Word of the Day: Inure
inure (also enure) In-ure / ĭn-yo͝or verb 1. to accustom or harden by frequent or prolonged exposure A man should inure himself to voluntary labor, and not give up to indulgence and pleasure, as they beget no good constitution of body nor knowledge of mind. Socrates, c. 470 BC – 399 BC
Word of the Day: Hunch
hunch hunch / hŭnch noun 1. an intuitive feeling Trust your hunches… Hunches are usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level. Joyce Brothers, 1927 – 2013 2. a hump The larva is a maggot curved like a hook, carrying on its back an ample pouch or hunch, forming part of its alimentary canal. From “Social Life in the Insect World”... Read More
Word of the Day: Financially
financially fi-nan-cial-ly / fə-năn-shə-lē, fī-năn-shə-lē adverb 1. in a way that pertains to money or finance The bottom line about success in life isn’t whether you are financially successful, but whether you have given yourself in some way to help others less fortunate than you and to serve your community and your country. P. Anthony Ridder, 1940 –
Word of the Day: Perpetually
perpetually per-pet-u-al-ly / pər-pĕch-o͞o-ə-lē adverb 1. forever; eternally There is an abstruse astrologer that saith, If it were not for two things that are constant (the one is, that the fixed stars ever stand a like distance one from another, and never come nearer together, nor go further asunder; the other, that the diurnal motion perpetually keepeth time), no individual would last one moment. Sir Francis Bacon,... Read More
Word of the Day: Glut
glut glut / glŭt noun 1. an excessively abundant supply of something We have more information – a glut of information – than ever before, and perhaps less knowledge. Errol Morris, 1948 – 2. the act of or state of filling to excess or oversupplying Economists may not know how to run the economy, but they know how to create shortages or gluts simply by regulating prices... Read More
Word of the Day: Mirth
mirth mirth / mûrth noun 1. merriment, laughter, glee Mirth is like a flash of lightning, that breaks through a gloom of clouds, and glitters for a moment; cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity. Joseph Addison, 1672 – 1719
Word of the Day: Equinoctial
equinoctial e-qui-noc-tial / ē-kwə-nŏk-shəl, ĕk-wə-nŏk-shəl adjective 1. pertaining to or occurring on or near the equinox, one of two days a year when the day and night are of equal length The equinoctial gale blew violently, and scattered the yellow leaves of Liberty Tree all along the street. From “Grandfather’s Chair” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804 – 1864 2. pertaining to the celestial equator, the circle of the... Read More
Word of the Day: Brogue
brogue brogue / brōg noun 1. a noticeable, regional accent, particularly a strong Irish accent when speaking English You can spot an Irishman or a Yorkshireman by his brogue. From “Pygmalion” by George Bernard Shaw, 1856 – 1950 2. a heavy work shoe made of untanned leather, formerly worn in Ireland and Scotland Sometimes it is given out, that we must either take these halfpence, or eat our... Read More
Word of the Day: Cotton
cotton cot-ton / kŏt-n noun 1. any of various shrubby plants of the genus Gossypium, having broad leaves and showy flowers, grown for its fiber and oil bearing seeds Their one object seemed to be to plant nothing but cotton; and in many cases cotton was planted up to the very door of the cabin. From “Up From Slavery” by Booker T. Washington, 1856 – 1915 2.... Read More
Word of the Day: Hector
hector hec-tor / hĕk-tər noun 1. a bully; one who is domineering and tries to intimidate smaller or weaker people All monarchs I hate, and the thrones they sit on, From the hector of France to the cully of Britain. John Wilmot, 1647 – 1680 verb 1. to intimidate smaller or weaker people; to bully; to bluster An honest man, when he came home at night, found... Read More