Word of the Day
morass
noun
any confusing or troublesome situation, especially one from which it is difficult to free oneself.
learn about the english language
Why Dictionary.com chose morass
More about morass
- Morass entered English in the late 1400s.
- Morass originally came from the Dutch word moeras, an alteration of the word moer, “marsh.”
- Also related to morass are marsh and moor, “a tract of open, peaty, wasteland.”
- Morass acquired its figurative sense in the late 1860s.
- Other fun synonyms for a confusing situation include quagmire, labyrinth, imbroglio, and quandary.
EXAMPLES OF MORASS
- After years of mismanagement, the company found itself in a financial morass, struggling to pay its debts and keep its doors open.
- His failed attempts at fixing his car’s engine only served to deepen the morass of broken parts and tangled wires in the garage.
deep learning
noun
an advanced type of machine learning that uses multilayered neural networks to establish nested hierarchical models for data processing and analysis.
learn about the english language
Why Dictionary.com chose deep learning
More about deep learning
- Deep learning is a subfield of machine learning, in which machines come up with algorithms to solve problems on their own.
- Deep learning refers to when computers are taught to learn more like humans, by example, and to make decisions.
- The word deep refers to the multitude of layers that are constructed in the artificial neural networks.
- Deep learning was first recorded as a term by Rina Dechter in the 1986 conference proceedings of the 5th National Conference on Artificial Intelligence.
EXAMPLES OF DEEP LEARNING
- The dress company implemented an artificial intelligence technique called deep learning to automate the design process.
- The ophthalmologist used a machine that applied deep learning to detect early stages of macular degeneration in her patients’ eyes.
learn about the english language
Why Dictionary.com chose egregious
More about egregious
- Egregious was first recorded in 1525-35.
- Egregious comes from the Latin word ēgregius, which means “preeminent, outstanding.”
- The greg– element in egregious is the stem of grēx, “flock,” such that egregious literally means “standing out from the flock.”
- Another flock-related word is gregarious, which means “fond of the company of others,” or, more literally, “belonging to the flock.”
EXAMPLES OF EGREGIOUS
- The defendant’s egregious behavior in the courtroom shocked everyone present.
- Despite their years of experience, the coach was unable to overlook the players’ egregious mistakes.
Word of the Day Calendar