Roscian is an adjective that means related to or skilled at acting.

Quintus Roscius (KWEEN toos RAW shoos) was a famous ancient Roman actor whose skill was so admired that his name became an epithet for any particularly successful or talented actor. Today his name may be used as an adjective for anything related to acting.

In my brief career as an actor, I didn’t have much roscian talent. But I could remember my lines and not bump into the scenery, so I didn’t embarrass myself that much.

Maven is a noun that refers to an expert at a particular topic.

Our word of the day’s earliest incarnation is from Hebrew and means ‘one who understands.’ It was later imported into Yiddish and eventually, English as a synonym of ‘expert’ or ‘connoisseur.’

I’m no wine maven, but this particular brand just doesn’t seem quite right. It doesn’t take an expert in alcoholic beverages to know that wine isn’t supposed to taste like Kool aid.

Slipshod is an adjective that means sloppy or careless.

Our word of the day entered English in the late 16th century as a word for ‘wearing slippers or loose shoes,’ an appearance that some people thought of as lazy or sloppy. In time, the word become a synonym of ‘sloppy,’ as in: Don’t get me wrong, Chuck has a lot of talent as a mechanic, but his work can get a little slipshod — especially when he doesn’t have the incentive to pay attention to details.

Regnant is an adjective that means dominant or widespread.

Coming from the Latin word regnare (ren YAR ay) which means ‘to reign,’ - R-E-I-G-N - our word of the day can mean anything that is dominant, either because it is forced upon people, as in from a reigning king or queen, or simply because it is popular. Here’s an example of the latter: I thought my clothes in high school were what the cool kids wore, but I soon realized that it had been years since my plaid shirts and checkered sweaters were the regnant style.

Redux is an adjective that means brought back or revisited.

Coming directly from the Latin phrase for ‘coming home,’ our word of the day usually follows the word it modifies, for example: Jeff was a great office manager, but he made many of the same mistakes Janet did. At times he seemed to be Janet redux.

Magnum opus is a noun that refers to a great work of art.

Our word of the day comes directly from the Latin phrase for ‘great work.’ It’s usually reserved for highly respected artists in reference to the their very best known masterpiece.

I enjoyed the film a lot, but I wouldn’t say it was the director’s magnum opus. Any movie with that many unintentional laughs can’t really be considered a masterpiece.

Requite is a verb that means to repay or to make retaliation for.

Having its origin in Middle English, our word of the day simply means to repay, but the repayment may take place in different forms. You can requite a person’s love or requite an act of violence. For example: The kid that was mean to me in high school was probably afraid I would requite his meanness at the reunion. But I’ve moved past that and prefer to requite the acts of kindness I received from my friends.

Athenaeum is a noun that refers to a library or reading room.

The ancient city of Athena was named after the Roman Goddess of wisdom. Our word of the day comes from the temple of Athena in Rome, a school for the study of arts. Today an athenaeum may refer to any room or building with reading material, but it’s best used in reference to a place of great learning.

After entering the university’s giant athenaeum, I was immediately impressed by the vast amount of learning materials available. I’d never before been in the presence of such knowledge.

Pervious is an adjective that means penetrable or accessible.

The Latin prefix P-E-R means ‘through’ while V-I-A means ‘road.’ Together they refer to ‘that which may be passed through.’ You may be familiar with the negative form of our word of the day — impervious, which describes something that cannot be penetrated. When something can be penetrated, it is pervious.

At first I thought Larry’s office was something I wasn’t allowed to enter, but after getting to know him, I came to understand that his office was pervious to anyone he considered trustworthy.

Rejoinder is a noun that refers to a reply or answer to a question.

With its origin in Middle English, our word of the day can be used in formal or legal contexts, but it’s not limited to such formality.

I really hate being called to answer a question in biology class. It seems every time a question comes my way, I have no rejoinder.