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
pull; strong influence.
Explanation
- Clout comes from the Old English word clūt, meaning "piece of cloth or metal."
- The slang meaning of clout appears as early as the 1860s, apparently based on a centuries-old sense of clout meaning “punch” or “force,” which came from the verb form clūtian, "to patch" and "to strike with the hand."
- Clout got new life again in the 2000s with the rise of social media and spread in the 2010s as a more general slang term meaning popularity and coolness.
- Despite being a newcomer to the industry, she was helped by her father's clout in securing a high-profile job.
- Many of the world leaders seek to gain diplomatic clout by forming alliances with other countries.
noun
a string or chain of flowers, foliage, ribbon, suspended in a curve between two points.
Explanation
- Festoon can also be a verb meaning "to adorn with festoons."
- Festoon entered English between 1670–80.
- It comes via French from the Italian word festone, meaning "decoration for a feast."
- The wedding arch was a festoon made of delicate white flowers that swayed in the gentle breeze.
- For the music festival, the decorators had strung a festoon with bright neon lights across the stage to illuminate the performers and audience alike.
noun
a protagonist who lacks the attributes that make a heroic figure, as nobility of mind and spirit, a life or attitude marked by action or purpose, and the like.
Explanation
- Antihero entered English at the turn of the 18th century and is formed from the Latin prefix anti, meaning "opposite of" and hero, originally from the Greek word hḗrōs, meaning "protector" or "defender."
- Hero and its counterpart antihero were first used almost exclusively to refer to a man.
- Although the corresponding word heroine and its counterpart antiheroine were—and still are—reserved for women, hero and antihero are now considered to be gender-neutral words.
- Despite his questionable methods and morally ambiguous choices, the antihero of the story captivated audiences with his complex personality and unconventional approach to justice.
- In a refreshing departure from traditional heroes, the antihero's flawed nature allowed for a more realistic and relatable depiction of human struggles, resonating with a generation seeking characters who defy conventions.
adjective
disagreeable to deal with; contentious.
Explanation
- Cantankerous was first recorded in 1765–75.
- It is of uncertain origin but may derive from the Middle English word contack, meaning "quarrel" or "contention" that ultimately comes from Old French contek.
- Cantankerous was formed on the model of the not-too-dissimilar words contentious and rancorous.
- My cantankerous neighbor always complains about the slightest noise coming from my apartment.
- Despite his cantankerous personality, the new boss is known for making effective decisions for the company.
noun
a person who has a particular tendency or ability to psychologically identify with the emotions, thoughts, or attitudes of others.
Explanation
- Empath was first recorded in 1956 in Scottish author J.T. McIntosh’s 1956 “The Empath,” a story about paranormally empathetic beings called empaths.
- Possibly modeled on telepath, empath was formed from empathy, which entered English around 1900 from the Greek word, empátheia, meaning "affection," translating directly as "in suffering."
- By the 1990s, empath had jumped from sci-fi to shorthand for a highly sensitive person, and in the 2000s the term was featured in various considerations of emotional intelligence and personality types.
- Being an empath can be both a blessing and a curse, as you feel deeply and truly for others but also can be vulnerable to taking on their emotional baggage.
- As an empath, she felt overwhelmed by the intense emotions of her friends during their breakup.
