Errant is an adjective that means straying outside the proper path.

The Latin word Ire (EAR ay) means ‘to go.’ In time this word evolved and became the English word for ‘straying.’ Errant can mean ‘behaving in an improper manner’ or it can simply mean to ‘wander about.’

I love taking a stroll along the creek, but if you’re not careful, it’s easy to find yourself traveling down an errant path. All those trees look alike after a while and it’s not difficult to wander off course.

Exemplum is a noun that refers to a model or an example.

Our word of the day comes directly from Latin where it means ‘model’ as in: As far as I’m concerned Carol is an exemplum of wisdom. Not only does she always know what to say, but she understands that sometimes, a person shouldn’t say anything at all.

Calefacient is an adjective that means making warmth.

Our word of the day combines the Latin words for ‘be warm’ and ‘make.’ In addition to being used as an adjective to mean ‘produce warmth,’ calefacient can also be used as a noun that refers to something that produces warmth. An example of the word as an adjective is: When someone is suffering from heat loss that bad, they desperately need a calefacient agent like a blanket. Too much cold in extreme cases can be deadly.

Agitprop is a noun that refers to propaganda distributed through art.

Our word of the day comes from the Russian word that refers to ‘the agitation propaganda committee of the Communist Party.’ Today, agitprop may be used to refer to art with a political agenda of any kind.

I wasn’t expecting agitprop when I took my ten-year-old to see a puppet show. But those furry little puppets sure had a lot to say about contemporary politics.

Devoir is a noun that refers to a duty or responsibility.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word debere (day BEAR ay) which means ‘to owe.’ A devoir is something we owe to a person or group of people. I suppose I didn’t have to offer Elizabeth my coat after it had gotten cold, but I felt I needed to do my devoir as a gentleman.

Facile is an adjective that means easily accomplished or attained.

The Latin word facilis (fa CHEEL ees) means ‘easy to do.’ The word has retained more-or-less the same meaning after being imported into English.

At first I thought sorting the files would be a facile task, but I was wrong. It wound up being the most difficult part about working in the accounting department.

Clodhopper is a noun that refers to a clumsy and uncouth pumpkin.

Coming from Middle English, the word ‘clod’ referred to an unsophisticated person. The word was soon extended to refer to the kinds of shoes often worn by country folks.

I like Bobby Joe a lot, but when I first met him he came across like a clodhopper. That thick Alabama accent and those tattered overalls didn’t exactly make him appear erudite and urbane.

Apostate is a noun that refers to a person who abandons a group for another allegiance.

The Greek word aphistastha (ah FEAST uh thigh) means ‘revolt.’ Early on, it was used mainly in a religious context to refer to someone revolting against a particular church or religion. In more recent years,  it’s used to refer to someone who abandons any kind of group or organization to make an allegiance with another.

I felt a sense of shock and betrayal when I discovered that Riley had left our band and joined the other polka band in town. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the most outrageous apostate I’ve ever encountered.

Polyhistor is a noun that refers to a person of great or wide learning.

Our word of the day comes from Greek. The prefix P-O-L-Y means ‘much’ or ‘many,’ while histor (HE store) means ‘expert’ or ‘learned.’ Keep in mind that a polyhistor isn’t just a very smart person, but a person very smart on a number of wide-ranging topics.

If I had known Janet was such a polyhistor, I wouldn’t have challenged her to a game of trivia. It’s one thing to get stumped on a particular topic, but getting slammed on several topics can be downright humiliating.

Spendthrift is a noun that refers to a person who spends money wastefully.

Our word of the day combines the words ‘spend’ and ‘thrift’ to mean someone who spends their money in an irresponsible, reckless way.

I wouldn’t have given my nephew so much money for his birthday if I’d known what a spendthrift he was. After he got done buying news shoes and a new suit, and new laptop, he had nothing left to pay his rent with.