Achates is a noun that refers to a faithful friend.

Our word of the day comes from an epic poem called Aeneid. In the story, Achates accompanies a Trojan leader named Aeneas everywhere in his adventures. Prior to being featured in the poem by Vergil, both characters originated in Greek mythology.

When trying out a new standup comedy routine, I like to rehearse it in front of an Achates or two. Only a faithful friend will have the courage to tell you when you’re not funny.

Prandial is an adjective that means related to a meal.

The Latin word prandium (PRAHN dee oom) means breakfast. In time it came to refer to any meal.

The company outlawed any more prandial meetings. The employees tend to eat so much they run up an outrageously large bill.

Affranchise is a verb that means to set free.

You may recognize ‘franchise’ as the root of our word of the day. It comes from the Latin word franc (fronk) meaning ‘free.’ With the addition of the prefix A — which means ‘to’ — it becomes a transitive verb that means something done to someone, as in: After watching a documentary on animal cruelty, Amy affranchised her chickens. Setting them free after years of service seemed like the least she could do.

Disport is mainly used as a verb that means to divert or amuse, but less commonly, it can be a noun that refers to a sport.

Our word of the day is derived from the Latin portare (poor TAR ay) meaning ‘to carry.’ From here, the word picked up the prefix DIS and became disport which meant ‘to carry away,’ ‘comfort’ or ‘entertain.’

This versatile word can refer to a pastime, but in that sense it has been surpassed in popularity by its shortened version ‘sport.’ It can also mean to amuse or divert. For example: These days it’s a little harder to disport kids. It often takes a lot of imagination and money to find something they consider amusing.

Lineament is a noun that refers to a distinctive feature -- especially on the face.

Linea (LIN ee ah) comes from Latin and means ‘line.’ Keep in mind that a ‘line’ may refer to a straight line or an outline with curves and features that stand out — just as a distinctive nose may stand out in the contour of a person’s face.

With his giant chin, it wasn’t difficult to identify Jake after all these years. Decades later that lineament still stands out.

Lineament is spelled LINEAMENT.

Sedulous is an adjective that means involving great effort and perseverance.

Our word of the day is evolved from the Latin words se dolus (say DOE loose) which mean ‘without guile.’ Over time this evolved into a single word sedulo (say DOO low) meaning ‘diligently’ or ‘sincerely.’

Marcy is a great asset to the company. She’s a sedulous employee who works long and hard to make sure she gets things done right.

Once again, sedulous is spelled SEDULOUS.

Asperity is a noun that refers to roughness.

The Latin word asper (AHH spur) means rough. This word took a lengthy journey through Anglo-French and Middle English and still exists today. It can be found nestled into words like exasperate as well as our word of the day.

My father survived a great deal of asperity before he succeeded in life, but he feels that his rough path to prosperity has given him a great deal of character.

Asperity is spelled ASPERITY.

Precatory is an adjective that means expressing a wish.

Precari (pray CAR ee) is the Latin word that means ‘to pray.’ Over time, it has evolved into our word of the day, which is often used in a legal context to indicate something that is desired but not legally binding like a ‘precatory dress code’ in the workplace. It may also be similarly used in an everyday context: My precatory plans were for Ed to water my plants while I went out of town. But I suppose I should have made my wishes more clear before I left.

Oenophile is a noun that refers to a lover of wine.

The Greek word for wine oinos (EE nosse) provides roughly half of our word of the day’s origin. The rest is PHILE a suffix of Latin descent that means ‘lover of.’

Rhonda was one of the most knowledgeable oenophiles I’ve ever met. Not only did have a great wine to recommend to me, but she was aware of that wine’s history.

Oenophile is spelled OENOPHILE.

As a noun, clarion refers to a medieval musical instrument or the clear, shrill noise it makes. As an adjective it means loud and clear.

A clarion is a musical instrument known for making a clear, shrill sound. Its name comes from the Latin word clarus (KLAR oos) meaning clear.

The sale on winter gloves was a clarion call to me. I understood perfectly well the need to make sure my hands were fully wrapped up before temperatures dropped even further.