Farrago is a noun that refers to a confused mixture.

Our word of the day comes almost directly from the Latin word for ‘mixed fodder,’ a feed given to cattle. In time, the word came to be used for other types of mixed things, for example: The bands selected for the festival were a farrago of heavy metal groups, folk trios and religious choirs. This odd mixture seemed as if it were made by someone in a perplexed state of mind.

Prepossessing is an adjective that means creating a favorable impression.

The Latin word possidere (pose ee DARE ay) means ‘to hold.’ From this we get the word ‘possess’ which maintains the meaning of its Latin ancestor. By adding the prefix P-R-E, we get get the word preposses, which is a synonym of ‘prejudice’ as in ‘I was hoping the mayor’s speech didn’t prejudice your opinion.’ A prepossessing individual prejudices our opinion in a favorable way.

Having a prepossessing nature is always a big plus in the political world. Voters will often overlook many mistakes from people who make a favorable impression.

Proscribe is a verb that means to forbid or condemn.

Our word of the day combines the prefix P-R-O, meaning ‘before’ with S-C-R-I-B-E, which means ‘to write.’

It referred to the fact that behavior that was forbidden or banned was ‘written down’ as law. More recently, the word has be used to describe behavior that is prohibited — even if the prohibition is not officially law. For example: The comedian proscribed the use of cell phones during his performance. Some may find this extreme, but in his case, banning cell phone use was the only way to ensure his shows weren’t illegally filmed.

Apoplexy is a noun that refers to a state of intense, uncontrollable rage.

The Greek word apoplēssein (ap oh play SANE) means ‘to cripple by a stroke.’ In time, it evolved into apoplexy, which maintained its original meaning. But the word can also be used outside of medical contexts to refer to a state of extreme anger, especially if this state makes you unable to speak. For example.

When I first called the police to report I’d been scammed out of all of my money, I couldn’t even answer the police officer’s questions. The apoplexy I’d found myself in made it impossible for me to speak.

Compathy is a noun that refers to a shared feeling.

Our word of the day combines the prefix C-O-M, which means ‘together’ with P-A-T-H-Y, a suffix of Greek origin that originally referred to ‘suffering or disease.’ More recently though, P-A-T-H-Y has been used to describe a general feeling. We see this in words like sympathy, empathy or telepathy.

When combined we get compathy, a word that refers to a shared feeling.

Everyone in the office was delighted by our softball team’s victory. It was wonderful to have this sense of compathy with people whom we had just met weeks earlier.

Shamble is a verb that means to walk awkwardly or shuffle. It can also be used as a noun that refers to an awkward walk.

The precise origin of our word of the day is unclear, but it may have been derived from the phrase ‘shamble legs’ which referred to the ungainly legs of tables used in the meat market. According to this theory the word was then picked up to describe the walk of a person whose legs resemble such a table’s legs.

I was in bad shape after my accident. For weeks I had to shamble around because my legs took a while to heal.

Goad is a verb that means to incite or arouse. It’s also a noun that means something that urges or stimulates into action.

The roots of the word of the day are in Old English, where the word often referred to a spear or a pointed stick used to drive or ‘goad’ cattle. When we goad people in a figurative sense, we’re not using a stick, but we are impelling them into action just the same.

I tried to goad Kevin into working overtime to cover for me last week, but he was firmly against it. No amount of urging or begging would get him to comply.

Imbroglio is a noun that refers to a confused situation.

Coming directly from Italian, our word of the day is often used to describe a messy or confusing scandal. For example: It’s not clear how the school board got caught up in this imbroglio, but it has not been helpful. A scandal of this proportion can only bring harm to its reputation.

Delectation is a noun that refers to delight or enjoyment.

Our word of the day has evolved from the Latin word delectare (del eck TAR ay) which means ‘to allure, please or charm.’ You could think of delectation as a second cousin to the word delicious, which has the same root.

Carmen was hoping to make a good impression on her new neighbors with her cooking skills. The delectations she shared with them were certainly very tasty.

Forbearance is a noun that refers to tolerance or patience.

The word forbear, which is derived from Old English, means ‘to hold back’ or ‘refrain.’ Our word of the day is the noun that refers to what a person must have in order to forbear.

It took a great deal of forbearance for Andrew to avoid eating sweets last month. That kind of patience is a very rare quality.