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.
adjective
proceeding by inquiry or investigation.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1650–60.
- Comes via the New Latin word zētēticus, from Greek zētētikós, “inclined to investigate or inquire.”
- The stem of zētētikós is zētein, “to seek, inquire.”
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- The detective's zetetic mindset led her to question the suspect from every angle possible.
- Through their zetetic exploration of the problem, they were able to propose innovative solutions that others had not considered.
noun
the labor involved in maintaining and enhancing family ties, including organizing social occasions, remembering birthdays, sending gifts, etc.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1975–80.
- Formed from the words kin, "a person's relatives," and keeping, "maintenance."
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- Despite her busy schedule, she always found time for kinkeeping such as sending cards for special occasions and organizing family gatherings.
- Kinkeeping became more challenging as the family grew and spread out across different cities and countries.
noun
an artifice or expedient used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something, etc.
Explanation
- First recorded in English around 1565–75.
- Comes from the Late Latin word subterfugium, which is similar to the Latin word subterfug(ere), meaning "to evade."
- Subter means "below," and fugere, "to flee."
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- His elaborate subterfuge involved creating a fake identity to gain access to the exclusive event.
- Their subterfuge of leaving a decoy package fooled the thieves and protected the valuable merchandise.
noun
Astronomy. total obscuration or darkening in an eclipse.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1590–1600 in the sense of "a whole."
- The astronomical sense highlighted here was first recorded in the 1840s.
- Comes from the noun total, which came from the Latin word tōtālis, meaning "entire."
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- During the solar eclipse, we were lucky enough to witness the breathtaking totality as the moon completely blocked out the sun.
- People traveled far and wide to experience the rare event of totality during the total solar eclipse, hoping to capture it through photography and memory.
verb
to apply cosmetics to (the face).
Explanation
- First recorded around 1400–50.
- Comes from an Old French noun that derived from the verb farder, meaning "to apply makeup."
- Farder probably came from the Old Low Franconian verb *farwiđon, "to dye, color."
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- Before the photo shoot, the makeup artist worked diligently to fard the model's face with precision.
- The beauty vlogger demonstrated how to fard effectively for a flawless makeup look in her latest tutorial.
