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 soccer strategy to maintain possession of the ball with quick, short passes
Tiki-taka is a style of soccer built on short, quick passes and tight control to maintain possession of the ball. The term reflects the sound of rapid ball movement across the field, making it as fun to say as it is to watch!
The coach instructed the team to use tiki-taka to frustrate the defenders with quick passes.
to frolic or amuse oneself
To disport oneself is to frolic around without structure or purpose. It carries a light, carefree energy, like kids running around in the backyard on a long summer day. So go ahead and disport yourself by dancing in the sunshine or splashing in the waves!
On a hot summer afternoon, the kids on my block began to disport themselves by running through the sprinklers and playing tag.
the transposing of letters, syllables, or sounds in a word
Metathesis is what happens when sounds or letters in a word swap places, sometimes through speech habits or language evolution. It's one of the many reasons why historical spellings might not match modern ones, or why everyday pronunciation drifts over time. So if a word sounds a little out of order, you might have metathesis to thank for the switcheroo.
Children often say "aminal" instead of "animal," which is a common example of metathesis.
to satisfy fully
To sate is to fill or satisfy completely. It can apply to hunger, curiosity, or even emotional longing that's been fully met. The word traces back to Latin satis, meaning "enough," the root idea being a sense of having had your fill.
The large dinner was enough to sate everyone's intense hunger after a day of swimming.
in a confused or jumbled mass, crowd, manner, etc.
Pell-mell describes something unfolding in a disorderly jumble. Imagine shoppers rushing into a store for a big sale or travelers scrambling to catch a train. When things are happening pell-mell, you can say goodbye to structure and order.
The campers scrambled pell-mell for shelter as the storm rolled in.
