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
the quality or state of having or showing a lack of experience or judgment; natural or artless simplicity.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1665–75 from French.
- As the adjective naive, comes via the Old French word naif, meaning "natural, instinctive," from Latin nātīvus "natural."
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- Despite his age, there was a certain charm in his naiveté that reminded others of simpler times.
- As she grew older, her naiveté gave way to a more cautious and skeptical outlook on life.
noun
a sugarcoated nut or candy.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1850–55.
- Comes from French, ultimately from the Greek word tragḗma, “dried fruit eaten as dessert, confection.”
- Also related to the cooking term dredge, "to sprinkle or coat with some powdered substance, especially flour."
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- The pastry chef carefully arranged the dragées on top of the cake to add a touch of elegance and sweetness.
- Guests at the wedding reception delighted in the crunchy texture and sugary coating of the almond dragées.
adverb
in a way that is characterized by melancholy or longing; pensively.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1660–70.
- Comes from the word wistful, with the obsolete word wist, “quiet, silent, attentive” as the stem.
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- The musician played a haunting melody on his violin, making the audience sway wistfully to its melancholic tune.
- Walking through the deserted park, she smiled wistfully at the faded graffiti that reminded her of past adventures.
noun
an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated.
Explanation
- In the highlighted sense, first recorded in 1950–55 in the psychological theory of Carl G. Jung.
- Comes from synchronous, originally from the Greek word sýnchronos, meaning "together in time."
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- Experiencing synchronicity in their thoughts and actions, the duo felt a deep connection despite only having met recently.
- When they both showed up wearing matching outfits without prior planning, it was a hilarious example of synchronicity in action.
noun
a person who steals books.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1880–85.
- Formed from the Greek stem biblio-, "book," and the Greek word kléptēs, "thief."
- Related is the term kleptomania, "an irresistible impulse to steal."
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- Often forgetting to return library books, he admitted to being a bit of an unintentional biblioklept.
- The shop owner understood the desire for books and offered a shelf of free used books to help satiate those occasional biblioklepts.
