of the committee finally voted to approve the funding. // The dispute involves one of the region's most contentious leaders. See the entry > Examples: “Next up will be Peter Shaffer's ‘Amadeus,' which opened in 1979 and won the Tony for best play in 1981 with Ian McKellen winning lead actor honors. ... The story is a fictional account of the contentious relationship between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his rival, Antonio Salieri, the court composer of the Austrian emperor.” — Jessica Gelt, The Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025 Did you know? If everyone has a bone to pick now and then, contentious types have entire skeletons. While English has plenty of words for people prone to fighting—combative and belligerent among them—contentious implies a fondness for arguing that others find particularly tedious or wearying. Thankfully, even the most contentious cranks and crabs among us have no cause to quibble over the history of the word contentious, as its origins are very clear: contentious comes (by way of Middle French) from the Latin adjective contentiōsus, meaning “persistent, obstinate, argumentative, or quarrelsome.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 4, 2025 is: tapestry • TAP-uh-stree • noun A tapestry is a heavy textile characterized by complicated pictorial designs and used for hangings, curtains, and upholstery. In figurative use, tapestry may refer to anything made up of different things, people, colors, etc. // The walls were adorned with handwoven tapestries. // They enjoyed the rich tapestry of life in the city. See the entry > Examples: “The event showcased the vibrant tapestry of the numerous cultural backgrounds of the students through dance, performance, music, language and artistic expression.” — Foysol Choudhury, The Edinburgh (Scotland) Evening News, 10 May 2025 Did you know? Several languages weave through the history of tapestry, which comes from a Greek word meaning “carpet” and traveled through Anglo-French and Middle English before arriving in modern English in the 15th century. Tapestry originally referred to a heavy handwoven reversible textile used for hangings, curtains, and upholstery, and characterized by complicated pictorial designs. It still does today, but the word has fittingly developed a “tapestry” of additional senses. It may describe a nonreversible imitation of tapestry used chiefly for upholstery, or embroidery on canvas resembling woven tapestry. It can also refer figuratively to anything made up of different parts, as in “nature's rich tapestry.” Tapestry isn't the only art word that's developed a figurative “medley” sense; collage (“a work of art made by adhering pieces of different materials (such as paper, cloth, or wood) to a flat surface”) and mosaic (“a decoration made by inlaying small pieces of variously colored material (such as glass or ceramic) to form pictures or patterns”) are both used figuratively to mean “a collection of different things.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 3, 2025 is: egregious • ih-GREE-juss • adjective Egregious is a formal word used to describe things that are conspicuously bad. // Leaving one's phone on during a performance is an egregious breach of theater etiquette. See the entry > Examples: “When a cutting-edge A.I. misbehaves in a particularly egregious way, it can seem shocking. Our instinct is to anthropomorphize the system and ask, ‘What kind of twisted mind would work like that?'” — Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 3 June 2025 Did you know? Some words originally used for animals that gather in flocks have been herded into use for people, too. The Latin word grex means “flock,” “herd,” or “group,” and is the root of several English words, including gregarious, which originally meant “tending to live in a flock, herd, or community rather than alone” but has become a synonym for “sociable,” and egregious. The Latin forebear of egregious, egregius, literally meant “out of the herd” but was used figuratively to mean “outstanding in one's field.” Egregious entered English in the 16th century with that same, now-obsolete meaning, but over time gained a sense meaning “conspicuously bad” or “flagrant,” possibly as a result of ironic use of its original sense.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 2, 2025 is: palimpsest • PAL-imp-sest • noun Palimpsest in its original use refers to writing material (such as a parchment manuscript) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased; the underlying text is said to be “in palimpsest.” Palimpsest in extended use refers to something that has usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface. // Scholars believe the motive for making palimpsests was often economic—reusing parchment was cheaper than preparing a new skin. // The ancient city is an architectural palimpsest. See the entry > Examples: “My aim was to trace the course of … the Aqua Marcia, built between 144 and 140 B.C. by Julius Caesar's ancestor Quintus Marcius Rex. … The original tuff arches carried the Marcia across a steep ravine. Subsequent retaining walls and buttresses have transformed the bridge into a palimpsest of building styles.” — David Laskin, The New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024 Did you know? Long ago, writing surfaces were so highly valued that they were often used more than once. Palimpsest in its original use referred to an early form of recycling in which an old document was erased to make room for a new one when parchment ran short. (The word is from the Greek palimpsēstos, meaning “scraped again.”) Fortunately for modern scholars, the erasing process wasn't completely effective, so the original could often be distinguished under the newer writing. De republica, by Roman statesman and orator Cicero, is one of many documents recovered from a palimpsest. Nowadays, the word palimpsest can refer not only to such a document but to anything that has multiple layers apparent beneath the surface.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 1, 2025 is: dissociate • dih-SOH-shee-ayt • verb To dissociate is to separate oneself from association or union with someone or something; in contexts relating to psychology, it has to do specifically with mentally detaching from one's physical or emotional experiences. In chemistry, dissociate means "to separate a chemical compound into its constituent parts especially through the application of heat or a solvent." // The director has tried to dissociate herself from her earlier films. See the entry > Examples: "Last spring, Sunrise Brown launched their 'DIRE' campaign—which stands for 'dissociate' and 'reinvest'—calling on the University to dissociate from the fossil fuel industry and prioritize issues of environmental justice in its relationships with the Providence community." — Kate Butts and Sophia Wotman, The Brown Daily Herald (Providence, Rhode Island), 31 Oct. 2024 Did you know? Dissociate and its synonymous sibling disassociate can each mean "to separate from association or union with another." Both trace back to the Latin verb sociare, meaning "to join," which comes in turn from socius, a noun meaning "companion." (Socius is associated with many English words, including social and society.) Dis- in this case means "do the opposite of," so both dissociate and disassociate indicate severing that which is united. Some argue that disassociate is illogical because it indicates separating and uniting simultaneously. Dissociate is also preferred by some because it is shorter (by a grand total of two letters) but both words are in current good use.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 1, 2025 is: dissociate • dih-SOH-shee-ayt • verb To dissociate is to separate oneself from association or union with someone or something; in contexts relating to psychology, it has to do specifically with mentally detaching from one's physical or emotional experiences. In chemistry, dissociate means "to separate a chemical compound into its constituent parts especially through the application of heat or a solvent." // The director has tried to dissociate herself from her earlier films. See the entry > Examples: "Last spring, Sunrise Brown launched their 'DIRE' campaign—which stands for 'dissociate' and 'reinvest'—calling on the University to dissociate from the fossil fuel industry and prioritize issues of environmental justice in its relationships with the Providence community." — Kate Butts and Sophia Wotman, The Brown Daily Herald (Providence, Rhode Island), 31 Oct. 2024 Did you know? Dissociate and its synonymous sibling disassociate can each mean "to separate from association or union with another." Both trace back to the Latin verb sociare, meaning "to join," which comes in turn from socius, a noun meaning "companion." (Socius is associated with many English words, including social and society.) Dis- in this case means "do the opposite of," so both dissociate and disassociate indicate severing that which is united. Some argue that disassociate is illogical because it indicates separating and uniting simultaneously. Dissociate is also preferred by some because it is shorter (and by a grand total of two letters) but both words are in current good use.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 31, 2025 is: petulant • PET-chuh-lunt • adjective Petulant describes a person who is angry and annoyed, or an attitude or behavior showing the emotions of such a person. // I didn't appreciate being accused of acting like a petulant toddler. // Her tone became petulant when she realized that the items on sale were no longer available. See the entry > Examples: “When Moira reached her mother on the phone, it was hard to take in any information other than that she was being sent away. ‘Babysitting and secretarial work?' Moira said without saying hello. ‘Organizing lessons?' ‘Hello, Moira,' Nina said. ‘Let's drop this petulant teenager routine.' ‘I am a petulant teenager.'” — Keziah Weir, The Mythmakers: A Novel, 2023 Did you know? Petulant may have changed its meaning over the years, but it has retained its status as “word most people would not use to describe themselves in a job interview.” Hailing from Middle French and Latin, petulant began its English tenure in the late 16th century with the meaning recorded in our unabridged dictionary as “wanton or immodest in speech or behavior”—in other words, “lewd” or “obscene.” The word eventually softened, at least somewhat, from describing those who are forward in—shall we say—prurient ways, to those who are forward by being merely rude and angrily bold. Today the word is most commonly used to describe someone acting snippy and snippety, snappish and snappy, displaying an often childish ill or short temper of the kind that tends to arise from annoyance at not getting one's way.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 30, 2025 is: doppelgänger • DAH-pul-gang-er • noun A doppelgänger is someone who looks very much like another person. In literary use, doppelgänger refers to a ghost that closely resembles a living person. // I saw your doppelgänger at the movies yesterday and almost waved hello before I realized they weren't you. // In one of the creepiest parts of the story, the main character is haunted by a doppelgänger. See the entry > Examples: “When [Timothée] Chalamet himself briefly appeared at his own [celebrity look-alike] contest, popping up between two of his doppelgängers, the crowd was thrilled, but the contestants were somewhat diminished, all of the discrepancies emphasized between his face and their own.” — Amanda Hess, The New York Times, 22 Nov. 2024 Did you know? According to German folklore, all living creatures have an identical, but invisible, spirit double. These second selves are distinct from ghosts, which appear only after death, and are sometimes described as the spiritual opposite or negative of their living counterparts. English speakers borrowed both the concept of the doppelgänger and the German word for it (from doppel-, meaning “double,” and -gänger, meaning “goer”) in the mid-1800s, but today the English word typically has a more quotidian use, referring simply to a living person who closely resembles another living person.