Pleonexia is a noun that refers to greed.

The Greek word pleon (PLAY on) means ‘to have.’ Our word of the day evolved from this to become a synonym of avarice and covetousness.

Everything went well with our company until our operations became driven by pleonexia. Greed always has a way of killing a good company.

Myopic is an adjective that means lacking foresight.

Our word of the day has its origin in the word Greek my myopia (my OPE ee uh) which refers to shortsightedness. Centuries later, as it entered English, it also came to refer to the medical condition known as ‘nearsightedness’ where a person can only see objects close to them.

You could think of a myopic person as someone who can only grasp things happening closer to them. For example: George’s behavior can get a little myopic at times. He acts as if the only things that matter are things happening right now and right in front of him.

Fugacious is an adjective that means lasting a short time.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word fugere (foo JAIR ay) which means ‘to flee.’ A Fugacious moment tends to flee very quickly.

I only spent a few weekends with my grandfather, but those fugacious moments will last in my memory forever.

Loquacious is an adjective that means talkative or fluent.

The Latin word loquāc (low KWATCH) means ‘verbose.’ A loquacious person talks a lot and is more inclined to be sociable or extroverted.

Having a loquacious neighbor can be enjoyable, but there is a downside. If you catch them in an especially talkative mood, you can find yourself roped into a lengthy conversation when you have other things to do.

Tenderfoot is a noun that refers to an inexperienced beginner.

The English words ‘tender’ and ‘foot’ combine to form our word of the day. A person with no experience in the woods, for example, has feet that are not rough. In other words, tender feet.

As a musician, I’m something of a tenderfoot. I simply don’t have enough experience to hold my own in an environment with established artists.

Argus is a noun that refers to a watchful guardian.

In Greek mythology, Argos was a giant with many eyes. As time went by, it was often said that a watchful person had ‘the eyes of Argos.’ The name itself later became a reference to a guardian, as in: Tyler served as an argus while we trekked further into the woods. He kept a watchful eye, making sure we didn’t get any surprises from things like bears.

Extirpate is a verb that means to destroy completely.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word stirps (steer PEE ess) which means ‘trunk’ or ‘roots.’ The addition of the prefix ‘EX’ gets us to a word that means ‘to pull up from the roots.’ When something is pulled up from the roots it is eliminated completely. Florence wanted those horrible photos extirpated. She didn’t just want them out of her sight, she wanted them fully destroyed.

Incur is a verb that means to become liable or subject to.

The Latin word currere (COO ray ray) means ‘to run.’ By adding the prefix ‘IN,’ we get ‘to run into.’ Just as a person who runs into debt is responsible for it, the same can be said of someone who incurs it.

My dad always thought it was a bad idea to incur lots of debt. Being liable to past payments, he felt, was like owing money to your past self.

Austral is an adjective that means related to the southern hemisphere.

You may recognize our word of the day as being embedded in the name of the country and continent Australia. This is no coincidence. The Latin word auster (OW ster) means ‘south,’ just perfect for a nation located in the Southwestern Pacific ocean.

I might visit New Zealand the next time I’m in the mood for austral travel. The southern hemisphere is such a lovely place to take photographs.