Diaspora is a noun that refers to ‘people settled far from their ancestral homeland.’

The Greek prefix D-I-A means ‘across.’ When combined with the Greek word speirein (SPEAR een) meaning ‘scatter,’ you get our word of the day. The word initially referred to Jewish people living outside Israel, but more recently it came to refer to any cultural group of people in a similar situation.

Tanya was looking foreword to meeting others of Russian descent. Having lived her entire life in Japan, she hadn’t had much of an opportunity to connect with the diaspora.

Clavate is an adjective that means ‘club-shaped.’

The Latin word clava (KLAH vah) means ‘club.’ Often used to describe plants and animals, our word of the day describes anything that is club-shaped, meaning it is thicker at the top than at the base.

When spending time at the camp site, you should always avoid contact with those clavate plants seen by the river. Touching one of those club-shaped things would give you an itch that could last for months.

Emporium is a noun that refers to ‘a major trading center.’

Our word of the day comes directly from a Greek word that refers to ‘a merchant.’ The word was imported into English in the late 16th century and came to refer to ‘a center of commerce.’ In more recent years, it has been used to refer to a large retail store.

Eric’s place of business has expanded a great deal over the years. It began a tiny corner store where people could buy candy and soda pop, but it soon became an emporium that sold everything from shaving cream to weightlifting equipment.

Sargasso is a noun that refers to ‘a messy situation.’

Our word of the day is a word of Portuguese descent whose precise origin isn’t clear to us. When used literally it refers a weed. But in a more figurative sense it means any kind of messy situation.

Michelle’s attempt to teach English in Japan without knowing how to speak Japanese started out well, but it soon became a sargasso. The language barrier made for a very messy situation.

Modicum is a noun that refers to ‘a small quantity of something.’

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word modus (MOE doos) which refers ‘a limit’ or ‘a measure.’ Modicum is often used in a similar context. For example: Although we all love our Packers here in Green Bay, we always make sure we have a modicum of respect for the other team. It doesn’t hurt to treat your opponent with a small amount of respect.

Hodiernal is an adjective that means ‘related to the present day. ‘

The Latin word hodie (AW dee ay) means ‘today.’ When something is hodiernal, it is related to today.

For example: As much as Steve wants to save up for a new house, he has to also weight that desire against hodiernal concerns. He wants to save for tomorrow, but he needs to eat today.

Muggle is a noun that refers to ‘a person with no particular skills.’

Our word of the day comes from the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling. I was initially used to describe people ‘a person without magical powers.’ It has since been adapted to refer to anyone with particular powers or skills of any kind.

Example: As. Kid, I grew up afraid that if I didn’t learn math, I’d become some kind of a muggle. But it turned out my lack of math skills didn’t really hurt me in life because I had plenty of other abilities.

Aphotic is an adjective that means ‘having no light.’

Our word of the day combines the Greek prefix ‘A,’ meaning ‘without’ with ‘photic’ (FOE tick) meaning ‘light.’ Frequently used in nature, aphotic describes a thing or place that has no light.

We were hoping to get some great pictures on our underwater dive. But unfortunately, the aphotic conditions simply made it too dark for that to happen.

Enfeoff is a verb that means ‘to surrender property.’

Coming from Middle English, our word of the day has traditionally been used in legal proceedings to describe the exchange of property. For example: The owner of the building isn’t happy to surrender the property he’s owned for many years, but according to the law, he has to enfeoff it to the new owner once a deal has been struck.

Abuzz is an adverb that means ‘characterized by lots of talk or gossip.’

Our word of the day began life as a variation of the word ‘buzz,’ Buzz is a word from Middle English that is imitative, which means it imitates the sounds of the thing it describes. When we describe something as abuzz, we mean it is buzzing. It’s often used metaphorically to describe something as ‘buzzing’ with conversation or rumors.

For example: The office was abuzz with all kinds of talk regarding a new recreation room. But the rumors were soon put to rest when we discovered there simply wasn’t enough money in the budget for it.