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Word of the Day

Word of the day

mawkish

[ maw-kish ] [ ˈmɔ kɪʃ ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

characterized by sickly sentimentality; weakly emotional; maudlin.

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Why Dictionary.com chose mawkish

More about mawkish

  • Mawkish was first recorded around 1660–70.
  • Mawkish comes from the obsolete word mawk, meaning “maggot.”
  • Maggot, “a soft-bodied, legless larva of certain flies,” comes from the Old Norse word for grub, mathkr.
  • Maggot also has an obsolete sense, “an odd fancy; whim,” as in “You have nonsense maggots in your head!”

EXAMPLES OF MAWKISH

  • The overly sentimental speech at the wedding struck a mawkish chord with many attendees.
  • The novel’s ending was disappointingly mawkish, relying too heavily on clichéd romantic tropes.
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Word of the day

seriatim

[ seer-ee-ey-tim, ser- ] [ ˌsɪər iˈeɪ tɪm, ˌsɛr- ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adverb

in a series; one after another.

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Why Dictionary.com chose seriatim

More about seriatim

  • Seriatim was first recorded in 1670–80.
  • Seriatim comes from the Medieval Latin word seriāt(us), “arranged in order.”
  • The –im ending creates the adverb form.
  • The related word, series, ultimately comes from the Latin verb serere, “to connect.”

EXAMPLES OF SERIATIM

  • The professor listed the key points of his lecture seriatim, ensuring that each point was addressed in a systematic manner.
  • The avid reader always tackled her new library book acquisitions seriatim, reading one novel after another without skipping a beat.
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Word of the day

semaphore

[ sem-uh-fohr ] [ ˈsɛm əˌfoʊr ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

a system of signaling, especially a system by which a special flag is held in each hand and various positions of the arms indicate specific letters, numbers, etc.

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Why Dictionary.com chose semaphore

More about semaphore

  • Semaphore was first recorded in 1810–20.
  • Semaphore comes from the French word sémaphore, from the Greek word sêma, “sign,” and –phore, from the Greek form –phoros, “bearing.”
  • Other words ending in –phore include ionophore, “a substance capable of transmitting ions through cell membranes,” and aerophore, “a portable device filled with compressed air.”

EXAMPLES OF SEMAPHORE

  • With a well-coordinated semaphore display, the scout effectively transmitted vital information to the rest of the team.
  • Using semaphore, the sailor signaled the approaching ship by holding her arms in precise positions, forming letters and numbers.
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