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.
of, relating to, or based on twenty.
Vigesimal comes from Latin vīcēsimus, “twentieth.” While English and its Germanic relatives base their words for “twenty” on a combination of “two” and “ten,” Latin vīgintī is distantly related to Ancient Greek eíkosi (as in icosahedron, a twenty-sided figure) and Sanskrit viṃśatí (as in pachisi, a game in which twenty-five is the highest score). Vigesimal was first recorded in English in the 1650s. EXAMPLE OF VIGESIMAL USED IN A SENTENCE French now uses a vigesimal system for numbers over 60, representing 80 as “4 × 20” and 90 as “4 × 20 + 10.”
a brown or amber tea grown in China and Taiwan and partially fermented before being dried.
Oolong is an adaptation of a Chinese word, most likely Mandarin wūlóng, which literally translates to “black dragon.” The wū element means “crow” or “black,” while lóng means “dragon.” Oolong was first recorded in English in the early 1850s. EXAMPLE OF OOLONG USED IN A SENTENCE The oolong let off an earthy smell as it slowly diffused throughout the cup.
to assail by criticism, argument, or action.
Oppugn comes from Latin oppugnāre, “to oppose, attack,” which is based on the noun pugnus, “fist.” Pugnus is the source of numerous fighting-related words in English, including impugn and pugnacious. Oppugn was first recorded in English in the early 15th century. EXAMPLE OF OPPUGN USED IN A SENTENCE The neighbors oppugned the dog owner who let their dog run freely around the park for hours.
a covering of minute ice needles, formed at night upon the ground and exposed objects when they have cooled below the dew point, when it is below the freezing point.
Cranreuch appears to be an adaptation of Scottish Gaelic crann-reòthadh, “hoarfrost,” which contains crann, “tree,” and reòth, “frost.” Reòth (also reodh) is a distant relative of English freeze and the Latin-origin Word of the Day pruinose. Cranreuch was first recorded in English circa 1680. EXAMPLE OF CRANREUCH USED IN A SENTENCE The temperature dropped sharply after dusk, leaving the once wet leaves coated in cranreuch.
to twitch.
Vellicate comes from Latin vellicāre, “to pluck, twitch,” from vellere, “to pull, twitch.” Though hairs may be plucked and skin may twitch, there is no connection between vellicate and vellum, a type of parchment made from animal skin, or vellus hair, the tiny hairs found on the human body. Vellicate was first recorded in English around 1600. EXAMPLE OF VELLICATE USED IN A SENTENCE After the morning coffee break, I noticed that my left eye began vellicating from all the caffeine.
