Word of the Day Archive
2013

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1. exordium: the beginning of anything. (Tuesday January 01)
2. advert: to remark or comment; refer. (Wednesday January 02)
3. violescent: tending to a violet color. (Thursday January 03)
4. couthie: agreeable; genial; kindly. (Friday January 04)
5. aumildar: a manager or agent. (Saturday January 05)
6. birl: to spin or cause to rotate. (Sunday January 06)
7. pseudonymous: bearing a false or fictitious name. (Monday January 07)
8. pseudology: lying considered as an art. (Tuesday January 08)
9. pseudomorph: an irregular or unclassifiable form. (Wednesday January 09)
10. pseudoclassic: falsely or spuriously classic. (Thursday January 10)
11. pseudepigraphy: the false ascription of a piece of writing to an author. (Friday January 11)
12. filch: to steal (especially something of small value); pilfer. (Saturday January 12)
13. eurhythmic: characterized by a pleasing rhythm; harmoniously ordered or proportioned. (Sunday January 13)
14. also-ran: a person who loses a contest, election, or other competition. (Monday January 14)
15. vertex: the highest point of something; apex; summit; top. (Tuesday January 15)
16. preconcert: to arrange in advance or beforehand, as by a previous agreement. (Wednesday January 16)
17. hypnopompic: pertaining to the semiconscious state prior to complete wakefulness. (Thursday January 17)
18. Camelot: any idyllic place or period, especially one of great happiness. (Friday January 18)
19. shindy: a row; rumpus. (Saturday January 19)
20. jubilarian: a person who celebrates or has celebrated a jubilee. (Sunday January 20)
21. allocution: a formal speech, especially one of an incontrovertible or hortatory nature. (Monday January 21)
22. gorgonize: to hypnotize; petrify. (Tuesday January 22)
23. en règle: in order; according to the rules; correct. (Wednesday January 23)
24. kibitzer: a giver of uninvited or unwanted advice. (Thursday January 24)
25. brabble: to argue stubbornly about trifles; wrangle. (Friday January 25)
26. antipathetic: opposed, averse, or contrary. (Saturday January 26)
27. intemerate: inviolate; undefiled; unsullied; pure. (Sunday January 27)
28. word-hoard: a person's vocabulary. (Monday January 28)
29. plotz: to collapse or faint, as from surprise, excitement, or exhaustion. (Tuesday January 29)
30. wellaway: used to express sorrow. (Wednesday January 30)
31. jackanapes: an impertinent, presumptuous person, especially a young man. (Thursday January 31)
32. atavistic: reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type. (Friday February 01)
33. boustrophedon: an ancient method of writing in which the lines run alternately from right to left and from left to right. (Saturday February 02)
34. counterfactual: a conditional statement the first clause of which expresses something contrary to fact, as “If I had known.” (Sunday February 03)
35. dyslogistic: conveying disapproval or censure; not complimentary or eulogistic. (Monday February 04)
36. epexegesis: the addition of a word or words to explain a preceding word or sentence. (Tuesday February 05)
37. feuilleton: a part of a European newspaper devoted to light literature, fiction, criticism, etc. (Wednesday February 06)
38. gastronomy: the art or science of good eating. (Thursday February 07)
39. hent: to seize. (Friday February 08)
40. irrefrangible: not to be broken or violated; inviolable. (Saturday February 09)
41. Jacobin: an extreme radical, especially in politics. (Sunday February 10)
42. kinchin: a child. (Monday February 11)
43. lollapalooza: an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. (Tuesday February 12)
44. mainour: a stolen article found on the person of or near the thief. (Wednesday February 13)
45. nuque: the back of the neck. (Thursday February 14)
46. obnubilate: to cloud over; becloud; obscure. (Friday February 15)
47. paraph: a flourish made after a signature, as in a document, originally as a precaution against forgery. (Saturday February 16)
48. quittance: recompense or requital. (Sunday February 17)
49. recant: to withdraw or disavow a statement, opinion, etc., especially formally. (Monday February 18)
50. satrap: a subordinate ruler, often a despotic one. (Tuesday February 19)
51. tensile: capable of being stretched or drawn out; ductile. (Wednesday February 20)
52. umber: shade; shadow. (Thursday February 21)
53. varia: miscellaneous items, especially a miscellany of literary works. (Friday February 22)
54. whipsaw: to subject to two opposing forces at the same time. (Saturday February 23)
55. xeric: adapted to a dry environment. (Sunday February 24)
56. yare: quick; agile; lively. (Monday February 25)
57. zakuska: an hors d'oeuvre. (Tuesday February 26)
58. zephyrean: full of or containing light breezes. (Wednesday February 27)
59. ziggurat: a temple of Sumerian origin in the form of a pyramidal tower. (Thursday February 28)
60. leeward: moving toward the quarter toward which the wind blows (opposed to windward). (Friday March 01)
61. mazuma: money. (Saturday March 02)
62. panoptic: permitting the viewing of all parts or elements. (Sunday March 03)
63. bibelot: a small object of curiosity, beauty, or rarity. (Monday March 04)
64. indite: to compose or write, as a poem. (Tuesday March 05)
65. rialto: an exchange or mart. (Wednesday March 06)
66. tertiary: of the third order, rank, stage, formation, etc.; third. (Thursday March 07)
67. scupper: to prevent from happening or succeeding; ruin; wreck. (Friday March 08)
68. linchpin: something that holds the various elements of a complicated structure together. (Saturday March 09)
69. haberdashery: a retail shop dealing in men's furnishings, as shirts, ties, gloves, socks, and hats. (Sunday March 10)
70. shilly-shally: to show indecision or hesitation; be irresolute; vacillate. (Monday March 11)
71. bevel: the inclination that one line or surface makes with another when not at right angles. (Tuesday March 12)
72. truant: a person who shirks or neglects his or her duty. (Wednesday March 13)
73. madcap: wildly or heedlessly impulsive; reckless; rash. (Thursday March 14)
74. furl: to gather into a compact roll and bind securely. (Friday March 15)
75. prolepsis: the anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance. (Saturday March 16)
76. sundry: various or diverse. (Sunday March 17)
77. qualm: an uneasy feeling or pang of conscience as to conduct; compunction. (Monday March 18)
78. hypothecate: to pledge to a creditor as security without delivering over; mortgage. (Tuesday March 19)
79. primaveral: pertaining to the early springtime. (Wednesday March 20)
80. insouciance: lack of care or concern; indifference. (Thursday March 21)
81. serpentine: having a winding course, as a road; sinuous. (Friday March 22)
82. preterition: the act of passing by or over; omission; disregard. (Saturday March 23)
83. daven: to pray. (Sunday March 24)
84. marmoreal: of or like marble. (Monday March 25)
85. wrest: to take away by force. (Tuesday March 26)
86. tranche: any part, division, or installment. (Wednesday March 27)
87. pharaonic: impressively or overwhelmingly large, luxurious, etc. (Thursday March 28)
88. swivet: a state of nervous excitement, haste, or anxiety; flutter. (Friday March 29)
89. gaumless: lacking in vitality or intelligence; stupid, dull, or clumsy. (Saturday March 30)
90. impawn: to put in pawn; pledge. (Sunday March 31)
91. ha-ha: sunk fence. (Monday April 01)
92. splenetic: irritable; peevish; spiteful. (Tuesday April 02)
93. aperture: an opening, as a hole, slit, crack, gap, etc. (Wednesday April 03)
94. ingratiate: to establish (oneself) in the favor or good graces of others. (Thursday April 04)
95. codicil: any supplement; appendix. (Friday April 05)
96. idiolect: a person's individual speech pattern. (Saturday April 06)
97. demimonde: a group characterized by lack of success or status. (Sunday April 07)
98. plethoric: overfull; turgid; inflated. (Monday April 08)
99. machinate: to contrive or plot, especially artfully or with evil purpose. (Tuesday April 09)
100. ingress: the act of going in or entering. (Wednesday April 10)
101. lilt: rhythmic swing or cadence. (Thursday April 11)
102. percipient: having perception; discerning; discriminating. (Friday April 12)
103. imprest: an advance of money; loan. (Saturday April 13)
104. chuffed: annoyed; displeased; disgruntled. (Sunday April 14)
105. quell: to suppress; put an end to; extinguish. (Monday April 15)
106. verisimilitude: the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability. (Tuesday April 16)
107. bandbox: an area or structure that is smaller in dimensions or size than the standard. (Wednesday April 17)
108. decamp: to depart quickly, secretly, or unceremoniously. (Thursday April 18)
109. cornice: a mass of snow, ice, etc., projecting over a mountain ridge. (Friday April 19)
110. soigné: carefully or elegantly done, operated, or designed. (Saturday April 20)
111. quoin: one of the stones forming an external wall; cornerstone. (Sunday April 21)
112. crawfish: to back out or retreat from a position or undertaking. (Monday April 22)
113. gander: a look. (Tuesday April 23)
114. porpoise: to move forward with a rising and falling motion. (Wednesday April 24)
115. flounder: to struggle clumsily or helplessly. (Thursday April 25)
116. gopher: to mine unsystematically. (Friday April 26)
117. aleatory: pertaining to accidental causes; of luck or chance; unpredictable. (Saturday April 27)
118. stark: extremely simple or severe. (Sunday April 28)
119. hellion: a disorderly, troublesome, rowdy, or mischievous person. (Monday April 29)
120. cull: to choose; select; pick. (Tuesday April 30)
121. polliwog: a tadpole. (Wednesday May 01)
122. saccharine: exaggeratedly sweet or sentimental. (Thursday May 02)
123. ratiocination: the process of logical reasoning. (Friday May 03)
124. droll: amusing in an odd way; whimsically humorous; waggish. (Saturday May 04)
125. quibble: to equivocate. (Sunday May 05)
126. spang: directly, exactly. (Monday May 06)
127. logomachy: a dispute about or concerning words. (Tuesday May 07)
128. dais: a raised platform. (Wednesday May 08)
129. whangdoodle: a fanciful creature of undefined nature. (Thursday May 09)
130. aeolian: of or caused by the wind; wind-blown. (Friday May 10)
131. snafu: a badly confused or ridiculously muddled situation. (Saturday May 11)
132. feminacy: feminine nature. (Sunday May 12)
133. melliferous: yielding or producing honey. (Monday May 13)
134. quacksalver: a charlatan. (Tuesday May 14)