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.
to later revise an established element of a fictional story.
Retcon, “to later revise (an established element of a fictional story),” is a shortening based on the first syllables in retroactive continuity. This type of shortening is called syllabic abbreviation, and other common examples in English include fro-yo (from frozen yogurt), hazmat (from hazardous material), and sitcom (from situation comedy). Ultimately, retroactive is from Latin retrō, “back, backward,” combined with agere (past participle stem āct-), “to do,” while continuity is formed from Latin con-, “with, together,” combined with tenēre (combining stem tin-), “to hold.” Retcon was first recorded in the early 1980s. EXAMPLE OF RETCON USED IN A SENTENCE Though the first season showed the doctor naming the family spaceship after her favorite Norse god, later seasons retconned this and gave all the ships that same name.
a traditional Hindu decoration on a floor or other flat surface usually made of powder, such as colored or dyed sand, chalk, crushed limestone, or rice flour.
Rangoli, “a traditional Hindu decoration made of powder produced on a flat surface,” is adapted from rãgoḷī in Marathi, a language native to central and western India with over 90 million speakers. Numerous languages of the Indian subcontinent inherit much of their vocabulary from the classical language Sanskrit, and Marathi is no exception. In this way, rãgoḷī comes from Sanskrit raṅga “color” combined with āvali “line.” Rangoli was first recorded in English in the early 1880s. EXAMPLE OF RANGOLI USED IN A SENTENCE The community came together to create a vibrant rangoli on the stone floor of the library’s lobby.
the act of stretching oneself, especially on waking.
Pandiculation, “the act of stretching oneself,” comes from the Latin verb pandiculārī, “to stretch, grimace,” which derives from pandere, “to spread out, extend.” Pandere has three stems in English: pand-, pans-, and pass-. We can find pand- and pans- in expand and expansion, while pass- appears in compass and passport. Unfortunately, pandiculation is not related to panda, which was borrowed from one of the languages spoken in Nepal. Pandiculation entered English in the early 17th century. EXAMPLE OF PANDICULATION USED IN A SENTENCE After a long session of pandiculation, the bleary-eyed panda rose and set off in search of breakfast.
of or pertaining to owls.
Strigiform, “of or pertaining to owls,” is based on Latin strix (stem strig-), “screech owl,” which comes from Ancient Greek stríx, “owl,” of uncertain origin. Stríx is one of several Ancient Greek words for “owl” (compare scops owl) that are likely of pre-Greek origin, coming from a long-lost language of the eastern Mediterranean. For another example of a pre-Greek word, check out the Word of the Day dithyrambic. Stríx also gives rise to Latin striga, which has a variety of macabre senses, from “evil spirit” to “vampire” to “witch.” Strigiform was first recorded in English in the late 1870s. EXAMPLE OF STRIGIFORM USED IN A SENTENCE In the fresco, Athena appears surrounded by wide-eyed strigiform figures, probably to underscore her association with wisdom.
the phenomenon of not recognizing the return of an old memory as a product of memory, but instead regarding it as a new or original thought or idea.
Cryptomnesia, “the phenomenon of regarding an old memory as a new idea,” is based on crypto-, “hidden, secret,” and Ancient Greek mnêsis, “memory.” Crypto-, ultimately from Ancient Greek krýptein, “to hide,” is of unclear origin. Confusing matters further is the resemblance between krýptein and kalýptein, “to cover,” which is the source of eucalyptus (literally “well covered”) and possibly Calypso, a sea nymph in the Odyssey. Mnêsis is also the source of the Word of the Day hypermnesia and is distantly related to a range of thought-related words containing m followed by n, including mantra, mental, mind, and mnemonic. Cryptomnesia was first recorded in English at the turn of the 20th century. EXAMPLE OF CRYPTOMNESIA USED IN A SENTENCE One member of the study group, clearly experiencing cryptomnesia, suggested an idea that he didn’t realize he had heard in a news story earlier that day.
