Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 06, 2012 is:

propinquity • \pruh-PING-kwuh-tee\  • noun
1 : nearness of blood : kinship 2 : nearness in place or time : proximity

Examples:
Many of the retirement community's residents cite the propinquity of the area's various cultural offerings as a significant reason for their choice of the facility.

"Canada was faced with the overwhelming propinquity of the United States; it was just next door -- for almost nine thousand kilometres." -- From Derek Lundy's 2011 book Borderlands: Riding the Edge of America

Did you know?
"Propinquity" and its cousin "proximity" are related through the Latin root "prope," which means "near." That root gave rise to "proximus" (the parent of "proximity") and "propinquus" (an ancestor of "propinquity"). "Proximus" is the superlative of "prope" and thus means "nearest," whereas "propinquus" simply means "near" or "akin," but in English "propinquity" conveys a stronger sense of closeness than "proximity." (The latter usually suggests a sense of being in the vicinity of something.) The distinctions between the two words are subtle, however, and they are often used interchangeably. "Propinquity" is believed to be the older of the two words, first appearing in English in the 14th century; "proximity" followed a century later.

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filiopietistic: pertaining to reverence of forebears or tradition, especially if carried to excess.

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pied: having patches of two or more colors, as various birds and other animals.

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 05, 2012 is:

circumvent • \ser-kum-VENT\  • verb
1 : to hem in 2 : to make a circuit around 3 : to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or stratagem

Examples:
Even though a clear detour route has been marked for all to use, some motorists have sought their own creative ways to circumvent the road construction.

"But [non-disclosure agreements] are increasingly rare. Many states do not enforce them; there are easy ways for those with malicious intent to circumvent them; and pursuing legal action is more expensive than most startup companies can afford." -- From an article by Yasine Armstrong in the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Journal, December 19, 2011

Did you know?
If you’ve ever felt as if someone were circling around the rules, you have an idea of the origins of "circumvent" -- it derives from the Latin "circum," meaning "circle," and "ventus," the past participle of the Latin verb "venire," meaning "to come." The earliest uses of "circumvent" referred to a tactic of hunting or warfare in which the quarry or enemy was encircled and captured. Today, however, "circumvent" more often suggests avoidance than entrapment; it typically means to "get around" someone or something, as in our example sentences.

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caprice: a sudden, unpredictable change, as of one's mind or the weather.

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 04, 2012 is:

lymphatic • \lim-FAT-ik\  • adjective
1 a : of, relating to, or produced by lymph, lymphoid tissue, or lymphocytes b : conveying lymph 2 : lacking physical or mental energy : sluggish

Examples:
Because of the snowstorm, the day was a lazy one and the whole family felt lymphatic.

"Tonsils are collections of lymphatic tissue on both sides of the back of the mouth." -- From an article by Dr. Rhonda Patt in the Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), January 3, 2012

Did you know?
Lymph is a pale liquid in the body that helps maintain fluid balance and removes bacteria from tissues. Today, we understand that lymph plays an important role in the body's immune system. In the past, however, it was commonly believed that an excess of lymph caused sluggishness -- hence the "sluggish" meaning of "lymphatic." The word "lymph" comes from Latin "lympha" ("water" or "water goddess"), which itself may be a modification of the Greek word "nymphē," meaning "nymph." Both "lymph" and its related adjective "lymphatic" have been used in English since the mid-17th century.

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excogitate: to think out; devise; invent.

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 03, 2012 is:

gam • \GAM\  • verb
1 : to have a visit or friendly conversation with 2 : to spend or pass (as time) talking

Examples:
The two strangers discovered that they had a lot in common as they gammed the hours away on the long train ride.

"It always was -- and still is, for that matter -- infuriating to be ignored when superiors are gamming on about an operation in which you are the one about to risk life and limb." -- From Robert N. Macomber's 2010 novel The Darkest Shade of Honor

Did you know?
"But what is a gam? You might wear out your index-finger running up and down the columns of dictionaries, and never find the word." So says the narrator, who calls himself Ishmael, of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. These days you will indeed find "gam" entered in dictionaries; Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the noun "gam" as "a visit or friendly conversation at sea or ashore especially between whalers." (It can also mean "a school of whales.") Melville’s narrator explains that when whaling ships met far out at sea, they would hail one another and the crews would exchange visits and news. English speakers have been using the word "gam" to refer to these and similar social exchanges since the mid-19th century.

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 02, 2012 is:

stiction • \STIK-shun\  • noun
: the force required to cause one body in contact with another to begin to move

Examples:
Tire quality can affect stiction at the start of an auto race.

"Stiction is stationary friction. Starting the bolt turning takes more force than keeping it turning. The tighter the bolt, the more stiction can affect torque readings." -- From an article by Jim Kerr in the Winnipeg Free Press, December 30, 2011

Did you know?
"Stiction" has been a part of the English language since at least 1946, when it appeared in a journal of aeronautics. The word is a combination of the "st-" of "static" ("of or relating to bodies at rest") and the "-iction" of "friction" ("the force that resists relative motion between two bodies in contact"). So, basically, it means "static friction" (or to put it another way, as in our second example sentence, "stationary friction").

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 01, 2012 is:

heyday • \HAY-day\  • noun
: the period of one's greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity

Examples:
In its heyday, the circus was a major form of entertainment for small-town America.

"Here is Hemingway both in his heyday, soaring on the accolades of The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, and his decline, precipitated by alcoholism and two airplane crashes that may have well left him with undiagnosed brain injuries." -- From a blog post by Alexander Nazaryan on the New York Daily News’ PageViews blog, December 13, 2011

Did you know?
In its earliest appearances in English, in the 16th century, "heyday" was used as an interjection that expressed elation or wonder (similar to our word "hey," from which it derives). Around the same time, "heyday" saw use as a noun meaning "high spirits." (This sense can be seen in Act III, Scene IV of Hamlet, when the Prince of Denmark tells his mother, "You cannot call it love; for at your age / The heyday in the blood is tame….") It wasn’t until the 18th century that English speakers, perhaps interpreting the "day" of the second syllable to mean "a time or period," began using "heyday" to refer to the period when one’s achievement or popularity has reached its zenith.

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peroration: a long speech characterized by lofty and often pompous language.

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doyenne: a woman who is the senior member of a group, class, or profession.

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idoneous: appropriate; fit; suitable; apt.

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 31, 2012 is:

gambol • \GAM-bul\  • verb
: to skip about in play : frisk, frolic

Examples:
The children scamper and gambol about the playground with seemingly endless energy.

"Strong binoculars … allow patrons to spy on the sea otters, pelicans, cormorants and other creatures that gambol among the bay kelp." -- From an article by Peter Magnani in the San Jose Mercury News, October 10, 2011

Did you know?
In Middle French, the noun "gambade" referred to the frisky spring of a jumping horse. In the early 1500s, the English word "gambol" romped into print as both a verb and a noun. (The noun means "a skipping or leaping about in play.") The English word is not restricted to horses, but rather can be used of any frolicsome creature. It is a word that suggests levity and spontaneity, and it tends to be used especially of the lively activity of children or animals engaged in active play.

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neoterism: an innovation in language, as a new word, term, or expression.

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