Interesting word of the day

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Let’s learn a new word every day! Browse our ‘word of the day’ collection of interesting, sophisticated, and rare words that describe relatable emotional states and give a new meaning to ordinary things. Whether you are a logophile, a lifetime learner, or just a person who would like to expand their vocabulary, then you will certainly enjoy our compilation!

Тренировка произношения

Not to be confused with «climb», a clime is a region known for its weather. In the dead of winter, we dream about heading to sunny climes, where we can hang out in shorts.

The key to remembering clime is that it’s so similar to «climate,» with which it shares the Greek root klima, «zone.» So a clime is a zone that has a characteristic climate. Folks in colder climes think nothing of the kind of snowfall that we down here in the south get all panicked about. But then again, when they come here to our warmer clime, they forget to put on sunscreen; people from one clime can learn a lot from a visit to a different clime.

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temptation  
n. the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise
willpower  
n. the control exerted to do something or restrain impulses
override  
v. use one’s authority to reject or cancel
You would have relied on your willpower, which psychologists define as avoiding short-term temptations and overriding unwanted thoughts or impulses. BBC News

vintage  
a. relating to or denoting wine of high quality
boutique  
n. a small store selling fashionable clothes or accessories
vegan  
n. a person who does not eat any food derived from animals
One of the main streets was lined with independent shops, vintage boutiques, and vegan and vegetarian eateries. BBC News

cobble  
v. roughly put together something from available parts or elements
backstreet  
n. a minor street remote from a main road
We wandered into Njmegen’s cobbled backstreets for lunch, a vegetarian fine-dining restaurant with two Michelin stars. BBC News

pervasiveness  
n. the quality of spreading widely or being present throughout an area or a group of people
reframe  
v. express words, concept, or plan differently
For now, given its pervasiveness, Pang believes the narrative surrounding burnout needs reframing. BBC News

lavish  
a. sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious
on-site  
a. available or happening in the place where people work, rather than somewhere else
He cites the example of lavish on-site perks, benefits like dry cleaning and sushi chefs helping to keep the employee in the office for as long as possible. BBC News

grueling  
a. extremely tiring and demanding
glamorize  
v. to make something seem desirable, especially spuriously so
While extreme working culture and grueling hours have been glamorized in some cases, the conversation has largely shifted to recognize its seriousness. BBC News

burnout  
n. a physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress
perk  
n. money, goods, or other benefits to which one is entitled as an employee
Conversations around burnout have increased, and companies seem more willing to offer employees perks such as gym memberships and home-office expenses. BBC News

languish  
v. to lose or lack vitality; grow weak or feeble
sleuth  
n. a person who investigates crimes; a detective
odyssey  
n. a long and eventful or adventurous journey or experience
There, they would languish, untouched, until the 1980s when a pair of amateur sleuths began an odyssey almost as colossal as The Ten Commandments itself. BBC News

cheeky  
a. boldly rude, impudent, or disrespectful in usually a playful or appealing way
cryptically  
ad. in a way that is mysterious and difficult to understand
over drinks  
n. sitting around and talking and having drinks
Over drinks one night, Cardozo shared a short, somewhat cheeky passage in the autobiography in which the director cryptically confirmed the burial. BBC News

motif  
n. a decorative design or pattern
sleek  
a. having a smooth well-groomed look; having trim graceful lines
set piece  
n. a scene, depiction, speech, or event that is obviously designed to have an imposing effect
His main set piece was an enormous Egyptian temple that took a few historical liberties by melding Egyptian motifs with a sleek 1920s aesthetic. BBC News

speakeasy  
n. a place where alcoholic beverages are illegally sold
prohibition  
n. the prevention by law of the manufacture and sale of alcohol
hop  
v. to ride surreptitiously and without authorization
As filming took place during prohibition, some actors borrowed camels to hop a ride into town, where they frequented the local speakeasies. BBC News

stipulation  
n. a condition or requirement that is specified as part of an agreement
dune  
n. a mound or ridge of sand formed by the wind, especially on the sea coast or in a desert

We’re back celebrating our Word of the Day! Because there’s plenty left to reminisce about from the last 10 years.

In Part II of our lexical stroll down memory lane (see Part I, 1999–2008, here), we will be examining word selections from 2009–2018, unearthing  serendipitous synchronicities and offering perspicacious perspectives into notable events and trends of the last decade.

Oops, just kidding, because our first call out is actually from last year. In tribute to all you bibliophages, we asked some of our favorite authors to select words throughout our birthday month in 2019. Like host of CNN’s The Lead and author of  The Outpost and The Hellfire Club Jake Tapper, who chose the first birthday-month word, guddle. 

I picked the word of the day! Thanks, @Dictionarycom! https://t.co/iwOy67rWGi

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 1, 2019

And then came bestselling author of Bad Feminist and Hunger Roxane Gay, who chose the seasonally appropriate word blossom the following week. Award-winning author of Speak and Shout (to name a few) Laurie Halse Anderson chose next, picking the word consent on the third Wednesday of the month to raise awareness around consent-based sexual relations.

Check out more author picks as the logophilic festivities continued. Now, on to those serendipitous words!

cormorant

“a greedy person.”
– March 16, 2009

A cormorant is a type of water bird. But, thanks to its perceived voraciousness, the cormorant can represent gluttony and greed in literature, figured as Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost and maligned in Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost.

We featured this word on March 16, 2009, the date when President Obama expressed outrage at the insurance company AIG giving bonuses to its top executives from taxpayer bailout money, and said he would do everything in his power to stop it. “This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed,” he said.

suspire

“to sigh; utter with long, sighing breaths.”
– May 22, 2010

We’re pretty sure nobody has this date marked on their calendar as one to remember from the last decade. But, May 22, 2010 was the day Nicolaus Copernicus—the 16th century Polish astronomer who proposed the heliocentric theory of our planetary system, which the Catholic Church came to condemn—was reburied as a hero. Ah, sweet vindication.

We imagine Copernicus somewhere in the great beyond suspiring with an eye-roll … “Finally.”

scurrilous

“grossly or obscenely abusive.”
– April 17, 2011

The word scurrilous is most often used to describe remarks that are vulgar and injurious, as in “He was the victim of scurrilous attacks.” It ultimately comes from Latin scurra meaning “buffoon.” Eighteenth-century lexicographer Samuel Johnson made the connection plain in his definition: “using such language as only the licence [sic] of a buffoon can warrant.”

The word is also used to describe demeanor, as in “the scurrilous imposter.” We wonder if Word of the Day fans found it useful back in April 2011 for talking about a certain, shall we say, graphic new series called Game of Thrones, which premiered the day this word was featured. Winter is coming.

terpsichorean

“pertaining to dancing.”
– November 18, 2012

The year 2012 does not have a monopoly on dancing (you can dance if you want to), but the timing of this word selection brings a smile as it was featured right around the time the South Korean superstar Psy had transfixed viewers with his so-called invisible-horse dance in the megahit “Gangnam Style.”

By November of 2012, “Gangnam Style” was well on its way to a billion views on YouTube (a milestone that was hit a month later). Today “Gangnam Style” has more than 3.3 billion views and counting, and we’re still trying to master his equestrian terpsichorean style.

logomachy

“a dispute about or concerning words.”
– May 7, 2013

Although it may feel like heated disputes about words and their meanings are a new phenomenon (hi, Twitter), we assure you, lexical quibbles are as old as English itself, or at least as old as Early Modern English, when this word choice entered the lexicon (first attested in 1569).

2013 was the year that the word twerk bounced into the spotlight—with a little “help” from Miley Cyrus—and sparked many a debate about its origins and staying power. And, of course, that meant twerk was added to Dictionary.com in 2013 as well (along with a few others that tend to spark logomachies, including selfie, mansplain, and cronut).

meliorism

“the doctrine that the world tends to become better or may be made better by human effort.”
– May 28, 2014

Rooted in the Latin melior, meaning “better,” meliorism came in the middle of a year defined by Black Lives Matter and its campaign for the equality of black people and against the violence they face.

The movement might be considered a powerful example of meliorism. Whether in protests on the streets or through hashtags on social media, its activism seeks to make the world a better place for the marginalized.

e pluribus unum

“out of many, one.”
– July 4, 2015

This unofficial motto of the US, meaning “out of many, one” in Latin and featured on our Great Seal and currency, dates back to the early days of the country, when the original 13 colonies united into a single nation.

Since then, e pluribus unum has evolved to express an idea of American unity in diversity. That belief rang a lot truer for many people when we featured this expression on Independence Day 2015. Just over a week before, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that same-sex marriage is a legal right from sea to shining sea.

suffrage

“the right to vote, especially in a political election.”
– November 8, 2016

Perhaps you’ve noticed a theme as we’ve moved into the mid-2010s. Politics, identity, and language. Increasingly in the news, culture, and social media environment of the 2010s, Word of the Day has become a lens for many users, a way of looking at or reflecting on the affairs of the day. Like suffrage, which we featured on Election Day 2016, marked by the election of Donald Trump to the White House. What did y’all see in this word choice? Is it any different now?

multitudinous

“existing, occurring, or present in great numbers; very numerous.”
– January 21, 2017

The day after the inauguration of Donald Trump met the Women’s March, where over 200,000 people gathered in the nation’s capital—and many millions more across the US and world—in protests for the rights of women and other oppressed groups.

Considered the largest single-day protest in the US, the Women’s March can truly be described as multitudinous, or “very numerous,” the adjective form of multitude.

Minerva

“a woman of great wisdom.”
– March 8, 2018

Speaking of women’s rights, March 8 is International Women’s Day, an apt occasion for Minerva. This word for a wise woman takes up the mantle of the Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts, Minerva, an analog to Athena of ancient Greece. Minerva is also the namesake of Minerva McGonagall, who became Headmistress of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter universe. 

Minerva = A woman of great wisdom.

Also Minerva = Headmistress of Hogwarts. #InternationalWomensDay #WordOfTheDayhttps://t.co/NEInx3fBqp pic.twitter.com/0USjYOrXei

— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) March 8, 2018

No matter how far the technology has come since the antediluvian dial-up days of 1999, the appetite—the appetence, edacity, the maw—for Word of the Day remains Brobdingnagian.

Plus, there’s all of you. The real birthday present has been hearing from our readers, who are sharing your favorite Word of the Day selections with us on social media. Your reactions to Word of the Day make it truly great.

Thanks for 20 years, and we look forward to many more. We certainly think they’ve made us … all the wiser.

If improving vocabulary is one of your resolutions for 2019, you are in the right place. Bookmark our site www.addicted2learn.com in order to read Word of the day October Series. Also, remember to go through the October Idiom series

Beguile

Verb

Meaning: Charm, attract or amuse someone.

Usage: Samantha beguiles her students with interesting fairy tales, poems, and songs.

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October 30:

Persuade

Verb

Meaning: Convince or urge a person or group to do something.

Usage: If your friends persuade you to break the law, you should consider making new friends.

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October 29:

Cajole

Verb

Meaning: Persuade someone to do something through flattery or sweet talk etc.

Usage: Sam knows how to cajole his boss into doing what he wants.

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October 28:

Procure

Verb

Meaning: Possess or obtain something with effort or action.

Usage: Samantha runs an international company that can procure luxurious products from foreign companies.

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October 27:

Burgeon

Verb

Meaning: Begin to grow or flourish; develop, flourish or increase.

Usage: Sam’s business began to burgeon as he kept interacting with his customers.

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October 26:

Viable

Adjective

Meaning: Able to work as intended or able to succeed; feasible.

Usage: Every member of the board agreed to invest in the new project since the project was economically feasible.

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October 25:

Prosperous

Adjective

Meaning: Successful, especially through earning and growth; gaining wealth and success.

Usage: Addicted2learn wishes all the readers a very prosperous Dhanteras and Happy Diwali.

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October 24:

Invincible

Adjective

Meaning: Impossible to beat or overcome something or someone; Unbeatable; Unconquerable.

Usage: Jack’s coach appointed him as the captain because he believes that he is invincible.

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October 23:

Cogitate

Verb

Meaning: Spend time thinking deeply and carefully about something.

Usage: Samantha sat silently cogitating on improving the efficiency of the company processes.

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October 22

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Apposite

Adjective

Meaning: Appropriate and relevant to situation or circumstance.

Usage: Kate gave an apposite example of the concept explained by the teacher.

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October 21:

Enormous

Adjective

Meaning: Something that is extremely large in size, numbers or degree.

Usage: Kylie is busy checking enormous junk of emails in the cafeteria.

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October 20:

Posturing:

Noun

Meaning: Behaviour that is not real and is often intended to impress or deceive others.

Usage: Sam strongly criticized the politician stating that he was just posturing to gain the attention of the public.

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October 19:

Eloquence:

Noun

Meaning: Ability or art of expressing things through fluent speaking or persuasive writing.

Usage: Samantha delivered the speech with warmth, eloquence, and passion.

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October 18:

Bavardage

Noun

Meaning: A lot of idle talks; chattering, gossiping, etc.

Usage: Such bavardage is not adding any value, let’s get back to some productive work.

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October 17:

Indulge

Verb

Meaning: Allowing self or others to enjoy the pleasure of something; giving a free rein; gratifying or luxuriating.

Usage: It’s okay to indulge yourself in the food and drinks that you love once in a while.

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October 16:

Adjective

Meaning: Providing insights in a clear and informative way so as to make it easier to understand; Educative and informative.

Usage: Participating in illuminating debates will help you broaden your views on various subjects.

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October 15:

Adoring

Adjective

Meaning: Showing feelings of love, fondness, affection, and admiration.

Usage: The superstar waited almost for 15 minutes signing autographs for his adoring fans amidst his busy schedule.

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October 14:

Clientele

Noun

Meaning: Customers or clients collectively of a shop, restaurant, store or center.

Usage: New restaurants should understand their clientele before they change and upgrade their menus.

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October 13:

Enticing

Adjective

Meaning: Something that is interesting or tempting; or something that attracts you; Captivating, or Alluring.

Usage: An enticing smell came from the bakery and we decided to stop by and order some pastries.

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October 12:

Chanteuse

Noun

Meaning: A female singer at a concert, disco or a night club.

Usage: That nightclub attracts more public because it employs famous chanteuse who sings at the nightclub every weekend.

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October 11:

Pasquinade

Noun

Meaning: A composition that misrepresents somebody’s style in public place often with an intention to imitate or mock in a humorous style.

Usage: Celebrities on twitter often report or block users who pasquinade them.

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Word of the day October Series: October 10:

Avarice

Noun

Meaning: A strong desire to acquire wealth and material things.

Usage: If you let avarice take over, you will be left with life just focusing on money and material things.

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Additionally, also take a look at idioms series to learn idioms every day.

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October 9:

Aesthete

Noun

Meaning: Someone who has is an admirer of beauty, arts or music and has a good artistic taste.

Usage: Because Sam likes to go to the theater every weekend, all his friends call him an aesthete.

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Word of the day October Series: October 8:

Coruscate

Verb

Meaning: Emitting flashes of light; glittering; flashing; a person who shows enthusiasm and is full of life.

Usage: As soon as the gift box was opened the diamonds began to coruscate all over the room.

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October 7:

Versatile

Adjective

Meaning: A person who is capable enough to do different things with ease.

Usage: Christian Bale, Jeff Bridges, and Gary Oldman are considered as the most versatile actors.

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October 6:

Intriguing

Adjective

Meaning: Evoking or creating curiosity or interest in something; Fascinating, Compelling or enchanting.

Usage: Everyone at the theater enjoyed the intriguing story of the movie.

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Word of the day October Series: October 5:

Pursue

Verb

Meaning: Achieve, follow, or chase something over a period of time.

Usage: If you want to become a fashion designer, you should pursue a course in fashion designing.

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Besides tweeting, you can also pin the images to your Pinterest account. Furthermore, you can also create your own personalized vocabulary flashcards by downloading and saving these pictures.

Likewise, you can also learn idioms alongside, don’t forget to have a look at the idioms category too.

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October 4:

Altruistic

Adjective

Meaning: Concern for the well-being of others and willingness to help others.

Usage: Because James is an altruistic person, he conducts wellness and self-help programs for the community very often.

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Word of the day October Series: October 3:

Prismatic

Adjective

Meaning: Something that resembles like a prism; brilliant, bright, colorful or clear; a reflection of colors.

Usage: As soon as the sun rises, my entire room gets reflected with beautiful prismatic hues.

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October 2:

Urbane

Adjective

Meaning: Someone who is polished, sophisticated and looks comfortable in social situations.

Usage: Sophia describes her husband as charming and urbane.

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Word of the day October Series: October 1:

Propitious

Adjective

Meaning: Giving a fruitful result or indicating a successful outcome; Favourable and promising.

Usage: Because John’s manager was on a vacation, he believed it was propitious time to inquire about promotion and salary hike.

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Besides tweeting, you can also pin the images to your Pinterest account. Furthermore, you can also create your own personalized vocabulary flashcards by downloading and saving these pictures.

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In case you are also looking for the September series, here is the link: Vocabulary September Series: Learn a new word every day.

Suggested Readings: Similarily, you can also learn idioms: Idioms and Phrases October Series: Learn a new idiom daily.

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And moreover, We would like to thank our readers for showing us their commendable support. We have received emails from our lovely readers stating that they enjoyed learning new words every day. Some of them even started saying that they are practically implementing it in their daily routine. For this reason, we have decided to start the same series for this month. And trust us, learning a new word every day is not just expanding your vocabulary, but it’s making you more confident and comfortable using these words in your conversations.

Some Tips to improve vocabulary:

Apart from learning a new word every day, here are some tips you need to consider if you are willing to improve or expand your vocabulary.

1. First of all, learn new words every day because learning new words will expand your word power. And as a result, you will be more confident with words.
2. Learning new words will not be sufficient, also try to include those words in your daily conversations.
3. Besides learning new words, Keep discussing those words from time to time. Furthermore, Discuss them with someone who is interested in vocabulary.
4. Carry a dictionary. Wait, that doesn’t mean that you carry a huge bulky dictionary, You have many apps available on both android and ios platforms. Download them.
5. Understand the root words accordingly. This will make your job easier.
6. Another key point is to use flashcards to memorize new words.
7. It’s important to realize that reading is significantly important to expand vocabulary; So, therefore, Read frequently.
8. Make a note of word that you don’t know accordingly and refer that in a dictionary.
9.  In addition to the above, you can visit us and bookmark our site: www.addicted2learn.com to learn a new word every day.
10. Furthermore, you can also find many apps that notify you of a new word every day.

In case you enjoyed reading this post, do share it. Because everyone deserves to learn.

We would like to thank our readers once again for showing us so much love. It is all because of your support that we always give our best to bring out the best content for all of you

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