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 baby carriage; pram.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1605–15, but in 1850–55 for the highlighted sense.
- From Latin perambulāre, “to ramble, stroll.”
- Primarily used in dialects of British English.
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- The parents carefully strapped their newborn into the perambulator before heading out.
- They admired the stylish design of the new perambulator.
noun
a play called at the line of scrimmage to supersede the play originally agreed upon as the result of a change in strategy.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1520–30.
- Comes ultimately from the Latin verb audī(re) “to hear.”
- First used in the current sense as audible signal around 1950, and then reduced to just audible.
- Audible can also be used more generally for any type of change of plans on the fly.
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- In a split second decision, the quarterback made an audible to throw a deep pass instead of a short completion.
- The quarterback called an audible, overriding the offensive coordinator's play call.
noun
a two-legged winged dragon having the hinder part of a serpent with a barbed tail.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1600–10.
- An alteration of earlier wyver, which comes from Old French guivre.
- Guivre comes from Latin vīpera, "viper."
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- The tapestry depicted a heroic figure riding into battle atop a majestic wyvern, ready to face any foe.
- The fearsome wyvern soared through the sky, its wings beating with a powerful grace.
verb
to confuse or disconcert; confound; bewilder.
Explanation
- An Americanism first recorded in 1825–35.
- An earlier form, discomboberate, was recorded in the early 1800s.
- Apparently originated as a humorous imitation of fancy Latin words and is an alteration of discompose or discomfort.
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- The sudden change in schedule discombobulated the students, throwing off their rhythm for the day.
- The loud noise and flashing lights discombobulated the performers, causing them to stumble through their routine.
noun
unconditional authority; full discretionary power.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1655–65 as blank, blanck, or blanche (without carte) in the card game sense.
- First recorded in 1700–10 in the sense “blank, signed document,” and in 1760–70 in the more general sense highlighted here, “discretionary power.”
- Comes from French and translates literally as “blank document.”
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- The director gave the lead actor carte blanche to improvise during certain key scenes.
- As the team captain, she had carte blanche to choose the starting lineup for each game.
