Sortilege is a noun that refers to sorcery. 

Taking its origin from the Latin word sortilegium (soar too LEDGE um) our word of the day goes back to the 14th century and initially referred to the divination of a person’s fate. More recently it refers to any form of sorcery. 

When I predicted the joke dad would tell at thanksgiving dinner, people thought I had engaged in some kind of sortilege. But actually, the prediction didn’t come from supernatural sources, but from my memory. I was recalling all the past thanksgiving dinners where dad told the same joke.

Fatidic is an adjective that means of or related to predicting fates.

The Latin word Fatum (FAH toom) means ‘what was spoken.’ It gave us the word ‘fate,’ which, in turn, gave us our word of the day.

When I saw a three etched on the football team’s chalkboard, I couldn’t help but think there was something fatidic about that number. And true enough, three is exactly how many points we wound up scoring that whole season.

Pantheon is a noun that refers to a group of illustrious or notable people.

The Pantheon is a circular dome built 19th centuries ago — and still standing to this day. It was intended as a temple to the gods and its name is derived from the Greek words for ‘’all’ and ‘god.’Today the word refers to a group of admirable people who’ve achieved greatness.

Ronnie’s latest album puts him among the pantheon of great country singers. I know that’s high praise, but I truly feel it is a good as any album ever recorded.

Roman a clef is a noun that refers to a work of art that features real people under the guise of fiction.

The French translation of our word of the day is ‘Novel with a key.’ The tradition of a fictional novel that is, in reality, a portrayal of real people dates back to the 19th century. Those novels included an actual key, meaning a list of the book’s characters and the real people they represented.

I suspect the deeply paranoid character in Daphne’s novel is really based on me. Everyone thinks the book is fiction, but I know it’s actually a roman a clef.

Catholicity is a noun that refers to broadness or universality.

You may recognize the word ‘catholic’ in our word of the day. This is no coincidence. The Greek origin of the word ‘catholic’ had nothing to do with religion. Instead it meant ‘whole’ or ‘universal.’ Catholicity is the noun version of catholic.

I enjoyed my years at college, but I often wish I’d gotten a broader, more complete education. After all, when it comes to real world application, catholicity in one’s intelligence can be helpful.

Refractory is an adjective that means hard to manage or stubborn. Refractory is also a noun that refers to a stubborn or resistant or stubborn person.

Our word of the day is derived from the Latin word refractarius (ray frack TAR ee oos) which means ‘resistant.’ Refractory was originally used mostly in medical contexts, in reference to a disease or condition that is resistant to treatment. More recently, the word’s use has broadened and it may refer to a person who is resistant to something like, for example, criticism.

I warned Amy that, with her voice, it wasn’t a good idea to sing in a register that low, but Amy can be a bit refractory. I sometimes wish our lead singer was a little less stubborn.

Sororal is an adjective that means characteristic of a sister.

The Latin word soror (SOAR or) means ‘sister.’ This word later evolved into our word of the day, which you could think of as a female variation on the word ‘fraternal,’ which means ‘brotherly.’

It’s good to see Valerie and Miriam getting along so well. When they clashed at first, it seemed unlikely the two ladies would have anything resembling a sororal relationship.

Nonplus is a verb that means to perplex or put at a loss of words. It is also occasionally used as a noun that refers to a state of perplexity.

The Latin phrase non plus (known PLUS) means ‘no more.’ Once imported into English, the word became a synonym of ‘puzzle’ and ‘confuse.’

Joel’s odd behavior always seems to nonplus me. I’m most confused by his tendency to dress in swimming trunks when he goes skiing.

Flinty is an adjective that means stern or unyielding.

The word flint, which is derived from Old English, refers to a type of rock known for its hardness and inflexibility. Describing someone as ‘flinty’ means they are inflexible or unwilling to yield to someone else’s way.

Terry isn’t my favorite person to work with. He’s good at his job, but he can be flinty when it comes to doing things his own way.

Facetiae is a noun that refers to ‘witty or humorous writing.’

Our word of the day is borrowed directly from Latin, where it means ‘amusing things.’ In English, it holds the same meaning. Keep in mind that it’s a close relative to the word ‘facetious.’

The speech Marty wrote for the memorial service was awful. He’s great at writing facetiae, but when tasked with penning something serious, he’s out of his element.