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 unimportant but offensively presumptuous person, especially a young one.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1665–75.
- Most likely a blend of earlier whipster and snippersnapper, which are similar in sense.
- Both whip and snap entered English centuries before and have Germanic origins.
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- The old man scolded the whippersnapper for cutting in line at the grocery store.
- She chuckled at the antics of the young whippersnapper trying to act all grown up.
noun
harsh discordance of sound; dissonance.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1650–60.
- Comes via New Latin cacophonia from Greek kakophōnía, which contains caco- "bad" + -phony "sound."
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- As the orchestra tuned their instruments, a cacophony of mismatched sounds filled the concert hall.
- The classroom erupted into a cacophony of laughter and chatter after the bell rang for recess.
noun
charm; magnetism.
Explanation
- In the sense of "a goblin or spirit," first recorded in 1685–95.
- In the highlighted sense, first recorded in 1955–60.
- Comes from Spanish and is shortened from duen de (casa), “master of (the house)” with duen a variant of dueño, meaning “lord; owner” from Latin dominus "to control."
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- The flamenco dancer captivated the audience with their mesmerizing duende.
- The old bookstore had an enchanting duende that made visitors feel like they were stepping into another world.
verb
to deck oneself out.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1570–80.
- May be related to prank, in the sense of "to dress or adorn in an ostentatious manner."
- Prank came from the Dutch word pronken, meaning "to show off, strut."
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- After hours of prinking in front of the mirror, he was finally ready for the party.
- The costume designer helped the actor prink in elaborate period attire for the play.
verb
to throw a thing out of a window.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1900–05.
- A back formation from defenestration, "the act of throwing a thing out of a window."
- Formed from the Latin word fenestr(a), meaning “window.”
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- During the heated argument, he threatened to defenestrate his laptop.
- The mischievous cat managed to defenestrate several objects from the second-floor apartment.
