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   Number 1: patina

   Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 11, 2026 is: patina • \puh-TEE-nuh\ • noun A patina is a usually green film that forms on copper and bronze that is exposed to moist air for an extended time. The word patina can also refer to a shiny or dark surface that over time forms naturally on something (such as wood or leather), or to a literal or figurative thin layer. // The town erected a statue in her honor, which over the years developed a seafoam green patina. // Although the winery is brand-new, it has been constructed and decorated to give it a patina of old-world quaintness. See the entry > Examples: "Family, friends and neighbors filled the frames with dancing and dominoes; their apartments painted in shades of mint, butter yellow and ... pink, flecked with a patina cultivated by humidity and time." — Suzy Exposito, The Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026 Did you know? When Italians applied the word patina to the green film that forms on the surface of copper, they were drawing from Latin, in which patina means "a shallow dish." (Presumably, the Italian meaning developed from the observation of such film forming on copper dishes.) By the mid-18th century, English speakers were also calling the green film patina, and by the 20th century, they'd expanded the word's application to surface appearances of things that have grown more beautiful with age or use—think of an old wooden desk or a tarnished silver goblet. Use of the word to refer to thin layers both literal and figurative ("a patina of grime," "a patina of respectability") followed soon after. The related verb patinate means "to give a patina to."

   September 11, 2026·3min
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   Number 2: stigma

   Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 9, 2026 is: stigma • \STIG-muh\ • noun Stigma refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something. // The organization is animated by a commitment to challenging stigmas associated with the condition. See the entry > Examples: “The stigma surrounding workers of my generation is real—some depict us as burned-out, overworked employees who are difficult to manage and are merely looking for a paycheck while mapping out our exit strategy for retirement.” — Suzie Jimenez, Business Insider, 21 July 2026 Did you know? Tattoos are now common, but not long ago adorning one’s body with ink was frowned upon by much of mainstream society. Even today, tattooed individuals in some communities and contexts face stigma based on their particular form of self-expression. It turns out that the link between tattoos and stigma is ancient, at least etymologically. The roots of stigma trace back all the way to the Greek verb stizein, meaning “to tattoo,” which led to the Latin noun stigma meaning “mark” or “brand.” The earliest English uses of stigma hew close to those of its Latin forebear; the word first referred to a brand left by a hot iron. In modern use, the scar is figurative: stigma most often refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something, as when people talk about the stigma associated with mental illness, or the stigma of poverty.

   September 09, 2026·3min
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   Number 3: loath

   Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 10, 2026 is: loath • \LOHTH\ • adjective A person who is loath to do something is unwilling or reluctant to do that thing. // Proud of the company he had built, Henry was loath to admit that it was time to think about retiring. See the entry > Examples: “On these runs, I was loath to stop. I dreaded zebra crossings and the city-center pavements, and instead ran into the surrounding countryside, abandoning myself to the endless roads that seemed to be going nowhere.” — Madeline Potter, The Roma: A Traveling History, 2025 Did you know? Loath as some language sticklers may be to accept it—indeed, they may loathe the fact—loathe is an accepted, though less common, spelling variant of the adjective loath. The language sticklers know that loathe is most often used as a verb meaning "to hate," and their desire to keep the language tidy by letting loath alone mean "not willing or wanting to do something" is understandable. But here’s the rub: language is very often untidy. Both loath and loathe trace back to the Old English word lāth, meaning “loathsome, disgusting.” Each has had a number of variant spellings over the years, and for at least some portion of their history each word has taken on the spelling of the other. If you would like to keep the two distinct according to prevailing preferences, remember that loath is how you feel (reluctant, unwilling), and loathe is what you do (hate, dislike).

   September 10, 2026·3min
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   Number 4: recalcitrant

   Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 3, 2026 is: recalcitrant • \rih-KAL-suh-trunt\ • adjective Recalcitrant is a formal word typically used to describe someone who stubbornly refuses to obey rules or orders. Recalcitrant can also describe something that is difficult to manage or operate. // The magazine, aimed at parents and caregivers of young children, will include the latest in child development science as well as practical information, like tricks for persuading even the most recalcitrant toddler to cooperate. See the entry > Examples: “One particularly recalcitrant driver … managed to rack up 29 speeding tickets during the 10-school-day span.” — Dave Werner, The Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, New York), 20 May 2026 Did you know? When given an order or command, a recalcitrant person (or animal) digs in their heels. They will not give an inch, so to speak, immovable in their determination to defy the rules. This makes a great deal of sense, etymologically, as recalcitrant traces back to calx, the Latin word for “heel.” (Calx is also responsible for such English words as calcaneus, “the large bone of the human heel,” and—mention this at your next pizza party—calzone.) From calx, Latin users formed first the verb calcitrare (“to kick”) and then recalcitrare (“to kick back”). In Late Latin, recalcitrare was used figuratively to mean “to be stubbornly disobedient,” leading to the English adjective we apply today to stubborn mules both human and asinine.

   September 03, 2026·2min
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   Number 5: gumption

   Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 31, 2026 is: gumption • \GUMP-shun\ • noun Gumption refers to courage and confidence. // It took a lot of gumption to speak up for yourself like that. See the entry > Examples: "Fourth graders devise machines powered by rubber bands and 10-year-old ingenuity, some of the most creative thinking you'll ever witness. Wonders of nature and humanity coexist in these spaces. Behind all this is the gumption and bravery of teachers who set this up." — Adam Johnston, The Daily Herald (Provo, Utah), 13 May 2026 Did you know? English speakers have had gumption (the word, that is) since the early 1700s. The term's source isn't known, but early examples of it are found in Scottish (the related terms rumblegumption and rumgumption can be found there too). Gumption originally referred to common sense, but it is now more commonly used to refer to the kind of courage and get-up-and-go that makes undertaking difficult things possible. Art historians may know a couple additional applications for the word: gumption was historically used both to refer to the art of preparing painters' colors, and as a synonym of megilp, which refers to a mixture of linseed oil and mastic varnish that is used as a vehicle for oil paints.

   August 31, 2026·2min
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