Mesmeric is an adjective that means fascinating or irresistible.

Our word of the day comes from an 18th century Austrian physician named Franz Anton Mesmer. Mesmer was noted for his use hypnotic techniques. Mesmeric is a synonym of hypnotic, but it may also be used in a more subtle sense to mean ‘charming’ or ‘alluring.’ For example: Lydia’s mesmeric personality has played a big role in her success. Who doesn’t want to be in the presence of someone so charming and delightful?

Omnifarious is an adjective that means of all kinds or forms.

Our word of the day combines the Latin omni (OHM knee) meaning ‘all’ and fariam (FAR ee um) meaning ‘parts.’ Something that is omnifarious contains all, or at least, many parts.

The omnifarious breakfast tray at the office meeting was a great idea. Having a little something for everyone is a good way to make sure there are no arguments over the choices.

Cede is a verb that means to yield.

The Latin word cedere (CHAY dare ay) meaning ‘to yield’ was often used in a legal sense. The word’s meaning and use remains much the same after evolving into our word of the day. But cede isn’t only used in legal contexts. A person can cede rights or property, but they can also cede a point, as in. I cede your point about the poor performance in our first five games. But Nonetheless I’m optimistic about the rest of the season.

Ataraxia is a noun that refers to a state of serene calmness.

Our word of the day comes directly from Greek and has maintained the same definition for centuries. Ataraxy, ending with a Y instead of an I-A is a variation of the same word.

Russ seems to have found a state of ataraxia in his life. His sense of calmness and serenity is evident to anyone who crosses his path.

Winnow is a verb that means to sift or separate. It’s also a noun that refers to a device used to winnow.

Our word of the day has its origin in Old English, where it meant ‘to fan.’ It’s also related to the word ‘wind.’ It may hep to think of a gust of wind as winnowing through a stack of paper.

The director needed to find a lead actor for his play by morning. So he had to winnow through a giant stack of resumes all night.

Connote is a verb that means to convey or imply.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word notare (no TAR ay) which means ‘to note’ or ‘to remark.’ When we connote something we indicate it, but without doing so directly. For example: Lately Terry’s clothes connote serious financial hardship — even if he has too much pride to openly admit he needs money.

Commensurate is an adjective that means equal in amount or extent.

The Latin word mensura (men SUE ruh) means ‘to measure.’ By adding the prefix C-O-M, we get a word that means ‘measured together’ or ‘measured equally.’

All of Lydia’s employees received commensurate pay. She does that to ensure that no one is envious of anyone else’s salary.

Spate is a noun that refers to a large number or amount.

Our word of the day is of Scottish and Northern English origin and dates back to the early 15th century, where it referred to a sudden flood. You could think of an abundance of something as a ‘sudden flood’ of that thing.

The spate of cash we’ve had lately comes just in time. We were in desperate need of a lot money, and now, we have it.

Purlieu is a noun that refers to a surrounding area or an environment.

In Medieval England, a perambulation was a name for a ceremony where a person took a walk around their property, with witnesses observing, to establish the boundaries of their land. Perambulate came from the Latin ambulare (om boo LAHR ay) meaning ‘to walk.’

Our word of the day is derived from perambulation and refers to the area established by this ceremonial walk.

I hope the crime didn’t take place on company’s purlieu. If it did, we’d have some legal problems. After all, we’re liable for any crimes that take place on our purlieu.

Avocation is a noun that refers to ‘a hobby.’

You may recognize the word ‘vocation’ — a synonym of ‘career’ — in our word of the day. This word evolved from the Latin vocare (vo CAR ay) which means ‘call’ as in ‘a calling.’ The addition of the prefix A gives us a word that means ‘a calling away’ from one career.

My dad always felt it was important to have an avocation to be a well-rounded person. In his view, there was nothing more boring than a person who has nothing to talk about except work.