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
of or relating to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean.
Explanation
- Littoral was first recorded in 1650–60.
- Littoral comes from Latin lītorālis “of the shore.”
- Also related to littoral are Lido, a chain of sandy islands in northeastern Italy, and its common noun lido, a fashionable beach resort.
- The littoral region is teeming with diverse marine life, from colorful fish to magnificent coral reefs.
- Many coastal cities rely on tourism as a major source of income, attracting visitors with their picturesque littoral landscapes.
verb (used without object)
to depart in a sudden and secret manner.
Explanation
- The first records of the word abscond come from around the 1600s.
- Abscond comes from the Latin verb abscondere, meaning “to hide or stow away.”
- The word typically implies that someone has left because they have done something wrong and want to avoid any consequences.
- Abscond is often followed by the word with and the thing that the person has absconded with, such as the things they’ve stolen.
- A person who absconds can be called an absconder or an abscondee.
- After embezzling a large sum of money, the accountant decided to abscond in the middle of the night, leaving no trace behind.
- In a daring heist, the thief successfully absconded with the priceless diamond necklace, eluding both security and surveillance cameras.
noun
an enthusiastic expression of approval.
Explanation
- An earlier version of plaudit was plaudite, which was pronounced as three syllables.
- Plaudite came from Latin plaudere, meaning “to applaud.”
- Plaudit can also refer to a round of applause; in fact, Roman actors would shout Plaudite! to encourage their audiences to clap after a play.
- It's often used in the plural form plaudits and was first recorded in 1615-25.
- The novel received numerous plaudits from critics, praising the author's unique writing style.
- Despite having stage fright, the speaker gained confidence over time as she received plaudits for her inspiring speeches.
adjective
friendly or appearing to be friendly in a very intimate or hearty way.
Explanation
- Palsy-walsy is a slang term that was first recorded in 1930-35.
- It is a rhyming compound based on the adjective palsy, which was first recorded in 1925-30 and comes from pal.
- Pal was first recorded in 1675-85 and comes from a variant of the continental Romani word phral, “brother, mate,” ultimately from Sanskrit bhrātṛ “brother.”
- The salesperson's overly palsy-walsy attitude made the customer feel uncomfortable.
- I don't like how she acts all palsy-walsy with me when she needs something.
noun
a small tropical American evergreen tree, cultivated for its seeds, the source of cocoa, chocolate, etc.
Explanation
- Cacao is often confused with cocoa, which is a powder made from the seeds of the cacao.
- Cacao was first recorded in 1545–55, while cocoa entered English around 1670 as a variant of cacao.
- Cacao comes via Spanish from the Nahuatl word cacahuatl, which means the seeds of the cacao.
- Both cacao and cocoa are used as common names of the tree, but only cocoa is also used to refer to foods and drinks made from the seeds.
- The cacao tree thrives in the warm and humid climate of tropical regions.
- The production of high-quality chocolate starts with selecting the finest cacao beans available.
