Word of the Day
heyday
noun
a stage or period of greatest strength or success
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Why Dictionary.com chose heyday
More about heyday
- First recorded in 1580–90.
- Of obscure origin; possibly from high day, meaning “holy or festival day.”
EXAMPLES OF HEYDAY
- In its heyday, the old amusement park was packed with crowds every weekend.
- The Roman Empire, in its heyday under Augustus, stretched across three continents and boasted unmatched engineering feats.
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Why Dictionary.com chose chatoyant
More about chatoyant
- First recorded in 1790–1800.
- From the French chat, meaning “cat,” referring to the reflective quality of a cat’s eye.
EXAMPLES OF CHATOYANT
- The butterfly’s wings had a chatoyant quality that made them difficult to describe.
- The tabletop made from rare burl wood shimmered with a chatoyant luster, like polished amber.
pied-à-terre
noun
a house or apartment for part-time or temporary use
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Why Dictionary.com chose pied-à-terre
More about pied-à-terre
- First recorded in 1820–30.
- A French phrase that means “foothold” or literally “foot on ground.”
EXAMPLES OF PIED-À-TERRE
- She uses a friend’s art studio as her occasional weekend pied-à-terre.
- They bought a tiny pied-à-terre in Tokyo to make business trips less chaotic.
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