more about word of the day

The Muse advises you to take this feature with a grain of salt. A word is seen as more interesting if it is novel, strange, unusual, or brings with it unexpected circumstances that have shaped its meaning, pronunciation, or usage. For this reason, The Muse includes slang and sometimes takes liberties with the linguistic facts:

• The chosen word may be drawn from literature or from the province of one of the other muses. Any English word is fair game.
• It may be commonly used or its use may be uncommon.
• It may be esoteric or pedestrian.
• It may be drawn from the vernacular.
• First the word is defined, then The Muse provides an example which demonstrates its usage and meaning.
• The Muse elucidates further when a word has had an interesting past, or if there's more to say about its context, background, or origin.
• Sometimes a word will have more than one meaning. In such cases, we may or may not point out the fact, depending on whether there is a reason to do so.
• When circumstances warrant, more than one word may be featured. This could happen if the words are closely related, or if understanding one word is a precursor to understanding another.
• If the Word Of the Day helps you build your vocabulary, so much the better.

caution when exploring word origins

Please bear in mind:

• The original meaning of a word is often lost in antiquity and cannot be reconstructed. As a result, at best a word's source often can only be guessed at; at worst, hope of recovery is altogether out of the question.
• It's fun to speculate in such cases, and The Muse sometimes takes liberties and indulges in speculations on how a word acquired the meaning it has today. Such speculations are not wild, however; they are always based on clues or rational thought.
• The Muse is not trying to be a linguist here, nor is The Muse trying to formalize an approach to linguistics or to become scientific.

In summary, although The Muse strives for accuracy where accuracy can be had, it would be unsafe to expect to find authoritative information. Take what is offered with a grain of salt and in the spirit in which it is offered.

If you seek the authority of scholarship, The Muse advises you to consult an expert source like Webster's Unabridged Dictionary or the Oxford English Dictionary. Many other excellent books about words written by expert linguists can be accessed at no cost at libraries or can be acquired at reasonable cost from book sellers. Check with the ETAF-Amazon Collection for suggestions.