Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

fulminate


Listen Later

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 4, 2025 is:

fulminate • \FULL-muh-nayt\  • verb

To fulminate is to complain loudly or angrily about something.

// The editorial fulminated against the corruption in the state government that has been recently uncovered.

See the entry >

Examples:

“When Reagan fulminated against the Soviet Union, his aides, fearing nuclear war, challenged him.” — Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 9 Sept. 2024

Did you know?

Lightning strikes more than once in the history of fulminate. The word comes from the Late Latin fulmināre, meaning “to strike down or confound (an opponent),” which in turn traces back to the Latin verb (same spelling) meaning “to strike” (used of lightning) or simply “to strike like lightning”; that word's source is the noun fulmen, meaning “lightning.” When fulminate was taken up by English speakers in the 15th century, it lost much of its ancestral thunder and was used largely as a technical term for the issuing of formal denunciations by church authorities. In time, its original lightning spark returned, and it’s now used when someone issues verbal “lightning strikes” in the midst of a brouhaha, tirade, or tweetstorm.



...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Merriam-Webster's Word of the DayBy Merriam-Webster

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,188 ratings


More shows like Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

View all
Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

Science Magazine Podcast

808 Listeners

Science Quickly by Scientific American

Science Quickly

614 Listeners

TED Talks Daily by TED

TED Talks Daily

11,283 Listeners

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by QuickAndDirtyTips.com

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

2,823 Listeners

Science Quickly by Scientific American

Science Quickly

1,363 Listeners

Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson by Luke Thompson

Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson

663 Listeners

TED Health by TED

TED Health

1,452 Listeners

TED Radio Hour by NPR

TED Radio Hour

22,132 Listeners

All Ears English Podcast by Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan

All Ears English Podcast

2,299 Listeners

IELTS Energy English 7+ by Lindsay McMahon, Jessica Beck, Aubrey Carter

IELTS Energy English 7+

427 Listeners

Life Kit by NPR

Life Kit

4,320 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,222 Listeners

No Stupid Questions by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

No Stupid Questions

3,692 Listeners

How to Be a Better Human by TED

How to Be a Better Human

1,342 Listeners

Business English from All Ears English by Lindsay McMahon

Business English from All Ears English

79 Listeners