Efface is a verb that means erase from a surface.

Our word of the day comes from Latin and took a slight detour through French with the word effacer (EF ah say). It came be used literally or metaphorically. An example of its metaphorical use is: I hope my good deeds done at the shelter can efface the mistakes I made. I really regret those years of shoplifting candy bars.

Abase is a verb that means humiliate or lower in condition.

The Latin word bassus (BOSS oos) means ‘short of stature.’ When we abase someone, we make them feel small or lesser.

I probably shouldn’t have scolded the employees for coming in late. I just wanted to underscore the need to arrive on time, not to humiliate them.

Luminary is a noun that refers to a person who inspires others.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word lumen (LOO men) which means ‘light.’ Luminary was once a word to describe a natural light-giving body, especially the sun or moon. These days when we refer to someone as a luminary, the light they give off is metaphorical and refers simply to the light of inspiration they give others.

The saxophone player in the band was treated as a luminary by the others in the band, and I soon discovered why. He became an enormous influence on my life in ways that I still marvel at.

Behoove is a verb that means to make necessary or proper because of a duty.

Coming from Old English our word of the day is often used in a formal context. For example: Because of the immense responsibility involved with raising a child, it behooves a parent to step in when the child begins to develop unhealthy eating habits. This duty comes with everyone who chooses to have kids.

Mythos is a group of beliefs prevalent to a group or culture.

Our word of the day comes directly from Greek and refers to the unique cultural identity of a particular group of people.

As a kid I was always fascinated with the mythos of the Mayan people, especially those surrounding the pyramids. Their beliefs and cultural background held a special place in my heart.

Liminal is an adjective that means related to the initial stage of a process.

The Latin word limen (LEE men) means ‘threshold.’ Our word of the day is used to describe things at their threshold, when a transition is taking place.

For example: we had reached that liminal stage in our business when we were just connecting with our consumer base. But after a while, I became impatient, wanted to get beyond the initial stages.

Isomorphic is an adjective that means having a similar form.

The Greek prefix I-S-O means ‘equal’ or ‘identical,’ while morphe (MORE fey) is Greek for shape.

The two chemicals were isomorphic and yet, despite their similarities, they had very different effects on the body.

Epistolary is an adjective that means related to a letter.

The Latin word epistola (ay pee STOLE uh) means a letter. This word gave birth to its English equivalent epistle, meaning ‘letter.’ Our word of the day is the adjective version of this word, indicating something related to an epistle or a letter.

My favorite novels are told in epistolary form. There’s something about the exchange of letters that makes a literary work intimate.

Monomania is a noun that refers to an obsession with one particular thing.

We have the Greeks to thank for our word of the day. The prefix M-O-N-O means ‘single’ or ‘alone.’ And the Greek word mania refers to an excessive enthusiasm or obsession. Together they get monomania, an enthusiastic preoccupation with one particular thing.

Andrew’s fascination with potatoes became pretty weird after a while. His monomania reached the point where potatoes were all he wanted to eat — no matter how much damage this did to his digestive system.

Metastasize is a verb that means to dramatically spread.

The Greek word methistanai (methy STAHN ay) means ‘to change.’ This word later evolved into metastasis, a word for a disease, which later became our word of the day. Metastasize usually refers to a growth of something malignant in the body, but it can also be used metaphorically. For example: The payroll difficulties in our office metastasized when our computers went down. After that, the entire company was having problems cashing their checks.