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 Icelandic tradition in which books are given as Christmas presents and opened on December 24, after which the evening is spent reading the books.
Explanation
- Jolabokaflod was first recorded in English between 2015-20.
- Jolabokaflod comes from Icelandic Jólabókaflóðið, literally “(the) Christmas book flood," with Icelandic Jól “Christmas,” a cognate of English Yule, "Christmas."
- Jolabokaflod has been a tradition in Iceland since 1944, when the country gained its independence from Denmark during World War II and paper was not being rationed like other goods.
- December 24 is always a special night in Iceland, marked by the enchanting tradition of jolabokaflod and the shared love for reading.
- As midnight approached, the quiet hum of pages turning filled the air, creating a peaceful atmosphere during jolabokaflod.
verb
to praise highly.
Explanation
- Extol was first recorded in 1350-1400.
- Extol comes from the Middle English word extollen, which comes from the Latin word extollere, “to lift up, raise.”
- Extol can also be spelled extoll.
- exalt
- elevate
- eulogize
- The teacher extols the virtues of hard work and dedication to his students.
- The motivational speaker passionately extolled the importance of perseverance and self-belief in achieving success.
adjective
given to or characterized by gross excess in drinking or eating.
Explanation
- Crapulous was first recorded in 1530-40.
- Crapulous comes from the Late Latin word crāpulōsus, “inclined to drunkenness.”
- Crapulous can also mean "suffering from such excess."
- There is no relation between crapulous and crap, "excrement," which came from the Middle English word crap, meaning "chaff; siftings of grain."
- After a night of crapulous indulgence at the party, he woke up with a queasy stomach.
- The hotel offered a warning to guests about the nearby restaurant, known for serving crapulous portions that left patrons feeling uncomfortably stuffed.
noun
any confusing or troublesome situation, especially one from which it is difficult to free oneself.
Explanation
- Morass entered English in the late 1400s.
- Morass originally came from the Dutch word moeras, an alteration of the word moer, "marsh."
- Also related to morass are marsh and moor, "a tract of open, peaty, wasteland."
- Morass acquired its figurative sense in the late 1860s.
- Other fun synonyms for a confusing situation include quagmire, labyrinth, imbroglio, and quandary.
- After years of mismanagement, the company found itself in a financial morass, struggling to pay its debts and keep its doors open.
- His failed attempts at fixing his car's engine only served to deepen the morass of broken parts and tangled wires in the garage.
noun
an advanced type of machine learning that uses multilayered neural networks to establish nested hierarchical models for data processing and analysis.
Explanation
- Deep learning is a subfield of machine learning, in which machines come up with algorithms to solve problems on their own.
- Deep learning refers to when computers are taught to learn more like humans, by example, and to make decisions.
- The word deep refers to the multitude of layers that are constructed in the artificial neural networks.
- Deep learning was first recorded as a term by Rina Dechter in the 1986 conference proceedings of the 5th National Conference on Artificial Intelligence.
- The dress company implemented an artificial intelligence technique called deep learning to automate the design process.
- The ophthalmologist used a machine that applied deep learning to detect early stages of macular degeneration in her patients' eyes.
