Alimentation is a noun that refers to the provision of nourishment and other necessities of life.

The Latin word alimentare (all ee men TAR ay) means ‘to feed.’ Our word of the day may refer to food or it may refer to any other kind of vital nourishment.

In difficult times, I took great alimentation from the friendships I had developed. That kind of nourishment can’t be derived from any medicine in the world.

Pavlovian is an adjective that means having a conditioned or predictable response.

Our word of the day was named after an early 20th century physiologist who engaged with experiments of conditioning. His best known experiments involved training a dog to behave in a certain way upon hearing a ringing bell. When we describe something as pavlovian, we are describing it as being automatic and predictable.

Here’s an example of pavlovian in use: After many years of working at the car wash, Eric had a pavlovian response that involved picking up a rag and wiping something whenever he heard the song ‘Night Fever.’ It came from the endless repetition of that song at his place of employment.

Nival is an adjective that means related to or growing in snow.

The Latin word nivalis (knee VOLL ees) means ‘snow.’ Our word of the day may describe anything related to snow and it can also refer to something capable of living under snow.

For example: I was surprised by all the life thriving in those cold regions we explored. I wasn’t yet aware of the many nival plants and animals that inhabited the place.

Fettle is a noun that refers to condition or working order.

Coming from Old English, our word of the day is used to refer to the condition of a thing or a person. For example: Harvey was in fine fettle in the weeks prior to running his marathon. But he wasn’t in such great shape after an all night binge of ice cream and pizza the night before actually running the race. This explains his five and half hour finish time.

Soniferous is an adjective that means producing or conducting sound.

Our word of the day shares an origin with words like ‘sonic’ and ‘sonata.’ All of these words are derived from the Latin word ‘sonus’ (SO noose) which means ‘sound.’ Soniferous is a word that describes anything that can be produce a sound.

For example: When hiking in the woods, I was wary of any creature that sounded scary. But some of those snakes that surprised me weren’t soniferous, so they were able to catch me off-guard.

Tactility is a noun that refers to the capability of being felt or touched.

The Latin word Tactilis (tack TEEL ees) means ‘touch.’ From this word comes the English word tactile, an adjective that means ‘that which can perceived by touch.’ Our word of the day is a noun that refers to the ability to be felt or touched, for example: There is something about the tactility of a print book as opposed to an ebook that makes it a better reading experience for me. That fact that you can touch and feel its cover makes reading it more engaging.

Propitious is an adjective that means indicating a good chance of success.

The Latin word propitus (por PEE tea oose) means ‘favorable’ or ‘gracious.’ In recent centuries, it has drifted into English and maintained the same basic meaning.

For example: Our soccer team didn’t get off to a propitious start. When we lost the first four games by a combined total of twenty points, it didn’t seem we had a good chance of winning the championship.

Quondam is an adjective that means former.

Our word of the day comes directly from the Latin word for ‘formerly.’ It is used as a synonym of words like ‘erstwhile’ and ‘once.’

For example: The quondam band members were united in their envy of what the band had become after they had departed. This is to be expected when you leave a band right before they become famous.

Homeric is an adjective that means epic or large scale.

According to historians, Homer was a storyteller of Ancient Greece. His poems featured large scale stories of heroic behavior. Homeric is an adjective to describe tales of a similar nature.

My dad’s stories about his adventures walking home from school and encountering stray dogs had an almost Homeric quality to them. He even claimed to have been chased home by a German Sheppard that he swore had the ability to fly.

Wheel horse is a noun that refers to a hardworking or diligent person.

Our word of the day combines the English words ‘wheel’ and ‘horse.’ Its origin is from the practice of positioning the hardest working horse nearest the wheels of a horse-driven vehicle.

It didn’t take long for Stacy to become the wheel horse of the office. I guess that’s what happens when you’re always volunteering to do the most work.