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
a distinguishing mark or feature; stamp.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1630–40.
- Can also mean "superior status; prestige."
- From French cachet, derived from the verb cacher, "to hide."
- Related to cache, "a hiding place."
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- The luxurious car had a cachet of elegance that set it apart from the rest of the vehicles on the road.
- His eloquent speeches carried a cachet of authority and wisdom, earning him respect from his audience.
noun
a person or thing that shows the existence or direction of a trend; index.
Explanation
- First recorded around 1400–50.
- A bellwether originally meant "a male sheep that leads the flock, usually bearing a bell."
- Formed from the words bell and wether, "a castrated male sheep," both with Old English origins.
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- The sudden surge in tech stocks is often seen as a bellwether for the overall market sentiment.
- Her fashion choices are considered a bellwether of upcoming trends in the industry.
verb
to understand thoroughly and intuitively.
Explanation
- Coined by Robert A. Heinlein in the science-fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, published in 1961.
- Can also mean "to communicate sympathetically."
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- After reading the novel multiple times, he finally grokked the underlying themes and symbolism.
- As a seasoned detective, she had the ability to grok people's intentions from their body language alone.
noun
the leap year.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1585–95.
- From the word bissextus, which refers to February 29th.
- Bissextus means literally “the second sixth,” so called because the 6th day before the first day of March in the ancient Roman calendar appeared a second time once every leap year.
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- The extra day in a bissextile helps keep the calendar in sync with the solar year.
- February 29th is an occurrence that only happens in a bissextile.
verb
to foreshadow; prefigure.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1575–85.
- Comes from the past participle of the Latin verb adumbrāre, “to shade.”
- Adumbrāre has the stem umbr(a), “shade, shadow,” also found in the Astronomy terms umbra, "the complete or perfect shadow of a planet," and penumbra, "the partial or imperfect shadow outside the complete shadow of a planet."
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- The subtle hints in her letter adumbrated her true intentions.
- The cryptic message seemed to adumbrate a dark future for the kingdom.
