Feb 3, 2026 · Learn a new word every day! Follow Merriam-Webster for the most trusted Word of the Day, trending info, word games, and more.

Sep 19, 2024 · Approbation is similar in meaning to approval, and it is also very close to approval etymologically. Both words trace back to the Latin verb approbare, which means “to prove” or “to …

If witnessing a display of adulation reminds you of a dog panting after its beloved person, you’ve picked up adulation’s etymological “scent”; the word ultimately comes from the Latin verb adūlārī,

Aug 7, 2025 · Adjudicate, which is usually used to mean “to make an official decision about who is right in a dispute,” is one of several terms that give testimony to the influence of jus, the Latin word for “law,”

Mar 27, 2024 · What It Means In general use, auxiliary describes someone or something available to provide extra help, power, etc., when it is needed. In linguistics, an auxiliary verb (also called a …

Jun 19, 2025 · To emancipate someone (including oneself is to free them from restraint, control, or the power of another, and especially to free them from bondage or enslavement. It follows that the noun

Oct 27, 2024 · While often associated with questionable behavior by the royals of eras past, usurp retains its usefulness today. It’s still typically applied when someone takes power without authority or …

Apr 18, 2024 · A preposition is a word—and almost always a very small, very common word—that shows direction (to in “a letter to you”), location (at in “at the door”), or time (by in “by noon”), or that …

May 23, 2025 · Bastion today usually refers to a metaphorical fortress, a place where an idea, ethos, philosophy, culture, etc. is in some way protected and able to endure. But its oldest meaning …

Jul 13, 2025 · Props to Elton John: sorry really does seem to be the hardest word. But saying it (in something other than a nonapology is an important part of being contrite—that is, feeling or showing …