as·sim·i·late ə sI mə leIt transitive verb 1. to absorb and incorporate (knowledge, experience, or the like). EXAMPLE: She’d studied a great deal, but she needed more time to assimilate the information…
Word of the Day
Daily definitions and usage information for all who want to increase and hone their vocabulary.
carbuncle
car·bun·cle kar buhng kəl noun 1. a dark gemstone, especially a ruby sapphire. quotation: A golden chain hung about his neck, and at his collar was a great carbuncle set in red…
felicitous
felicitous fə lI sə təs adjective 1. well-suited or apt; very appropriate. example: Her felicitous choice of words helped to relieve the tension. 2. very pleasant or agreeable. example: Her husband’s getting…
skinflint
skinflint skIn flInt noun a stingy person; miser. Note: Robert Barnhart parses this eighteenth-century slang word as meaning “the kind of person who would skin a flint to save or gain something.”…
gall
gall2 gawl transitive verb 1. to damage or make sore by rubbing or chafing. quotation: We walked next day over a more level country but it was strewed with large stones. These galled…