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Word of the day

antepenultimate

[ an-tee-pi-nuhl-tuh-mit ] [ ˌæn ti pɪˈnʌl tə mɪt ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

third from the end.

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Why Dictionary.com chose antepenultimate

More about antepenultimate

  • Antepenultimate was first recorded in 1670-80.
  • It comes from the Latin word antepaenultima, the second (syllable) from the last, or literally “before the penult.”
  • The penult is the next-to-last syllable in a word. It comes from a contraction of paene ultima, “almost the last.”
  • Taking it to the final step, the ultima is the last syllable in a word and comes from the Latin word ultimus, “farthest.”

EXAMPLES OF ANTEPENULTIMATE

  • The antepenultimate episode of the thrilling TV series kept viewers on the edge of their seats.
  • As the show was winding down, the antepenultimate firework exploded into a dazzling display of colors in the night sky.
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Word of the day

pulchritudinous

[ puhl-kri-tood-n-uhs ] [ ˌpʌl krɪˈtud n əs ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

physically beautiful; comely.

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Why Dictionary.com chose pulchritudinous

More about pulchritudinous

  • Pulchritudinous comes from the Latin word pulchritūdō, meaning “beauty.”
  • Pulchritūdō also gives us pulchritude, meaning “physical beauty,” which was first recorded in the 1400s.
  • Pulchritudinous began to appear in the early 1700s and gained popularity in the 1800s with American authors who started using the word because it was humorously long and overly complicated.
  • Washington Irving employed it in The Crayon Miscellany (1835) alongside other unnecessarily complex words to make fun of an advertisement for ginger ale.

EXAMPLES OF PULCHRITUDINOUS

  • The sunset painted the sky with pulchritudinous hues of pink and gold.
  • The ballerina’s graceful movements were enhanced by her pulchritudinous form.
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Word of the day

bedevil

[ bih-dev-uhl ] [ bɪˈdɛv əl ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

verb

to cause confusion or doubt in.

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Why Dictionary.com chose bedevil

More about bedevil

  • Bedevil, in the featured sense, was first recorded in 1760-70.
  • It was formed from be- (an older prefix for forming verbs) and devil, which was first recorded before 900 and came from Late Latin diabolus.
  • Diabolus itself came from Greek diábolos, “slanderer,” which came from diabállein, “to assault someone’s character,” or literally “to throw across.”

EXAMPLES OF BEDEVIL

  • The complex math problem bedeviled the students, leaving them puzzled and uncertain about the correct solution.
  • The persistent technical glitches in the computer program bedeviled the developers, making it difficult for them to meet their deadline.
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