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 Yeara performer who is skilled at balancing in unusual positions and hazardous movements, as a tightrope walker in a circus.
Equilibrist comes by way of French from Latin aequilībrium, “equilibrium,” which is formed from aequus, “equal,” and lībra, “balance.” Though aequus is of unknown origin, lībra may be distantly related to English liter. Equilibrist was first recorded in English in the 1750s. EXAMPLE OF EQUILIBRIST USED IN A SENTENCE The equilibrists performed cartwheels on the narrow beam suspended in the air.
to your health.
A vuestra salud is from Spanish, consisting of a, “to”; vuestra, “your”; and salud, “health.” These three words come from Latin, all unchanged in meaning; a comes from Latin ad, vuestra comes from vester, and salud comes from salūs (as in salute). A vuestra salud was first recorded in English in the early 1850s. EXAMPLE OF A VUESTRA SALUD USED IN A SENTENCE The dinner guests clinked their glasses together and proclaimed “A vuestra salud” as they began to drink.
the act of sneezing.
Sternutation is based on the Latin verb sternūtāre, “to sneeze repeatedly,” from sternuere, “to sneeze.” Though the ultimate origin of sternuere is uncertain, linguists have noted its resemblance to Ancient Greek ptárnysthai, “to sneeze,” as evidence of a deeper connection between the two words. Sternutation was first recorded in English around 1540. EXAMPLE OF STERNUTATION USED IN A SENTENCE “Gesundheit!” exclaimed the nurse as a fit of sternutation overcame his patient.
a stone heap or platform used by the Polynesians as a marker or memorial.
Ahu comes from one of the Eastern Polynesian languages, possibly Rapa Nui, the language of Easter Island. On Easter Island specifically, ahu are the stone platforms on which the moai (carved stone figures) stand. Ahu was first recorded in English in the late 1910s. EXAMPLE OF AHU USED IN A SENTENCE The ahu stood at the center of the stone-lined clearing overlooking the shoreline.
violating generally accepted standards of good taste or propriety; unseemly.
Indecorous comes from Latin indecōrus, a compound of in-, “not,” and decōrus, “seemly, becoming.” Decōrus comes from decus (stem decor-), meaning both “honor, splendor” and “ornament,” which is why decus is the source of both decorate and decorum. Indecorous was first recorded in English in the 1670s. EXAMPLE OF INDECOROUS USED IN A SENTENCE He was known far and wide for his indecorous behavior, which included off-color jokes and accusatory rants.
