Dexterous is an adjective that means skillful or adroit.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word dexter (DECKS ter) meaning ‘on the rights side.’ Because most people are right-handed and do things more skillfully with the right hand, the word dexterous came to be a synonym of ‘skillful.’

I love watching Amy’s dexterous work on the balance beam. It’s lovely to see that kind of skill.

Phlegmatic is an adjective that means having a calm, composed temperament.

You may recognize the word phlegm, as in the bodily fluid, in our word of the day. It turns out there is a connection. So how did phlegm come to be associated with a synonym of ‘calm’ and ‘stoic?’ The answer goes back to the ancient Greeks. They believed that human personalities were controlled by four bodily fluids called humors: Blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. Those ruled by phlegm were thought of as calm and unemotional. Centuries later, we would refer to such people as ‘the phlegmatic type.’

Charlie’s phlegmatic personality made him an ideal person to be around in times of crises. No matter how crazy things would get, he would remain cool and unemotional.

Cadge is a verb that means to beg.

The linguistic origin of cadge is not known for certain, but we do know that in the 1400s, peddlers who were called cadgers travelled the British countryside with horses and carts. By the 1800s the term was often used to describe people who were beggars posing as peddlers.

I hate having to cadge money from my brother. He always makes me feel bad for having to bed.

Gainly can be an adjective that means graceful. It can also be used as an adverb that means very or completely.

Originating in Middle English, the word gain has many meanings. Among other things it can mean ‘to win.’ You can think of gainly as a synonym of ‘winning’ as in, a ‘winning personality.’

Sheila’s gainly demeanor will get her far in life. Everyone loves to be in the company of someone charming and sweet.

Tweedy is an adjective that means academic or scholarly.

Tweed is a fabric whose name is of Scots origin. Because tweed is commonly worn by academics, our word of the day came to be a term to describe academics or anything associated with them.

You didn’t exactly conjugate that word properly. Sorry to come across tweedy, but as a former college professor, correcting people’s grammar is a habit.

Wieldy is an adjective that means easily handled or managed.

To wield something means to ‘hold’ or ‘use’ it. It is related to the German word Walten (VI uh un).

Once again, wieldy is spelled WIELDY. You may recognize our word of the day as the positive variation of the word unwieldy.

I like how wieldy this tool box is. It’s much easier to carry around than the others I’ve used in the past.

Overslaugh is a verb that means to pass over in favor of another. Less commonly, it can also be used as a noun that refers to an exemption from duty from the British armed forces.

Our word of the day originated in Dutch. The word overslaan (OVE er Shlan) means ‘to skip.’ I think it may be best to overslaugh Henry. I know he’s been with the company the longest, but the newer employees are so much better.

Overslaugh is spelled OVERSLAUGH.

Acarpous is an adjective that means sterile  or not producing fruit.

Karpos (CAR pose) is the Greek word for fruit. The addition of the prefix A turns it into ‘fruitless.’ Our word of the day may refer to actual food but it may be used to mean any living creature that produces no offspring. It may also be used metaphorically to mean ‘unproductive’ or ‘futile.’ For example: The purpose of the meeting was to generate new ideas for the spring sale, but we couldn’t think of any. I had no idea the meeting would turn out to be so acarpous.

Hermetic is an adjective that means airtight or not affected by outside influence.

In Greek mythology, Hermes was the god of science and art. So it makes sense that the scientific discovery of an airtight tube would be credited to him. The word Hermetic is named for him.

The word is generally used in a scientific context, but it can also be used more informally as in: if we don’t want the milk to spoil, we should put it into a hermetic container. Using something airtight is the only solution.

Crestfallen is an adjective that means dispirited or humiliated.

Our word of the day began life in the late 16th century, originating with a reference to a mammal or bird having a fallen or drooping crest. An animal’s crest refers to its head. Having a drooping head is an indication that an animal — or person — is dejected.

The loss left Harold crestfallen for weeks. You wouldn’t think the results of a ping pong game would be so devastating, but Harold took the sport very seriously.