Carte blanche is a noun that refers to unrestricted authority.

Our word of the day comes directly from the French term for ‘blank document.’ In this case, a blank document refers to something that gives someone unchecked power.

The director thought it might be a good idea to have our play Much Ado about Nothing performed entirely by dogs. It may not have been a good idea to give Arnie carte blanche when directing the play.

Somnific is an adjective that means causing sleep.

The origin of our word of the day is in the Latin word somni (SOAM nee) which means ‘sleep.’ If something is somnific it has a calming effect and could put you into a slumber.

Charolette’s lovely voice can be sleep-inducing. After a few minutes of listening to her, I’m headed for the nearest pillow.

Sufferance is a noun that refers to patient endurance.

Our word of the day’s origin is in the  Latin word sufferre (soo FAIR ay) which means to ‘endure’ or ‘to submit to.’ A person with a great deal of sufferance has an ability to submit to a lot.

I have great sympathy for Charles and all he’s had to endure. His sufferance after the accident is something he should be very proud of.

Parisiology is a noun that refers to the use of ambiguous language.

The Greek word parisos (PAR ee sose) means ‘evenly balanced,’ and the suffix O-L-O-G-Y denotes something related to words. To evenly balance your words is one way to keep your language unclear or ambiguous.

After the investigation began, the mayor had some tough questions to answer. Fortunately, as a lawyer, he’s very good at parisology, a useful skill when evading accusations.

Sodality is a noun that refers to brotherhood or community.

The Latin word sodalis (so DOLL ees) means ‘comrade’ or ‘companion.’ A sodality refers to a companionship between many people. the word is frequently used to refer to people whose companionship is of a religious kind. For example: After many years away, it felt great to rejoin my friends in church. I missed the sodality between us.

Malversation is a noun that refers to corrupt behavior.

The Latin word versare (ver SAR ay) means ‘to turn.’ After evolving into a word of English, it took on the prefix M-A-L, meaning ‘bad.’ By combining these, we get a word that refers to corruption. Our word of the day may be used in any concept that involves corruption, but it generally refers to corruption by someone in public office.

All the malversation in the city council has harmed many political careers, but it has mostly affected those who offered bribes to cover them up. corruption is never popular among voters, and least popular involves efforts to cover up past misdeeds.

Remonstrate is a verb that means to say or plead in protest.

The Latin verb monstrare (mon STAR ay) means ‘to show.’ After drifting into the English language, our word of the day added the prefix R-E, meaning ‘in reference to’ or ‘about.’ To remonstrate an argument means to plead ‘in reference to it — or, more specifically — against it. For example: A trip the beach in Duluth, Minnesota was a bad idea for our Spring break. I felt compelled to remonstrate by stomping my feet immediately.

Dauntless is an adjective that means fearless.

The Latin word domare (doe MARE ay) means ‘to subdue or tame.’ Our word of the day describes someone who has tamed their courage.

The sheriff may have looked dauntless as he approached the gunfight, but on the inside, he was awfully afraid of what Big Joe could do to him.

Caprice is a noun that refers to a sudden impulsive action.

Stemming from the Italian word capriccio (cah PREACH ee oh) which means ‘a shudder,’ our word of the day may describe any sudden action that was unplanned or unmotivated.

Geography can be a difficult class to study for because Mr. Picket often gives tests based on his own caprice. When his impulses tell him to spring a test, he springs the test — whether we’ve studied for it or not.

Chapfallen is an adjective that means dejected or dispirited.

A person or animal’s chaps refers to their jaw or the fleshy skin covering their jaw. It is basically the same word as ‘chops,’ as in, ‘Tyler licked his chops.’ If someone’s chops or chaps have fallen, it means that person is depressed or uninspired.

I didn’t understand the chapfallen look on the coach’s face until I looked up at the scoreboard. With the team losing forty-five to nothing, it made perfect sense for Coach Grant to be so dejected.