Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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• engender 03.06.2026 2min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 3, 2026 is: engender \in-JEN-der\ verb Engender is a formal word that means “to be the source or cause of something.” // Our monthly book club meetings started as a way to connect and ended up being a great place to engender unity and build life-long friendships. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engender) Examples: “... ‘During a moment defined by anti-intellectualism, escapism, and AI tools that let you skip cognitive work entirely ... intellectual creators are doing something kinda countercultural,’ says Death To Stock’s culture researcher Agus Panzoni. These influencers, who have already built established communities around intellectual pursuits, hold greater meaning and engender more trust ...” — Markiel Magsalin, Vogue, 15 April 2026 Did you know? A good paragraph about engender will engender understanding in the reader. Like its synonym [generate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/generate), engender comes from the Latin verb generare, meaning “to generate” or “to beget,” and when the word was first used in the 14th century, engender meant “[propagate]( https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propagate)” or “[procreate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/procreate).” That literal meaning having to do with creating offspring (which generate shared when it was adopted in the early 16th century) was soon joined by the “to cause to exist or develop, to produce” meaning most familiar to us today. Generare didn’t just engender generate and engender; [regenerate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regenerate), [degenerate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/degenerate), and [generation](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/generation) have the same Latin root. As you might suspect, the list of engender relatives does not end there. Generare comes from the Latin noun genus, meaning “origin” or “kind.” From this source we took our own word [genus](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genus), plus [gender](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender), [general](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/general), and [generic](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/generic), among other words.
• crux 02.06.2026 1min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 2, 2026 is: crux \KRUKS\ noun Crux refers to the most important part of something (such as a problem, issue, or puzzle). It is often used in the phrase "the crux of." // The crux of the problem is that the project's budget is totally inadequate. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crux) Examples: "The new trees number in the thousands. ... What will become of this nursery in the wild in the next hundred years, or thousand, is the crux of a scientific and policy dispute. Starkly different visions of how the grove will recover in the long run have implications on how forest managers should act today." — Doug Smith, The Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026 Did you know? Latin speakers used crux to refer literally to an instrument of torture, often a cross or stake, and figuratively to the torture and misery inflicted by means of such an instrument. When English speakers adopted crux in the early 18th century, they used it to mean "a puzzling or difficult problem." In the late 19th century, crux developed a more specific use referring to an essential point of a legal case that required resolution before the case as a whole could be resolved. Today, the verdict on crux is that it can be used to refer to any important part of a problem or argument, inside or outside of the courtroom.
• palatable 01.06.2026 2min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 1, 2026 is: palatable \PAL-uh-tuh-bul\ adjective Palatable describes something that has a pleasant or agreeable taste, or that is pleasant or acceptable to someone. // Our group was pleasantly surprised that the food options at the local fair were actually palatable this year. // Given the traffic downtown, traveling by train is a palatable alternative to driving. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palatable) Examples: “[[Toni] Morrison’s](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Toni-Morrison) work was not meant to be a palatable salve. Instead, surprise and provocation are the ingredients of her fiction.” — Edna Bonhomme, The New Republic, 6 Mar. 2026 Did you know? It may be a coincidence that you can’t spell the word palatable without all of the letters in plate (the two words are etymologically unrelated), but this fact may help you remember that palatable is synonymous with a host of words that can describe an enjoyable meal, from tasty to toothsome. Alternatively, you could just stick your finger in your mouth and touch the roof of your mouth, aka your palate. As the palate was once considered the seat of one’s sense of taste, so the word palate eventually came to refer to both a literal and figurative sense of taste (as in “architecture too ornate for my palate”). The adjective palatable arose from palate (via the now-rare verb palate defined in our Unabridged dictionary as “to taste or relish”) in the 17th century, and functions similarly. Seasonings from [adobo](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adobo) to [za’atar](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zaatar) make food more palatable, certainly, but ideas and advice can be made more palatable, too. As a wise woman once sang, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
• permutation 31.05.2026 2min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 31, 2026 is: permutation \per-myoo-TAY-shun\ noun Permutation is a formal word for any one of the many different ways or forms in which something exists or can be arranged. It can also refer to a major or fundamental change in something based primarily on rearrangement of its existing elements. Permutation is usually used in its plural form. // Early permutations of the design look nothing like the final result. // The system has gone through several permutations. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/permutation) Examples: “Megadeth have weathered nearly all of metal’s generational permutations, only once deviating from their ... formula with 1999’s infamously confused country’n’industrial mish-mash, Risk.” — Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026 Did you know? “Ch-ch-changes!” [David Bowie](https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Bowie) sang memorably in his classic (and appropriately titled) hit “Changes,” which concerns the phenomenon of artistic reinvention—something Bowie knew a lot about. In fact, he could have titled the song “Permutations,” though we admit that the word would have been a bit clunkier to sing. Permutation is, after all, all about change—specifically change (as in character or condition) of something based primarily on rearrangement of its existing elements. For example, Bowie’s artistic persona went through many permutations over the course of his career, from the alien rock star Ziggy Stardust to the aristocratic Thin White Duke, with the common denominator—the existing elements—being Bowie himself. (Permutation can also be used for a form or variety resulting from such changes, and can thus refer to Bowie’s individual personae as well.) Permutation, perhaps ironically, has not changed all that much since it was borrowed into Middle English from Anglo-French as permutacioun.
• unctuous 30.05.2026 2min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 30, 2026 is: unctuous \UNK-chuh-wus\ adjective Unctuous is a word that’s undergone change in recent years. It now often describes food that is fatty and oily, especially in a pleasing way. Formerly it was more typically applied as a formal adjective describing someone who is figuratively oily—that is, overly or insincerely flattering. Both uses can be found today. // Braising chicken thighs with their skins on creates a rich, unctuous sauce that can be spooned back over the finished dish. // The mayor’s unctuous assistant was making the rounds at the fundraiser, chatting up those known to have the biggest bank accounts. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unctuous) Examples: “The thinly sliced pork belly is shaved into curlicues and cooks up super quickly and crisply, so it’s great for an impatient group or as a first round. Thick slices are more akin to what you’d find at Korean BBQ restaurants nowadays; they’ll cook and sizzle in their own fat … resulting in juicy, unctuous bites.” — Irene Yoo, Soju Party: How to Drink (and Eat!) Like a Korean, 2025 Did you know? Unctuous is a slippery word in multiple ways. Its ultimate source is a Latin word meaning “to anoint; to smear or rub with oil or an oily substance,” and this oily character was key to the word’s meaning when it first appeared in the 14th century, as when John Trevisa wrote “Þe fruit of olyue is ful of liȝt, likynge, and vnctuous” (in modern English: “the olive fruit is bright, delicious, and unctuous”). Unctuous here means “fatty” or “oily,” as did its immediate Medieval Latin predecessor unctuosus. This same use of unctuous is quite prominent today, as the word often describes deliciously fatty foods and the sensation of such foods on the palate (as in “an unctuous mouthfeel”). But come across unctuous in literature of the 19th or 20th century and you’re more likely to see a less pleasant application, with the word describing a person or behavior that is figuratively oily—that is, overly or insincerely flattering.
• cohort 29.05.2026 2min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 29, 2026 is: cohort \KOH-hort\ noun Cohort refers to a group or band of individuals, as in “a cohort of supporters.” It can also be used for a group of individuals who have a statistical factor (such as age) in common in a demographic study, as in “a cohort of people born in the 1980s.” Cohort can be used for individuals too, as for a friend, companion, or colleague, but it is almost always used in its plural form. // I wouldn’t have made it through graduate school without the help of my supportive cohort. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cohort) Examples: “By the time Rosie emerged ... for her afternoon meet-and-greet, the line of guests eager to hold the famed tarantula had already wrapped around the room and into the hallway. ... Tarantulas need to be at least 10 years old to be handled, so rearing a new cohort of Rosies could take up to a decade.” — Laura Penington, The Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2025 Did you know? In ancient times, a cohort was a military unit, one of ten divisions in a Roman legion. The term passed into English in the 15th century, when it was used in translations and writings about Roman history. Once cohort became established in our language, its meaning was extended, first to refer to any body of troops, then to any group of individuals with something in common (as in “a cohort of law students” or “a cohort of people who were born in the same year”), and later to a single companion. Some writers on usage have objected to this last sense because it can be hard to tell whether the plural refers to different individuals or different groups. The “companion” sense is well established in standard use, however, and its meaning is clear enough in such sentences as “her cohorts came along with her to the game.”
• ingratiate 28.05.2026 1min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 28, 2026 is: ingratiate \in-GRAY-shee-ayt\ verb To ingratiate yourself with others is to gain their favor or approval by deliberately doing or saying things they will like. Ingratiate is usually used with with, and is often (though not always) used disapprovingly. // Scam artists often have an uncanny ability to ingratiate themselves with their victims using subtle flattery that only seems obvious in retrospect. // Although she was nervous to be the new girl in school, Emma quickly ingratiated herself with her classmates through her effortless charm and kind demeanor. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingratiate) Examples: “In ever greater numbers, Elizabeth’s subjects flocked north to ingratiate themselves with the Queen’s likely successor.” — Tracy Borman, The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit, and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty, 2025 Did you know? When you ingratiate yourself, you put yourself in someone’s good graces in order to gain their approval or favor. While the word ingratiate does not necessarily imply that your behavior is [obsequious](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsequious) or otherwise improper, the word may be used disapprovingly by those who distrust your motives. The word entered English in the early 1600s from the combining of the Latin noun gratia, meaning “grace” or “favor,” with the English prefix in-. Gratia comes from the adjective gratus, meaning “pleasing, grateful.” Gratus has, over the centuries, ingratiated itself well with the English language as the ancestor of a whole host of words including [gratuitous](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gratuitous), [congratulate](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/congratulate), and [grace](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grace).
• benevolent 27.05.2026 1min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 27, 2026 is: benevolent \buh-NEV-uh-lunt\ adjective Benevolent can describe someone or something that is kind and generous or something that is organized for the purpose of doing good. // The event's reception was courtesy of a benevolent donor who's chosen to remain anonymous. // They belong to several benevolent societies and charitable organizations. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/benevolent) Examples: "The Community Service Award is presented at the local, state and national levels to individuals and groups who have made outstanding voluntary, civil, heroic or benevolent contributions to their communities." — Devin Weeks, The Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) Press, 24 Dec. 2025 Did you know? One who is benevolent genuinely wishes other people well, a meaning reflected clearly in the word's Latin roots: benevolent comes from bene, meaning "good," and velle, meaning "to wish." Other descendants of velle in English include [volition](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volition), which refers to the power to make one's own choices or decisions, and [voluntary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/voluntary), as well as the rare [velleity](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/velleity), meaning either "the lowest degree of volition" or "a slight wish or tendency." A more familiar velle descendant stands directly opposed to benevolent: [malevolent](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malevolent) describes someone or something having or showing a desire to cause harm to another person.
• Gordian knot 26.05.2026 2min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 26, 2026 is: Gordian knot \GOR-dee-un-NAHT\ noun Gordian knot refers to a complicated and difficult problem. It is often used in the phrase cut the Gordian knot, which means “to solve a difficult problem in a very direct way by doing something forceful or extreme.” // The organization’s change in leadership is being widely applauded as a step toward stability, but many are less than optimistic about the new director’s ability to cut the Gordian knot at the center of its troubles. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gordian-knot) Examples: “Meanwhile, officials are having high-level conversations about the long-term effectiveness of Michigan’s aging dam infrastructure and the growing need for effective flood mitigation measures. Whitmer noted a Gordian knot of complexity around the state’s dams, many of which are operated through murky public-private arrangements.” — Byron McCauley, The Holland (Michigan) Sentinel, 23 Apr. 2026 Did you know? According to legend, when the peasant Gordius became king of Gordium, capital of the ancient district of Phrygia (in what is now modern Türkiye), he fastened the yoke of his wagon to a beam with a very complex knot. Centuries later, when [Alexander the Great](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-the-Great) arrived on the scene, he was told that he couldn’t conquer and rule Asia unless he proved himself worthy by untying the knot. Alexander quickly solved his problem—and gained a new kingdom—by slicing the knot in half with his sword. Since then, Gordian knot has been a term for a difficult problem, and the phrase “cut the Gordian knot” has been a way to describe a direct and forceful solution to an apparently insurmountable difficulty.
• sacrosanct 25.05.2026 2min

  Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 25, 2026 is: sacrosanct \SAK-roh-sankt\ adjective Sacrosanct is a formal word that describes something too important and respected to be changed or criticized. It can also mean "most sacred or holy." // While the family's new matriarch aimed to maintain the familiar traditions of the holidays, she did not consider the details of their celebration to be sacrosanct. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrosanct) Examples: "Sen. Paul Strommen of Sidney ... said there's no appetite among senators to empty the Veterans Aid Fund. 'There's certain things that are kind of sacrosanct, and veterans' aid is one of those things.'" — Todd von Kampen, The North Platte (Nebraska) Telegraph, 7 Mar. 2026 Did you know? Contrary to the beliefs of some, language is not sacrosanct; rather, it is subject to constant modification based on the needs, experiences, and even whims of those who use it. Take the word sacrosanct itself, which likely comes from the Latin phrase sacro sanctus meaning "made holy by a sacred rite." There's a definite semantic softening from that to the "too important and respected to be changed or criticized" meaning of sacrosanct. But holy moly, has sanctus led to a whole bunch of other English words with a truly pious flavor, from [saint](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saint) and [sanctimony](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanctimony) to [sanctify](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanctify) and [sanctuary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanctuary). Sacrum ("a sacred rite"), source of the sacro in sacro sanctus, is no slouch either, living on in English anatomy as the name for our pelvic vertebrae—a shortening of os sacrum, which translates literally as "holy bone."