Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 3, 2023 is: upbraid \up-BRAYD\ verb

To upbraid someone is to speak to them in an angry or critical way in response to something they have done wrong—in other words, to [scold](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scold) them.

// The teacher upbraided the class after discovering the chalkboard erasers had been clapped all over the walls.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upbraid)

Examples:

“Shot mostly in black-and-white, with amusing bits of animation included (the scene in which Troyal is upbraided for ordering a steak well-done is a quirky comedic highlight), this movie gets better the more it strays from its real-life models and into hazy hallucinatory American weirdness.” — Glenn Kenny, The New York Times, 7 Apr. 2023

Did you know?

First things first: do not confuse upbraid with [topknot](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topknot) lest you be upbraided for it. Topknot is a noun referring to a hairstyle, while upbraid is a verb (and an ancient one at that) meaning “to criticize or scold severely.” However, it may soothe your pride to know that the braid in upbraid likely comes from the same source as our [hirsutal](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hirsute#did-you-know) verb [braid](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/braid), meaning “to do up (the hair) by interweaving three or more strands.” That source is the Old English word bregdan, which could be used to mean “to snatch,” “to move suddenly,” or “to [plait](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plait#dictionary-entry-2),” i.e. “braid.” The Old English verb ūpbregdan is probably a combination of this bregdan with ūp, meaning “up.” If the connection between moving suddenly upward at someone and [berating](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/berate) them seems obscure, you might consider upbraid to be a more formal counterpart of the expression “to [get/be in someone’s face](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/be%2Fget%20in%20someone%27s%20face).”