Standpat is an adjective that means stubbornly resisting change. It can also be a verb that refers to an act of resisting change.

Standpat is a term from the game of poker that combines the English words ‘stand’ and ‘pat’ to refer to the act of making no changes to the cards you currently hold. But it may be applied outside of the world of poker to describe a resistance to change when used as an adjective or the act of resisting change when used as a verb.

I tend to standpat a lot when playing poker, because I don’t like taking risks in high stakes situation.

Chameleonic is an adjective that means given to quick or frequent change.

A chameleon is a lizard known for its ability to change colors. It gets its name from a combination of the Greek words chamai (HAHM eye) which means ‘on the ground’ and leōn (LAY own) meaning ‘lion.’

Our word of the day is the adjective form of the word that describes someone or something capable of changing colors or some other attribute.

Julie may have great principles, but she can be chameleonic when the situation demands it. I’ve seen her change opinions on many topics just to be liked by others.

Canorous is an adjective that means pleasant sounding or melodious.

Our word of the day’s origin is in the Latin word canere (Can AIR ay) which means ‘to sing.’ It’s often used in a musical context, but it can also be used to describe a lovely sound that has a vaguely music feel to it. For example: Spring is my favorite season. I love waking up to the canorous sounds of the birds collecting outside my window.

Suborn is a verb that means to secretly induce (someone) to perform an illegal act.

Our word of the day combines the Latin prefix SUB, meaning ‘under’ or ‘secretive’ with ‘ornare’ meaning ‘equip’ or ‘arrange.’ Suborn is frequently used in a legal context, but it may describe any inducement to break the law.

Jill was afraid of what might happen if the jury knew the truth about her. So she tried to suborn me to perjure myself on the witness stand.

Percipient is an adjective that means having deep insight or understanding. It can also be used as a noun that means ‘one who perceives.’

The Latin word for ‘perceive’ is percipere (PAIR chee paire ay). When used as an adjective, our word of the day is a synonym of ‘discerning,’ as in: when it comes to shopping for my clothes, I trust my wife’s judgement more than mine. She is a very percipient shopper.

As a noun, percipient, may refer simply to anyone who perceives things or it may specifically refer to someone with special powers to perceive, such a psychic: Tanya wanted to know where things were headed in her career, so she hired a percipient to read her future.

The word is sometimes shortened to malaprop, which is spelled MALAPROP. Malapropism is a noun that refers to a humorously misused word or phrase.

Our word of the day has its origin in a 1775 play called The Rivals. It featured a character named Mrs. Malaprop who had a habit of verbal blunders, such as: ‘He is the very pineapple of politeness.’

The play’s writer, Richard Sheridan created the name from the French term mal à propos (MAL uh pro poh) which means ‘inappropriate.’

The Senator isn’t known for his ability to make people laugh — at least not intentionally. He often gets huge laughs from the occasional malapropism in his speeches.

Aurorean is an adjective that means of or belonging to the dawn.

Fans of Roman mythology may know that Aurora was the Roman Goddess of the dawn. The word aurora still refers to this time in the morning. Our word of the day is an adjective that refers to anything related to the dawn.

The early mornings in this town are stunning. I could stare at the aurorean glow across for several minutes.

Expiate is a verb that means to make amends for.

Our word of the day began life with the Latin word expiare, which means ‘to atone for.’ Before arriving in contemporary English, it had other meanings. Shakespeare (and others in his time) used the word to mean ‘to put an end to.’ But more recently, expiate is typically used in a context related to guilt or guilty behavior. For example:

Tom felt guilty for embezzling his company’s money, but he feels a great deal better after repaying the company the money. It felt refreshing to expiate for his crime.

Scandent is an adjective that means climbing or ascending.

Coming from the Latin word scandere (SCON dare ay) meaning ‘to climb,’ our word of the day is frequently used to describe plants like vines that climb while growing. But it may also be used figuratively. For example:  in all my years in law, I’ve never met anyone more ambitious and eager to reach the top of the legal world as Laura. Whenever we find someone that scandent, it is vital that we hire them right away.

Cordate is an adjective that means heart-shaped.

The Latin word cordi (CORE dee) means heart. Keep in mind that a cordate object is not shaped like an actual heart, but is instead shaped like the perfectly symmetrical image we see, for example, represented on valentine’s day cards.

When I was in a more romantic mood, I thought a cordate tattoo on my forearm would be nice. But more recently I think a picture of a dragon would be more fitting to my personality.