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.
noun
an existing word turned into an acronym by creating an apt phrase whose initial letters match the word, as to help remember it or offer a theory of its origin.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1980–85.
- Formed from the word back "toward the rear" and (ac)ronym, "a word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase and pronounced as a separate word."
- Some people believe the word news stands for "notable events, weather, and sports," but that's not accurate; it's a backronym.
- My neighbor insists that SOS means "Save Our Ship" and wouldn't believe that people made up that backronym years after SOS was first used.
noun
a washing of the hands, body, etc.
Explanation
- First recorded around 1350–1400.
- Comes via Middle English from the Latin stem of ablūtiō, related to abluere (from which comes abluent, "serving to cleanse").
- Often used in the plural, ablutions.
- As part of his daily routine, he would perform the ablution with reverence and mindfulness, appreciating the ritual's significance.
- The sound of running water during ablution brought a sense of calm and tranquility to her morning routine.
noun
confusing or generally unintelligible jargon; gobbledegook.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1950–55.
- Formed from the words baffle, "to confuse, bewilder," and gab, "to talk or chat idly."
- It was possibly invented by American lawyer Milton A. Smith.
- As a beginner in the field, I found the technical manual to be full of bafflegab that made learning difficult.
- The company's financial report was so laden with bafflegab that even seasoned analysts struggled to make sense of it.
verb
to be fretfully discontented; fret; complain.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1520–30.
- Constituted of re-, "in the case of," and pine, "to yearn deeply."
- The slightly more common related word, unrepining means "not complaining."
- The disgruntled customer seemed to always repine about the service at the restaurant.
- It's hard to be around people who constantly repine without taking any action to improve their situation.
noun
a presumed encoding in neural tissue that provides a physical basis for the persistence of memory; a memory trace.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1905–10.
- Comes from the Greek combining forms en-, "to cause to be in," and -gram, "something written."
- Introduced by German researcher Richard Semon, while studying the formation of memory.
- Studies suggest that the formation of an engram involves complex processes within the neural network.
- Through advanced imaging techniques, researchers hoped to locate the precise engram responsible for a particular memory.
