Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

word | 1 Mar 2007 15:05

sawbuck

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The Word of the Day for March 1 is:

sawbuck   \SAW-buck\   noun 
    *1 slang : a 10-dollar bill
     2 : sawhorse; especially : one with X-shaped ends

Example sentence:
     "Arena rock shows that once promised spectacle for less than a sawbuck have bloated into elite affairs
resembling closed corporate events." (Jon Fine, _Business Week_, February 6, 2006)

Did you know?
     It has been suggested that the word "sawbuck" came to mean "a 10-dollar bill" because the X-shaped ends of a
sawbuck look like the Roman numeral for 10. This explanation is problematic because earliest known use of
"sawbuck" in print, from 1850, refers to a 10-dollar bill, not a sawhorse. But we won't rule out the
possibility that the "sawhorse" sense was used in speech before 1850 and just didn't appear in print until
later. If you are wondering about "buck," we can tell you that it first appeared in print as a word for
"dollar" in 1856 -- six years after the first recorded use of "sawbuck" for a 10-dollar bill.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.   

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word | 2 Mar 2007 13:03

analogue

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The Word of the Day for March 2 is:

analogue   \AN-uh-log\   noun
    *1: something that is similar to something else 
     2 : an organ or part similar in function to an organ or part of another animal or plant but different in
structure and origin

Example sentence:
    "The town I live in now," explained Tina, "is an analogue of the town I grew up in -- similar in climate,
population, and demographics." 

Did you know? 
     The word "analogue" entered English from French in the 19th century and ultimately traces back to the Greek
word "logos," meaning "ratio." (The word "analogy," which has been a part of English since the 15th
century, also descends from "logos.") The noun "analogue" is sometimes spelled "analog," particularly
when it refers to a chemical compound that is structurally similar to another but slightly different in
composition. Adding to the confusion, there is also an adjective spelled "analog," which came into use in
the 20th century. The adjective can refer to something that is analogous (as in "an analog organ"), but it
is most often used to distinguish analog electronics from digital electronics (as in "an analog
computer" or "an analog clock").

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence. 

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word | 3 Mar 2007 20:16

lucrative

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The Word of the Day for March 3 is:

lucrative   \LOO-kruh-tiv\   adjective
     : producing wealth : profitable

Example sentence:
     The governor believes that biotechnology will be a lucrative field that can replace manufacturing as the
mainstay of the state's economy.

Did you know?
     "Paying," "gainful," "remunerative," and "lucrative" share the meaning of bringing in a return of money,
but each term casts a different light on how much green you take in. "Paying" is the word for jobs that yield
the smallest potatoes -- your first paying job probably provided satisfactory compensation, but you
weren't going to get rich by it. "Gainful" employment might offer a bit more cash, and "gainful" certainly
suggests that an individual is motivated by a desire for gain. "Remunerative" implies that a job provides
more than the usual rewards, but a "lucrative" position is the one you want -- those are the kind that go well
beyond your initial hopes or expectations.

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word | 4 Mar 2007 12:57

nostrum

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The Word of the Day for March 4 is:

nostrum \NAHSS-trum\ noun
1 : a medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of
its effectiveness
*2 : a usually questionable remedy or scheme : panacea

Example sentence:
Critics predict the mayor's plan to revitalize the downtown area by offering tax breaks to local
businesses will prove a costly and ineffective nostrum.

Did you know?
"In those thrilling days of yesteryear," declared a 1990 Consumer Reports article, "patent-medicine
pitchmen and traveling salesmen blanketed the country, hustling notions and nostrums to gullible
settlers." The word "nostrum" has often been so linked to quack medicine and false hopes for miracle
cures, but there's nothing deceitful about its etymology. It has been a part of English since at least
1602, and comes from the Latin "noster," meaning "our" or "ours." Some people think that specially
prepared medicinal concoctions came to be called "nostrums" because their purveyors marketed them as
"our own" remedy. In other words, the use of "nostrum" emphasized that such a potion was unique or
exclusive to the pitchman peddling it.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.

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word | 5 Mar 2007 13:01

diablerie

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The Word of the Day for March 5 is:

diablerie   \dee-AH-bluh-ree\   noun
     1 : black magic : sorcery
     2 a : a representation in words or pictures of black magic or of dealings with the devil  b : demon lore
    *3 : mischievous conduct or manner

Example sentence:
     "Gekic can be a dazzling pianist full of diablerie when he's in the mood...." (James Roos, _The Miami
Herald_, March 24, 2002)

Did you know?
     Feeling devilish? Then you might be guilty of at least a little diablerie. Like the related and perhaps more
familiar "diabolical," the French "diablerie" originated with the Late Latin "diabolus," which means
"devil." Fittingly, "diablerie" was first applied to things related to the devil or to demons,
particularly sorcery that was thought to call upon their aid; the word is also applied to representations
of the demonic. Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" and Sylvia Townsend Warner's _Lolly
Willowes_ contain examples of such representations in literature. Nowadays, the word often suggests a
devilish quality or air in a musical performance or artistic work.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence. 

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word | 6 Mar 2007 13:02

foist

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The Word of the Day for March 6 is:

foist   \FOIST\   verb
     1 a : to introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant  *b : to force another to accept especially by
stealth or deceit 
     2 : to pass off as genuine or worthy 

Example sentence: 
     Rather than do the task he was assigned, Jim tried to foist it on one of the newer employees. 

Did you know?
     An early sense of the word "foist," now obsolete, referred to palming a phony die and secretly introducing
it into a game at an opportune time. The action involved in this cheating tactic reflects the etymology of
"foist." The word is believed to derive from the obsolete Dutch verb "vuisten," meaning "to take into
one's hand." "Vuisten" in turn comes from "vuyst," the Middle Dutch word for "fist" which itself is
distantly related to the Old English ancestor of "fist." By the late 16th century "foist" was being used in
English to mean "to insert surreptitiously," and it quickly acquired the meaning "to force another to
accept by stealth or deceit." 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. 

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word | 7 Mar 2007 13:00

concomitant

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The Word of the Day for March 7 is:

concomitant   \kun-KAH-muh-tunt\   adjective
     : accompanying especially in a subordinate or incidental way

Example sentence: 
     Jane is terrified of flying, and she's also not fond of the concomitant annoyances of air travel, like
waiting in long security lines.

Did you know?
     "Concomitant" was introduced into English at a time when many people were criticizing the use of Latinate
forms in favor of more "native" words from Old English. As a descendant of Latin "concomitari" ("to
accompany") and ultimately of "comes," the Latin word for companion, "concomitant" may well have been
initially derided as an ostentatious inkhorn term. Indeed, two associated words, the verb
"concomitate," meaning "to accompany," and another adjective, "concomitaneous," meaning "of a
concomitant nature," didn't survive to accompany "concomitant" into the 18th century. 

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word | 8 Mar 2007 12:58

jaunty

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The Word of the Day for March 8 is:  

jaunty   \JAWN-tee\   adjective 
     : sprightly in manner or appearance : lively 

Example sentence:
     Flashbulbs lit up the scene as the bubbly actress sashayed down the red carpet, wearing a jaunty little
headpiece that complemented her airy designer gown.

Did you know?
     You might not guess that the words "jaunty" and "genteel" are related -- but they are. Both words evolved
from the French word "gentil," which carried the sense of "noble." At first "jaunty" was used, like
"genteel," for things aristocratic, but as the years went by people stopped using it that way. Today
"jaunty" is used to describe things that are lively and perky -- not things that are aristocratic and
elegant -- and the only remaining clue to its noble origin is in its pronunciation. 

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word | 9 Mar 2007 13:01

succinct

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The Word of the Day for March 9 is:

succinct   \suk-SINKT\   adjective 
     : marked by compact precise expression without wasted words

Example sentence: 
     When the laconic Calvin Coolidge announced his decision not to seek reelection, his succinct statement
upheld his reputation as one inclined to be brief: "I do not choose to run for President in 1928."

Did you know? 
     The history of "succinct" might not be short, but it's a cinch to remember. "Succinct" traces to the Latin
verb "succingere" ("to gird about"), which comes from "cingere" ("to gird"), the word that gave us
"cincture" and "cinch." The earliest uses of "succinct" meant "confined" or "girded up," and, as such, it
was often used in reference to garments encircled by a band. Eventually, "succinct" was extended to the
realm of insects, where it meant "supported by a band of silk around the middle" (as in "the succinct pupa of
a butterfly"). Later, the word was applied to writings. A "succinct" piece of writing is "compressed" or
"compact" and uses as few words as possible.

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word | 10 Mar 2007 13:00

transpire

The Word of the Day for March 10 is:

transpire \tran-SPY-er\ verb
1 : to give off vaporous material; specifically : to give off or exude watery vapor especially from the
surfaces of leaves
2 : to become known or apparent : develop
*3 : to take place : go on, occur

Example sentence:
The police are still trying to determine what really transpired on the night of the accident.

Did you know?
"Transpire" came to life in the late 16th century and was originally used in technical contexts to describe
the passage of vapor through the pores of a membrane. From this technical use developed a figurative
sense: "to escape from secrecy," or "to become known." That sense was often used in ambiguous contexts and
could be taken to mean "happen." (For example, Emily Dickinson wrote in a letter, "I long to see you once
more... to tell you of many things which have transpired since we parted.") Thus the "to take place" sense
developed. Around 1870, usage critics began to attack this sense as a misuse, and modern critics
occasionally echo that sentiment. But the sense has been common for two centuries and today is found in
serious and polished prose.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.

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