Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 07, 2009 is:

sanction • \SANK-shun\  • verb
1 : to make valid or binding usually by a formal procedure (as ratification) *2 : to give effective or authoritative approval or consent to

Example sentence:
The parks committee was willing to sanction the consumption but not the sale of alcohol on park premises.

Did you know?
"Sanction" can also be a noun meaning "authoritative approval" or "a coercive measure." The noun entered English first, in the 15th century, and originally referred to a formal decree, especially an ecclesiastical decree. (The Latin "sancire," meaning "to make holy," is an ancestor.) By the end of the 17th century, the meaning of the noun "sanction" had extended to refer to both a means of enforcing a law (a sense that in the 20th century we began using especially for economic penalties against nations violating international law) and the process of formally approving or ratifying a law. When the verb "sanction" appeared in the 18th century, it had to do with ratifying laws as well. Soon it had also acquired an additional, looser sense: "to approve."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 06, 2009 is:

candor • \KAN-der\  • noun
1 : whiteness, brilliance 2 : freedom from prejudice or malice : fairness *3 : unreserved, honest, or sincere expression : forthrightness

Example sentence:
When the job applicant admitted to some indiscretions in his past, the interviewer thanked him for his candor.

Did you know?
The origins of "candor" shine through in its first definition. "Candor" traces back to the Latin verb "candēre" ("to shine or glow"), which in turn derives from the same ancient root that gave the Welsh language "can," meaning "white," and the Sanskrit language "candati," which translates to "it shines." Other descendants of "candēre" in English include "candid," "incandescent," "candle," and the somewhat less common "candent" and "candescent" (both of which are synonyms of "incandescent" in the sense of "glowing from or as if from great heat"). There is even "excandescence ," an uncommon word that refers to a feverish condition brought on by anger or passion.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 05, 2009 is:

elysian • \ih-LIZH-un\  • adjective, often capitalized
1 : of or relating to Elysium *2 : blissful, delightful

Example sentence:
"The summer, in some climates, makes possible to man a sort of Elysian life." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden)

Did you know?
In classical mythology Elysium, also known as the Elysian Fields, was the paradise reserved for the heroes immortalized by the gods. Ancient Greek poets imagined it as the abode of the blessed after death. The first known use of the place-name as a word for a blissful state enjoyed by mere mortals is found in Shakespeare's Henry V. Following the Bard, many other writers over the centuries have used "Elysium," as well as "Elysian Fields," to refer to paradisiacal places or states. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) was the first to summon "Elysian" as an adjective for the blissful quality emanating from such places.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 04, 2009 is:

lollygag • \LAH-lee-gag\  • verb
: to spend time idly, aimlessly, or foolishly : dawdle

Example sentence:
"Please stop lollygagging around and get ready for school," pleaded Mom.

Did you know?
You certainly didn't want to be known as a "lollygagger" at the beginning of the 20th century. Back then, "lollygag" was slang for "fooling around" (sexually, that is). That sense of "lollygag" was in use as long ago as 1868, and it probably originated as an alteration of the older (and more dawdlingly innocent) "lallygag." Nowadays, "lollygag" doesn't usually carry such naughty connotations, but back in 1946, one Navy captain considered lollygagging enough of a problem to issue this stern warning: "Lovemaking and lollygagging are hereby strictly forbidden.... The holding of hands, osculation and constant embracing of WAVES [Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service], corpsmen or civilians and sailors or any combination of male and female personnel is a violation of naval discipline...."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 03, 2009 is:

tocsin • \TOCK-sin\  • noun
1 : an alarm bell or the ringing of it *2 : a warning signal

Example sentence:
A coalition of parents was sounding the tocsin for the school music program -- if voters didn't approve a tax increase, the program was sure to be axed.

Did you know?
Although it has occasionally been spelled like its homonym "toxin," "tocsin" has nothing to do with poison. Rather, it is related through French, and ultimately Latin, to the English words "touch" and "signal." "Tocsin" long referred to the ringing of church bells to signal events of importance to local villagers, including dangerous events such as attacks. Its use was eventually broadened to cover anything that signals danger or trouble.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 02, 2009 is:

aphorism • \AF-uh-riz-um\  • noun
1 : a concise statement of a principle *2 : a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment : adage

Example sentence:
Through his work as a radio broadcaster, Ted has entertained countless listeners with his feel-good stories and his pithy, down-home aphorisms.

Did you know?
"Aphorism" was originally used in the world of medicine. Credit Hippocrates, the Greek physician regarded as the father of modern medicine, with influencing our use of the word. He used "aphorismos" (a Greek ancestor of "aphorism" meaning "definition" or "aphorism") in titling a book outlining his principles on the diagnosis and treatment of disease. That volume offered many examples that helped to define aphorism, beginning with the statement that starts the book's introduction: "Life is short, Art long, Occasion sudden and dangerous, Experience deceitful, and Judgment difficult." English speakers originally used the term mainly in the realm of the physical sciences, but eventually broadened its use to cover principles in other fields.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 01, 2009 is:

frigorific • \frig-uh-RIFF-ik\  • adjective
: causing cold : chilling

Example sentence:
Jamie shivered as she faced the frigorific blast of wind blowing off the lake.

Did you know?
The chill in "frigorific" comes from "frigus," the Latin word for "frost" or "cold." ("Frigorific" is derived from Latin "frigorificus," the adjective form of "frigus.") "Frigus" has provided us with other icy words as well. It is the source of "refrigerate" ("to keep cold"), and also of the combining form "frigo-" ("cold") and the noun "frigorimeter" ("a thermometer designed for low temperatures"), both of which are primarily scientific and somewhat rare. "Frigus" is also related to the ancestors of "frigid" ("intensely cold"). "Frigorific" is a relatively unusual word and is used considerably less often than its relatives "refrigerate" and "frigid."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 31, 2008 is:

zany • \ZAY-nee\  • noun
1 : a subordinate clown or acrobat in old comedies who mimics ludicrously the tricks of the principal 2 : one who acts the buffoon to amuse others *3 : a foolish, eccentric, or crazy person

Example sentence:
My brother's friends are an unpredictable bunch of zanies.

Did you know?
Zanies have been theatrical buffoons since the heyday of the Italian commedia dell’arte, which introduced those knavish clowns. The Italian "zanni" was a stock servant character, often an intelligent and proud valet with abundant common sense, a love of practical jokes, and a tendency to be quarrelsome, cowardly, envious, vindictive, and treacherous. Zanni, the Italian name for the character, comes from a dialect nickname for Giovanni, the Italian form of John. The character quickly spread throughout European theater circles, inspiring such familiar characters as Pierrot and Harlequin, and by the late 1500s an anglicized version of the noun “zany” was introduced to English-speaking audiences by no less a playwright than William Shakespeare (in Loveas Labouras Lost).

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 30, 2008 is:

frieze • \FREEZ\  • noun
1 : the part of an entablature between the architrave and the cornice 2 : a sculptured or richly ornamented band (as on a building or piece of furniture) *3 : a band, line, or series suggesting a frieze

Example sentence:
"The house commands a hilltop and is forbidding, imposing, but softened with a frieze of beautiful American elms." (Lady Bird Johnson, A White House Diary)

Did you know?
Today's word is not the only "frieze" in English. The other "frieze" refers to a kind of heavy wool fabric. Both of the "frieze" homographs derive from French, but each entered that language through a different channel. The woolen homograph is from the Middle Dutch word "vriese," which also refers to coarse wool. The "frieze" that we are featuring as our word today is from the Latin word "frisium," meaning "embroidered cloth." That word evolved from "phrygium" and "Phrygia," the name of an ancient country of Asia Minor whose people excelled in metalwork, wood carving, and (unsurprisingly) embroidery. That embroidery lineage influenced the use of "frieze" for the middle division of an entablature, which commonly has a decorated surface resembling embroidered cloth.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 29, 2008 is:

trepid • \TREP-id\  • adjective
: timorous, fearful

Example sentence:
After dark, the less trepid among us would venture as far as the front porch of the empty house, where the smallest creak would send us screaming.

Did you know?
Don't be afraid to use "trepid." After all, it has been in the English language for more than 350 years -- longer, by 30 years, than its antonym "intrepid." "Trepid" (from Latin "trepidus," meaning "alarmed" or "agitated") isn't used as much as "intrepid," but it can be a good word at times. Bill Kaufman, for example, found a use for it in a May 7, 2000 Newsday article, in which an aquarium volunteer is "asked if she is perhaps a little trepid about swimming with sharks in a 12-foot deep, 120,000 gallon tank." (Her fearless reply: "Not really.") The more intrepid among you might even consider using "trepidate" for "to tremble with fear" and "trepidant," meaning "timid" or "trembling." These are uncommon words, granted, but they haven't breathed their last.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 28, 2008 is:

yokel • \YOH-kul\  • noun
: a naive or gullible inhabitant of a rural area or small town

Example sentence:
"I was trying to get off the subway," complained Amy, "but some befuddled yokels were blocking the door, trying to figure out if this was their stop."

Did you know?
The origins of "yokel" are uncertain, but it might have come from the dialectal English word "yokel," meaning "green woodpecker." Other words for supposedly naive country folk are "chawbacon" (from "chaw," meaning "chew," and "bacon"), "hayseed" (which has obvious connections to country life), and "clodhopper" (indicating a clumsy, heavy-footed rustic). But city slickers don't always have the last word: rural folk have had their share of labels for city-dwellers too. One simple example from current use is the often disparaging use of the adjective "citified." A more colorful (albeit historical) example is "cockney," which literally means "cock's egg," or more broadly "misshapen egg." In the past, this word often designated a spoiled or foppish townsman -- as opposed to the sturdy countryman, that is.