Word of the Day
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Why Dictionary.com chose dight
More about dight
- From Old English (450–1150) dihtan, meaning “to compose or arrange.” Now considered archaic.
- Possibly from the Proto-Germanic dīkaną, meaning “to create,” which may be influenced by the Latin dictāre, meaning “to dictate or order.”
EXAMPLES OF DIGHT
- The warm weather calls for one to dight themselves in cool, light fabrics.
- For their coworker’s birthday, they decided to dight her desk with colorful flowers.
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Why Dictionary.com chose fenny
More about fenny
- From Old English (450–1150) fennig.
- Combines fen¹, meaning “a boggy land or marsh,” + -y².
- Related to the rare regional word vinew, meaning “mold or moldiness.”
EXAMPLES OF FENNY
- Her footsteps left dark imprints in the fenny soil, each one filling with water.
- The horse hesitated before stepping onto the fenny path, sensing the unstable ground beneath its hooves.
decoct
verb
to extract the flavor or essence of something by boiling
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Why Dictionary.com chose decoct
More about decoct
- First recorded between 1375–1425.
- From Latin dēcoctus, meaning “boiled down.”
EXAMPLES OF DECOCT
- The chef knew how to decoct flavors from natural ingredients to create concentrated versions.
- Decocting herbs and vegetables for too long may strip away their nutrients and produce unsavory compounds.
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