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.
a tall drink, originating in Barbados, composed of full-flavored West Indian rum, lime juice, crushed ice, and sugar: typically served with a swizzle stick.
Swizzle, “to agitate a beverage with a rod,” is of uncertain origin, but not because there are multiple competing theories. Instead, the mystery behind swizzle is the same as that behind many slang terms: linguists have no idea what the origin of swizzle could possibly be! Swizzle is first and foremost a noun referring to a type of alcoholic drink from the Caribbean, and in an example of metonymy, the name came to refer as well to the stick served with the drink. A similarly named drink is the switchel, which is found in some varieties of US and Canadian English, but just as with swizzle, switchel is also of uncertain origin. Swizzle was first recorded in English circa 1810. EXAMPLE OF SWIZZLE USED IN A SENTENCE As happy hour started, the bar filled with the sounds of patrons swizzling their drinks and clinking their glasses together in toasts.
pertaining to or derived from apples.
Malic “pertaining to apples” comes by way of French from Latin mālum “apple." Mālum, in turn, is an adaptation of Ancient Greek mêlon, which refers specifically to apples or generally to any tree fruit and is also the source of English melon. Similarly, though mālum survives today as Italian mela “apple,” while the French word for “apple,” pomme, comes from Latin pōmum “fruit.” Portuguese maçã and Spanish manzana derive instead from the Latin term Mattiāna (mala) “(apples) of Matius,” which refers to Gaius Matius, a Roman botanist and friend of Julius Caesar. Though the words are almost identical, Latin mālum is not related to Latin malus “bad,” meaning that the use of apples to represent forbidden fruit is a clever pun. Malic was first recorded in English in the 1790s. EXAMPLE OF MALIC USED IN A SENTENCE The Evil Queen’s temptation of Snow White with a poisoned apple is a perfect example of malic malice.
a distinctive scent, usually described as earthy, pleasant, or sweet, produced by rainfall on very dry ground.
Petrichor is based on two Ancient Greek words: pétros, meaning “stone,” and īchṓr, the name of an ethereal fluid that the gods of Greek mythology had instead of blood in their veins. This scent results from certain types of rocks and soils releasing a plant-derived oil during rainfall. Scientists Isabel Joy Bear and Richard G. Thomas coined petrichor in 1964. EXAMPLE OF PETRICHOR USED IN A SENTENCE After weeks without a single drop of rain, petrichor hung in the air after this morning’s showers. FUN FACT ABOUT PETRICHOR Though often confused with the smell that ozone causes before rainfall, petrichor actually refers to the earthy aroma during rain. Learn more fun facts at the Museum of Science.
an unclassified degree granted a university student who has fulfilled all requirements for graduation but was prevented by illness from attending the final examinations.
Aegrotat, “a graduate degree given because of illness,” is a British English term that was borrowed from Latin, in which aegrōtat literally means “(a person) is sick.” Unlike English, Latin typically uses -re to mark the infinitive, therefore, the infinitive counterpart of aegrōtat is aegrōtāre, meaning “to be sick,” which comes from aeger, “sick.” Despite the similar spelling, aeger is not related to Latin ager (stem agr-), “field,” or the recent Word of the Day eagre. Aegrotat was first recorded in English in the early 1860s. Learn more about the differences between British English and American English here. EXAMPLE OF AEGROTAT USED IN A SENTENCE With an unusually nasty flu making its way around the university, the vice-chancellor granted aegrotats to several sick students who were otherwise set to graduate midyear.
a club or stick, traditionally of blackthorn or oak.
Shillelagh, “club, stick” has two possible origins. Though it may not seem like one at first, shillelagh may be an example of a toponym, or a word derived from a placename. While English has no shortage of food-related toponyms, this origin of shillelagh is not found in the kitchen. Instead, shillelagh comes from the Irish town name Síol Éalaigh, which is located in County Wicklow, Ireland, next to a forest that once provided wood for the clubs. In the name Síol Éalaigh, síol means “seed, descendant,” while Éalaigh is a form of the given name Éalach. Alternatively, shillelagh may derive instead from Irish Gaelic sail, “willow” (compare English sallow), and iall, “strap, thong.” Shillelagh was first recorded in English in the 1670s. EXAMPLE OF SHILLELAGH USED IN A SENTENCE Despite its simple appearance as a curved or knobbly cane, the shillelagh is a centerpiece of an Irish variety of martial arts.
