Word of the Day
Learn a new word every day! The Dictionary.com team of language experts carefully selects each Word of the Day to add some panache to your vocabulary.
a stolen article found on the person of or near the thief
Mainour refers to stolen property found with or near a thief. This word has historically popped up in police reports and subsequent legal documents. You might not hear it mentioned much in everyday conversation, but keep an eye out for the mainour in your favorite heist movie.
Officers caught the burglar red-handed with the mainour hidden underneath his jacket.
cheerfully optimistic
A sanguine person tends to remain hopeful and upbeat, even when circumstances are challenging. The word traces back to a Latin term meaning "bloody," reflecting a medieval belief that an abundance of blood contributed to a cheerful temperament. When things don't go as planned, take a sanguine view...and a deep breath!
Despite the rainy weather, she remained sanguine about the success of their outdoor picnic.
the state or quality of being folded; a fold
Plication can refer to the state of being folded or to a fold itself. With roots in Latin and French, the word appears in fields as diverse as anatomy and botany. If you're describing a surgery that creates folds in tissue or observing the natural folds in a leaf, plication gives you a precise term for those creases and contours.
The origami crane's wings were defined by a series of precise plications.
a strange, horrible, or impossible idea or figment of the imagination
A chimera is a fanciful or impossible idea that exists more in the imagination than in reality. The word comes from Greek mythology, where the Chimera was a frightening, fire-breathing creature with parts from several animals. Today, a chimera might not be an actual monster, but it can still be a scary thought!
His plan to become a millionaire overnight proved to be nothing more than a chimera.
to seize
To hent is to take hold of something. Although this verb has been around since the time of Old English, it's rarely heard today, turning up mainly in plays or historical works. Or perhaps you can use it when you need an old-fashioned, dramatic way to say you've just seized something. "I will hent this pen and write a letter!"
He lunged forward to hent the suitcase as it started rolling down the ramp.
