Word of the Day

Word of the Day : June 23, 2021 Emeritus adjective ih-MEH-ruh-tus Definition 1 : holding after retirement an honorary title corresponding to that held last during active service 2 : retired from an office or position Did you know? In Latin, emeritus was used to describe soldiers who had completed their duty. It is the past participle of the verb emereri, … Continue reading Word of the Day – Emeritus

Miasma noun mye-AZ-muh Definition 1 : a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease; also : a heavy vaporous emanation or atmosphere 2 : an influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt; also : an atmosphere that obscures : fog Did you know? In notes taken during a voyage to South America on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, Charles Darwin described an illness that he believed was caused by … Continue reading Word of the Day – Miasma

Word of the Day : June 21, 2021 Inveigle verb in-VAY-gul Definition 1 : to win over by wiles : entice 2 : to acquire by ingenuity or flattery : wangle Did you know? Inveigle, a word that dates from the 16th century, refers to the act of using clever talk, trickery, or flattery either to persuade somebody to do something or to … Continue reading Word of the Day – Inveigle

Word of the Day : June 8, 2021 Bumptious Definition : presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive : obtrusive Did you know? While we've uncovered evidence dating bumptious to the beginning of the 19th century, the word was uncommon enough decades later that Edward Bulwer-Lytton included the following in his 1850 My Novel: "'She holds her head higher, I think,' said … Continue reading Word of the Day – Bumptious