Word of the Day

• Egregious was first recorded in 1525-35.
• Egregious comes from the Latin word ēgregius, which means “preeminent, outstanding.”
• The greg- element in egregious is the stem of grēx, “flock,” such that egregious literally means "standing out from the flock."
• Another flock-related word is gregarious, which means "fond of the company of others," or, more literally, "belonging to the flock."

• The defendant's egregious behavior in the courtroom shocked everyone present.
• Despite their years of experience, the coach was unable to overlook the players' egregious mistakes.

• Seersucker was first recorded in English around 1715-25, after the fabric had begun to be imported to Europe from India.
• Seersucker comes from the Hindi word sīrsakar, from the Persian phrase shīr o shakar, which literally means "milk and sugar."
• Seersucker was originally used in workwear but became fashionable for men's suits in the southern United States around the turn of the 20th century.

• The old rocking chair on the front porch was draped in a faded seersucker cushion, evoking nostalgic memories of lazy afternoons.
• As the summer heat intensified, he opted for a lightweight seersucker suit that kept him cool and stylish.

• Zedonk was first recorded in 1970-75, and like the animal it refers to, is a combination of zebra and donkey.
• Zebra comes from the Portuguese word zebra, "wild Iberian ass."
• Donkey is of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of Dunkey, a nickname for Duncan.
• Donkey could also be a form of dun, “dull, grayish brown.”

• The exotic animal farm always had at least three zedonks at one time along with purebred zebras.
• The child added a zedonk to each of their drawings, as it was one of the few hybrid animals they had seen in real life.

🧔 Pogonophile is a great example of a fun and funny word! 🧔‍♂️ Pogonophile was first recorded in 1960-65 from the French word pogonophile. 🧔‍♀️ Pogonophile combines the Greek word pṓgōn, meaning "beard,” and -phile, meaning "lover of; enthusiast," from Greek -philos, “dear, beloved.” 🧔‍♂️ There are many words that are formed with -phile, including bibliophile, "lover of books," astrophile, "lover of stars," and hippophile, "lover of horses." Visit our Emoji Dictionary for more 🧔!  EXAMPLES OF POGONOPHILE

• As a pogonophile, she eagerly attended the annual Beard & Mustache Championship to admire the impressive facial hair creations on display.
• The barbershop owner, himself a self-proclaimed pogonophile, curated a wide range of beard oils and grooming products to cater to his bearded clientele.

• Cleek was first recorded between 1350 and 1400 and is mostly used in Scottish English.
• Cleek comes from the Middle English word cleke, meaning “hook.”
• Cleke is a derivative of the verb cleke, “to take hold of,” which is a variant of cleche, similar to clutch.
• The past tense of cleek can be claught, cleeked, or claucht.
• A cleek is also a type of golf club, which is unsurprising, since Scotland is the birthplace of golf.

• As the bakery tray emerged from the oven, he couldn't resist but cleek a fresh, warm croissant.
• In her excitement upon hearing the news, she cleeked her shopping bags and hurriedly made her way to the car.