Word of the Day

Word of the Day : May 11, 2021 Importunate adjective im-POR-chuh-nut Definition 1 : troublesomely urgent : overly persistent in request or demand 2 : troublesome Did you know? Importunate has been part of the English language since the 16th century, and the synonymous importune arrived even earlier, in the 15th century. The seemingly superfluous inclusion of the suffix -ate in importunate is a bit mysterious; one … Continue reading Word of the Day – Importunate

Word of the Day : May 10, 2021 Shrive verb SHRYVE Definition 1: to administer the sacrament of reconciliation to 2 : to free from guilt Did you know? We wouldn't want to give the history of shrive short shrift, so here's the whole story. It began when the Latin verb scribere (meaning "to write") found its way onto the tongues of certain Germanic … Continue reading Word of the Day – Shrive

Word of the Day : May 6, 2021 Deep-six verb DEEP-SIKS Definition 1 : to get rid of : discard, eliminate 2 slang : to throw overboard Did you know? Before the introduction of shipboard sonar, water depth was measured by hand with a sounding line. This was generally a rope weighted at one end, with bits of leather called marks tied on at intervals to … Continue reading Word of the Day – Deep-six

Word of the Day : May 5, 2021 Sprightly adjective SPRYTE-lee Definition 1 : marked by a gay lightness and vivacity : spirited 2 : having a distinctively piquant taste : zesty Did you know? Sprightly comes from spright, an archaic version of the word we now use for an elf or fairy: sprite. Ariel from William Shakespeare's The Tempest and the leprechaun of Irish mythology are … Continue reading Word of the Day – Sprightly