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.
extremely willful; obstinate; stubborn.
Pervicacious comes from Latin pervicāx, meaning “stubborn, willful” or, more literally, “tending to conquer completely.” The -vic- element derives from the verb vincere, “to conquer,” which is the source of invincible and victory. The -āx part appears as -acious in many English adjectives, such as audacious and loquacious. Pervicacious was first recorded in English circa 1630. EXAMPLE OF PERVICACIOUS USED IN A SENTENCE When the dog walker wanted to change direction, the pervicacious Yorkie dug her nails into the ground and glared.
an irrational or disproportionate fear of tornadoes or hurricanes.
In lilapsophobia, lilaps- comes from Ancient Greek laîlaps, meaning “violent storm.” Though laîlaps is also often translated as “hurricane,” the Mediterranean Sea does not have true hurricanes, which form in the tropics. The -phobia element comes from Ancient Greek phóbos, “panic fear.” Lilapsophobia was first recorded in English in the late 1970s. EXAMPLE OF LILAPSOPHOBIA USED IN A SENTENCE Their lilapsophobia began to fade the moment they learned that the tropical wave had failed to organize into a cyclone.
an assertion without proof.
In Latin, ipse dīxit means “he himself said.” The feminine equivalent, “she herself said,” is ipsa dīxit. The plural versions, both meaning “they themselves said,” are ipsī dīxērunt for a group of men or a mixed-gender group and ipsae dīxērunt for a group of women. Ipse dixit was first recorded in English in the late 15th century. EXAMPLE OF IPSE DIXIT USED IN A SENTENCE The protester claimed that aliens were responsible for recent unexplained events, but these ipse dixits all lacked even a shred of evidence.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Quincunx literally means “five-twelfths” in Latin and is formed from quīnque, “five,” and uncia, “twelfth.” Quīnque is the source of numerous modern Romance words for “five,” such as French cinq and Spanish cinco. Uncia, meanwhile, is the source of both inch and ounce. Quincunx was first recorded in English in the 1640s. EXAMPLE OF QUINCUNX USED IN A SENTENCE Each area of the park featured four bushes arranged in a square, with a bench in the middle to complete the quincunxes.
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.
