Word of the Day

To doff is to briefly remove or tip a hat as a friendly or respectful gesture. The word began as a contraction of "do off," just as "don" is from "do on." While hats no longer play quite the role in social conventions that they once did, doff still offers a glimpse into the rituals of everyday courtesy from an earlier era.

Something languid feels unrushed, and if it moves at all, it's at a relaxed pace. While the word can suggest fatigue or listlessness, it isn't always negative. A languid summer afternoon might not be the most productive, but it can certainly help melt your stress away.

A bibliotaph is a book lover who takes their passion to the extreme. It's that person who can never resist an intriguing book and keeps adding to their collection faster than they can read it all. A bibliotaph might find they're running out of room in their home library, but they'll rarely regret it.

An iota is a very small amount, although it only occasionally refers to something that can actually be measured physically. It's also the name of the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet, which is how it became a stand-in for anything negligible. Now that you don't have an iota of doubt about this word's meaning, go forth and say it confidently!

Why settle for "summery" when you can say "estival"? This versatile word for all things summer is more likely to be found in botany texts and poetry, but there's nothing stopping you from unleashing it at your next beach trip or poolside cookout. If you really want to impress, you can use it to refer to your favorite estival festival!