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 Yearto expose to an elevated temperature for a period sufficient to destroy certain microorganisms, without radically altering taste or quality.
Pasteurize is named for French chemist Louis Pasteur (1822–95), who proved that germs such as bacteria were responsible for disease. The surname Pasteur means “shepherd” in French and comes from Latin pāscere (stem pāst-), “to feed,” which is the source of antipasto, pabulum, and pasture. Pasteurize was first recorded in English in the early 1880s. EXAMPLE OF PASTEURIZE USED IN A SENTENCE The beer and wine were pasteurized to reduce the risk of food-borne illness.
having an even number of toes or digits on each foot.
Artiodactyl is a compound of artio-, meaning “even number,” and -dactyl, meaning “finger, toe.” Artio- comes from Ancient Greek ártios, “even, fitting, perfect,” while -dactyl comes from dáktylos, which also referred to the fruit of the date palm tree. Artiodactyl was first recorded in English in the 1840s. EXAMPLE OF ARTIODACTYL USED IN A SENTENCE Among the zoo’s longtime residents were alpacas, giraffes, goats, and various other artiodactyl animals.
a broad elevation or mound of earth raised as a fortification around a place and usually capped with a stone or earth parapet.
Rampart comes from Middle French remparer, “to take back possession of,” which derives from re-, meaning “again, back,” and emparer, “to take possession of.” Emparer is ultimately formed from Latin ante, “before,” plus parāre, “to prepare.” Rampart was first recorded in English around 1580. EXAMPLE OF RAMPART USED IN A SENTENCE A rolling series of ramparts protected the palace from the besieging army.
(of high-altitude clouds) visible during the short night of the summer.
In noctilucent, the nocti- element comes from Latin nox, meaning “night.” Meanwhile, -lucent derives from Latin lucēre, “to shine,” from lux, meaning “light.” In this way, anything noctilucent is literally a night-light. Noctilucent was first recorded in English in the early 1690s, originally referring generally to things that shone in the dark. EXAMPLE OF NOCTILUCENT USED IN A SENTENCE A thin, threadlike patch of noctilucent clouds slowly came into view as the sun set behind the mountains.
dark or gloomy.
Stygian originally referred to Styx, one of the mythological rivers of the underworld. Ancient Greek Stýx likely shares an origin with several words relating to hatred, and the Greeks once believed that swearing on the river’s name created an unbreakable vow. Stygian was first recorded in English in the 1560s. EXAMPLE OF STYGIAN USED IN A SENTENCE The basement was a windowless, Stygian space, with only a single flickering fluorescent providing the weakest of light.
