Hobbyhorse is a noun that refers to a topic that someone talks about frequently. 

Dating back to the 15th century, our word of the day came from Old English as a reference to a toy given to children. In time, the word developed a metaphorical meaning and came to refer to a topic that someone is greatly preoccupied with. Here’s an example:

Michael’s hobbyhorse had always been the swimming pool at the park. For as long as I can recall, he always began his day with a long-winded rant about how nice the pool was until the park board stopped cleaning it up. 

Matrifocal is an adjective that means ‘based on the mother as the head of the family or household.’

The Latin word mater (MA ter) means mother. This mother has given birth to many English words like ‘maternity’ and ‘maternal.’ It’s also the basis for our word of the day. Matrifocal could be thought of as a synonym for matriarchal. Example:

In college, I studied matrifocal societies. It was fascinating to learn about cultures that place mothers as the leaders of the home.

Displume is a verb that means to strip of honors or an award. 

The word of the displume is plume, a Latin-based word that refers to the covering or feathers of a bird. The prefix D-I-S means to remove, so to displume a bird means to remove its feathers. Our word of the day may be used in this way or in a more figurative sense, for example:

The committee decided to displume the athlete when they discovered he’d been using performance-enhancing drugs. It’s a shame to see someone stripped of an honor simply because they refused to play by the rules. 

Unfeigned is an adjective that means genuine or sincere. 

The root word of unfeigned is feign, a word of Latin origin that means to invent or pretend. Our word of the day adds the prefix U-N which means ‘not.’ If something is unfeigned, it’s not invented or pretended. In other words, it’s real or honest. Here’s an example of unfeigned in use:

When I developed a cold on the day of our big history test, my parents suspected I was faking. After taking my temperature, they learned my illness was unfeigned — but still the product of good timing. 

Sybarite is a noun that refers to a person accustomed to luxury. 

Our word of the day is a toponym, meaning it is a word derived from a location. In this case, the location is an ancient Greek city called Sybaris located in what is now Southern Italy.

Sybaris was well known among those who sought great luxury and extravagance. Centuries later, the word named for it lives on as a noun to describe those who are lovers of luxury. 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no sybarite. I’m not looking for great refinement and decor in a hotel. But it would be nice to find a place where the towels aren’t welded to the racks. 

Sward is a noun that refers to an expanse of grass. 

Coming from an Old English word for ‘skin,’ our word of the day soon became a term for the upper layer of soil. More recently it’s come to refer to an upper layer that is covered with grass. Here’s an example:

I once got a little confused when my dad told me to cut the sward out back. After learning that he meant the grass, I apologized for sawing the fence in half. 

Logophile is a noun that refers to a lover of words. 

The Greek word logo (LOW go) means ‘words,’ while the suffix P-H-I-L-E means ‘a lover of.’ Here’s an example of logophile in use:

When Annette told me she never misses an episode of Word of the Day, she explained to me that she was such a logophile that her love of words makes her hungry to learn new ones. And here I was thinking it was the dulcet tones of the show’s host that made her a fan.

Disapprobation is a noun that refers to a strong disapproval. 

The Latin word probus (PRO boose) means ‘good.’ By adding the prefix D-IS-, we get a word to describe behavior that is bad enough to receive disapproval. 

My family is usually comfortable with all the decisions I make except where clothes are concerned. When I show up with an ill-fitting pair of bell-bottom jeans, I face some pretty heavy disapprobation. 

Blatherskite is a noun that may refer to foolish talk, or it may refer to a person who engages in foolish talk.

Coming from the mid-17th century, our word of the day was first used in the Scottish song Maggie Lauder. It soon became popular among Americans as well as Brits. Example:

There was a lot of blatherskite spoken at the party, but perhaps the most foolish thing said was that we needed another beer run. Believe me, at that hour, we’d already had enough beer.

Engender is a verb that means to cause or give rise to a feeling, situation or condition. 

Our word of the day comes from the Old English word ‘beget’ (buh GET) which means to give birth to. Engender may be used to describe anyone giving birth to a particular feeling or emotion, for example:

Whenever I hear that song, it engenders feelings of great joy. That thunderous crescendo at the end always reminds me of a happy time in childhood. It’s rare that a song is able to give rise to that much emotion.