Word of the Day
perspicuity
noun
clearness or lucidity, as of a statement.
Why Dictionary.com chose perspicuity
More about perspicuity
- Perspicuity comes from the Latin word perspicuitās, “transparency; clarity,” and dates back to 1470–80.
- A related word, perspicacity, meaning “keen vision” and later “keenness of mental perception and understanding,” entered English in 1540–50 from the Late Latin word perspicācitās, “sharpness of sight,” which also gave us the adjective perspicacious.
- Also related, perspicuous, “clearly expressed or presented,” came from the Latin word perspicuus, which means “transparent, clearly visible,” and entered English around 1570-80.
EXAMPLES OF PERSPICUITY
- The author’s use of simple language enhanced the perspicuity of her argument, making it accessible to readers of all backgrounds.
- The lawyer presented their case with remarkable perspicuity, leaving no room for doubt in the minds of the jury.
vibe
noun
a general feeling or sensation that someone gets or has about something.
Why Dictionary.com chose vibe
This year, one of the top lookups at Dictionary.com was the word vibe, the current go-to term—along with the plural vibes—for talking about the overall feel of a situation or person. Which got us thinking: Is there a word that best represents the culture vibe we collectively experienced in 2023? And so, for the first time, we’ve chosen a Vibe of the Year. (In addition to our traditional Word of the Year.) Watch below to find out more!
More about vibe
- Vibe is an Americanism that dates back to 1965–70.
- Vibe in the highlighted sense is often used in the plural as in, good vibes.
- Vibe was created by shortening the word vibration(s) in the sense of “instinctive feelings supposedly influencing human communication,” perhaps most famously used in the popular 1966 Beach Boys song, “Good Vibrations.”
EXAMPLES OF VIBE
- Watching the sunrise, they contemplated embracing a more relaxed vibe in the coming year.
- As soon as she entered the art gallery, a sense of calm and tranquility washed over her, giving her peaceful vibes.
Find out what Dictionary.com chose as the 2023 Vibe of the Year!
boilerplate
noun
the detailed standard wording of a contract or warranty.
Why Dictionary.com chose boilerplate
More about boilerplate
- Boilerplate, also spelled boiler plate, was first recorded in 1855–60.
- Boilerplate is a combination of boiler, “a vessel for boiling and heating,” and plate, “a flat or curved sheet of metal.”
- Boilerplate was originally used to refer to the plates made for boilers.
- The use of boilerplate to refer to reusable text is likely based on the fact that the first boilerplate text was stamped into the metal to be used in the printing press.
- Now boilerplates are used in all kinds of documents for all kinds of industries, most notably journalism and computer programming.
EXAMPLES OF BOILERPLATE
- The warranty for the product had a section that was all boilerplate, outlining its limitations and exclusions.
- The company’s terms and conditions included a boilerplate clause that protected their intellectual property rights.