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.
adverb
all together; as a whole.
Explanation
- En masse was borrowed into English from French around 1795–1805.
- En masse in French means "in a body," literally "in a mass."
- The English word mass comes from the Latin word massa, meaning “mass,” which came from the Greek word mâza, “barley cake.”
- Mâza is related to the Greek verb mássein, “to knead.”
- After the game ended, fans left the stadium en masse, discussing their favorite plays and memorable moments.
- The birds took flight from their nests en masse, filling the sky with a mesmerizing display of synchronized movement.
adjective
conspicuous; easily seen or recognized.
Explanation
- Kenspeckle was first recorded around 1705–15.
- Kenspeckle features in Scottish and Northern English and derives from kenspeck, which is of Scandinavian origin.
- Norwegian has a similar word, kjennespak, "quick at recognizing," literally, "know-clever."
- The English word ken, "knowledge, understanding, or cognizance; mental perception," is also related.
- The kenspeckle neon sign outside the store attracted customers from afar.
- Her kenspeckle sense of style made her stand out in a crowd.
adjective
favorable to or promoting health; healthful.
Explanation
- Salubrious entered English around 1540–50.
- Salubrious comes from the Latin word salūbr(is), meaning “promoting health,” which is related to the Latin word salūs, “health.”
- Salūs also gives us the Spanish word salud, “health,” which is used to say “Cheers!” (“To your health!”) when toasting drinks or instead of “Bless you!” when someone sneezes.
- Use of salud in English dates back to at least the 1930s.
- The company's commitment to providing a salubrious workplace includes regular ergonomic assessments and wellness programs for employees.
- The fresh sea breeze and clean ocean air make this coastal town an incredibly salubrious place to live.
adjective
deadly; destructive; exceedingly harmful.
Explanation
- Pernicious entered English around 1515–25.
- Pernicious comes from the Latin word perniciōsus, meaning "ruinous."
- Perniciōsus combines per-, "through," and -nici-, a form of nex, "death, murder," that has the stem nec-.
- A few terms that share this stem are necromancy, "a method of divination through alleged communication with the dead," and necropsy, also known as an autopsy, "the examination of a body after death."
- The pernicious effects of smoking can lead to severe health problems, including lung cancer and heart disease.
- The invasive species had a pernicious impact on the fragile ecosystem, wiping out native plants and disrupting the natural balance.
verb
(of artificial intelligence) to produce false information contrary to the intent of the user and present it as if true and factual.
Explanation
- Hallucinate was first recorded in 1595–1605 and comes from the Latin word ālūcinārī, a variant of the verb meaning "to wander mentally."
- Use of hallucinate in the context of computer science dates back to a 1971 research paper on training computers to accurately “read” and output handwriting.
- Hallucinate, in the featured sense, began to appear in the context of machine learning and AI by the 1990s.
- Researchers found that the chatbot hallucinates more frequently than previously thought, with as much as 10% of its output being inaccurate.
- The virtual assistant began to hallucinate, providing users with helpful tips mixed with unreliable information.
