Word of the Day
cavil
verb
to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily.
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Why Dictionary.com chose cavil
More about cavil
- First recorded in 1540–50.
- From Latin cavillārī “to jeer, scoff, quibble.”
- Cavillārī is a derivative of cavilla “jesting, banter.”
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EXAMPLES OF CAVIL
- Instead of appreciating the effort put into the event, he chose to cavil about the choice of music, claiming it ruined the entire experience.
- She tends to cavil about grammar mistakes in online forums, often derailing discussions with her pedantic comments.
imponderabilia
plural noun
things that cannot be precisely determined, measured, or evaluated.
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Why Dictionary.com chose imponderabilia
More about imponderabilia
- First recorded in 1920–25.
- From Medieval Latin imponderābilis, “not ponderable.”
- Imponderābilis comes from Latin ponderāre, “to weigh, reflect on,” a derivative of pondus, “weight.”
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EXAMPLES OF IMPONDERABILIA
- Throughout history, artists have tried to capture the imponderabilia of human emotions.
- The philosopher contemplated the imponderabilia of existence, pondering questions that had no easy answers.
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Why Dictionary.com chose jannock
More about jannock
- First recorded in 1825–30.
- Primarily used in British and Australian dialects of English.
- Of uncertain origin, but has been applied to a type of oat bread, jannock bread.
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EXAMPLES OF JANNOCK
- The jannock approach of the coach brought out the best in her players, instilling a sense of fairness and camaraderie.
- The jannock businessman refused to engage in deceptive practices, maintaining a reputation for honesty and integrity.
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