Foible is a noun that means a minor shortcoming is someone's character.

In fencing, the word forte refers to the strongest point of the blade. So understandably, forte became a word to describe a person’s strongest skill or characteristic, as in: Jeff’s forte is public speaking. That’s why he’s done so well performing lectures at college.

By contrast, the foible (derived from the Old French word for ‘feeble.’) is the weakest part of the blade. And Foible refers to the person's weakest trait or skill. I don’t know why Mable insists on doing a dance routine for the talent show. Everybody knows dancing is her foible.

Doldrums is a noun that refers to a slump or a state of stagnation.

The exact etymology of our word of the day is unknown, but we know it was first used as a nautical term to describe periods of time without strong winds — which was a problem for sailing vessels.

Today, the word is used in a similar way to describe periods of stagnation or the absence of inspiration.

Without any inspiration, Stacy has been in the doldrums for a while. That’s why she hasn’t painted a masterpiece in a while.

Begrudge is a verb that means to envy or resent someone's good fortune.

You may have noticed the word ‘grudge’ nested in our word of the day. Derived from Middle English, grudge is perhaps best known as a noun that means ‘ill will or resentment resulting from a past insult or injury.’ But grudge is also a verb that can mean ‘to be resentfully unwilling to grant or give something.’ Adding the prefix BE to our word of the day gets us to begrudge which can mean ‘to reluctantly give.’ But its most common meaning is ‘to envy or resent someone’s success or fortune.’ The key word with all these is ‘resent.’

I get the feeling Tommy begrudges the success I’ve had at the office. He shook my hand to congratulate me on my raise, but I could tell by the resentment in his eyes that he didn’t mean it.

Shambolic is an adjective that means disorganized or confused.

A fairly recent addition to English our word of the day came about in the mid-twentieth century, apparently from the word shambles, meaning ‘a state of total disorder.’ The shambolic state of my son’s room was always a source of puzzlement. I have no idea how I could have a child who has inherited none of my desire for order and neatness.

Promethean is an adjective that means boldly defiant or creative.

Getting its origin from the Greek God Prometheus known for his daring inventiveness and creativity, our word of the day is often used to describe scientists and inventors who have created something astonishingly new. For example, keep in mind that the novel Frankenstein was first subtitled ‘The Modern Prometheus’ in reference to the mad scientist to brought the dangerous monster to life.

Many of the important figures of contemporary science have a promethean quality about them. It often takes a bold temperament to create something that truly shakes up the world.

Connubial is an adjective that means related to the state of marriage.

Connubial combines the Latin word nubere (new BEAR ay) with the prefix COM, meaning ‘with’ or ‘together.’

After years of marriage, the couple were still thrilled with each other’s presence. It was nice to see their state of connubial bliss was alive and well.

Sagacity is a noun that refers to wisdom or keen judgement.

The Latin word sagax (SA gacks) means ‘of quick perception’ or ‘keen.’ This word gave birth to our word of the day as well as ‘sage,’ a word often used to describe.a profound thinker who is eager to share a life of wisdom. When considering the use of sagacity, it may help to remember such a character is the kind with much sagacity.

The old wizard was happy to share his sagacity with his student. He felt there was no better use for wisdom than to pass it on to younger people who need it the most.

Embosom is a verb that means to shelter closely.

Our word of the day is related to the word bosom, a word of Old English origin that means a person’s chest. When used literally, embosom means to ‘take into one’s chest.’ Metaphorically, it means ‘to enclose’ usually in a protective or loving manner.

I may have had my differences with Kate over the years, but when she needed help, I was happy to embosom her. I’m always happy to take family into my arms to protect them.

Chimera is a noun that refers to a fanciful fabrication or illusion.

In Greek mythology, a chimera is a fire-breathing monster that has a lion’s head, a goat’s body and a dragon’s tail. After being slain, this beast continued to live on in people’s imagination. The word later came to refer to any similarly grotesque monster. In more recent years, it refers to something fanciful.

My daughter is convinced there are horrible creatures lurking under her bed. When she talks about them, it reminds me of my younger days of being terrified of a number of similar chimeras.

Factotum is a noun that refers to someone tasked with many diverse responsibilities.

Factotum combines the Latin words facere (FAH chair ay) which means ‘to do’ with the word totum (TOE toom) meaning ‘everything.’ Together we get a word for someone, usually an employee or servant, who does (or seems to do) everything.

I had no idea there was so much work involved with being an assistant director on the set. They should have advertised the job as ‘hiring one factotum, qualifications: a willingness to perform an impossible number of tasks on a daily basis.’