Supernal is an adjective that means related to the sky or the heavens. 

The Latin word supernus (soo PAIR noos) means above or superior. From that we get our word of the day which means anything that refers to the skies or heavens above us. 

My great grandfather was deathly afraid of getting on a plane. This was fairly common among people who grew up in the days when supernal travel was new and believed to be dangerous.

Nescient is an adjective that means lacking knowledge. 

The Latin word scire (SHE ray) for knowledge has given us lots of words related to knowledge. There’s science, conscience and omniscience to name a few. And there’s our word of the day, which, combined with ’N E,’ meaning ‘not,’ gives us a word that means ‘lacking knowledge.’

Rob seems to wear his nescience as a badge of honor. It’s as if he’s proud to know nothing.

Puffery is a noun that means false or exaggerated praise. 

The word puff, as in something you’d do into a balloon to blow it up, has its origin in Middle English. Like many words, it began as an effort to imitate the sound made while performing the act. 

Our word of the day is more likely to be used metaphorically. You may think of puffery as something you do to inflate someone’s ego, just as puffing would inflate a balloon.

Whenever we need a favor from the mayor, a little puffery over the phone doesn’t hurt. Having his ego flattered always seems to put him in a generous mood.

Ineluctable is an adjective that means not to be avoided or resisted.

The Latin word luctari (LUKE tar ay) means to struggle. From this root comes ineluctable, which means something you can’t struggle free from. 

I was hoping I could get by without having to face Harvey at the office this week. I soon realized that when Harvey is a bad mood, dealing with him is ineluctable.

Mordant is an adjective that means having a sharp or critical manner.

You may have heard the word mordacious used to describe a dog inclined to bite. Our word of the day is also derived from the word bite. Both words come from the Latin word Mordere (MORE dair ay) which means — you guessed it — bite. But our word of the day is more likely to be used figuratively, as in: Shelly’s mordant wit doesn’t always go over so well with her teachers. They don’t find her biting remarks to be helpful in the classroom. 

Paragon is a noun that means a model of excellence. 

The Greek word parakanon (pahr AHK uh non) means to sharpen. It later came to refer to a stone that was used to sharpen something, a touchstone. This made paragon a synonym of touchstone in the other sense of the word, a test for determining the quality of something. 

Some people think my little puppy looks a little weird, but I think little Eva is the paragon of canine beauty. All dogs should be that adorable.

Waggish is an adjective that means playful or mischievous. 

Waggish comes to us from Old English. A Wagghalter is a now obsolete English word from centuries ago that referred to someone likely to be hanged — presumably from their playful for mischievous behavior. In more recent years we can refer to waggish behavior in less serious terms, for example: At first, I panicked when I saw what appeared to be a snake on my office chair. I soon realized this was just a waggish prank by a co-worker.

Aphorism is a noun that means a short observation that contains a general truth. 

Our word of the day comes to us directly from Ancient Greek. It may help to think of an aphorism as something you might hear from a wise ancient philosopher. 

I’m always encouraged when my daughter asks questions. After all, according to Socrates’ lovely aphorism, ‘wonder is the beginning of wisdom.’

Pontificate is a verb that means to express one's opinion in a pompous way. 

Our word of the day comes to us from the Catholic Church through the Latin word pontifex (PONE tee fecks) meaning ‘high priest or bishop.’ In time it came to be used outside of the church to refer to someone smugly offering their opinion as if came from God above. 

Andy loves to pontificate on every film he sees. It wouldn’t occur to him to consider that his opinion could be wrong. 

Fabulist is a noun that means a person who invents elaborate and dishonest stories. 

Fabulist has its roots in the word fable, which comes to us from the Latin fabula (FAB oo la). It may refer either to a person who tells fables or a person who lies. 

Angie’s tales of growing up in rural Montana are a bit exaggerated. But she’s such an imaginative fabulist that I don’t care whether her stories are true or not.