Word of the Day: Gainsay
You might have trouble figuring out the meaning of gainsay if you’re thinking of our modern word gain plus say. It should help to know that the gain part comes to us from the Old English word gēan-,
Word of the Day: Oracular
When the ancient Greeks had questions or problems, they would turn to the gods for answers by consulting an oracle, a person through whom the gods communicated, usually in the form of cryptic verse.
Word of the Day: Jaundiced
Cast not a jaundiced eye on the word jaundiced—and by that we mean this: don’t dislike or distrust jaundiced because of past experiences with the word or with others like it. Jaundiced is handy for
Word of the Day: Pantheon
Some of the earliest uses of pantheon in the English language refer to the most famous Pantheon, the circular domed temple built in Rome more than 19 centuries ago (and still standing). We can easily
Word of the Day: Quail
Turning to the noun quail, referring to any of a number of chicken-related game birds, for information about the verb quail is of little help. The two are etymologically unrelated, and there’s nothing
Word of the Day: Assiduous
While assiduous means “showing great care, attention, and effort,” and in some situations may be an appropriate substitute for careful, it’s got a bit more oomph than careful in that it suggests a
Word of the Day: Longueur
You’ve probably come across long, tedious sections of books, plays, or musical works before, but perhaps you didn’t know there was a word for them. The French borrowing longueur has been doing the job
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