yaw

yaw

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 14, 2026 is: yaw • \YAW\  • verb The verb yaw when used for the action of a ship, aircraft, spacecraft, or projectile means "to move to the left or right especially in an uncontrolled manner." More broadly, yaw is used as a synonym of alternate [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alternate] to mean "to change from one to another repeatedly." // The rogue wave hit the vessel, and the ship yawed hard to the right. // The album yaws from soulful ballad to up-tempo [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/up-tempo] pop hit and back again. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yaw] Examples: "The out-of-control motion radiated down to the spacecraft itself, which began yawing and pitching [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitch] in response to the force." — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025 Did you know? In the heyday of large sailing ships, numerous nautical words appeared on the horizon. Yaw is one such word. Its origin isn't exactly known, but it began turning up in print in the 16th century, first as a noun meaning "movement off course" or "side to side movement," and then as a verb. For centuries, it remained a sailing word—often alongside pitch [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitch] ("to have the front end rise and fall")—with occasional extended use as a synonym of the verb alternate [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alternate]. When the era of airplane flight dawned, much of the vocabulary of sailing found new life in aeronautics, and "yawing" was no longer confined to the sea. Nowadays yaw, pitch, and roll [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roll] are just as likely to be used by pilots and rocket scientists to describe the motion of their crafts.

implacable

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 13, 2026 is: implacable • \im-PLAK-uh-bul\  • adjective Someone or something described as implacable is not capable of being appeased or changed. // The project faced implacable resistance from community members, and is now off the table. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/implacable] Examples: “Unlike, say, the globetrotting stories of Ian Fleming or John le Carré, in which victories only temporarily frustrate an implacable foe, [Agatha] Christie’s smaller worlds feel put right when the cover closes or credits roll.” — The Economist, 17 Jan. 2026 Did you know? Implacable is rooted in the Latin verb placare, meaning “to soothe,” but its im- prefix is a variant of the negating prefix in- (as in inactive) and it signals that there’s nothing warm and fuzzy here. Someone or something described as implacable cannot be soothed, which usually means trouble: implacable is most often attached to words like foe, enemy, hatred and hostility. The opposite of implacable is, of course, placable [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placable]; it means “easily soothed,” but sadly isn’t called upon very often. Another placare word is likely more familiar. Placate [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placate] means “to soothe or appease”; it’s frequently applied when an angry person is made to feel less so.

fulcrum

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 12, 2026 is: fulcrum • \FULL-krum\  • noun In technical use, fulcrum refers to the support on which a lever moves when it is used to lift something. In figurative use, fulcrum refers to a person or thing that makes it possible for something to function or develop, or in other words, one who plays an essential role in something. // Although the lead actor was phenomenal, critics suggested that the supporting cast was the real fulcrum of the show. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fulcrum] Examples: “The moral fulcrum of Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, in which a scholar gains knowledge and power through a demonic pact, is a relatively straightforward statement on the human condition.” — Eric Olson, Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026 Did you know? The Latin word fulcrum, which refers to the head or back support of a couch, comes from the verb fulcīre, which means “to prop, support.” When fulcrum was first used in English in the 17th century, it referred to the point on which a lever or similar device (such as the oar of a boat) is supported. The literal use easily supported figurative use, and it didn’t take long for the word to develop a meaning referring to one deemed essential to the function or development of something. Despite fulcrum’s multiple senses, the word's meanings have kept a steady theme. In zoology, fulcrum refers to a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support, such as the joint supporting a bird’s wing.

xeric

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 11, 2026 is: xeric • \ZEER-ik\  • adjective Xeric means "characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture." // She is a botanist who primarily studies xeric plants. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xeric] Examples: "Thoughtfully designed xeric, or low-water, landscapes can be dynamic, layered and full of color. Native plants and those adapted to the Intermountain West ... provide habitat and food for pollinators and birds while needing a fraction of the water that bluegrass demands." — Pula Davis and Scott Curry, The Colorado Springs Gazette, 16 May 2026 Did you know? Few English words begin with the letter X, but of those that do, a number come from the Greek xēros, meaning "dry." Around the turn of the 20th century, botanists were using the terms xerophyte [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xerophyte] and xerophytic [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xerophytic] for plants that were well adapted to survive without much water. But when seeking a more generic word that included both animals and plants, they came up, ahem, dry. In a 1926 issue of Ecology, specialists proposed using xeric as a more generalized term for either flora or fauna. They further suggested that xerophytic, among other terms, "be entirely abandoned as useless and misleading." Not everyone liked the idea. In fact, the Ecological Society of America stated that xeric was "not desirable," preferring terms such as arid. Others declared that the word should refer only to habitats, not to organisms. Enough scientists used it anyway, however, that by the 1940s xeric was well documented in scientific literature.

effulgence

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 10, 2026 is: effulgence • \ih-FULL-junss\  • noun Effulgence means “radiant splendor” or “brilliance.” // Guests oohed and aahed at the sudden effulgence of the pagoda, as the last of its hundreds of candles were finally lit. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effulgence] Examples: “No one knows who suggested that the building be lit at night. But the obvious inspiration was Times Square, an area famous for its nighttime effulgence.” — Robert Sharoff, FastCompany.com, 7 July 2025 Did you know? Need a shiny word to bust out at your next disco party, planetarium visit, or fireworks gathering? How about effulgence? It’s not a shiny “new” word, having made its English language debut in the 17th century, but it’s unusual and has a lovely Latin pedigree: the verb fulgēre, meaning “to shine.” Effulgence isn’t used for bog-standard [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bog-standard] brightness, however; it’s reserved for shininess that dazzles, inspires, leaves you gobsmacked—in other words, “radiant splendor.”