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.
an apparatus for representing the positions, motions, and phases of the planets, satellites, etc., in the solar system.
Orrery is the namesake of Charles Boyle, Earl of Orrery. Orrery is the anglicized version of the Irish place name (or toponym) Orbhraighe, in which Orbh is an Irish name and -raighe is a common suffix roughly meaning “people of.” Orrery was first recorded in English around 1710. EXAMPLE OF ORRERY USED IN A SENTENCE The astronaut turned the old orrery’s crank to determine when the next eclipse would occur.
the purported ability to move or deform inanimate objects, as metal spoons, through mental processes.
Telekinesis is formed from two Ancient Greek elements: têle, meaning “far,” and kī́nēsis, meaning “movement.” The root têle appears in telephone and television, while kī́nēsis comes from the verb kīneîn, “to move,” and is related to cinema and kinesthetic. Telekinesis was first recorded in English in the late 1880s. EXAMPLE OF TELEKINESIS USED IN A SENTENCE The Jedi master used a combination of telekinesis and saber-play to corner the Sith lord in battle.
a person whose wedding day is very soon to occur.
Nearlywed is a compound of nearly and wed, on the pattern of newlywed. Near comes from Old English nēar, meaning “closer.” Wed comes from Old English weddian, “to pledge.” Nearlywed was first recorded in English in the late 1950s. Nearlywed is one of the recent additions to Dictionary.com. EXAMPLE OF NEARLYWED USED IN A SENTENCE The nearlyweds registered for many gifts, only to return them months later as newlyweds.
toward the mountains; inland.
Mauka is from Hawaiian, comprising ma-, indicating direction, and uka, meaning “inland, upland.” The opposite direction of mauka is Word of the Day makai. Both mauka and makai show the influence of natural geographic features on the Hawaiian language. Mauka was first recorded in English in the mid-1870s. EXAMPLE OF MAUKA USED IN A SENTENCE The ancient trail ran mauka, gradually climbing the many slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano.
the ornamentation of a melody, often improvised by the performer, as in Italian opera during the 18th century.
Fioritura is a borrowing from Italian that literally means “floweriness” and ultimately comes from Latin flōs, flōr-, “flower.” L in Latin often becomes Italian i, which we see in the Italian borrowings piano (from Latin plānus, “plain”) and piazza (from Latin plātea, “courtyard”). Fioritura was first recorded in English around 1840. EXAMPLE OF FIORITURA USED IN A SENTENCE In an attempt to wow the audience, the opera singer added several fioriture to each verse she sang.
