M-W Word of the Day @[email protected]

Class: noun | Syllables: FRESS-koh

Definition: Fresco refers to the art of painting on freshly spread moist lime plaster using water-based pigments. It is also the word for a painting executed in this style.

Example(s):
// The ceiling piece was done in fresco and dates back to the 1800s.
// The fresco that adorned the wall of the old Roman cathedral took the artist five years to complete.

Class: verb | Syllables: dye-VEST

Definition: To divest something valuable, such as property or stocks, is to sell it. Similarly, to divest yourself of something valuable is to sell it or give it away. And if you divest someone or something of something, you take that thing away from them, or otherwise cause them to lose it or give it up.

Example(s):
// We may have to divest certain assets in order to raise the money.
// The court's ruling does not divest the family of their ability to use the property.
// I suppose it really is time to divest the Christmas tree of its ornaments, and stow it all away.

Class: verb | Syllables: STUL-tuh-fye

Definition: Stultify means “to cause someone or something to become dull or ineffective.”

Example(s):
// With a government as stultified by bureaucracy as that one, even the simplest records request can take weeks.

Class: noun | Syllables: KOH-kuh-tree

Definition: Coquetry means “a flirtatious act or attitude.”

Example(s):
// She enjoys using Valentine’s Day as an opportunity for playful gifts and coquetry.

Class: adjective | Syllables: AIR-sahts

Definition: Ersatz describes a usually artificial and inferior substitute or imitation.

Example(s):
// Her snootier peers never forgave her for attending the gala in an ersatz mink coat.

Class: adjective | Syllables: mag-NIL-uh-kwunt

Definition: Magniloquent describes language that is intended to sound very impressive and important, or a person who uses such language.

Example(s):
// The magniloquent sportscaster sometimes got so carried away with his monologues that he would forget to describe the action on the field.

Class: noun | Syllables: GAM-bit

Definition: A gambit is something done or said in order to gain an advantage or to produce a desired effect.

Example(s):
// The workers’ opening gambit in the negotiations was to demand a wage hike.

Class: noun | Syllables: FOR-ay

Definition: A foray is an initial and often tentative attempt to do something in a new or different area of activity, as in “the novelist’s foray into nonfiction.” In martial contexts, foray means “a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils.”

Example(s):
// The professional wrestler’s surprise foray into ballet was at first met with skepticism, but he eventually proved himself a dancer of grace and poise.

Class: verb | Syllables: NER-cher

Definition: Nurture is most often used to mean “to help someone or something grow, develop, or succeed.” It can also mean “to take care of someone or something that is growing or developing by providing food, protection, a place to live, etc.,” or “to hold something, such as an idea or strong feeling, in your mind for a long time.”

Example(s):
// Art teachers nurture their students’ creativity.
// She nurtured a secret ambition to be a singer.

Class: noun | Syllables: hye-AY-tus

Definition: In general contexts, hiatus usually refers to a period of time when something, such as an activity or program, is suspended. In biology, hiatus refers to a gap or passage in an anatomical part or organ, and in linguistics, it denotes the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or intervening consonantal sound.

Example(s):
// The band has been on hiatus for three years, but is returning to live performance this summer.

Class: adjective | Syllables: TAN-tuh-mount

Definition: Tantamount means “equivalent in value, significance, or effect.” It is sometimes confused with paramount, which does not describe something that is equivalent, but instead means “superior to all others.”

Example(s):
// Although I had not witnessed the mischief that resulted in rolls of paper towels tumbling out of the cabinet door, the giggles coming from the youngest child of the house were tantamount to a confession.

Class: adjective | Syllables: bih-SAH-tud

Definition: Besotted means “loving someone or something so much that you cannot think clearly.”

Example(s):
// He was so besotted with his classmate that he began to make errors in his work.

Class: noun | Syllables: IG-nis FATCH-uh-wus

Definition: An ignis fatuus is a light that sometimes appears in the night over marshy ground and is often attributable to the combustion of gas from decomposed organic matter. The term can also refer to a deceptive goal or hope.

Example(s):
// An ignis fatuus hovered above the horizon as we made our late trek home.
// The film explores how people fall victim to the ignis fatuus of religious cults.

Class: verb | Syllables: REK-tuh-fye

Definition: Rectify means “to correct something that is wrong.”

Example(s):
// We were given the wrong room key, but the hotel management quickly rectified the situation.

Attention all users,

I would like to inform you that due to the recent change in the original website, there was a bug in the toots from February 10th. However, I am happy to let you know that the issue has been fixed and the missing toots will be reposted. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and kindly ask you to let me know if the error shows up again. Thank you for your continued support and appreciation of this bot.

Best regards,
M-W word of the day bot

Class: adjective | Syllables: VAP-id

Definition: Someone or something described as vapid is lacking in liveliness, force, or spirit. As such, vapid is often synonymous with dull or boring.

Example(s):
// Finn preferred to watch the game in silence, with the TV on mute, rather than listen to the vapid chatter of the play-by-play announcer.

Class: noun | Syllables: DESS-putt

Definition: A despot is a ruler who has total power and who often uses that power in cruel and unfair ways. Despot can also be used somewhat formally to refer to a person who simply has a lot of power over other people.

Example(s):
// Last semester, one of the history instructors taught a course about the ancient world's most infamous despots.
// He was a successful basketball coach, but many people regarded him as a petty despot.

Class: verb | Syllables: ak-wee-ESS

Definition: To acquiesce is to accept, agree, or allow something to happen by staying silent or by not arguing. The word is somewhat formal, and is often used with in or to.

Example(s):
// Eventually, the professor acquiesced to the students' request to have the seminar's final class be a potluck lunch.

Class: adjective | Syllables: FRAWT

Definition: Fraught means “causing or having a lot of emotional stress or worry.” When fraught is used in the phrase “fraught with,” it means “full of something bad or unwanted.”

Example(s):
// Ever since their cat went missing, the atmosphere in their apartment has been fraught.
// The paper was poorly researched and fraught with errors.

Class: noun | Syllables: WEEL

Definition: Weal is a somewhat old-fashioned word that refers to “a state of being happy, healthy, and successful.” Weal is usually ascribed to large groups of people, rather than individuals, as in the phrases “common weal” or “public weal.”

Example(s):
// Before presenting the bill to the legislature, the senator spoke of her devotion to the general weal.