Fan Favorites: Your Most Liked Words of the Day 2023
This is a list of the top ten Words of the Day that made you learn, laugh, and look up words a little more in 2023
Definition:
to strut or move about in an ostentatious or conspicuous manner
Example:
When New York’s glitterati sashay down the Met Gala red carpet tonight, the fashion will be ultra au courant — after all, this year’s theme pays homage to boundary-pushing designer Karl Lagerfeld.
— Roya Aghighi, Toronto Star (online), May 1, 2023
About the Word:
This word is an alteration of the French borrowing chassé, which refers to a dance step in which the feet slide along the floor, one after the other. It comes from the French verb chasser, meaning "to chase." Sashay was originally used to mean the same thing as chassé but eventually came to be used to simply mean "strut."
Definition:
to treat with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence and attention
Example:
As gardeners face continuing extreme conditions with climate change, TV plantsman Monty Don says he is considering cutting back on plants which need more mollycoddling to survive.
—Shropshire Star, January 6, 2024
About the Word:
The early uses of mollycoddle in the mid-1800s were for a disparaging and now-dated noun: a synonym of wimp. The molly part of mollycoddle is from the nickname for Mary. Coddle is a verb that means "to treat with excessive care or kindness." It's possible that this sense of coddle is connected to caudle, an old curative drink made usually of warm ale or wine mixed with bread or gruel, eggs, sugar, and spices.
Definition:
ridiculous, incredible
Example:
“I think we’re very grateful that we’re both in the business and we can be very understanding to all of the absolutely cockamamie life practices that the performing arts can bring."
— Nick Offerman, quoted in The Toronto Star (online), May 3, 2023
About the Word:
Cockamamie is believed to be an altered form of the term decalcomania, which refers to the process of transferring pictures and designs from paper to surfaces such as glass or porcelain. Another word we get from decalcomania is decal ("a picture, design, or label made to be transferred from specially prepared paper"). In the 1930s decals made to be transferred to the skin (like temporary tattoos) were called cockamamies by children. Because they were thought to be a silly novelty, this use led to cockamamie meaning "ridiculous."
Definition:
to understand profoundly and intuitively
Example:
Over 6,000 developers have been laid off since January 2023. That's a big number that is hard to fully grok.
—Zack Zwiezen, Kotaku, December 20, 2023
About the Word:
Coined by American author Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land, grok has been used by enough people in edited published prose that it earned itself a place in our dictionary. An expanded use of grok in computer programming culture is credited with solidifying the meaning the word has today.
Definition:
having, revealing, or marked by a smug, ingratiating, and false earnestness or spirituality
Example:
Poor Things is the obvious candidate this year, thanks to standout turns from Willem Dafoe as a lovably mad scientist and Ruffalo as an unctuous suitor.
—Vulture, December 8, 2023
About the Word:
Unctuous comes from the Latin verb unguere meaning "to anoint" which is also the root of the word ointment. The negative meaning relating to false or smug earnestness may have come from the fact that ointments are oily, and a person's smug, ingratiating, and false earnestness or spirituality may leave one with an unwelcome residue. The word can also mean "fatty" or "oily."
Definition:
strange or unnatural especially in a way that inspires fear
Example:
Its unique premise doesn't rely on jump scares and eldritch horrors but a psychological journey. Get Out imprints a lingering sense of unease, offering a glimpse beneath our contemporary landscape.
— Matt Livezey, Wealth of Geeks, December 26, 2023
About the Word:
Eldritch, originating in the 16th century, may come from the Middle English word elfriche, meaning “fairyland" or "kingdom of elves.” Synonymous with "eerie," the word can be found in the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, which inspired the popular video game Eldritch.
Definition:
lacking life, spirit, or zest
Example:
Not all people approach safety the same way, even in a community as tightly knit by religious faith as the Amish community. Some people will make sure their children stay out of harm's way, and others might be more lackadaisical.
—Michael Long, Patriot News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), January 2, 2024
About the Word:
This whimsical sounding word comes from the decidedly less whimsical expression "alack the day" (alack is an interjection used to express sorrow or regret.) which was shortened to lackaday, a cry of sorrowful people in the late 17th century. Today, lackadaisical is often used to mean “feeling or showing a lack of interest or enthusiasm.”
Definition:
foolishly impractical, especially in the pursuit of ideals
Example:
It should be noted, though, that one December evening, while picking up dinner in Concord, this reporter did unknowingly stumble into a campaign event for Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman waging a quixotic primary challenge to Biden.
—Emma Platoff, The Boston Globe, January 4, 2024
About the Word:
Since at least 1718, quixotic has been used to describe unrealistic ideals. It comes from the name of the hero of Miguel de Cervantes' 17th-century Spanish novel El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha (in English "The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha"). The word is also used in a broader sense to mean simply "capricious" or "unpredictable."
Definition:
the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern
Example:
Orion is one of those great exceptions. It's easy to see the shape of a human in those seven main stars; actually, it's impossible to avoid. Generally speaking, a person's brain has the tendency to impose interpretations and meanings onto patterns and objects where there isn't any through a cognitive process called pareidolia.
—Daniel Zantzinger, The Daily Times-Call¬ (Longmont, Colorado), December 30, 2023
About the Word:
Pareidolia is a relatively recent addition to English, with a first known use of 1962. It was borrowed from the German word Pareidolie which comes from German eídōlon meaning "image, reflection." When the word was introduced in German by the psychiatrist Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum (1828-99) it had a broader meaning than the one it has today in English. Today, the word names the phenomenon of seeing shapes in clouds, or images in blotches of ink (as in the Rorschach test).
Definition:
a remarkable or notable year
Example:
The year 2023 turned out to be annus mirabilis for its impact on business and society owing to the dizzying pace of development in digital technologies and the fastest adoption curve by industry over the past few months.
—Alok Ohrie, The Financial Express, January 1, 2024
About the Word:
The term comes from New Latin, meaning literally, "wonderful year." British poet John Dryden was one of the first writers to use it in an English context when he titled his 1667 review of the year 1666 Annus Mirabilis. It is not a common phrase but it is used by writers and historians to denote a particularly notable year. Its complement, Annus Horribilis, has been in use since at least 1867 but was made more widely known in 1992 when it was used by Queen Elizabeth II.
