Riparian is an adjective that means related to rivers or streams. 

Our word of the day, which has been around since the mid-19th century, can refer to something situated on the bank of a river, or it can simply mean something pertaining to a river. here’s an example of the latter:

My dog Bobby used to love those walks we would take to the river. Those riparian strolls were some of the most fun we would ever have. 

Mure is a verb that means to shut in an enclosed space. 

Our word of the day comes from the Old French word for ‘to wall up’ or enclose. It’s been enclosed in the English language since the Middle English period. Here’s an example of mure in use: 

As a kid, I would always try to mure my comics in a narrow crack in the wall. That way, my little brother couldn’t find them and mess them all up.

Prevenient is an adjective that means preceding 

The Latin prefix P-R-E means ‘before.’ You can find it in a number of English words like prevent, preheat and prefix. The word venire (vuh NEAR ay), also from Latin, means ‘to come.’ To come before something means to be prevenient to it. Here’s an example of it in use:

I’m not sure what happened on the prevenient day, but on Friday, there was a huge argument at the office over Jane’s parking space. Since I had missed work on Thursday, I can’t say for sure what came before the fight.

Propaedeutic is a noun that refers to a preparatory study or instruction. 

Derived from the Greek word propaideuein (pro pie DEH oo een) which means ‘to teach beforehand,’ our word of the day has been used by English speakers since the mid-17th century. Here’s an example of it in use:

My history as a college student was pretty mixed. When I didn’t prepare, I got awful grades. But when I spent a great deal of time on a propaedeutic, I got slightly less awful grades.

Taxonomy is a noun that refers to a system of classification. 

Our word of the day comes from the Greek word taxis (TAK sees) which means ‘arrangement’ along with the Greek suffix N-O-M-A-N-I-A, which means ‘distribution.’ Taxonomy emerged in the early 19th century and is mostly used in reference to classifying organisms. Here’s an example:

It’s a good thing the people who discovered this cave were skilled at taxonomy. Otherwise, nerds like me would never know what kind of creatures existed here centuries ago.

Oxytone is an adjective that means having an accent on the last syllable. It’s also a noun that refers to a word that has an accent on the last syllable. 

The Greek words oxus (ocks oose) and tonos (TOE nose) mean ‘sharp’ and ‘tone.’ Our word of the day has been with us since the mid 18th century. Here’s an example:

Learning a new language can get easier once you learn that words in other languages are more likely to be oxytones. After a while stressing the last syllable of a word just becomes second nature. 

Taurine is an adjective that refers to a bull. 

The Latin word taurus (TAR oos) means bull. By adding the suffix INE, our word of the day turns taurus into an adjective to describe behavior that is stubborn like a bull. Here’s an example:

Shelly’s taurine demeanor can take a while to get used to. But once you accept that you’re never going to win an argument with her, you can get along with her pretty well.

Epicrisis is a noun that refers to something that follows a crisis. 

Our word of the day combines the Greek prefix E-P-I, meaning ‘upon,’ with krisis (KREE sis) meaning ‘decision’ or ‘judgment.’ The word has been with us since the 15th century. Here’s an example:

As if the result of our team’s game wasn’t horrific enough, there was a shocking epicrisis at our home. We ran out of cheese dip. 

Syllogism is a noun that refers to a form of logical argument featuring two propositions and a conclusion. 

Our word of the day combines the Greek word sullogismos (soo low GISS mos) with another Greek word logos (LOW goes) which means ‘reasoning.’ Here’s an example of syllogism in use:

I was perplexed by my philosophy teacher’s behavior, I tried to use a syllogism to understand his logic. It didn’t get me anywhere. I found two propositions, but the only conclusion I reached was that Mr. Dolenz is weird.

Asportation is a noun that refers to the illegal carrying away of property. 

The Latin word asportare (as poor TAR ay) means ‘to carry away.’ Our word of the day is related to other kinds of carrying like transportation or deportation. It’s been with us since the late 15th century. Here’s an example:

The sudden asportation of my lunch from the office deeply annoyed me. It’s one thing to grab a napkin or two from the break room. But carrying away a whole sandwich and side order of fries is just unforgivable.