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 residual hill or mountain standing well above the surface of a surrounding area.
Explanation
- Monadnock entered English around 1735–45.
- Monadnock came from the name of Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire.
- Mount Monadnock was first named Grand Monadnock after an Algonquian name from one of the Abenaki peoples' languages that meant "isolated mountain."
- Hikers flock to the monadnock, eager to conquer its towering peak and experience its rugged beauty.
- As I reached the top of the monadnock, I couldn't help but marvel at nature's ability to shape such impressive landforms.
verb
to totter or stagger.
Explanation
- Dacker was first recorded in 1625–35.
- Dacker is primarily used in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
- Dacker possibly came from the early Dutch word daeckeren, which means "to flutter, vibrate."
- As the hiker reached the summit, exhaustion took over, and they began to dacker down the steep slope.
- The toddler, still unsteady on his feet, would dacker and stumble as he tried to walk across the room.
adjective
shining brightly; radiant; gleaming.
Explanation
- Refulgent was first recorded in 1500–10.
- Refulgent comes from a form of the Latin word refulgēre, “to radiate light.”
- The first part of refulgent, re-, means "again and again" and intensifies the second part, fulgent.
- Fulgent, "shining brightly; dazzling," comes from the Latin word fulgēre with the stem fulg-, meaning "flash."
- The sunsets here are refulgent, painting the sky with vibrant hues of orange and pink.
- The fireworks lit up the night sky with refulgent colors, captivating everyone's attention.
noun
a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration.
Explanation
- Reverence was first recorded around 1250–1300.
- Reverence comes via Middle English from the Latin word reverentia, meaning “respect, fear, awe.”
- Reverence can also be a verb, which is a synonym of revere.
- The young boy watched in reverence as his grandfather performed a traditional ceremony.
- The painting evoked a sense of reverence in its viewers, who were captivated by its beauty and meaning.
adverb
between ourselves; confidentially.
Explanation
- Entre nous was borrowed into English from French around 1680–90.
- When two people want to keep their (mis)adventures confidential, they may use entre nous as a way of saying "let's keep this between us."
- Entre nous can be a signal of mutual concern or an affirmation of this shared knowledge.
- After Mr. Hunham and Angus get into some shenanigans over the holiday break, they agree to keep it all entre nous.
- When Angus shares some personal information regarding his home life, Mr. Hunham assures him it will remain entre nous.
