Podcasts about Webster

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 4, 2026 is: apiary • AY-pee-air-ee • noun Apiary refers to a place where bees are kept, and especially a collection of hives or colonies of bees kept for their honey. // One of the best parts of having a beekeeper for a sister-in-law is getting fresh jars of local honey from the family apiary. See the entry > Examples: “The 70-year-old retiree from South Philadelphia ordinarily would avoid bees out of fear, but this spring she suited up for a study on therapeutic beekeeping at the Half Mad Honey apiary in the Navy Yard. Led by Temple University occupational therapy student Meghan Robertson, the project tested if beekeeping could improve mental health and well-being in older adults.” — Kayla Yup, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 28 June 2026 Did you know? For those who enjoy honey and the fascinating creatures that make it, apiaries are the bee's knees. The word apiary—which comes ultimately from the Latin word apis, meaning “bee”—can refer to any place where bees are kept, but is used especially for a collection of hives or colonies of bees kept for their honey. Honeybee colonies are highly complex clusters of individuals that function virtually as single organisms (as by a hive mind). Queen bees, capable of laying more than a thousand eggs per day, develop from larvae that are fed solely on royal jelly. Drones are stingless male bees whose one job (they do not gather nectar or pollen) is to mate with the queen. Drones are vastly outnumbered by tens of thousands of female worker bees who do everything else—from foraging and feeding (royal jelly is produced from their pharyngeal glands) to cleaning and defense. In other words, they run the hive.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 3, 2026 is: recalcitrant • rih-KAL-suh-trunt • adjective Recalcitrant is a formal word typically used to describe someone who stubbornly refuses to obey rules or orders. Recalcitrant can also describe something that is difficult to manage or operate. // The magazine, aimed at parents and caregivers of young children, will include the latest in child development science as well as practical information, like tricks for persuading even the most recalcitrant toddler to cooperate. See the entry > Examples: “One particularly recalcitrant driver … managed to rack up 29 speeding tickets during the 10-school-day span.” — Dave Werner, The Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, New York), 20 May 2026 Did you know? When given an order or command, a recalcitrant person (or animal) digs in their heels. They will not give an inch, so to speak, immovable in their determination to defy the rules. This makes a great deal of sense, etymologically, as recalcitrant traces back to calx, the Latin word for “heel.” (Calx is also responsible for such English words as calcaneus, “the large bone of the human heel,” and—mention this at your next pizza party—calzone.) From calx, Latin users formed first the verb calcitrare (“to kick”) and then recalcitrare (“to kick back”). In Late Latin, recalcitrare was used figuratively to mean “to be stubbornly disobedient,” leading to the English adjective we apply today to stubborn mules both human and asinine.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 2, 2026 is: dissonant • DISS-uh-nunt • adjective Dissonant typically describes music that is not in harmony, or sounds and notes that clash. In non-music contexts, dissonant describes things that clash by not being in agreement or by not fitting well together. // The guitarist struck a dissonant chord. // The retrospective provided a sometimes dissonant journey through the artist's decades of work. See the entry > Examples: "Their disparate sonic elements form a dissonant but cohesive whole, wisps of trumpet and electronic woodwinds flashing by as quickly as flickering subway car lights." — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026 Did you know? At the root of dissonant is the Latin verb sonare. Can you guess what sonare means? Here's a hint: some related words are sonata, supersonic, and resonance. Does it sound to you as if sonare has something to do with sound? To invoke an approving sound in response: ding ding ding. In fact, sonare means "to sound," is related to the Latin noun sonus (meaning "sound"), and is also an ancestor of the English word sound. In musical contexts, dissonant and the related noun dissonance are used to describe a clashing or unresolved musical interval or chord. Consonance, in contrast, refers to a musical interval or chord that produces an impression of agreeableness or resolution.

Podcast Host Ken Volante here. I am pleased to present J Webster Sharp, who is my favorite, illustrator, like, ever.Jemma has created The Scrapbook of Life and Death, Fondant, and an upcoming work on the super famous early 20th century actor Fatty Arbuckle. I can't even wait to lay my fingers on her Fatty book.Here's an exclusive interview.J Webster SharpThis is Something Rather Than Nothing

1216. In honor of Labor Day, we look at occupational surnames — why Baker, Cooper, and Fletcher sound like jobs, and why Wainwright, Chandler, and Fuller were jobs too, even though they don't sound like it anymore. We also look at how names like Webster and Baxter preserve an Old English suffix for women's work.The jobs segment was by Karen Lunde, a career writer and editor. She writes I'll Go First, a newsletter where she shares her story, and then hands you a writing prompt and a metaphorical pen. Find her at igofirst.org.Save the date for Grammarpalooza — The Game Show: Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!Larry RosenblumMahala RussellGeorge WilsonLaurel PaulLinda CoxBirna Anna Björnsdóttir

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 1, 2026 is: conscientious • kahn-shee-EN-shus • adjective Conscientious describes someone who is concerned with doing things correctly. It can be used as a synonym for both meticulous and careful. // She has always been a conscientious worker committed to painstaking research. See the entry > Examples: “Earth-friendly, conscientious gardeners learn to slow down and pay attention not only to plants but to the many creatures that share the garden. ... The garden teaches us valuable lessons. It reminds us that balance is achieved not through sorting the natural world into neat categories, but by respecting nature and allowing it to reveal to us its own complicated, interdependent and beautiful gray areas.” — Rita Perwich, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026 Did you know? As Mahatma Gandhi once wrote, “There is a higher court than courts of justice, and that is the court of conscience.” A person who is conscientious makes sure that they are judged well by such a court. This is true for someone who is “governed by their conscience” as the oldest sense of the word is defined—as in “a conscientious leader”—but it is also true for the conscientious person paying close, careful attention to the task at hand. Conscientious came to English from French, centuries after Middle English had adopted conscience from Anglo-French; both ultimately come from the Latin verb scire, meaning “to know.”

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by onX Backcountry and Topo Athletic, we are joined by Miranda Webster, the creator behind Miranda Goes Outside- a former 12-year REI employee turned full-time outdoor content creator. In this one, Miranda breaks down her journey from an outdoorsy novice working as an REI cashier to amassing over 200,000 YouTube subscribers, the detailed process of designing her popular Migo water bottle to fix the smart water bottle's flaws, and why she firmly believes creators should never gatekeep public land locations. We also cover her tactics for managing POTS and chronic migraines in the backcountry, her go-to fueling strategy of packing tinned fish and liquid meal replacements, some of her standout current favorite backpacking gear, and her golden rules for creating YouTube content without selling out for cheap clicks. We wrap the show with covering our personal bests and worsts from our Pacific Northwest road trip, a breakdown of the gear Katie relies on when she's not testing new products, I update my sun hoodie rankings with a new score for The North Face Summit Series, a Triple Crown of foods you physically can't stop eating once you start- including the incident with Jabba's burning penis, a of course a listener shares their poop story. OnX Backcountry: Use code "TREK70" for 70% off at onxmaps.com. Get a free 3-month trial of Elite here (no credit card required). Topo Athletic: Use code "TREK15TOPO" at topoathletic.com. Gossamer Gear: Use code "BACKPACKERRADIO" for $20 off LT5 Trekking Poles at gossamergear.com. Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Use code "BPRADIO15" for 15% of hyperlitemountaingear.com Interview with Miranda Webster Miranda's Youtube Miranda's Instagram Reminders: Apply to vlog or blog for the Trek, apply to be a Trail Correspondent, listen to our episodes ad-free on Patreon, and subscribe to The Trek's Youtube! 10:33 – Miranda's origin story: from city kid to REI cashier 26:32 – Her gear philosophy and love of colorful gear 30:51 – Managing chronic migraines and POTS on trail 37:12 – The gatekeeping/geotagging debate 42:48 – How the YouTube channel started with Rainer at REI 56:03 – Designing the Migo water bottle 70:40 – Transition from REI scripted videos to her own brand 86:30 – Lessons from Rainer on YouTube success 1:41:02 – Peak performance/fueling: tinned fish and hydration 1:53:00 – Pacific Northwest road trip bests and worsts 2:11:03 – Triple Crown of foods you can't stop eating 2:39:30 – Listener mailbag and poop story Check out our sound guy @my_boy_pauly and his coffee. Sign up for the Trek's newsletter Leave us a voicemail! Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)! Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow Backpacker Radio, The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok. Our theme song is Walking Slow by Animal Years. A super big thank you to our Bob Peoples Award winner(s) from Patreon: Alex and Misty with NavigatorsCrafting, Alex Kindle, Austen McDaniel, Bill Jensen, Bret Mullins aka Cruizy, Bryan Alsop, Carl Lobstah Houde, Christopher Marshburn, Coach from Marion Outdoors, Eric Casper, Erik Hofmann, Ethan Harwell, Gillian Daniels, Greg Knight, Greg Martin, Griffin Haywood, Hailey Buckingham, Jackson Storm, JaredNotFromSubway, Jason Kiser, Jason "I Miss Chaunce" Snailer, Luke Netjes, Matty in AZ, Patrick Cianciolo, Randy Sutherland, Rebecca Brave, Rural Juror, Sawyer Products, The Saint Louis Shaman, Thirteen Adventures, Timothy Hahn, Tracy 'Trigger' Fawns A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Bells, Benjy Lowry, Bonnie Ack, Brett Vandiver, Chris Pyle, David Neal, Dcnerdlet, Denise Krekeler, Jack Greene, Jeanie, Jeanne Latshaw, Lucas Hamilton, Merle Watkins, Peter, Quenten Jones, Ruth S, Salt Stain, Sloan Alberhasky, and Tyler Powers.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 31, 2026 is: gumption • GUMP-shun • noun Gumption refers to courage and confidence. // It took a lot of gumption to speak up for yourself like that. See the entry > Examples: "Fourth graders devise machines powered by rubber bands and 10-year-old ingenuity, some of the most creative thinking you'll ever witness. Wonders of nature and humanity coexist in these spaces. Behind all this is the gumption and bravery of teachers who set this up." — Adam Johnston, The Daily Herald (Provo, Utah), 13 May 2026 Did you know? English speakers have had gumption (the word, that is) since the early 1700s. The term's source isn't known, but early examples of it are found in Scottish (the related terms rumblegumption and rumgumption can be found there too). Gumption originally referred to common sense, but it is now more commonly used to refer to the kind of courage and get-up-and-go that makes undertaking difficult things possible. Art historians may know a couple additional applications for the word: gumption was historically used both to refer to the art of preparing painters' colors, and as a synonym of megilp, which refers to a mixture of linseed oil and mastic varnish that is used as a vehicle for oil paints.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 30, 2026 is: illustrious • ih-LUSS-tree-us • adjective Illustrious describes a person or deed that is highly admired and respected. // During the ceremony, the illustrious star of stage and screen was presented with a lifetime achievement award. See the entry > Examples: “Two of the most respected professors—an academic power couple—invited me to their home for dinner. I was flattered and excited. When we sat down at the table, my heart sank. The first dish they served was steak tartare. Raw beef, no matter how well seasoned, no matter how swanky the cut, is not my jam. ... And in the home of these illustrious professors, I was ashamed about that. I feared they would consider me unsophisticated for not liking the dish.” — Leslie John, Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing, 2026 Did you know? Today's spotlight is on illustrious, from the Latin adjective illustris, meaning “shining brightly with light.” Illustris itself was probably a back-formation of the Latin verb illustrare, a word with varied meanings, among them “to light up,” “to make clear,” and “to embellish.” (Our word illustrate also comes from illustrare, of course; its original meaning was “to enlighten intellectually, culturally, or spiritually.”) At one time, illustrious could be used synonymously with its immediate Latin forbear to describe things that glow brightly, but that meaning is now considered archaic. The word today is almost exclusively used to describe something—such as a career or achievement—that stands out figuratively, shining brilliantly in the mind's eye. 

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 29, 2026 is: kith • KITH • noun Kith is an old-fashioned term that refers to familiar friends, neighbors, or relatives. It is often used in the phrase “kith and kin,” which means “friends and relatives.” // Spending time with kith and kin at the end of the summer is the highlight of our year. See the entry > Examples: “One thing that you could usually count on was the loyalty of your kith and kin, your friends and family. But now it seems that the closeness of family and relatives is more difficult to maintain in the modern world.” — James Morabito, The Buffalo (New York) News, 26 July 2026 Did you know? If you'd used the word kith a thousand years ago, you might have been referring to knowledge, or to a homeland, or to your neighbors and acquaintances. While those first two meanings of kith have long since fallen out of use, the word endures with a meaning very close to that “neighbors and acquaintances” one. Today kith appears almost exclusively in the phrase kith and kin, meaning “friends and relatives.” (Kin, another ancient word, can also refer independently to relatives.) Occasionally you will see kith and kin used to refer only to family members, much to the chagrin of those who despise redundancy in language. If you wish to avoid redundancy charges you'll be sure to include friends as well as family among your “kith and kin.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2026 is: cogent • KOH-junt • adjective Cogent is a formal word that describes something that is very clear and easy for the mind to accept and believe. It is used as a synonym of convincing. // At the town meeting, citizens presented many cogent arguments in support of building a new senior center. See the entry > Examples: “The history of art reads here as one long, free verse poem-in-progress, gorgeous and absorbing. Even so, many of the most memorable moments come in the form of cogent micro-essays, smartly curated ensembles of work bearing a legible, lucid premise.” — Leah Ollman, The Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2026 Did you know? A cogent argument is one that really drives its point home because it is clear, coherent, and readily understandable, and perhaps also because of the etymological history of cogent. Cogent comes from the Latin verb cōgere, meaning “to drive or force together.” Something described as cogent fuses thoughts and ideas into a meaningful whole that others can readily grasp and accept. A cogent explanation is a convincing one, and cogent analysis has us nodding along because it is clear and pertinent. Cōgere was formed in Latin by combining the prefix co- with the verb agere, “to drive, lead, or act,” a root which is also the source of our familiar noun agent. Handily enough, one definition of agent is “a means or instrument by which a guiding intelligence achieves a result.” It follows logically then that cogency is often a worthwhile agent, indeed.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2026 is: cogent • KOH-junt • adjective Cogent is a formal word that describes something that is very clear and easy for the mind to accept and believe. It is used as a synonym of convincing. // At the town meeting, citizens presented many cogent arguments in support of building a new senior center. See the entry > Examples: “The history of art reads here as one long, free verse poem-in-progress, gorgeous and absorbing. Even so, many of the most memorable moments come in the form of cogent micro-essays, smartly curated ensembles of work bearing a legible, lucid premise.” — Leah Ollman, The Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2026 Did you know? A cogent argument is one that really drives its point home because it is clear, coherent, and readily understandable, and perhaps also because of the etymological history of cogent. Cogent comes from the Latin verb cōgere, meaning “to drive or force together.” Something described as cogent fuses thoughts and ideas into a meaningful whole that others can readily grasp and accept. A cogent explanation is a convincing one, and cogent analysis has us nodding along because it is clear and pertinent. Cōgere was formed in Latin by combining the prefix co- with the verb agere, “to drive, lead, or act,” a root which is also the source of our familiar noun agent. Handily enough, one definition of agent is “a means or instrument by which a guiding intelligence achieves a result.” It follows logically then that cogency is often a worthwhile agent, indeed.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2026 is: cogent • KOH-junt • adjective Cogent is a formal word that describes something that is very clear and easy for the mind to accept and believe. It is used as a synonym of convincing. // At the town meeting, citizens presented many cogent arguments in support of building a new senior center. See the entry > Examples: “The history of art reads here as one long, free verse poem-in-progress, gorgeous and absorbing. Even so, many of the most memorable moments come in the form of cogent micro-essays, smartly curated ensembles of work bearing a legible, lucid premise.” — Leah Ollman, The Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2026 Did you know? A cogent argument is one that really drives its point home because it is clear, coherent, and readily understandable, and perhaps also because of the etymological history of cogent. Cogent comes from the Latin verb cōgere, meaning “to drive or force together.” Something described as cogent fuses thoughts and ideas into a meaningful whole that others can readily grasp and accept. A cogent explanation is a convincing one, and cogent analysis has us nodding along because it is clear and pertinent. Cōgere was formed in Latin by combining the prefix co- with the verb agere, “to drive, lead, or act,” a root which is also the source of our familiar noun agent. Handily enough, one definition of agent is “a means or instrument by which a guiding intelligence achieves a result.” It follows logically then that cogency is often a worthwhile agent, indeed.