Word of the Day
subterfuge
noun
an artifice or expedient used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something, etc.
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Why Dictionary.com chose subterfuge
More about subterfuge
- First recorded in English around 1565–75.
- Comes from the Late Latin word subterfugium, which is similar to the Latin word subterfug(ere), meaning “to evade.”
- Subter means “below,” and fugere, “to flee.”
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EXAMPLES OF SUBTERFUGE
- His elaborate subterfuge involved creating a fake identity to gain access to the exclusive event.
- Their subterfuge of leaving a decoy package fooled the thieves and protected the valuable merchandise.
totality
noun
Astronomy. total obscuration or darkening in an eclipse.
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Why Dictionary.com chose totality
More about totality
- First recorded in 1590–1600 in the sense of “a whole.”
- The astronomical sense highlighted here was first recorded in the 1840s.
- Comes from the noun total, which came from the Latin word tōtālis, meaning “entire.”
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EXAMPLES OF TOTALITY
- During the solar eclipse, we were lucky enough to witness the breathtaking totality as the moon completely blocked out the sun.
- People traveled far and wide to experience the rare event of totality during the total solar eclipse, hoping to capture it through photography and memory.
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Why Dictionary.com chose fard
More about fard
- First recorded around 1400–50.
- Comes from an Old French noun that derived from the verb farder, meaning “to apply makeup.”
- Farder probably came from the Old Low Franconian verb *farwiđon, “to dye, color.”
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EXAMPLES OF FARD
- Before the photo shoot, the makeup artist worked diligently to fard the model’s face with precision.
- The beauty vlogger demonstrated how to fard effectively for a flawless makeup look in her latest tutorial.
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