Definition : partiality to cronies especially as evidenced in the appointment of political hangers-on to the office without regard to their qualifications Did You Know? “Forsake not

Definition 1: occurring every day 2 a: belonging to each day : everyday b: commonplace, ordinary Did You Know? In William Shakespeare’s play As You Like It, the character Rosalind observes that

Definition : sanction, allow; especially : to approve or confirm officially Did You Know? Who needs homologate? We have any number of words that mean “to officially approve something”: accredit, affirm, approbate, authorize, certify, confirm, endorse, ratify, sanction, validate, and warrant, to

Definition 1 : the side of a coin or currency note bearing the chief device and lettering; broadly : a front or principal surface 2 : a counterpart having the opposite orientation

Definition : sanction, allow; especially : to approve or confirm officially Did You Know? Who needs homologate? We have any number of words that mean “to officially approve something”: accredit, affirm, approbate, authorize, certify, confirm, endorse, ratify, sanction, validate, and warrant, to

Definition 1: serving no useful purpose: completely ineffective 2: occupied with trifles: frivolous Did You Know? Futile broke into 16th-century English as a Latinate borrowing from Middle French. The

Definition : an oven, furnace, or heated enclosure used for processing a substance by burning, firing, or drying Did You Know? The word kiln was kindled in Old

Definition : producing good or helpful results or effects: beneficent Did You Know? Benefic comes from Latin beneficus, which in turn comes from bene (“well”) and facere (“to do”). The word was

Definition 1 a: to seize and hold (office, place, functions, powers, etc.) in possession by force or without the right b: to take or make use

Definition : an excessive or abnormal propensity for lying and exaggerating Did You Know? We wouldn’t lie to you about the history of mythomania. It comes, via

Definition 1 : to act as a decoy especially for a gambler or pitchman 2 : to act as a spokesperson or promoter Did You Know? Someone

Definition 1 a: adhering resolutely to an opinion, purpose, or design b: perversely persistent 2: stubbornly tenacious Did You Know? Remove the first syllable of pertinacious and say what remains

Definition 1: a melodic phrase or figure that accompanies the reappearance of an idea, person, or situation in a music drama 2: a dominant recurring theme Did

Definition 1 dialect: intrigue, conspire 2: to talk privately: confer Did You Know? Collogue has been with us since the 17th century, but beyond that little is known about its

Definition 1 : consisting of or measured in money 2 : of or relating to money Did You Know? Pecuniary first appeared in English in the early 16th

Definition : ancestor, forefather; also: precursor Did You Know? Forebear (also spelled, less commonly, as forbear) was first used by our ancestors in the days of Middle English. Fore- means “coming before,” just

Definition : capable of being perceived or measured Did You Know? Appreciable, like the verb appreciate, comes from the Late Latin verb appretiare (“to appraise” or “to put a

Definition : the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment Did You Know? In 1877, British novelist George Eliot

Definition : heighten, increase; especially : to increase or improve in value, quality, desirability, or attractiveness Did You Know? When enhance was borrowed into English in the 13th century, it literally meant

Definition : any of various nonruminant mammals (such as an elephant, a rhinoceros, or a hippopotamus) of a former group (Pachydermata) that have hooves or nails resembling hooves

Definition 1: exceeding reasonable limits: immoderate 2 archaic: disorderly, unregulated Did You Know? At one time, if something was “inordinate,” it did not conform to the expected or desired

Definition 1 a: of a serpentine or wavy form: winding b: marked by strong lithe movements 2: intricate, complex Did You Know? Although it probably makes you think more

Definition 1: a glove is worn with medieval armor to protect the hand 2: any of various protective gloves used especially in the industry 3: an

Definition 1: to choose not to do or have something: to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice 2: to choose not

Definition : marked by uncontrollable exuberance: unruly Did You Know? Rambunctious first appeared in print in the early half of the 19th century, at a time when the

Definition : something that softens or soothes Did You Know? Emollient derives from the present participle of the Latin verb emollire, which, unsurprisingly, means “to soften or soothe.” Emollire,

Definition : tedious, wearisome Did You Know? Operose comes from the Latin operōsus, which has the meaning of “diligent,” “painstaking” or “laborious.” That word combines opera, meaning “activity,” “effort,” or

Definition : favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship Did You Know? During his papacy from 1471–1484, Sixtus IV granted many special favors to members

Definition 1: sideways 2: in a sidling or cautiously indirect manner Did You Know? There’s no reason to be indirect when explaining the etymology of crabwise—we’ll get right to the