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
mental and emotional exhaustion resulting from excessive or relentless decision-making.
Explanation
- Decision fatigue was first recorded in the early 2000s and was first used in the fields of psychology and psychiatry.
- The concept is based on the mental and emotional fatigue caused by making on average over 35,000 decisions a day.
- Decision was first recorded in 1425–75 and ultimately comes from the Latin word dēcīsiōn-, which is a stem of dēcīsiō, “a cutting off.”
- Fatigue was first recorded in 1685–95 and comes from the French verb fatiguer, from Latin fatīgāre “to tire."
- After a long and busy day at work, I experienced decision fatigue and found it difficult to choose what to have for dinner.
- The constant bombardment of options and choices in today's society can lead to decision fatigue, leaving individuals feeling mentally drained.
noun
the strategic promotion of a nation's cuisine to build diplomatic connections and favorable public relations for that nation.
Explanation
- Gastrodiplomacy was first recorded in the early 2000s.
- Gastrodiplomacy is a combination of the Greek form gastro, meaning "stomach," and diplomacy, "the conduct by government officials of negotiations and other relations between nations."
- Diplomacy ultimately comes via French from the Latin word diplōmat-, which is the stem of diplōma, "an official document; a letter of recommendation."
- Diploma comes from the Greek word, diplōma, meaning "a letter folded double."
- The new president felt that an investment in gastrodiplomacy, such as hosting international food festivals, would successfully strengthen diplomatic ties with various countries.
- By leveraging gastrodiplomacy, the country was able to promote its unique gastronomy through collaborations with renowned chefs and the establishment of culinary training programs.
adverb
no; not at all.
Explanation
- Aole comes from the Hawaiian interjectionʿaʿole, which can mean "no, not, never; to be none, to have none."
- ʿAʿole takes on various forms in Hawaiian, such as aʿohe, ʿole, and aʿoe, in order to be harmonious with the surrounding sounds.
- The phrase, "aʿole e ʿole" is one of the strongest ways in Hawaiian to say that something exists or must be true, translating as "it cannot be otherwise."
- When asked if he'd ever been to Hilo, he responded sadly, "Aole, never."
- Do we want to wait in line? Aole! Certainly not!
noun
a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold or fear; goosebumps.
Explanation
- Horripilation was first recorded in English in the 1650s.
- Horripilation comes from the Late Latin word horripilāre, "to become bristly," which is also the source of words such as horrendous, horrify, and horror.
- Unlike terror, which literally has to do with being frightened, the root of horror is all about hair standing on its end!
- The -pil- part of horripilation is a Latin stem meaning “hair.”
- The chilling horror movie gave me such a fright that I felt horripilation ripple through my entire body.
- The eerie silence and dark atmosphere of the abandoned house sent waves of horripilation down her arms and legs.
noun
a celebrity with a parent who is also famous, especially one whose industry connections are perceived as essential to their success.
Explanation
- Nepo baby was first recorded in 2022, even though the term has been used in social media since at least 2018.
- The word nepo is an informal shortening of nepotism, which refers to favoritism that a person receives due to a family relation.
- Nepotism comes from the Italian word nepotismo, based on the word for "nephew."
- The word baby indicates the familial relationship and comes from babe, which entered English around 1150–1200.
- The media often criticizes nepo babies and their perceived lack of talent, but it's important to acknowledge that connections can only take you so far.
- Many aspiring actors struggle to make it in Bollywood without connections, while some argue that nepo babies have an unfair advantage in the industry.
