skuh rə ləs 1. characterized by or given to using vulgar or coarse language. These rather scurrilous remarks were edited from the tape. He refrained from telling his scurrilous tales while the…
Word of the Day
Daily definitions and usage information for all who want to increase and hone their vocabulary.
savant
sə vant noun 1. a person of deep learning; scholar. The work of translation was carried out by savants in the seventeenth century. 2. a person with extraordinary intellectual skill in a…
scintilla
sihn tI lə noun a tiny amount; trace. There was not a scintilla of truth in the rumor.
plangent
plaen jənt adjective 1. sounding deeply or loudly. The cello’s plangent notes introduce a sense of foreboding. 2. having a sad or mournful sound; plaintive. In the fall, we hear the plangent…
salvage
sael vihj noun 1. the act of saving property from destruction, esp. the rescue of a ship or its cargo from fire or shipwreck. The salvage of the leaking vessel seemed impossible….