Olid is an adjective that means having a strong, disagreeable smell.

The Latin word olere (oh LARE ay) means ‘to smell.’ Somewhere before reaching English, the word acquired a more specific meaning and came to refer to a strong, unpleasant smell.

Kevin had been stashing milk in his closet again. I could track the bottles down through the olid scent that spread down the hallways.

Tradecraft is a noun that means the techniques and procedures of espionage.

Our word of the day combines two common English words — ‘trade’ and ‘craft’ — to get a word that may refer broadly to the skills acquired through the experience of any trade, or more specifically, the skills of espionage.

My little sister could pursue a career with the FBI when she gets older. With all of the Tradecraft she’s learned from spying on me, should would be a top notch secret agent.

Bibliolater is a noun that refers to one who is excessively devoted to books.

You may recognize the word ‘bible’ in bibliolater. That’s because both words come from the Greek biblion (BEE bee yon) meaning ‘book.’ In addition to referring to a person highly devoted to books, our word of the day may also describe someone with an excessive reverence to the letter of the Bible.

My son is quite a bibliolater. I’ve seen him read as many as three books a week.

Reveille is a noun that means a signal to get out of bed.

In addition to providing the origin of our word of the day, Latin word vigilare (vij uh ARE ay) meaning ‘to keep watch’ and ‘to stay awake’ has given us vigil, vigilant and vigilante.

In the armed forces, our word of the day refers to a bugle whose sound is intended to wake up the soldiers from sleep. But the civilians among us may also get a reveille in the form of a wake-up phone call or the ring of an alarm clock.

Jason’s call at four am may not have been intended as a reveille, but it certainly served that purpose. After hearing his loud, hostile voice, I was awake for the day.

Hortative is an adjective that means strongly urging.

Hortari (hor TAR ee) is Latin for ‘exhort’ or ‘urge.’ Actions that strongly urge people are deserving of our word of the day, hortative.

It will take more than gentle persuasion to get Melanie to change her mind on this issue. She’ll require a hortative speech that stresses the need to act immediately.

Coming from the Latin word preada, (PRY duh) meaning ‘to prey’ (as in ‘prey on a weak victim),’ our word of the day may be used to describe a number of our friends — or enemies — of the animal kingdom. It my also be used to describe the behavior or demeanor of humans.

At first JR struck me as a guy who would never take advantage of another person. It wasn’t until later that I would see how predacious his behavior could be.

Alliciency is a noun that refers to the power of attracting.

Our word of the day has evolved from the Latin allicere (all ee CHAIR ay) meaning ‘to allure.’ It may be used simply to refer to attractiveness, but is best understood as a power that some have over others.

We’re seeking a model with just the right alliciency. After all, we need to attract people to this product they’ve been neglecting for years.

Imperious is an adjective that means arrogant or commanding.

The Latin word imperare (im pair RAWR ay) means ‘to rule or command.” A person described as imperious isn’t necessarily a ruler, but they earn the adjective by behaving as if they should be.

I’ve learned that acting in an imperious way doesn’t work in our industry. It’s best to handle artistic types with a gentle hand instead of a commanding one.

Gloaming is a noun that refers to twilight or dusk.

Related to the word ‘glow,’ our word of the day is of Germanic origin and now refers to a glow taking place at a specific time of the day, dusk. It is sometimes called ‘the gloaming.’

Dusk in the country feels very different than in a big city. There’s something romantic about the gloaming in an open meadow that is not dwarfed by giant skyscrapers.

Acumen is a noun that refers to the ability to make good judgements.

Coming from the Latin, acuere (ah kware ay) meaning ‘to sharpen,’ our word of the day came to refer to a mental sharpness or shrewdness.

Jeff was a great football player, but he simply lacks the acumen to be an effective head coach. We need someone with a sharper, more keen mind.