inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 29

wraith • \RAYTH\ • noun

1 : the exact likeness of a living person seen usually just before death as an apparition

b : ghost, specter

2 : an insubstantial form or semblance : shadow

3 : a barely visible gaseous or vaporous column

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 28

farouche • \fuh-ROOSH\ • adjective

1 : unruly or disorderly : wild

2 : marked by shyness and lack of social graces

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 27

jimjams • \JIM-jamz\ • noun plural

: jitters

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 26

legerity • \luh-JAIR-uh-tee\ • noun

: alert facile quickness of mind or body

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 25

nonplus • \nahn-PLUS\ • verb

: to cause to be at a loss as to what to say, think, or do : perplex

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 24

toothsome • \TOOTH-sum\ • adjective

1 a : agreeable, attractive

b : sexually attractive

2 : of palatable flavor and pleasing texture : delicious

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 23

billion • \BILL-yun\ • noun

1 a : the number 1,000,000,00 : a thousand million

b : British, old-fashioned : the number 1,000,000,000,000 : a million million

2 : a very large number

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 22

vespertine • \VESS-per-tyne\ • adjective

1 : of, relating to, or occurring in the evening

2 : active, flowering or flourishing in the evening

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 21

savant • \sa-VANT\ • noun

: a person of learning; especially : one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (as of science or literature)

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 20

truncate • \TRUNG-kayt\ • verb

: to shorten by or as if by cutting off

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 19

kafkaesque • \kahf-kuh-ESK\ • adjective

: of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially : having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 18

expatriate • \ek-SPAY-tree-ut\ • noun

: a person who lives in a foreign country; also : a person who has renounces his or her native country

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 17

galley-west • \gal-ee-WEST\ • verb

: into destruction or confusion

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 16

microcosm • \MY-kruh-kahz-um\ • noun

1 : a little world; especially : the human race or human nature seen as an epitome of the world or the universe

2 : a community or other unity that is an epitome of a larger unity

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 15

continual • \kun-TIN-yoo-ul\ • adjective

1 : continuing indefinitely in time without interruption

2 : recurring in steady usually rapid succession

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 14

batten • \BAT-un\ • verb

1 a : to grow or make fat

b : to feed gluttonously

2 : to grow prosperous especially at the expense of another--usually used with on

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 13

hermetic • \her-MET-ik\ • adjective

1 : relating to or characterized by occultism or abstruseness : recondite

2 a : airtight

b : impervious to external influence

c : recluse, solitary

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 12

ancillary • \AN-suh-lair-ee\ • adjective

1 : of lower or secondary class or rank : subordinate, subsidiary

2 : providing additional help or support : auxiliary, supplementary

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 11

fulvous • \FULL-vus\ • adjective

: of a dull brownish yellow : tawny

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 10

ignoramus • \ig-nuh-RAU-mus\ • noun

: an utterly ignorant person : dunce

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 9

zibeline • \ZIB-uh-leen\ • noun

: a soft lustrous wool fabric with mohair, alpaca or camel's hair

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 8

deem • \DEEM\ • verb

1 : to come to think or judge : consider

2 : to have an opinion : believe

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 7

collop • \KAH-lup\ • noun

1 : a small piece or slice especially of meat

2 : a fold of fat flesh

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 6

lapidary • \LAP-uh-dair-ee\ • noun

1 : a cutter, polisher or engraver of precious stones usually other than diamonds

2 : the art of cutting gems

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 5

volte-face • \vawlt-FAHSS\ • noun

: a reversel in policy : about-face

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 4

raffish • \RAF-ish\ • adjective

1 : marked by or suggestive of flashy vulgarity or crudeness

2 : marked by a careless unconventionality : rakish

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 3

declension • \dih-KLEN-shun\ • noun

1 a : noun, adjective or pronoun inflection especially in some prescribed order of the forms

b : a class of nouns or adjectives having the same type of inflectional forms

2 : a falling off or away : deterioration

3 : descent, slope

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 2

enigmatic • \en-ig-MAT-ik\ • adjective

: of, relating to, or resembling an enigma : mysterious

inspired by Merriam-Webster's "Word of the Day"

March 1

acceptation • \ak-sep-TAY-shun\• noun

1 : acceptance; especially : favorable reception or approval

2 : a generally accepted meaning of a word or understanding of a concept