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itinerant

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 24, 2026 is: itinerant • \eye-TIN-uh-runt\  • adjective Itinerant describes someone who travels from place to place or only stays in a place for a short amount of time. It is used especially for people who travel in a circuit for their profession. // Being an itinerant musician gave her the opportunity to see the wonders of the world with her own eyes. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/itinerant] Examples: “‘There has long been this masculine idea that a lone, itinerant male blues singer, travelling the South with a guitar slung over his back, was the authentic representation of the blues,’ she [Dr. Cookie Woolner] explains, ‘while female performers like [Ma] Rainey [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ma-Rainey], who drew from vaudeville and blackface minstrelsy, were commercial entertainers and not artists.’” — Deborah Nicholls-Lee, BBC, 5 June 2025 Did you know? Many a song in popular music has been penned about the itinerant lifestyle of touring, ranging from the exuberant (“Travelin’ Band” by Creedence Clearwater Revival) to the exhausted (“Lodi” by, er, Creedence Clearwater Revival). All journeys have their highs and lows, of course, and the word itinerant is all about the journey, not the destination. Indeed, itinerant comes from the Late Latin verb itinerari, meaning “to journey,” which in turn traipsed down the etymological trail from the noun iter meaning “way” or “journey.” Itinerant is usually encountered as an adjective used to describe traveling types, especially those—like touring musicians—whose itineraries [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/itinerary] (to use another iter descendent) are often circuits, but it can also be used as a noun. Itinerants, musical or otherwise, are those who never stay in one place for long, who whether by choice, profession, or circumstance, keep on chooglin’ [https://youtu.be/iyI9r0CCu74?si=Bf_1dfRU9xFWdhTM].

maverick

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 23, 2026 is: maverick • \MAV-rik\  • noun Maverick refers to a person who refuses to follow the customs or rules of a group; in other words, a nonconformist [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonconformist]. // Ayo has always been a bit of a maverick in the fashion world, inventing new trends rather than following them. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maverick] Examples: “[Luis] Alvarez [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luis-Alvarez] has been described as a scientific Indiana Jones, but his reputation as a maverick was built on a foundation of patience and discipline.” — Alec Nevala-Lee, Collisions: A Physicist’s Journey from Hiroshima to the Death of the Dinosaurs, 2025 Did you know? When a client gave Samuel A. Maverick 400 cattle to settle a $1,200 debt, the 19th-century south Texas lawyer had no use for them, so he left the cattle unbranded and allowed them to roam freely (supposedly under the supervision of one of his employees). Neighboring stockmen recognized their opportunity and seized it, branding and herding the stray cattle as their own. Maverick eventually recognized the folly of the situation and sold what was left of his depleted herd, but not before his name became synonymous with such unbranded livestock. By the end of the 19th century, the term maverick was being used to refer to individuals who prefer, like cattle left to their own devices, to blaze their own trails.

stalwart

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2026 is: stalwart • \STAWL-wert\  • adjective Stalwart is a formal word used to describe someone or something that is very loyal and dedicated or that is physically or mentally strong. // He was a stalwart civil rights supporter throughout his political career. // The football team's stalwart defense only gave up a single field goal in the second half. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalwart] Examples: "Arbour is a stalwart defender of women's rights, having witnessed the struggle for equality during Quebec's Quiet Revolution [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Quiet-Revolution]." — Allison Hanes, The Montreal Gazette, 6 May 2026 Did you know? Stalwart is a word with ancient roots that has lent its stalwart service to the English language for centuries. Coming, via Middle English, from the Old English word stǣlwierthe, meaning "serviceable," stalwart describes people or things that are marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or spirit, as revealed by traits such as loyalty and steadfastness, capability and dependability, or physical robustness. Old oak trees, for example, have long been described as stalwart for their imposing stature and endurance. A baseball team's closing pitcher may be deemed stalwart by showing mental fortitude in consistently striking out opposing batters in high-pressure situations. And a stalwart lover is one who, through thick and thin, is never gonna give you up [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rickroll], never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and hurt you.

stalwart

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 22, 2026 is: stalwart • \STAWL-wert\  • adjective Stalwart is a formal word used to describe someone or something that is very loyal and dedicated or that is physically or mentally strong. // He was a stalwart civil rights supporter throughout his political career. // The football team's stalwart defense only gave up a single field goal in the second half. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalwart] Examples: "Arbour is a stalwart defender of women's rights, having witnessed the struggle for equality during Quebec's Quiet Revolution [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Quiet-Revolution]." — Allison Hanes, The Montreal Gazette, 6 May 2026 Did you know? Stalwart is a word with ancient roots that has lent its stalwart service to the English language for centuries. Coming, via Middle English, from the Old English word stǣlwierthe, meaning "serviceable," stalwart describes people or things that are marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or spirit, as revealed by traits such as loyalty and steadfastness, capability and dependability, or physical robustness. Old oak trees, for example, have long been described as stalwart for their imposing stature and endurance. A baseball team's closing pitcher may be deemed stalwart by showing mental fortitude in consistently striking out opposing batters in high-pressure situations. And a stalwart lover is one who, through thick and thin, is never gonna give you up [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rickroll], never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and hurt you.

dog days

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 21, 2026 is: dog days • \DAWG-DAYZ\  • plural noun Dog days is a plural noun that refers to the hottest time of the year, which in the northern hemisphere is usually between early July and early September. Dog days can also refer to a period of stagnation or inactivity suggestive of hot, sultry weather when it can be difficult to summon the energy required for hard work. // Spending the day at a swimming hole has always been the perfect relief for the dog days of summer. See the entry > [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dog%20days] Examples: “When the dog days of summer were at their fullest, my new friends and I often played scrub baseball at Cameron Street School. We also rode our bicycles all over the south end.” — Gary Baldwin, The Peterborough (Ontario) Examiner, 19 July 2025 Did you know? Idle hands may be the devil’s workshop, but let’s be serious: when it’s stiflingly hot outside, who among us isn’t tempted to shirk work to go lie doggo [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doggo] in the shade somewhere? Such is the desire of many a creature—not just dogs (or lexicographers)—during the dog days of summer. If you’re curious about how dogs got singled out in this expression, we might say it was in the stars. The dog in dog days is the Dog Star, aka Sirius [https://www.britannica.com/place/Sirius-star], the star that represents the hound of the hunter Orion [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Orion] in the eponymous constellation. The star has long been associated with sultry weather in the northern hemisphere because it rises simultaneously with the sun during the hottest days of summer.