Alacrity is a noun that refers to brisk and cheerful readiness.

The Latin word alacritas (ah lah CREE toos) means ‘liveliness’ or ‘animation.’ From this origin our word of the day emerged, retaining the same meaning.

Rachel’s ability to meet all kinds of challenges with alacrity makes her an ideal employee. The guy who previously held the position was far more sluggish and that’s why he only lasted a week.

Bravura is a noun that means a display of daring.

Coming from the Italian word bravo (BRAH voe) our word of the day emerged in the mid 18th century to describe a great technical skill and brilliance shown in a performance or a display of daring.

I hadn’t seen the circus in years. I had forgotten how much bravura there was in the trapeze artists.

Rewild is a verb that means to restore to its natural state.

The word wild, meaning ‘a natural, uncultivated state,’ is of Old English and German origin. Our word of the day adds the prefix ‘re’ and creates a verb that means to return a region to this state.

I can barely recognize the area where the mall used to be. It looks as though their efforts to rewild the area have been successful.

Natant is an adjective that means swimming or floating.

The Latin word natare (nah TAR ay) means ‘to swim,’ but our word of the day is distinguished from swim, because it's more likely to be used in a scientific context to describe plants or inanimate objects.

Doctor Hemming’s team found a large amount of fauna natant in the lake. To this day they are not sure why it didn’t simply remain at the lake’s bottom.

Donnish is an adjective that means bookish.

Derived from the Latin word dominus (DOME ee noos) meaning ‘lord or master,’ a ‘don’ came to refer to leader in a number of very different contexts. It sometimes refers to a high-ranking member of the mafia, as in Don Corleone from the movie the Godfather. But it may also mean a senior professor at a college or university.

This academic meaning provides the origin of our word of the day. Donnish is an adjective that describes someone who behaves in a highly educated or bookish manner. I was surprised to learn that Jerry was a car mechanic. His donnish demeanor suggested he was some kind of scholar.

Appurtenant is an adjective that means belonging or pertinent.

Coming from the Latin word pertinere (per tin AIR ay) meaning ‘to pertain’ or ‘concern’  our word of the day is similar to the words ‘pertaining’ or ‘appertaining,’ but is more likely to be used in reference to real estate to describe properties that ‘belong’ with other properties. For example: The appurtenant gazebo in the front yard added greatly to the home’s aesthetic value. Unfortunately, it also added greatly to the home’s price.

Fatuous is an adjective that means silly or foolish.

Fatuus (fah TOOS) means ‘fool’ in Latin. While our word of the day is pretty much never used in a flattering context, it often simply means ‘silly’ or ‘pointless’ as opposed to downright ‘wrong.’

As usual our weekly meeting was not every productive. It mostly consisted of fatuous observations about Saturday’s softball game.

Caducity is a noun that means frailty.

The Latin word cadere (cah DARE ay) means ‘to fall.’ Over the years, our word of the day would come to mean ‘liable to fall.’ Today caducity may refer to any kind of frailty, physical or otherwise.

At Edwin’s age, it’s a struggle to compete with the younger athletes. His caducity has greatly limited his physical prowess.

Leporine is an adjective that means resembling a rabbit or a hare.

The Latin word lepus (LAY poos) means rabbit. A person described as leporine would probably not be flattered by the word.

Shaving his head bald caused an awkward emphasis on Chuck’s large ears. It gave him a leporine look he probably wasn’t hoping for.

Palmy is an adjective that means prosperous or flourishing.

Palm trees may seem like an unlikely origin for word that means ‘prosperous or flourishing,’ but it would help to know that our word of the day began life because the branch of a palm tree in 14th Century England had traditionally been used as a symbol of triumph.

After years of struggle, my uncle found the palmy days he’d always been seeking. It’s wonderful to seem him finally achieve success.