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 strategic promotion of a nation's cuisine to build diplomatic connections and favorable public relations for that nation.
Explanation
- Gastrodiplomacy was first recorded in the early 2000s.
- Gastrodiplomacy is a combination of the Greek form gastro, meaning "stomach," and diplomacy, "the conduct by government officials of negotiations and other relations between nations."
- Diplomacy ultimately comes via French from the Latin word diplōmat-, which is the stem of diplōma, "an official document; a letter of recommendation."
- Diploma comes from the Greek word, diplōma, meaning "a letter folded double."
- The new president felt that an investment in gastrodiplomacy, such as hosting international food festivals, would successfully strengthen diplomatic ties with various countries.
- By leveraging gastrodiplomacy, the country was able to promote its unique gastronomy through collaborations with renowned chefs and the establishment of culinary training programs.
adverb
no; not at all.
Explanation
- Aole comes from the Hawaiian interjectionʿaʿole, which can mean "no, not, never; to be none, to have none."
- ʿAʿole takes on various forms in Hawaiian, such as aʿohe, ʿole, and aʿoe, in order to be harmonious with the surrounding sounds.
- The phrase, "aʿole e ʿole" is one of the strongest ways in Hawaiian to say that something exists or must be true, translating as "it cannot be otherwise."
- When asked if he'd ever been to Hilo, he responded sadly, "Aole, never."
- Do we want to wait in line? Aole! Certainly not!
noun
a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold or fear; goosebumps.
Explanation
- Horripilation was first recorded in English in the 1650s.
- Horripilation comes from the Late Latin word horripilāre, "to become bristly," which is also the source of words such as horrendous, horrify, and horror.
- Unlike terror, which literally has to do with being frightened, the root of horror is all about hair standing on its end!
- The -pil- part of horripilation is a Latin stem meaning “hair.”
- The chilling horror movie gave me such a fright that I felt horripilation ripple through my entire body.
- The eerie silence and dark atmosphere of the abandoned house sent waves of horripilation down her arms and legs.
noun
a celebrity with a parent who is also famous, especially one whose industry connections are perceived as essential to their success.
Explanation
- Nepo baby was first recorded in 2022, even though the term has been used in social media since at least 2018.
- The word nepo is an informal shortening of nepotism, which refers to favoritism that a person receives due to a family relation.
- Nepotism comes from the Italian word nepotismo, based on the word for "nephew."
- The word baby indicates the familial relationship and comes from babe, which entered English around 1150–1200.
- The media often criticizes nepo babies and their perceived lack of talent, but it's important to acknowledge that connections can only take you so far.
- Many aspiring actors struggle to make it in Bollywood without connections, while some argue that nepo babies have an unfair advantage in the industry.
noun
a light, brittle flatbread from South Asia, usually made of lentil flour and often topped with chutney or various dips or salsas.
Explanation
- Papadum was first recorded in English in 1820–30.
- Papadum comes from the Tamil word pappaṭam.
- Papadum is also known as poppadom or papad.
- The restaurant was known for its plates of papadum accompanied by a flavorful mint salsa.
- She savored each bite of the gluten-free, lentil-based papadum, which had a pleasing crunch as she chewed it.
