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.
antiquated or obsolete.
Superannuated, “antiquated or obsolete,” comes from Medieval Latin superannātus, “over a year old.” Superannātus is based on Latin super, “above, beyond, over,” and annus, “year.” Super is a distant relative of English over, German über, and Ancient Greek hypér; compare the Words of the Day hypermnesia and supercilious. Annus is the source of anniversary and annual, and its stem enn- can be found in millennium and the Word of the Day perennial. Superannuated was first recorded in English circa 1530. EXAMPLE OF SUPERANNUATED USED IN A SENTENCE The townspeople came together and voted to remove the superannuated and unpopular clause from the town’s charter.
a gradual increase of land on a shore or a river bank by the action of water, whether from natural or artificial causes.
Alluvion, “an increase of land on a shore by the action of water,” comes from Latin alluviō, “an overflowing,” in which the -luv- element comes from lavāre, “to wash.” The basic stems of lavāre (lau- and lav-) are visible in latrine (earlier lavātrīna), laundry, lavatory, and lavish—but not lava. Meanwhile, through its broader range of stems, lavāre is also the source of the Word of the Day antediluvian, and deluge and lotion. Alluvion was first recorded in English in the 1530s. EXAMPLE OF ALLUVION USED IN A SENTENCE The anglers had to step lively to avoid sinking into the soft area of alluvion along the river’s edge.
a large octagonal design derived from the shape of a rose, a motif on rugs.
Gul, “a rose-shaped design,” is a short word with a long history. The term is a loanword from classical Persian gul, “rose.” Thanks to a series of sound changes, gul comes from an ancient Iranian root, warda-, that may have been borrowed into Ancient Greek as wrodon, later rhódon, “rose,” and then into Latin as rosa. This flowery root appears in English rose, rhododendron, and even julep, but be careful—despite the resemblance, it is not the source of the Word of the Day rosolio. Gul was first recorded in English in the 1810s. EXAMPLE OF GUL USED IN A SENTENCE The carpet’s ornate central gul caught the interior designer’s eye.
to belch, as gas from the stomach.
Eruct comes from the Latin verb ērūgere, “to belch out, discharge noisily.” Not surprisingly, the -ruct part of eruct is distantly related to English reek, “to smell bad.” While reek is of Old English origin (and therefore more than 1000 years old), eruct was first recorded in English in the 1660s. Read more about this medical term. EXAMPLE OF ERUCT USED IN A SENTENCE The unlucky photographer missed the perfect shot when he eructed and bumped the camera out of focus.
to restore to the first or original state or condition.
Repristinate, “to restore to the first or original state or condition,” is formed from the adjective pristine, with the prefix re-, “back, again,” and the suffix -ate. Pristine comes from Latin pristinus, “early,” which belongs to a small family of Latin words relating to coming before something. Words in this family include prae (“before”), prior and prius (“former,” literally “more before”), and prīmus (“first,” literally “most before”). To see these Latin roots in action today, check out the Words of the Day prefatory, preternatural, and primaveral. Repristinate was first recorded in English in the 1650s. EXAMPLE OF REPRISTINATE USED IN A SENTENCE In an effort to attract wildlife, the environmentalists began repristinating the park, bulldozing buildings and planting trees to remove the impact of humans.
