Word of the Day

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Last Updated: Thursday, 23 May 2024 14:40
Published: Saturday, 18 April 2020 14:34
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WOTD: I'll be having word of the Day here to improve my vocabulary. I'll try to use words that are more commonly used in media, literature, websites, etc instead of using archaic (that's again a WOTD for some future time :) words that are not even used anywhere anymore, since they don't convey anything new. No "spelling Bee" going on here, so we'll avoid such words.

Best place to look for meanings of words is webster. They have detailed meaning, origin and examples. Link: https://www.merriam-webster.com

Other good resource is https://www.thefreedictionary.com

Both of these websites have detailed meaning followed by examples. You can choose any dictionary website as long as they have examples and origin.

Few tips to help you remember these new words:

  • It's helpful to know the origin of the word, as it's easier to get an imprint of that word in your memory with it's origin. Also, it's easier to predict meaning of a new word, which has similar origin. So, you learn more words with same effort
  • Associate each word with a setting. Where did you find that word? That helps you connect that word with a purpose.
  • Try to look at all synonyms and antonyms of WOTD. This helps you learn all such possible words, that come into the realm of that word.
  • Search for the WOTD on duckduckgo and see where it appears in articles, news, etc. You will forget most of the words the next day, and that's OK. The thing is that if you encounter that word ever again and look for it again, you will recognize that word better.
  • For many of these words, you don't need to know the exact precise meaning, but more of a general meaning, i.e does "pathetic" mean happy or sad.
  • Read a lot. That's the bottom line for lifelong learning, whether it's your knowledge of space, knowledge of food or knowledge of words.

Enough preaching, here is the WOTD:

05/23/2024:

persnickety:

Read in a comment about how some banks are persnickety about bank applications. This word came from pernickety (NO s in the middle) which has the same meaning. Persnickety refers to someone who is fussy about small things, or being over particular or precise and placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details, i.e a persnickety job.
ex: "she's very persnickety about her food"

 

 

 

Previous WOTD: Since my last update, I've realized that this page has become more like WOTW (word of the week) instead of WOTD, hopefully it won't become WOTY (word of the year), oops sealed

 

04/16/2024:

groggy:

Read in an article, where tt said that "high fatty food in the afternoon, may make you groggy". It means being weak and unable to think clearly or walk correctly, usually because of tiredness or illness.
ex: I felt a little bit groggy for a couple of days after the operation.

 

02/07/2024:

encumbrance:

This means a burden or impediment, i.e something that encumbers. It's used in legal terms too = When a property is encumbered, it means someone has laid claim against the property for unpaid liens, etc. So, in other terms, the property is burdened.The opposite word is "unencumbered" or burdenless. You may be unencumbered because you are traveling light, or because you have no more responsibilities, etc. I read this word "unencumbered" in an article in which the wife says that "she stopped cooking, because she wanted to feel as unencumbered as her husband".
 
ex: without the encumbrance of a heavy backpack, I could sprint along the trail.
 

12/05/2023:

Polymath:

A person whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. They are alos known as "universal man" or "Renaissance Man". Polymaths was used to describe great thinkers of the Renaissance who excelled in several fields including science and art. Found it it an article on Charlie Munger, who is regarded as a Polymath.
 
ex: So many more people may have the capacity to be polymaths, if only they are encouraged in the right way.

 

11/05/2023:

Rumination:

A cycle of negative thinking, which leads to distress. a ruminating person only thinks about negative things, it's consequences and never tries to focus on solutions. They are more likely to “remember more negative things that happened to them in the past, they interpret situations in their current lives more negatively, and they are more hopeless about the future.” It's a psycological mental illness.
 
ex: Aren't most of us ruminating most of the times.
 

09/23/2023:

pet peeves:

Heard it in a youtube video about how "the youtuber has pet peeves about people comments". The word "peeves" comes from peeve which means to annoy or irritate. So, the word "pet peeves" means an is an annoyance that’s nurtured like a pet — it's something someone can never resist complaining about. It's a minor annoyance, that most of the other people won't consider it a big deal. There are all kinds of pet peeves, like littering, misusing punctuation, driving slowly in the fast lane, or talking during movies, etc. Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_peeve
 
ex: “grammatical mistakes are his pet peeve”. I've pet peeves about my spouse's lane changing habits.
 

07/23/2023:

asinine:

Pronouned as asee-nine (the number 9). Read it in a comment about how "Chipotle not allowing to load more than 1 GC in thier app is borderline asinine". It means utterly foolish. It comes from word "ass" meaning something resembling an ass. Synonym is "fatuous".
 
ex: an asinine excuse. His choices would seem asinine to anyone else.
 

07/15/2023:

pronto:

Head it in an Indian movie about the senior cop asking his juniors to get the report, pronto. It's an Italian word, meaning "promptly and without delay". I've heard it in Spanish too, which means "soon or shortly", especially used in "see you soon" or "hasta pronto".
 
ex: Put it in refrigerator, pronto.
 

06/15/2023:

affront:

Read it an article about twitter stating how Elon Musk made people pay for the status symbol on their twitter account, which was an affront to some. Affront means an action or remark that causes outrage or offense. Synonyms are insult, offense, indignity, etc, while antonym are compliment.
 
ex: The sackings of chief justices were an affront to justice.
 

05/22/2023:

improvisatory:

It comes from improvise or made up without preparation. Something created and performed spontaneously or without preparation
 
ex: "a film shot in a highly improvisatory style"
 

05/18/2023:

trite:

Read it an article about Charlie Munger's advice on happiness. He says his advice is "trite" meaning something that is overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness.

ex: a trite remark. "Last but not the least" is a trite expression used in so many speeches that it's a trite expression.

04/03/2023:

Scrappy:

Consider it as scrap or useless. Scrappy has multiple meanings, with most common being untidy, disorganized. Other meaning is quarrelsome or having an aggressive spirit.

ex: We were scrappy in the first half and deserved to lose.  They live on a scrappy street in poor part of town. Scrappy piece of essay. The cross-border collaboration was scrappy (i.e quarrelsome), often improvisatory.

01/29/2023:

Scrimmage:

Read this in an article on how young kids defeated women's soccer team in a scrimmage. Scrimmage means a minor battle, scuffle or confused struggle.

ex: There was a considerable scrimmage, with people anxious to obtain cabs

01/20/2023:

Gaudy:

Read this in an article on how rich people have gaudy taste. Gaudy means very flashy or showy, so as to be tasteless. Gaudy also means a feast or entertainment especially in the form of an annual college dinner at a British university (As per wikipedia article on gaudy)

ex: she was wearing a gaudy Hawaiian shirt.

01/10/2023:

Odious:

Word odious is related to odium which means to annoy. Odious is an adjective. It means extremely repulsive, similar to repugnance.

ex: An odious crime.

01/01/2023:

Commiserate:

Read this in an article on Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO) on how his funded startup founders were commiserating with passengers who never have as much as space in their baggage as they thought. Commiserate means to sympathesize or to show or express pity for someone.

ex: she went over to commiserate with Rose on her unfortunate circumstances. I commiserated him on his loss.

12/01/2022:

Iconoclasm:

It's the social belief in the importance of the destruction of icons and other images or monuments, most frequently for religious or political reasons. Iconoclastic is an adjective which is characterized by attack on cherished beliefs or institutions:

People who engage in or support iconoclasm are called iconoclasts, a term that has come to be figuratively applied to any individual who challenges "cherished beliefs or venerated institutions on the grounds that they are erroneous or pernicious. Conversely, one who reveres or venerates religious images is called (by iconoclasts) an iconolater.

ex: a fresh, even an iconoclastic, influence could work wonders.

09/04/2022:

Despondent:

Read this word in an article where CFO jumped from a building to kill himself. Despondent means hopeless or depressed. It's feeling or showing extreme discouragement and dejection.

ex: He had just separated from his wife, and was so despondent.

08/15/2022:

Tenuous:

Heard this word when a colleague said that his theory on why a circuit was failing is very tenuous, meaning he had a very weak argument.  Tenuous refers to something diluted in consistency, like a tenuous fluid. On same ground, tenuous means something weak, insecure or slim.

ex: a tenuous link between pieces of evidence.

08/02/2022:

Thrall:

Read it in a comment where the reader said that the people are thralls to the government. Thralls were the lowest class of workers in Scandinavian society and were basically slaves. On similar lines, thrall refers to a slave or a person who is in complete moral or mental servitude. It refers to a state of complete submission.

ex: politicians remain in thrall to the National Rifle Association.

07/06/2022:

Curmudgeon:

Found this word when reading an article about how stocks rose in the USA, but Asia delivered a somewhat curmudgeonly response to Wall Street’s overnight rise. Curmudgeon refers to ill mannered, cranky person (usually old people).

ex: only a curmudgeon would object to the nursing home's holiday decorations.

07/01/2022:

Pro bono:

Found this word when reading an article about a homeowner fighting an HOA and how he can get help pro bono. "pro bono" is a phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who are unable to afford them.

ex: Attorneys are representing him pro bono.

06/23/2022:

Bodacious:

Found this word in one of the comments. Bodacious is a combination of bold and audacious, and may be linked to word "boldacious". It means bold, noteworthy or sexy (i.e bodacious babes). 

ex: Jack has a bodacious style. Bodacious bargain. Bodacious decor of the hotel.

05/18/2022:

palliate:

Found this word when reading about palliative care. "palliate" means to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease. It also means to moderate the intensity of something.

ex: medicine to palliate the pain. He tried to palliate the boredom by his jokes.

palliative means something that palliates. palliative care and hospice care are 2 kind of care given to very sick people. Palliative care may be offered to people of any age who have a serious or life-threatening illness. It's primary purpose is to improve the quality of life, while treatment is ongoing. Hospice care is given to people who have reached a point where medicines are no longer expected to cure them of life threatening illness, and they have 6 months or less to live. Here also the primary purpose is to improve the quality of life until the person passes away. However, in hospice care, treatment is stopped (unlike palliative, where treatment is ongoing)

05/16/2022:

neck of the woods:

This is a phrase very commonly used in conversations. It means a certain region or neighborhood. "Neck" had been used in English since around 1555 to describe a narrow strip of land, usually surrounded by water, based on its resemblance to the neck of an animal. But the Americans were the first to apply "neck" to a narrow stand of woods or, more importantly, to a settlement located in a particular part of the woods. In a country then largely covered by forests, your "neck of the woods" was your home, the first American neighborhood.

ex: You won't find a house for $200K in my neck of the woods => This means you won't find home for $200K in my neighborhood

05/12/2022:

conflate:

Conflate means to combine (two or more texts, ideas, etc.) into one or to bring together. It comes from the verb "conflare", which is from con- ‘together’ + flare ‘to blow’. It's used in the sense of ‘fuse or melt down metal’

ex: the urban crisis conflates a number of different economic and social issues.

05/05/2022:

crapshoot:

crapshoot refers to the gambling game of "craps". The outcome of that game is entirely based on luck. Crapshoot refers to a situation where output is entirely based on luck, not based on odds.

ex: It's always a crapshoot in Vancouver to buy tickets for an outdoor show.

05/01/2022:

megalomaniac:

Read it in an article about Steve Jobs. It's used to refer to person who is obsessed with their own power. It''s a person exhibiting "megalomania", which means obsession with the exercise of power, especially in the domination of others.

04/12/2022:

whack-a-mole:

Heard it in a mtg regarding how the approach being taken is "whack-a-mole", and wouldn't provide any relief.  Whack-a-mole is an arcade game in which players use a mallet to hit toy moles, which appear at random, back into their holes. On similar lines, it's used with reference to a situation in which attempts to solve a problem are piecemeal or superficial (hitting random moles at a time), resulting only in temporary or minor improvement (as new moles keep popping up):

ex: the site's security team has an ongoing battle against spammers, but it's a game of whack-a-mole.

03/19/2022:

elixir:

Read in an article where it said that yoni (womb) is the elixir of life. Elixir is a sweetened aromatic solution of alcohol and water, serving as a vehicle for medicine. It's a substance believed to maintain life indefinitely. Also called elixir of life. Or it's a substance or medicine believed to have the power to cure all ills.

ex: elixir of life

panacea (pronounced pana-sia) is a similar word which is a remedy for all ills or difficulties. However, no such medicine was ever found. Thus, panacea is almost always used to criticize the very idea of a total solution.

ex: There's no panacea for the current problems plaguing Wall Street

02/08/2022:

watershed:

Read it in news when Pfizer CEO that 2021 was a watershed year. It refers to an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas. On similar lines, it means an event or period marking a turning point in a course of action or state of affairs. 

ex: this was a watershed moment in history

 01/25/2022:

peevish:

Easily irritated, especially by unimportant things. In hindi, it would be "chidchida". Read it in news when Telsa CEO Elon Musk appeared peevish when a reporter asked a question to him.

ex: all this makes Steve fretful and peevish

11/29/2021:

eviscerate:

Pronounced as evis-serate. Read it in news when Yellen said that failure to deal with debt will eviscerate economic recovery. Eviscerate means to disembowel (a person or animal) or take out it's organs. So, that is also used in context of "depriving (something) of its essential content".

ex: myriad little concessions that would eviscerate the project

11/04/2021:

rigmarole:

Pronounced as riga-marol. Read it in a comment about a bank, about how it's been a rigmarole getting the bonus. Rigmarole means nonsense or meaningless talk. Also refers to a complex and ritualistic process.

09/15/2021:

prophylactic:

Read it in an article on vaccines for coronavirus. Prophylactic means  something supposed to prevent the spread of disease or infection, especially a device or condom. It's also used in other sense as "designed or tending to prevent harm or wrong"

ex: a prophylactic rule against profiting from inside information. They started prophylactic treatment by giving him a pill.

 09/10/2021:

androgynus:

Read it in an article on China's President on how he's cracking down on celebrities known for their androgynus style, which he calls "abnormal beauty standards".  Androgynus means "Being neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine, as in dress, appearance, or behavior", i.e of the nature of a hermaphrodite. They come from greek words, Andro meaning "man, and gyne meaning woman. Hermaphrodite was son of Aphrodite and Hermes, but fused into a single form when salmacis fell in love with him. So, he formed into a single form carrying both man and woman features (female figure with male genitals). That's where the term hermaphrodite originated.

ex: androgynus clothing - clothing suitable for any sex

09/05/2021:

collusion:

Heard it in the movie "dinosaur hunt" where the boss says "no collusion" allowed among hunters. Collusion means secret cooperation for an illegal purpose.

ex: The company was acting in collusion with manufacturers to inflate prices.

 09/04/2021:

dapper :

Heard it in a movie, about how dapper the person looked in that black suit. Dapper means someone stylist, neat and trim looking or alert and lively in manners.

ex: a dapper suit, a dapper old gentleman.

09/03/2021:

incorrigible :

In philosophy, incorrigibility is a property of a philosophical proposition, which implies that it is necessarily true simply by virtue of being believed. incorrigible means incapable of being corrected or amended. Incorrigible has been part of English since 14th century. Back then, it was used to describe people who were morally depraved, but now it is most often applied to people who merely have bad habits. Antonym to this is "corrigible" which means "capable of being set right; reparable" (as in "a corrigible defect" and "a corrigible sinner") since the 15th century. Both words are from Latin corrigere, which means "to correct" and which is also the source of our word correct.

ex: Offenders have to be found incorrigible, before they can be sentenced.

 08/31/2021:

spinster :

Found this in an article about "Why Are Increasing Numbers of Women Choosing to Be Single?". spinster means an unmarried woman and especially one past the common age for marrying. It refers to "women who choose not to be married". It usually is derogatory, and was removed from US marriage registers in 2005. Spinster also means a woman who spins, or whose occupation is to spin. Somehow this term evolved to include women who chose not to marry. There is no equivalent term for men who choose not to marry. Bachelor is the term used for unmarried men, and bachlorette is a new term used for unmarried women. However, these don't imply that these men and women are past the age of marriage, nor do they have a derogatory attachment to them.

ex: Your aunt is a spinster living a lonely life.

 07/29/2021:

demagoguery: Found this in an article about how "debt ceiling debate and drama allows demagoguery and insincerity".   It refers to impassioned appeals to the prejudices and emotions of the populace. It is a manipulative approach used by politicians which is based on stirring fear and hatred amongst people to control them, and is not based on reasoning or doing the right thing. For example, a politician who stirs up a fear of immigrants to distract from other issues is using demagoguery. demagogy is another noun form of same word,

ex: Trump’s anti-immigrant demagogy.

05/15/2021:

condone: Found this in an article about how "women should not condone abusive marriages".  Condone means to accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue.

ex: I don't condone violence.

03/22/2021:

unscrupulous: Found this in an article about how "unscrupulous lenders prey on vulnerable homeowners".  Scrupulous means principled, so unscrupulous means unprincipled. It's being dishonest or doing illegal things.

ex: unscrupulous individuals who pretend to prepare your taxes, but steal important ID info from you.

02/22/2021:

pontificate: Found this word in an article about how "After Trump, Republicans have no standing to pontificate on anything".  Pontificate means to express one's opinions in a way considered annoyingly pompous and dogmatic.

ex: he was pontificating about art and history.

 01/26/2021:

asinine: Found this word in an article about how Fed's asinine policies of targeting inflation is hurting poor people. Asinine means extremely foolish or stupid.

ex: An asinine plot to kill someone.

 01/11/2021:

rapacious: Found this word in an article about how USA govt's rapacious spending is going to end badly. It's an adjective describing something greedy. rapacious refers to animals subsisting by capture of living prey. On similar lines, it refers to predatory or excessively greedy.

ex: The rapacious advance of online booking.

 01/09/2021:

succulent: These are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions.  For ex: cactus, aloe. Succulent also means juicy, fleshy, as in succulent grapes or tasty as in succulent meal. succulent also means highly interesting or enjoyable.

ex: Julia had that succulent charm.

 01/08/2021:

incredulous: This means skeptical or disbelieving or disinclined to believe. It's opposite of credulous which is believing on little evidence. credulous can be thought as having credibility or believing.

ex: he's incredulous of his alibi.

01/06/2021:

cornball: Heard this in a movie, where the judge says that he looks complicated, but he's a cornball. Cornball means an unsophisticated person when used as a noun. When used as adjective, it means corny (i.e like a corn) - so simple, sentimental, or old-fashioned as to be annoying .

ex: he's a cornball. cornball humor. corny joke

 01/04/2021:

putative: Heard this in the movie "steve jobs", where jobs assistant says that the computer market is putatively owned by Apple. Putative means commonly accepted or supposed. It's synonym is: apparent, assumed.

ex: the putative cause of lung cancer was smoking.

 12/27/2020:

conscientious: Heard this in a movie "instant parents" on amazon prime, where the parents praise her kid for her conscientious thoughts. It means governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience. It's synonym is: scrupulous

ex: a conscientious public servant

 11/11/2020:

brusque: Found this in a novel when a commander gave a brusque response. brusque means blunt or curt in manner or speech.

ex: The mayor of Prague shot back with a brusque letter demanding an apology

 10/11/2020:

Chicanery: Found this in an article about when Trump said that the only way he'll lose election is thru chicanery. chicanery means decpetion, trickery.

ex: He distanced himself from his family’s public chicanery.

10/02/2020:

Schadenfreude: Found this in an article when Trump got coronavirus, and how people were getting pleasure out of Trump's pain. It means delight in other person's misfortune.

ex: reality TV provides a delicious bit of schadenfreude.

09/15/2020

Pernicious: Found this in an article discussing fake polling results and it's pernicious effects on society. Pernicious comes from Latin noun pernicies meaning “ruin, destruction.” When applied to things, it means highly injurious or destructive, while when applied to people it means wicked. It's synonyms are insidious, sinister, baneful, noxious, deleterious and detrimental. It's antonyms are innocuous (opposite of nocuous), benign, etc.

ex: pornography has pernicious effect on society.

09/08/2020

Accost: Found this word when watching the movie "Love guaranteed". The actress says that she was accosted by a reporter on her case about suing a dating website. Accost means to approach and speak to (someone) often in an angry, aggressive, or unwanted way

ex: He was accosted by three gang members on the subway.

09/06/2020:

temerity: Found this word in one of the comments of this link, where the person is talking about how banks don't have the temerity yet to charge negative interest rates. Temerity means having nerves or audacity to do something, usually a foolhardy or reckless act.

ex: He had the temerity to believe that he could fight big pharma.

08/31/2020:

perpetual: an article about rising property values claims that Millenials would become perpetual renters, since they can't afford to buy houses. Perpetual means something continuing for ever, e.g perpetual problems. Perpetual is an adjective, while perpetuity is the noun form. Ephemeral is the antonym, which means something very short lasting.

ex: lands should remain in their wild state in perpetuity

ex: social media posts have an ephemeral life. an ephemeral fever, ephemeral happiness, etc.

08/29/2020:

dystopia: found this word in an article about Trump's relection, it says "Are Americans living in dystopia or is America great again". Dystopia refers to state in which living conditions and quality of life is extremely bad, due to deprivation, oppression, etc. Utopia is the opposite of dystopia where it's an ideal perfect state or place in social, moral aspects.

ex: 21st century dystopia of mad egoism.

08/22/2020:

fastidious: found this word when reading about fastidious organisms on wikipedia. These organisms will grow only if special nutrients are present in thier diet, so they are difficult to culture. So, fastidious came to be defined as a person who has very high standards and is difficult to please, ex: a fastidious eater. On same lines, it also came to describe work which reflected demanding, precise or meticulous attitude.

ex: fastidious attention to details.

08/21/2020:

denigrate: This word was lot in news today about how Russia is trying to denigrate the US presidential candidate, Joe Biden. It means to defame or attack reputation of someone unfairly. It also means to criticize or belittle someone unfairly, i.e a dad denigrating his son.

ex: China is trying to denigrate Trump.

08/20/2020:

autodidact: Very 1st word for my WOTD!! I came across this word while reading about sean parker, the billionaire who started music sharing site, Napster. It means someone who learns by himself.

ex: Most genius are autodidacts.