THURSDAY, MARCH 26

Valediction

[val-ih-DIK-shən]Part of speech: 

: latin, mid-17th century

• The action of saying farewell.
• The word or phrase used to close out a letter before the signature.

Examples of Valediction in a sentence

• Make sure to give your mother a valediction before you leave for the weekend.
• I always struggle with choosing an appropriate valediction for emails to my boss.

About Valediction

There’s valediction (the act of saying farewell), valedictorian (the student chosen to deliver a farewell address at a commencement ceremony), and valedictory, which is the noun for that speech, or an adjective describing something of a farewell nature.

Did you Know?

If you’re a regular at church, you’ll know the benediction is the blessing given at the end of the service. Valediction has a similar Latin etymology. “Bene” in Latin is to wish well or bless. “Vale” is goodbye and “dicere” is to say. Benediction or valediction — depending on the context — are both appropriate ways to say goodbye.

MONDAY, MARCH 23

Dally

[DAL-ee]Part of speech: verb

Origin: old french, 15th century

• Act or move slowly.
• Have a casual romantic liaison with.

Examples of Dally in a sentence

• I was enjoying the spring weather so much that I dallied on my way back to the office.
• He’s not looking for a serious relationship, but he has been known to dally with a new romance.

About Dally

Here’s a handy little verb with two different definitions. You probably won’t dally if you’re going to dally with someone. If you’re dallying (having a casual romantic relationship), there’s not a long courtship, so you won’t dally (delay) going on a few dates.

Did you Know?

In Old French, “dailer” meant to chat. As the word progressed into English it adopted the definition of moving slowly — or to have a romantic entanglement. There is a connecting thread here. You might waste time by having a leisurely chat, and that conversation could lead to romance — all forms of dallying.

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

Infinitesimal

[in-fin-ih-TIS-ə-məl]Part of speech: adjective

Origin: latin, mid-17th century

• Extremely small.
• Too small to be measured.

Examples of Infinitesimal in a sentence

• The weatherman said there's an infinitesimal chance it will rain today, but I'm still taking my jacket.
• Infinitesimal traces of chicken fell on the floor, but my dog immediately smelled them.

About Infinitesimal

As an adjective, infinitesimal means incredibly small — or in a technical sense, too small to be measured by standard means. But it can also be used as a noun to describe an amount. In this sense it’s mostly used by mathematicians, as the concept that a number or quantity can be divided endlessly into smaller fractions, or infinitesimals.

Did you Know?

You might recognize the word infinite at the start of this long word, but it’s not used to refer to endlessly long numbers. Instead, infinitesimal is a description of very small size. There may be an infinite number of fish in the ocean, but a single speck of plankton is infinitesimal.

This one is a pleasant diversion from the present situation...

TUESDAY, MARCH 17

Nosegay

[NOHZ-gey]Part of speech: noun

Origin: middle english, 15th century

• A small bunch of flowers, typically one that is sweet-scented.
• A gift of a small bouquet of flowers.

Examples of Nosegay in a sentence

• Her daughter picked a nosegay that was mostly weeds, but she still loved it.
• Each of the bridesmaids received a small nosegay wrapped in lace.

About Nosegay

Nosegay is a uniquely English term. Nose is, well, nose, and gay meant ornament in the 15th century. You could technically call the sparkly stud in your nostril a nosegay, but we'll stick to a small bouquet of flowers. Stay traditional and wrap it in a doily or even a silver nosegay holder.

Did you Know?

While today a nosegay is a small bunch of flowers often used at weddings, it used to be a common and useful accessory. In the 15th century hygiene wasn't up to our modern standards, and people were quite a bit smellier. A sweetly scented nosegay held to the face helped to avoid the most noxious aromas.

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

Wangle

[WANG-ɡəl]Part of speech: verb

Origin: unknown, late 19th century

• Manage to obtain (something) by persuading or cleverly manipulating someone.
• Manipulate a situation in your favor.

Examples of Wangle in a sentence

• She was desperate to wangle an invitation to the exclusive party.
• If you can wangle it, we have room in the car for one more.

About Wangle

The origin of wangle is unknown because it doesn’t seem to be inspired by another language, but that’s not to say we don’t know where it started. “Wangler'' was printer’s slang in the 19th century, meaning to fake. Wangle came to be used outside of the print shop to refer to any kind of manipulation.

Did you Know?

Wangle is a fun bit of slang to describe coercion or manipulation, but it had largely fallen out of use. That is until J.K. Rowling slipped it into “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” If a word is good enough for the Minister of Magic, it deserves to wangle its way back into our vocabulary.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13

Crinkum-crankum

[KRING-kəm-KRANG-kəm]Part of speech: noun

Origin: english, mid-18th century

• Elaborate decoration or detail.
• Something full of twists and turns.

Examples of Crinkum-crankum in a sentence

• I love Victorian architecture with the woodwork overflowing with crinkum-crankum.
• The reviews of the latest book in the mystery series promised a tale filled with crinkum-crankum.

About Crinkum-crankum

They all sound quite silly, but only tilly-willy is a made-up word. Crinkum-crankum describes something elaborately detailed. Hodgepodge is a confused mixture, and a bumbershoot is an umbrella.

Did you Know?

It might sound like a nonsense word, but it has roots in very real terms. It’s an alteration of crinkle, meaning a wrinkle or crease on the surface of something, and crankle, which comes from the Latin word “crincum.” It means a bend or twist. Crinkum-crankum is just a fun way to describe something delightfully elaborate.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

Hypnagogic

[hip-nə-GAH-jik]Part of speech: adjective

Origin: french, late 19th century

• Relating to the state immediately before falling asleep.
• Encouraging sleep.

Examples of Hypnagogic in a sentence

• He listened to instrumental music to relax into a hypnagogic state. 
• My mom always told me warm milk was hypnagogic, but I've never felt sleepy after drinking it.

About Hypnagogic

This word might look familiar to you because of its trancelike cousins. The Greek root “hypn” means sleep, so it’s applicable for the adjective hypnagogic, and also the noun hypnosis and the verb hypnotize.

Did you Know?

The hypnagogic state is the hazy transitional period from awake to asleep. You might cruise on into slumber, or you could experience a mental disturbance.

MONDAY, MARCH 9

Gambol

[GAM-bəl]Part of speech: verb

Origin: italian, early 16th century

• Run or jump about playfully.
• (British English) Do a forward roll.

Examples of Gambol in a sentence

• I love watching the squirrels gambol and play when I take my lunch in the park.
• The gymnastics routine included a gambol and two cartwheels.

About Gambol

Gambol can be used as both a verb and a noun. As a verb you’re skipping and frisking about, without a care in the world. When you want to give a name to those movements, gambol is used as a noun. The same verb/noun distinction applies to the British sense of gambol, which concerns a forward roll.

Did you Know?

The French word “gambade” originally meant the frolicking prances of a horse. When gambol moved over to English, the playful jumps were applied to humans and equines alike.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

Edacious

[ə-DAY-shəs]Part of speech: adjective

Origin: latin, early 19th century

• Relating to or given to eating.
• Having an insatiable appetite

Examples of Edacious in a sentence

• Her priority was planning the edacious elements of the party.
• She knew her edacious uncle would eat at least twice as much as any other guest.

About Edacious

If edacious is an adjective to describe the insatiable quality of a hunger, then edacity is the noun given to that particular desire. English language construction rules give us a few options to apply to Latin roots. A word ending in “-ious” will most likely be an adjective, and “-ity” words will be your nouns.

Did you Know?

This hungry adjective comes from the Latin word “edax” (gluttonous), coming from the verb “edere,” which means to eat. Edacious went through a similar transition, as initially it meant anything related to eating, but it evolved to specifically imply a voracious, devouring appetite.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5

Frontispiece

[FRUHN-tiss-pees]Part of speech: noun

Origin: latin, late 16th century

• An illustration facing the title page of a book.
• (Architecture) The principal face of a building.

Examples of Frontispiece in a sentence

• The special edition includes a frontispiece drawn by the author's husband.
• We're hoping to raise enough money to repair the frontispiece of the old headquarters.

About Frontispiece

The noun frontispiece has a few applications, all relating to the, well, front of something. In a book it's the illustrated page in front of the title page. In architecture it's the front of a building. When you're using a word as fancy as frontispiece, you can expect the illustration or design to be pretty elaborate and ornamental.

Did you Know?

The Latin word "frontispicium" means facade. It was originally used in architecture to describe elaborately carved entrances. The publishing industry began to use the term in the 17th century to describe the illustrated page facing the title, because it was at the front, and it usually featured columns and other architectural elements.