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.
Check out the Word of the Yeargrowing old; aging
Senescent describes something that is growing old or showing the effects of age. In biology, the word can refer to cells that have stopped dividing but remain alive, a process researchers study for its role in aging. You might think of a person as senescent too, but we strongly recommend keeping that to yourself!
The senescent dog moved slowly and liked to take long naps in the sun.
a small, crisp Dutch waffle cookie
A stroopwafel is a Dutch treat made from two thin waffle cookies with a sweet caramel filling between them. One popular way to eat a stroopwafel is to rest it over a hot cup of coffee or tea so the steam gently warms and softens the filling. The result is still crisp at the edges, but pleasantly gooey in the middle. Yum!
She enjoyed a sweet stroopwafel as an afternoon snack during her trip to Amsterdam.
a lucky discovery or a found treasure
A trouvaille is a lucky find that's especially satisfying. Imagine checking out a flea market table piled high with mundane odds and ends, and suddenly you notice an original pressing of your favorite record just sitting there in plain sight. A trouvaille like that is something you didn't come looking for but are very glad you found.
The four-leaf clover tucked inside the dusty old book was a delightful trouvaille.
deprived
Bereft describes being left without someone or something important. A room bereft of furniture feels markedly empty, while a garden bereft of shade offers nowhere to escape the afternoon sun. Bereft can even describe the way a person keenly feels a loved one's absence, which helps give the word more emotional weight than simply "without."
The storm left the small rural town bereft of power for days.
a person who conducts sightseers; guide
A cicerone is a guide who shows visitors around a place of interest and helps them understand what they're seeing. Unlike a docent, who is most closely associated with museums and galleries, a cicerone might guide visitors through a historic district or ancient ruins. With a cicerone, sightseeing comes with explanations as well as directions.
Our knowledgeable cicerone led us through the old battlefield, explaining how the terrain shaped the course of the fighting.
