Word of the Day
traipse
verb
to walk or go aimlessly or idly or without finding or reaching one's goal.
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Why Dictionary.com chose traipse
More about traipse
- Traipse was first recorded in 1585–95.
- Traipse was once spelled trapse and may be similar to an old verb trape.
- It is possible that traipse is related to tramp, “to walk heavily; to stamp.”
- Traipse can also be a noun, defined as “a tiring walk.”
EXAMPLES OF TRAIPSE
- After getting lost in the city, we had to traipse through countless streets before finally finding our way back to the hotel.
- Rather than following a strict itinerary, they preferred to traipse through the narrow alleys of the old town, discovering hidden gems along the way.
incunabula
plural noun
the earliest stages or first traces of anything.
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Why Dictionary.com chose incunabula
More about incunabula
- Incunabula was first recorded in 1815–25.
- Incunabula comes from Latin and means variously “the straps holding a baby in a cradle,” “earliest home,” or “birthplace.”
- Incunabula also refers to “books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.”
- In that sense, incunabula has the singular form incunabulum.
EXAMPLES OF INCUNABULA
- The discovery of crude stone tools marked the incunabula of human civilization.
- The faded photographs from the 1800s are cherished incunabula of our family history.
Today's Word of the Day was chosen by R.L. Stine!
macabre
adjective
gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible.
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Why R.L. Stine chose macabre
Today's the last day to enter our Haunting Hooks writing contest…with guest judge R.L Stine!
More about macabre
- Macabre was first recorded in English in 1400–50.
- Macabre comes from French, most likely from the phrase danse (de) Macabré, “dance of death.”
- Danse (de) Macabré, of uncertain origin, refers to a symbolic dance in which Death, represented as a skeleton, leads people or skeletons to their grave.
EXAMPLES OF MACABRE
- Halloween decorations adorned the front yard, creating a delightfully macabre atmosphere.
- The artist’s eerie paintings captured the macabre beauty of decay and darkness.
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