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
honest; fair; straightforward.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1825–30.
- Primarily used in British and Australian dialects of English.
- Of uncertain origin, but has been applied to a type of oat bread, jannock bread.
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- The jannock approach of the coach brought out the best in her players, instilling a sense of fairness and camaraderie.
- The jannock businessman refused to engage in deceptive practices, maintaining a reputation for honesty and integrity.
adjective
spacious and convenient; roomy.
Explanation
- Entered English around 1375–1425.
- Ultimately comes from Latin commodi(tās), "convenience."
- Commodity, "something of use, advantage, value," shares this origin.
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- The new office building features a commodious conference room for large meetings.
- The commodious living room provided ample space for entertaining guests.
adjective
free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1820–30.
- Comes from French, combining the negative prefix in- with souciant, a form of soucier “to worry.”
- Soucier comes from Latin sollicitāre “to disturb,” from which we also get solicitous, "anxious; concerned; eager."
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- As the waves crashed against the shore, he strolled along the beach with an insouciant gait.
- Even in the face of adversity, she maintained an insouciant demeanor, refusing to let life's challenges dampen her spirit.
noun
a word spelled the same as another but having a different sound and meaning.
Explanation
- From the Late Greek word heterṓnymos, dating back to 1880–85.
- The prefix hetero- means "different."
- The suffix -onym means "name."
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- The word wind is a fascinating heteronym, with one pronunciation representing moving air and the other representing the act of winding a clock.
- Lead is a classic heteronym, with one pronunciation meaning to guide or direct, while the other refers to a heavy metal.
noun
the illusory perception of meaningful patterns or images of familiar things in random or amorphous data, as a face seen on the moon.
Explanation
- First recorded in 1960–65.
- Comes from German Pareidolien, plural of Pareidolie.
- Pareidolie is formed from par(a)- "at the side of; beside; beyond," and eidol(on) "phantom; apparition."
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- The excitement grew as the researchers discovered what appeared to be pareidolia in the data collected from deep space.
- As I stared at the clouds, I experienced pareidolia and saw a bunny shape formed by their fluffy contours.
