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.
adjective
strictly required, as by etiquette, usage, or fashion.
Explanation
- De rigueur was borrowed into English from French around 1825–35.
- De rigueur in French means "of rigor" or "of strictness in etiquette."
- Rigor entered English around 1350–1400 from the Latin word rigor, meaning "stiffness," as in the Latin phrase rigor mortis, "the stiffening of the body after death."
- Wearing black tie attire is de rigueur at formal galas and high-end restaurants.
- Exchanging business cards before a meeting is still de rigueur in many Asian cultures.
verb
to form in a line while waiting (often followed by up).
Explanation
- Queue was first recorded in English in 1585–95.
- Queue comes via Middle French from the Latin word cauda or cōda, meaning “tail.”
- Queue, in the highlighted sense, is more commonly used in British English.
- The first recorded meaning of queue in English was “a band of parchment attached to a document and bearing a seal.”
- The eager fans queued up outside the concert venue hours before the doors opened.
- The customers patiently queued behind the counter at the popular bakery to buy their favorite pastries.
noun
the introduction of one or more words between the parts of a compound word.
Explanation
- Tmesis was first recorded in 1580–90.
- Tmesis ultimately comes from the Greek word tmêsis, “a cutting,” which is from the stem of the Greek verb témnein, meaning “to cut,” combined with the suffix -sis that appears in loanwords from Greek.
- Other more common Greek loanwords with this suffix are thesis, "a proposition stated or put forward for consideration," and stasis, "the state of equilibrium or inactivity caused by opposing equal forces."
- The TV show's theme song begins with an example of tmesis, breaking up the word "superhero" to create emphasis: "Super-duper-hero!"
- The poet used a creative tmesis in the phrase "mind-bogglingly beautiful," adding an extra word for poetic effect.
noun
a person of puzzling or contradictory character.
Explanation
- Enigma was first recorded in English around 1530–40 and comes from the Greek word aínigma, "riddle,” which derived from aînos, "fable."
- Enigma was also the name of a ciphering machine used by the German military during World War II. A precursor to computer encryption, the Enigma machine encoded messages into a seemingly random string of letters to be decoded by another Enigma machine.
- The deciphering of the Enigma code by Alan Turing and a team of codebreakers allowed the Allies to secretly read intercepted German messages and is thought to be a major factor in the Allied victory.
- His mysterious smile and cryptic words rendered him an enigma that no one could decipher.
- Trying to understand her enigma of a personality proved to be an intriguing challenge for those around her.
noun
dashing smartness, as in dress or appearance; style.
Explanation
- Swank entered English around 1800–10.
- Swank may be related to the Scots word swank, meaning "lively."
- Swank was perhaps ultimately formed from Old English swancor "lithe."
- Swank is similar to the Middle Dutch word swanc, "supple," and the Middle High German word swanken, "to sway."
- The suave gentleman effortlessly exuded swank as he greeted everyone with a charming smile and impeccable grooming.
- "The fashion show was a spectacle of swank, featuring models strutting down the runway in glamorous attire.
