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.
Check out the Word of the Yearnoun
mean dishonesty or trickery.
Explanation
- Skullduggery can also refer to an instance of dishonest behavior.
- Skullduggery is an Americanism dating back to 1865–70.
- It's a variant of sculduddery, a Scots word meaning “obscenity.”
- The politician was caught engaging in skullduggery to gain an unfair advantage over her opponent in the election.
- The company's CEO was fired after it was discovered he had been involved in skullduggery to cover up the company's financial losses.
adjective
affectedly dainty or quaint.
Explanation
- Twee comes from 20th century British baby talk.
- Twee was most likely reduced from tweet, mimicking a child's pronunciation of sweet.
- Twee is also a subgenre of indie pop music.
- The previously bland-looking café now sported a twee renovation, complete with pastel-colored chairs and floral wallpaper.
- The room was filled with the twee trinkets that he had collected over the years, giving it a quaint, old-world vibe.
noun
sleight of hand.
Explanation
- Legerdemain comes from a late Middle English word, legerdemeyn, meaning “skill in conjuring.”
- That word, in turn, comes from a Middle French phrase, léger de main, meaning "nimble" or "skillful" that's literally translated as “light of hand.”
- Legerdemain was first recorded between 1400–1450.
- The audience was mesmerized by the performer's legerdemain as he made a coin disappear and reappear from behind their ears.
- The pickpocket's legerdemain was so skillful that her victims had no idea their wallets were missing until much later.
verb
to talk incessantly; chatter.
Explanation
- Natter can also mean "a conversation or a chat."
- Natter was first recorded in 1820–30.
- It's most likely a variant of an earlier word gnatter from a Northern England dialect.
- She was soothed by her friends nattering away in the background.
- The old couple would often sit outside and natter on about the weather or their grandchildren.
a child of one’s sibling.
Explanation
- Nibling was coined by U.S. linguist Samuel E. Martin in 1951.
- It was formed by replacing the s in sibling with the n from niece and nephew.
- Nibling is especially used in the plural or as a gender-neutral term.
- My niblings are coming to visit us next week, and we are taking them to a water park.
- During the family reunion, I enjoyed playing with my nibling and teaching them some new jokes.
