Word of the Day

Definition: (noun) The hard inner (usually woody) layer of the pericarp of some fruits (as peaches or plums or cherries or olives) that contains the seed. Synonyms: pit, stone. Usage: I bit into the prune and nearly broke my tooth on the hard endocarp inside. Discuss

Definition: (adjective) Arousing or provoking laughter. Synonyms: amusing, comic, comical, funny, laughable, mirthful. Usage: The dramatic performance's unintentionally trite and risible dialogue drew hearty laughs from the audience. Discuss

Definition: (verb) To give comfort or cheer to (a person) in time of sorrow or distress. Synonyms: comfort, console, soothe. Usage: I grieved quietly and solaced myself with the knowledge that she was in a better place. Discuss

Definition: (adjective) Deeply or seriously thoughtful. Synonyms: contemplative, meditative, musing, pondering, reflective, ruminative, brooding, broody. Usage: Emma's pensive meditations, as she walked home, were not interrupted; but on entering the parlor, she found those who must rouse her. Discuss

Definition: (noun) The act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule. Synonyms: measuring. Usage: The mensuration of the faculties of the mind has, I believe, no place in the catalogue of known arts. Discuss

Definition: (adjective) Having or marked by an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; greedy. Synonyms: rapacious, ravening. Usage: She was a voracious reader and loved to spend her afternoons at the library. Discuss

Definition: (adjective) Based on pretense; deceptively pleasing. Synonyms: gilded, meretricious. Usage: "You are a specious fellow," returned Sir John, fixing his eyes upon him, "and carry two faces under your hood, as well as the best." Discuss

Definition: (noun) A heavy, uncontrolled outpouring. Synonyms: deluge, flood, inundation. Usage: She frowned and overwhelmed Pierre with a torrent of reproaches and angry words. Discuss

Definition: (verb) To clasp and twist or squeeze (one's hands), as in distress. Synonyms: wrench. Usage: And the little princess began to cry capriciously like a suffering child and to wring her little hands even with some affectation. Discuss

Definition: (noun) A person authorized to conduct religious worship. Synonyms: curate, minister, parson, pastor. Usage: She was the daughter of a clergyman, and it was with her father, the rector of a village in Lincolnshire, that Mr. Carey had spent his last curacy. Discuss