Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 24, 2024 is: burgeon \BER-jun\ verb To burgeon is to grow or develop quickly—in other words to [flourish](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flourish), [blossom](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blossom) or [sprout](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprout). // The trout population in the stream has burgeoned since the town implemented its laws against [overfishing](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overfishing). [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burgeon) Examples: "From the quaint charm of its historic downtown to the dynamic energy of its burgeoning Arts District, Gilbert [Arizona] offers something for everyone." — Lux Butler, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Did you know? Burgeon arrived in Middle English as burjonen, a borrowing from the Anglo-French verb burjuner, meaning "to bud or sprout." Burgeon is often used figuratively, as when writer [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ta-Nehisi-Coates) used it in his 2008 memoir The Beautiful Struggle: "… I was in the burgeoning class of kids whose families made too much for financial aid but not enough to make tuition payments anything less than a war." Usage commentators have objected to the use of burgeon to mean "to flourish" or "to grow rapidly," insisting that any figurative use should stay true to the word's earliest literal meaning and distinguish budding or sprouting from subsequent growing. But the sense of burgeon that indicates growing or expanding and prospering (as in "the burgeoning music scene" or "the burgeoning international market") has been in established use for decades and is, in fact, the most common use of burgeon today.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 23, 2024 is: exodus \EK-suh-dus\ noun An exodus is a situation in which many people leave a place at the same time—in other words a mass departure or [emigration](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emigration). // The resort town eagerly anticipated the mass exodus from the cities to its beaches as summer approached. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exodus) Examples: “Experts link lower rents to a possible drop in demand after population losses during a recent exodus from parts of Southern California. As the state’s population has stagnated, some believe demand may cool and dampen rent growth.” — Anthony de Leon, The Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Did you know? The Biblical book of Exodus describes the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, so it's no surprise that the word exodus, uncapitalized, has come to refer more generally to any mass departure. Exodus was adopted into English (via Latin) from the Greek word Exodos, which literally means “the road out.” Exodos was formed by combining the prefix ex-, meaning “out of,” and hodos, meaning “road” or “way.” Indeed, many roads led out of hodos into English; other hodos descendants include [episode](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/episode), [method](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/method), [odometer](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/odometer), and [period](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/period). While exodus is occasionally encountered in reference to an individual’s leaving (e.g., “his/her/their exodus”), such usage is likely to raise the eyebrows of editors who feel it should only refer to the departure [en masse](https://bit.ly/491e6rj) of a large group of people, as when novelist [Nnedi Okorafor](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nnedi-Okorafor) writes in her science fiction novel Lagoon (2015): “Everyone was trying to get somewhere, be it a church, a bar, home or out of Lagos. Then there was the exodus of people … to the parts of the city that had the least chance of flooding if the water rose too high.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 22, 2024 is: palpable \PAL-puh-bul\ adjective Something described as palpable is obvious and notable. Palpable may also be used as a synonym of [tangible](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tangible) to describe something that can be perceived by one's sense of touch. // The tension in the courtroom was palpable as the jury foreman stood to announce the verdict. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palpable) Examples: "The power of the ancestral people who built [Cliff Palace](https://www.britannica.com/video/22034/group-cliff-dwellings-Colorado-Mesa-Verde-National) feels palpable as I stand inside the cliff hollow, marvelling at towers and rooms that slot together perfectly." — Linda Barnard, The Toronto Star, 16 Sept. 2023 Did you know? If you find it fascinating how English speakers push words with concrete meanings into [figurative](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/figurative) use, we feel you. By which we mean we understand you, of course, not that we are patting your head or poking you in the shoulder. Palpable, which has since the 14th century described things that can be literally felt through the skin (such as a person’s pulse), has undergone an expansion similar to that of [feel](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feel) over the centuries, and is now more frequently used to describe things that cannot be touched but are still so easy to perceive that it is as though they could be—such as "a palpable tension in the air."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 21, 2024 is: noblesse oblige \noh-BLESS-uh-BLEEZH\ noun Noblesse oblige refers to the idea that people who have high social rank or wealth should be helpful and generous to people of lower rank or to people who are poor. // As the inheritor of a great fortune, he was raised to have a strong sense of noblesse oblige, not only volunteering and donating to charity, but advocating for structural change to address inequality. [See the entry >](https://bit.ly/3UK16mJ) Examples: “As is usually the case, actual research reveals that the pair bond of the cardinal is not really sacrosanct. The ostensibly quaint couples we see regularly have a 20% divorce rate, which is of course better than our own, but they are not exactly swans. And while they are mated, they are generally monogamous, but [polygyny](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polygyny) is known. It is, however, usually observed in cases where the male of an adjacent territory goes missing or because an unmated female persists in foraging and remaining in a male’s territory. A strange form of noblesse oblige. It has not been determined whether these second pairings produce any offspring.” — Bill Chaisson, The Eagle Times (Claremont, New Hampshire), 20 Jan. 2024 Did you know? In a tale collected in 16th-century Germany, a noblewoman wonders why the hungry poor don’t simply eat Krosem (a sweet bread), her cluelessness [prefiguring](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prefigure) the later, much more famous quote attributed to [Marie Antoinette](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Antoinette-queen-of-France): “let them eat cake.” The queen [never actually said that](https://www.britannica.com/story/did-marie-antoinette-really-say-let-them-eat-cake), but we can think of the sentiment behind noblesse oblige as the quote’s opposite—something more like “let us bake them a cake since we own all the eggs/flour/sugar/etc.” In French, noblesse oblige means literally “nobility obligates.” It was first quoted in English in the early 19th century, before being used as a noun referring to the unwritten obligation of [aristocrats](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aristocrats) to act honorably and generously to others. Later, by extension, it also came to refer to the obligation of anyone who is in a better position than others—due, for example, to high office or celebrity—to act respectably and responsibly.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 20, 2024 is: gingerly \JIN-jer-lee\ adjective An act or manner described as gingerly is very cautious or careful. // It’s a delicate subject, and we need to approach it with gingerly care and [tact](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tact). // The antelope moved with a gingerly gait that suggested it was hurt. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gingerly) Examples: “Note: bears do not in a gingerly manner put their paws against each stem of a lovely ripe pear and gently pull upward against the branch, the proper harvesting method. ‘Picked’ in bear-lingo means tearing down carefully constructed tree cages and knocking as many branches to the ground as needed; then taking several bites out of each luscious pear, leaving scattered remnants all over the ground ...” — Cate Gable, The Chinook Observer (Long Beach, Washington), 14 Oct. 2020 Did you know? Though more common as [an adverb](https://bit.ly/3IIE1JT) meaning “very cautiously and carefully,” as in “moving gingerly across the icy pond,” gingerly has for more than four centuries functioned both as an adverb and as an adjective. Etymologists take a gingerly approach to assigning any particular origins to gingerly. While it might have come from the name of the [spice](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ginger), there’s nothing concrete to back up that idea. Another theory is that it’s related to an Old French word, gençor, meaning “prettier” or “more beautiful,” with evidence being that in 16th century English an earlier sense of gingerly often described dancing or walking done with dainty steps. It wasn’t until the 17th century that gingerly was applied to movements done with caution in order to avoid being noisy or causing injury, and to a wary manner in handling or presenting ideas.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 19, 2024 is: underwhelm \un-der-WELM\ verb To underwhelm someone is to fail to impress or excite them. // Despite the hype, the movie underwhelmed most reviewers, who criticized its slow pace and poor special effects. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underwhelm) Examples: "Wake me up when NBA All-Star Weekend ends. Let’s start with the Dunk Contest, which is supposed to be the most exciting event. It wasn’t. Most of the dunks, and the judging of said dunks, underwhelmed." — Zachary Pereles, CBS Sports, 19 Feb. 2024 Did you know? [Overwhelm](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwhelm) and its rare synonym [whelm](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whelm) have both been around since the Middle Ages, but underwhelm is a 20th-century coinage. Both overwhelm and whelm come from the Middle English whelmen, meaning "to turn over" or "to cover up." Underwhelm is a playful overturning of overwhelm that is well suited for contexts in which something fails to excite. As is often the case with younger words, there is a certain amount of misinformation regarding where underwhelm came from. We have seen reports that the playwright [George S. Kaufman](https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-S-Kaufman) coined it, and also that the famed sportswriter [Red Smith](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Red-Smith) claimed to have used it first. Neither of these is likely to be accurate, for the simple fact that there is evidence that underwhelming was used, albeit as an adjective, before either of these men was born.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 18, 2024 is: qua \KWAH\ preposition Qua is a preposition used in formal speech or writing that means “in the capacity or character of (someone or something).” It is used synonymously with [as](https://bit.ly/3uUyo87) to indicate that someone or something is being referred to or thought about in a particular way. // The artist qua artist is less interesting to me than the artist as a human being. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/qua) Examples: “He [Charlie Chaplin] financed his own films; he wrote them; he took music credit; he even choreographed. Most of the cast and crew were on his payroll. He even co-owned his distribution company. The box-office take went straight into his pocket. He was not beholden to anyone, but he was not indispensable, either. Losing the Chaplin studio had a negligible impact on the movie business qua business.” — Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 Did you know? 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 introduces an object (of in “a basket of apples”) or a capacity or role (as in “works as an editor”). As such, prepositions tend not to attract as much attention as other parts of speech (unless there is some [foofaraw](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foofaraw) about whether or not it’s [okay to end a sentence with one](https://bit.ly/432mvJS)). Qua, however, though very small is not very common—at least in everyday speech or writing. As one 20th-century usage writer commented, “Qua is sometimes thought affected or [pretentious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretentious), but it does convey meaning economically.” Qua’s meaning is quite specific—it can substitute for the phrase “in the capacity or character of” or the preposition [as](https://bit.ly/3uUyo87) in the right context, as in “they wanted to enjoy the wine qua wine, not as a status symbol.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 17, 2024 is: circumlocution \ser-kum-loh-KYOO-shun\ noun Circumlocution refers to the use of many words to say something that could be said more clearly and directly with fewer words. Usually encountered in formal speech and writing, circumlocution can also refer to speech that is intentionally [evasive](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evasive). // The judge coughed and pointed to her watch, clearly impatient with the attorney's tiresome circumlocutions in defense of his client. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circumlocution) Examples: “The slight stiltedness of her … English merges with the circumlocution of business-school [lingo](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lingo) to produce phrases like ‘the most important aspect is to embrace a learning mind-set’ and ‘I believe we’re going to move forward in a positive way.’” — Noam Scheiber, The New York Times, 1 Oct. 2023 Did you know? In The King’s English (1906), lexicographers [H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler](https://www.britannica.com/biography/H-W-Fowler) advised, “Prefer the single word to the circumlocution.” It’s good advice: using more words than necessary to convey a point can confuse and annoy one’s audience. Circumlocution itself combines two Latin elements: the prefix circum-, meaning “around,” and locutio, meaning “speech.” In essence, circumlocution may be thought of as “roundabout speech.” Since at least the early 16th century, English writers have used circumlocution with disdain, naming a thing to stop, or better yet, to avoid altogether. Charles Dickens used the word to satirize political runarounds in the 1857 novel [Little Dorrit](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Dorrit-novel-by-Dickens) with the creation of the fictional Circumlocution Office, a government department that delayed the dissemination of information and just about everything else.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 16, 2024 is: inalienable \in-AY-lee-uh-nuh-bul\ adjective Something considered inalienable is impossible to take away or give up. // The American ethos is built on the belief that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable rights. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inalienable) Examples: "Despite the hurdles, comedians continue to negotiate their inalienable need to do stand-up to the point that money comes as a secondary concern." — Jake Kroeger, The Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2023 Did you know? Alien, alienable, inalienable—it's easy enough to see the Latin word alius, meaning "other," at the root of these three words. [Alien](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alien) joined our language in the 14th century, and one of its earliest meanings was "belonging to another." By the early 1600s that sense of alien had led to [alienable](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alienable), an adjective describing something you can give away or transfer to another owner. The word [unalienable](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unalienable) came about as its opposite, but so did inalienable, a word most likely borrowed into English on its own from French. Inalienable is the more common form today, and although we often see both forms used to modify "rights," it was unalienable that was used in the [Declaration of Independence](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Declaration-of-Independence) to describe life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.