Monthly Archives: July 2018

Word of the Day July 28, 2018

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widdershins

(wĭd′ər-shĭnz′) or with·er·shins (wĭth′-)

adv.

In a contrary or counterclockwise direction: “The coracle whirled round, clockwise, then widdershins” (Anthony Bailey).
[Middle Low German weddersinnes, from Middle High German widersinnes : wider, back (from Old High German widar; see wi- in Indo-European roots) + sinnes, in the direction of (from sin, direction, from Old High German; see sent- in Indo-European roots).]
CITE: American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Word of the Day- July 14, 2018

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recalcitrant

adj.

1. resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant: a recalcitrant prisoner.
2. hard to deal with, manage, or operate.

n.

3. a recalcitrant person.
[1835–45; < Latin recalcitrant-, s. of recalcitrāns, present participle of recalcitrāre to kick back]
re•cal′ci•trance, re•cal′ci•tran•cy, n.

Word of the Day July 7, 2018

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compunction

n.

1. a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of conscience for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse.
2. any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action; qualm.
[1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Late Latin compūnctiō remorse < Latin compung(ere) to prick severely (com- com– + pungere to prick; compare point)]
com•punc′tious, adj.
com•punc′tious•ly, adv.