Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2024 is: menorah • \muh-NOR-uh\  • noun A menorah is a candelabra with seven or nine lights that is used in Jewish worship. // At sundown on the first night of Hanukkah, Elliott's father helped him light the first candle on the menorah. See the entry > Examples: "Rich with history and laced with just a bit of latke grease, Hanukkah is a time for Jews to gather with family and friends and retell a fabled story of resistance. While certain symbols of the holiday like the menorah (a decorative candelabra) and the dreidel (a four-sided spinning top) may be more easily recognizable in popular culture, there is plenty more to learn about Hanukkah and why it is celebrated." — Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 7 Dec. 2023 Did you know? In English, menorah was originally the name for the seven-branched candelabra used in Jewish worship. The nine-branched Hanukkah candelabra is called hanukkiah in Hebrew, but English speakers came to use menorah for this too. The Hanukkah menorah recalls expulsion by Judah Maccabee of invading forces from the Temple of Jerusalem. Maccabee and his followers sought oil for the temple’s menorah so that the sanctuary could be rededicated, but they found only enough oil for a single day. Miraculously, that tiny amount of oil burned for eight days, until a new supply could be obtained. The Hanukkah menorah includes a candle for each day the oil burned, plus the shammes, a "servant candle" that is used to light the others.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 25, 2024 is: evergreen • \EV-er-green\  • adjective Evergreen in its figurative uses describes something, such as a plot, that retains its freshness or interest over a long period of time, or something, such as an issue or concern, that is universally and continually relevant. In botany, evergreen describes foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. // For their first pick of the new year, the book club chose an evergreen self-help book. // Some of the most popular evergreen trees used as Christmas trees are balsam fir, Fraser fir, and Norway spruce. See the entry > Examples: “‘... My hope and my assumption is ... that this movie is an evergreen story about cousins who are trying to experience something very personal.... You can’t predict the context that will surround the thing you wrote two years ago, so it would be foolish to attempt to make some kind of commentary on a world that is ever-changing.’” — Jesse Eisenberg, quoted in The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024 Did you know? O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum: as you are one of the most universally recognized symbols for both the secular and religious observances of Christmas, decorating your lovely branches is an evergreen tradition in two ways. First, because you are almost always an evergreen tree, aka a conifer (such as a fir, spruce, or pine) whose foliage remains green through more than one growing season. Second, because bringing an evergreen into one’s home in late December is an evergreen tradition: one that has occurred perennially, or yearly, since at least the 16th century, when people in what is now Germany used evergreens to celebrate December 24th, the feast day of Adam and Eve. The adjective evergreen is older than its noun counterpart; it was first used literally to describe trees and their foliage, then later took on the figurative senses of “perennial” and “continually relevant.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 24, 2024 is: wassail • \WAH-sul\  • verb To wassail is to sing carols (popular songs or ballads of religious joy) from house to house at Christmas; the verb is usually used in the phrase "go wassailing." As a noun, wassail can refer to (among other things) a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, as well as spices, sugar, and usually baked apples. Wassail is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime. // Every year at Christmastime the magazine publishes a recipe for the traditional drink served to those who go wassailing and may appear at one's doorstep. See the entry > Examples: "As early as the 13th century, people in England would travel between houses to go wassailing and wish their neighbors well during the winter months." — The Cedar County (Missouri) Republican & Stockton Journal, 20 Dec. 2023 Did you know? This season, you might hear (or sing) the Christmas carol that begins, "Here we come a-wassailing / among the leaves so green." As is holiday tradition, you will wonder: what in the world is "a-wassailing?" In fact, wassailing is an old custom that goes back to the 1300s. The verb wassail comes from the noun wassail, which dates to the 1200s and was first used to refer to an Old English custom of hospitality. In medieval England, a courteous host would offer a cup to a guest and toast them with the salutation wæs hæil, or "be in good health." The guest would accept the cup and respond with drinc hæil, "drink in good health." Soon, wassail was also being applied to the party at which the wassail was offered, as well as the actual drink passed around. By the 1400s, it was used to refer specifically to a drink served at Christmastime. As the drink became associated with yuletide, wassailing itself changed. The meaning of the verb wassail as it shows up in the carol refers to going around, caroling, and wishing those you visit good health and holiday cheer.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 23, 2024 is: delectation • \dee-lek-TAY-shun\  • noun Delectation is a formal word for a feeling of delight or enjoyment. It can also be used to refer to the source of such feelings. // The resort staff left a sampling of fine chocolate in our room for our delectation. // For lovers of art and architecture, Paris offers visitors a peerless abundance of delectations. See the entry > Examples: “Accept and appreciate the preferences of others. If you want to be a ‘good’ wine snob, work on ‘tasting through someone else's mouth.’ Who knows, you may have an epiphanic moment and discover a whole new lane of delectation—maybe you will find something you like that you did not expect to like.” — Gus Clemens, The Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal, 9 Oct. 2024 Did you know? Pleasure, delight, and enjoyment are all synonyms for the agreeable emotion that comes with the possession or expectation of something good or greatly desired. Why, then, use delectation, that not-so-familiar synonym? Because, as with most synonym groups, each word has its own subtle distinctions. More than all the others, delectation carries a whiff of beyond-the-usual amusement, indulgence, or deliciousness. If a treat is offered to you for your delectation, it is likely something worth taking time to savor. Just as delight and pleasure can refer not only to an emotion but also to the object or experience responsible for it (as in “her new song is an absolute delight” and “it’s been a pleasure”), so can delectation. A tropical resort, for example, may offer vacationers an array of delectations—from poolside lounging to fancy cocktails.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 22, 2024 is: ambient • \AM-bee-unt\  • adjective In technical use, ambient describes things—such as air quality or light in a room—that exist or are present on all sides. Ambient is also used to describe electronic music that is quiet and relaxing, with melodies that repeat many times. // The chemicals must be kept at an ambient temperature of 70°F. See the entry > Examples: “Many New Yorkers revel in the city’s ambient rumble—the thump of a bass echoing between buildings, the slap of domino tiles on a card table, the growl of off-road bikes rushing down the block.” — Yessenia Funes, Curbed, 11 Aug. 2023 Did you know? Biologists explore the effects of ambient light on plants; acoustics experts try to control ambient sound; and meteorologists monitor the temperature of ambient air. All this can make ambient seem like a technical term, but when it first saw light of day, that all-encompassing adjective was as likely to be used in poetry as in science, as when Alexander Pope wrote of a mountain “whose tow’ring summit ambient clouds conceal’d.” Both poets and scientists use ambient today to describe things that surround—that is, exist on all sides of—someone or something. And by “all” we mean all. One would not likely describe someone sitting in the middle of their lawn as being amid “ambient grass,” for example. Ambient, which comes from the Latin verb ambīre meaning “to surround, encircle, or embrace,” most often describes things—such as noise or humidity—that are all around someone, from top to bottom.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 21, 2024 is: testimonial • \tess-tuh-MOH-nee-ul\  • noun A testimonial is a written or spoken statement in which a person says they used a product or service and liked it, or that they appreciate someone's work, skill, character, etc. Testimonial is also used as a synonym of evidence and testimony. // The website is full of testimonials from satisfied customers. // The book's popularity is a testimonial to its timeliness. See the entry > Examples: "To commemorate their successful journey in the sport, the team released a heartfelt tribute video featuring testimonials from team members sharing their fondest memories." — Lydia Mee, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 Did you know? In 1639, Scottish poet William Drummond responded to the politics of his day with a cheeky set of new laws, including one stipulating that "no man wear a ... periwig, unless he have a testimonial from a town-clerk, that he is either bald, sickly, or asham'd of white hairs." Testimonials take different forms, but always, like in Drummond's facetious law, they provide affirmation or evidence. (Testimonial traces to Latin testimonium, meaning "evidence" or "witness.") In the 19th century, testimonial developed a new use, referring to a tribute—that is, a gift presented as a public expression of appreciation. Today, testimonial is most often used to refer to a statement—such as one posted on any number of websites devoted to consumer reviews—that endorses a product or service.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 20, 2024 is: beatific • \bee-uh-TIFF-ik\  • adjective Beatific is a formal word that describes something or someone having a blissful appearance or showing complete happiness. // As the pair danced, beatific smiles on their faces, the audience sat hushed and almost reverential. See the entry > Examples: “Most vividly, there was Tracy Chapman, back on the Grammys stage after years out of the spotlight to sing ‘Fast Car,’ her gentle yet resolute anthem of self-determination, alongside Luke Combs, the country star who had a huge hit last year with a cover of the decades-old song. As Chapman sang and played guitar, she looked satisfied, serene, almost beatific.” — Mikael Wood, The Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2024 Did you know? When it comes to bliss-themed words, it’s hard to beat beatific. Since the 17th century, beatific has been all about that other b-word, first describing things that impart a feeling of complete and utter happiness, and later those beings with a blissful appearance. Not a bad gig if you can get it. Beatific comes from the Latin adjective beātificus, which means “making happy,” and can be traced further back to the verb beāre, meaning “to make happy.” Bliss, of course, is more like happiness cubed, so beatific tends to be used in formal speech and writing, and reserved for situations where happy itself doesn’t quite cut the mustard. A beatific smile, for example, is one that suggests its wearer is content on a deeper-than-ordinary level, while a beatific location—say, a tranquil tropical lagoon or a majestic mountain—is one that instills such pervasive joy in its beholder.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 19, 2024 is: requite • \rih-KWYTE\  • verb To requite is to give or do something in return for something that another person has given or done, or for a benefit or service that has been provided. // Sam was worried that the feelings she’d expressed on her date were not requited, but was relieved and overjoyed to learn that they were. See the entry > Examples: “I had attracted the interest of some boys ... but mostly, I wrote short stories about my crushes. The girls who summered on Nantucket and eschewed carbs? Their crushes were requited.” — Amy Kaufman, The Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 Did you know? Requite is most familiar in the phrase “unrequited love.” Love that has not been requited is love that has not been returned or paid back in kind. Indeed, the idea of repayment undergirds all the senses of the verb requite, which include the most common sense of “to repay” (usually applied to amorous affection or feeling), “to avenge,” and “to make suitable return to for a benefit or service, or for an injury.” The quite in requite is a now-obsolete English verb meaning “to make full payment of” or “to pay.” (The verb's ultimate root is Latin quietus, meaning “quiet; at rest.”) This quite is also related to the English verb quit, the oldest meanings of which include “to pay up” and “to set free.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 18, 2024 is: qualm • \KWAHM\  • noun A qualm is a feeling of doubt or uncertainty about whether one is doing the right thing, or whether something is right or proper. Qualm is often used in its plural form, as in “I have no qualms with that decision.” // Elena’s parents had no qualms about her organizing a dinner party for her three closest friends. See the entry > Examples: “Pinkerton agents had few qualms about what we consider ethical standards in law enforcement today. Pinkertons lied, bribed (and took bribes), flipped sides for the right price, harassed and intimidated workers.” — Russell Cobb, Ghosts of Crook County: An Oil Fortune, a Phantom Child, and the Fight for Indigenous Land, 2024 Did you know? We're not sure how qualm came to be (it may be related to a similar German word), but we know this word was originally used to refer to a sudden sick feeling, such as nausea or faintness, and then for a sudden attack of usually disturbing emotion, such as grief or doubt. Both these senses are still in use: a person may be described, for example, as experiencing a qualm of nausea or a qualm of fear. These days, though, you’re most likely to hear qualm used in its newest sense, referring to a feeling of uneasiness, particularly about whether a person is following their conscience or better judgment. You’re especially likely to hear this sense of qualm used in negative statements, such as “We have no qualms about telling you what sort of things the word qualm does.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 17, 2024 is: lexical • \LEK-sih-kul\  • adjective To describe something as lexical is to say that it is related to words or vocabulary. // A dictionary provides lexical information—it tells you what the word "cat" means, not all there is to know about cats. See the entry > Examples: "From his [artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's] lyrical brushstrokes to his lexical compositions, music is imbued even when the reference is subtle or ambiguous. There are obvious portraits of jazz greats and song titles in many works, while others force a more discerning gaze." — Natasha Gural, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023 Did you know? The word lexical and its relatives have a special place in our hearts (and in our dictionaries). In addition to referring to one's personal vocabulary, lexicon can be used as a synonym of dictionary, and the word lexicography refers to the practice of making dictionaries. Both of these words, as well as lexical, come from the Greek word lexis, meaning "word" or "speech." So, if you’re considering a lexical—that is, word-related—career as a wordsmith or, say, a lexicographer, you may want to add these terms to your lexicon.