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 Yeara football field.
Gridiron originally meant “griddle” and evolved to refer to things resembling griddles and, ultimately, to sports fields that prominently feature intersecting lines. The term comes from Middle English gridirne, which became gridiron because of a false association with the unrelated word irne, “iron,” perhaps because of the metal rods used in griddles. Gridiron was first recorded in English in the late 13th century. EXAMPLE OF GRIDIRON USED IN A SENTENCE The staff worked all morning to clear the gridiron of snow so the game could begin.
a small Spanish or Portuguese sailing vessel of the Middle Ages and later, usually with triangular sails that allowed for tacking upwind.
Caravel comes from Portuguese caravela, which is formed from cáravo, a kind of ship. Cáravo comes via Latin from Ancient Greek kárabos, “skiff, crayfish, type of beetle,” which likely shares an origin with scarab. For another potential (if unlikely) connection, compare the Word of the Day carapace. Caravel was first recorded in English in the 1520s. EXAMPLE OF CARAVEL USED IN A SENTENCE The cresting waves broke over the caravel as it left the harbor on a windy day.
anxiety caused by being without access to a functioning mobile phone.
Nomophobia is an abbreviation of “no mobile phobia,” in which phobia refers to general worrying. While the nomophobia we’re featuring today was first recorded in English in the late 2000s, a different type of nomophobia appeared in English at the turn of the 19th century. The earlier nomophobia comes from Ancient Greek nómos, “law, management,” and means “fear of laws.” EXAMPLE OF NOMOPHOBIA USED IN A SENTENCE With their phones confiscated, the teens soon overcame their nomophobia by going for a walk and talking to each other face-to-face.
running or moving lightly over a surface.
Lambent comes from the Latin verb lambere, “to lick, wash.” Despite the similar spelling, there is no connection between Latin lambere and English lamb, bent, or the name Lambert (literally “bright land,” from Germanic). We do know that Latin lambere is related to English lap, “to wash with a light splashing sound” or “to lick up a liquid.” Lambent was first recorded in English in the 1640s. EXAMPLE OF LAMBENT USED IN A SENTENCE The torch produced lambent ripples of warm light along the stone walls.
given to scratching the ground for food, as is the habit of chickens and other gallinaceous birds.
Rasorial is based on Late Latin rāsōr, “scratcher, scraper,” which is formed from Latin rādere, “to scratch, scrape,” and the suffix -tor. The verb rādere is also the source of erase, rascal, raze, razor, and tabula rasa, and its relative rōdere, “to gnaw,” is the source of corrode, erosion, and rodent. Rasorial was first recorded in English in the 1830s. EXAMPLE OF RASORIAL USED IN A SENTENCE After several weeks with no rain, the chickens’ rasorial habits produced small clouds of dust wherever they trod.
