Today's word of the day is Byzantine, B-Y-Z-A-N-T-I-N-E.  Byzantine is an adjective that means elaborate and complex.

Historian recall the Byzantine empire as one riddled with elaborate and complex rules. A Byzantine process is difficult to get through.

I wanted to surprise my employees with a bonus, but the Byzantine administration made things difficult. I had to jump through many hoops to get the raise implemented by Christmas.

Once again, Byzantine is spelled B-Y-Z-A-N-T-I-N-E. 

Today's word of the day is lenity. It's spelled L-E-N-I-T-Y. Lenity is a noun that means the state of being mild or gentle.

The Latin word lenitas (lay NEE tas) means mild or gentle, and our word of the day hasn't drifted very far from its ancient origin. To behave with lenity is to be mild or gentle -- especially with someone who hasn't been mild or gentle with you.

After years of enduring insulting behavior from his co-workers, Andy chose a noble path. He had enough lenity in his heart to not terminate those who had insulted him once he was promoted to supervisor.

The spelling of lenity is L-E-N-I-T-Y. 

Today's word of the day is sisyphean, S-I-S-Y-P-H-E-A-N. Sisyphean is an adjective that means endless.

The myth of Sisyphus is an ancient Greek tale of a King whose punishment for deceitful behavior was to be forced to roll an giant rock up a hill only to have the rock roll back down the hill, urging him to repeat the act over and over again for all eternity.

When something is described as Sisyphean, that means it is both laborious and futile. For example: Emptying those dumpsters behind the school feels like a Sisyphean task. You empty them week after week, but they just fill up again.

Sisyphean is spelled S-I-S-Y-P-H-E-A-N.

Today's word of the day is eximous. It's spelled E-X-I-M-I-O-U-S. Eximious is an adjective that means distinguished.

The Latin word eximius (ex EEM ee oos) means 'set apart' or 'select.' As you might guess, eximious is not a word to toss around casually. You wouldn't refer to an eximious toothpaste or bus boy, but a more respected item or position could possibly earn the word. For example: Our professor is regarded as one of the nations eximous Latin scholars. His word is respected by millions.

The spelling of eximous is E-X-I-M-I-O-U-S. 

Today's word of the day is burble, B-U-R-B-L-E. Burble is a verb that means to speak in an excited manner.

The Middle English word for bubble is burblen. From there our word of the day was  born. It is best used to describe someone whose excited speech has rendered their words crazy and unintelligible. 

When my nine-year-old saw the puppy she wanted, she started to burble with joy. The only word I could discern was 'please.'

Once again burble is spelled B-U-R-B-L-E. 

Today's word of the day is beamish. It's spelled B-E-A-M-I-S-H. Beamish is an adjective that means bright with optimism.

Coming from the English word beam, which may refer to a ray or light or the act of smiling, beamish is an upbeat word that describes being bright and hopeful. 

I have a good feeling about our softball game Sunday. Our team has been in a beamish mood that makes a victory seem inevitable.

Beamish is spelled B-E-A-M-I-S-H. 

Today's word of the day is agrapha, A-G-R-A-P-H-A. Agrapha is a noun that means famous sayings that are falsely attributed.

A word borrowed from Greek that referred to sayings of Jesus not in the canonical gospels but found in other New testament or early Christian writings, has, in recent years, been used more broadly. Now agrapha may refer to any quote or saying that is falsely attributed to someone. 

Baseball great Yogi Berra once said, 'I never said half the things I said.' In other words he was dismissing many sayings attributed to him as agrapha. 

The spelling of agrapha is A-G-R-A-P-H-A. 

Today's word of the day is garboil. It's spelled G-A-R-B-O-I-L. Garboil is a noun that means a confused or disordered state.

The Latin word bullire (boo LEE ray) means to boil or liquify. The image of a boiling pot of water perfectly captures the kind of chaos people must have had in mind when they understood the word garboil to mean a confused or disordered state.

Tammy did a great job of managing the office. As soon as she left, the office became a non-stop garboil.

Once again, garboil is spelled G-A-R-B-O-I-L. 

Today's word of the day is agog. It's spelled A-G-O-G. Agog is an adjective that means full of interest or excitement.

The origin of agog seems to be the French phrase en gogues (en GOG) which means in good humor. But agog's meaning has shifted a little over the years. A person may be agog -- meaning full of interest or excitement -- without necessarily being in a good mood. 

For example: When our supervisor announced there were big changes ahead for the company, everybody was agog for days. We were relieved to learn the changes he had in mind involved replacing the office furniture.

The spelling of agog is A-G-O-G. 

Today's word of the day is legerity, L-E-G-E-R-I-T-Y. Legerity is a noun that means alert quickness of mind and body.

The Latin word Levis (LEV ees) means light, as in 'light on your feet.' This is a good way to think of legerity. As a younger man, the prizefighter was praised for his legerity. But these days he just plods around the ring, waiting to get repeatedly jabbed.

Once again, legerity is spelled L-E-G-E-R-I-T-Y.