Requisite is an adjective that means made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations. 

The Latin word requisitus (wreck we SUITE oose) meaning, ‘deemed necessary’ provides the basis for requisite. It shares its root with other English words like ‘require’ and ‘inquire.’ Example:

There I was, the last batter with two outs in the ninth inning and I was ready to hit a game-winning home run. The only problem was I forgot my requisite bat. 

Gomer is a noun that refers to a stupid colleague. 

The precise origin of our word of the day is something of a mystery. There is a man named Gomer in the Bible, but some believe that the name became an insult after it was used on the character Gomer Pyle, the inept soldier depicted in the popular 1960s sitcom of the same name.

Regardless of its source, Gomer has become an unflattering term for somebody not very good at his job. Here’s an example:
At the ice cream stand, I developed a reputation as a Gomer after I made a few mistakes. But honestly, I didn’t feel I was that incompetent. Anybody can mistake a five-pound order for a five-gallon order, can’t they?

Paronomasia is a noun that refers to a play on words. 

Coming directly from a Greek word that means ‘beside’ and ‘name,’ our word of the day has been around since the late 16th century. Here’s an example of paronomasia in use:

I call my dad the Prince of Paronomasia. There is no play on words that is too silly or too corny for him to use at a family function. 

Datum is a noun that refers to a piece of information. 

Having been around the English language since the mid-18th century, our word of the day comes directly from the Latin word for ‘something given.’ It is the singular version of the commonly used plural word ‘data.’ Here’s an example:

While eating a hot dog at the company picnic, Harvey walked up to me and delivered this fun fact: The average hot dog contains approximately one rat hair each. I just thanked him for the datum and threw my plate in the trash can.

Depuration is a noun that refers to the act or process of freeing something of impurities. 

The root word of depuration is the Latin-based word, ‘pure.’ By adding the prefix D-E, meaning ‘completely.’ we get a word that means to make something completely pure. Here’s an example of our word of the day in use:

The depuration of our city’s water supply was an important step toward creating better health. Purifying water can be expensive, but it’s worth the cost.

Chthonian is an adjective that means related to or resembling something from the underworld. 

Coming from the Greek word for ‘earth,’ our word of the day has been with us since the late 19th century, usually as a reference to the goings on in Greek mythology, for example:

As a kid, I loved Greek mythology, but I didn’t want the stories to get too chthonian. Any reference to the Ancient underworld would scare me away from Greek tales for weeks.

Logogram is a noun that refers to a sign or character representing a word or phrase. 

Coming from two Geek words ‘logos’ for ‘word’ and ‘gram’ for letter, our word of the day has been around since the 19th century. Here’s an example:

It wasn’t easy to make sense of all the logograms contained in the graffiti. But it helps to understand that certain letters or symbols have a meaning related to certain words. 

Cyclopean is an adjective that means made of huge blocks of stone. 

The cyclops of Ancient Greek mythology were giant one-eyed creatures. Our word of the day has been around since the mid-17th century to describe a style of buildings built with huge stones. Here’s an example of cyclopean in use:

Those cyclopean buildings look strange around all these steel and glass structures.

Squall is a noun that refers to a sudden gust of wind. 

Our word of the day has been around since the mid-17th century. It is thought to be an alteration of the word squeal, in imitation of the sound made by a strong gust. Here’s an example:

As if the rain wasn’t bad enough, that squall nearly knocked me off my feet. The last thing you want is to be thrown by a strong gale into a giant puddle. 

Thersitical is an adjective that means given to scurrilous language. 

Our word of the day comes from the Greek word for ‘little beast.’ In time, thersitical came to refer to plays that were rude or crude. It may also be used to describe the temperament of an unpleasant person, for example:

After grumbling all day about the weather, Paul had established a reputation as a thersitical guy. It wasn’t just that he didn’t like all those clouds. It’s more that he used such ugly language to articulate his contempt for them.