Today's word of the day is instantiate. It's spelled I-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-A-T-E. Instantiate is a verb that means to represent by a concrete example.

Instantiate is derived from a the Latin word Instantia (een sta TEE uh) which means counterexample. Centuries later, the offspring of instantia has come to mean 'to represent by a concrete example.' 

The damage to our jeep came to instantiate the troubles we had crossing the jungle. That giant dent in the hood was an example of how tough the journey was.

The spelling of instantiate is I-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-A-T-E. 

Today's word of the day is crocodilian, C-R-O-C-O-D-I-L-I-A-N. Crocodilian is an adjective that means hypocritical or insincere.

If you recognize the word crocodile in our word of the day, you can probably guess that crocodilian means 'related to or like a crocodile.' But a less common use of the word is as a synonym of hypocritical or insincere. Anyone who's seen a crocodile patiently hide in water to trap a prey can easily understand this use of crododilian. 

Brett's crocodilian nature was revealed soon after he learned of Laura's fortune. Once the money was available, he abandoned any disguise of docility.

Crocodilian is spelled C-R-O-C-O-D-I-L-I-A-N.

Today's word of the day is esperance. It's spelled E-S-P-E-R-A-N-C-E. Esperance is a noun that means hope or expectation.

The French word esperance (es pair AHHNS) is the ancestor of our word of the day. It's a more formal word for 'hope' or 'expect' and it is usually best used in a poetic or literary context. The evening was still young. But all esperance of hearing from my friend again had abandoned me.

Once again, esperance is spelled E-S-P-E-R-A-N-C-E. 

Today's word of the day is flackery, F-L-A-C-K-E-R-Y. Flackery is a noun that means promotion or publicity.

The exact origin of flack, meaning 'a press agent' or 'one who provides publicity,' is unknown. But the rumor mill suggests the it comes from a well-known movie publicist of the 1930s named Gene Flack. True or not, the story illustrates the kind of person who would engage in what would be called flackery. It may refer to show business or other things not taken very seriously.

My career as a professional wrestler never quite got off the ground. My problem is I never had the right flackery to put my name in the limelight.

Once again, the spelling of flackery is F-L-A-C-K-E-R-Y.

Today's word of the day is oscitant. It's spelled O-S-C-I-T-A-N-T. Oscitant is an adjective that means drowsy.

Coming directly from the Latin word Oscitans (Oh ski TAN) which means sluggish, oscitant can be used to describe the state of being sleepy or lazy. Professor Brooks took a nap while the students watched a film. This was unusual behavior for the professor, but he'd never been so oscitant in class before.

Once again, the spelling of oscitant is O-S-C-I-T-A-N-T.

Today's word of the day is catholicon, C-A-T-H-O-L-I-C-O-N. Catholicon is a noun that means a panacea or cure-all.

Although our word of the day has nothing to do with religion, it has a connection with Catholicism. Both catholicon and catholic derive from the Greek word Katholikos (kath oh lee KO) which means universal, general. In the case of catholicon, it refers to a universal cure for a condition. 

The medical world has made great strides in its fight against arthritis, but we may be decades away from a catholicon that would eliminate all forms of the ailment.

Catholicon is spelled C-A-T-H-O-L-I-C-O-N. 

Today's word of the day is vespertine. It's spelled V-E-S-P-E-R-T-I-N-E. Vespertine is an adjective that means happening in the evening.

Vespertinus (ves pair TEEN oos) the Latin word for evening is where our word of the day began its life. vespertine is a synonym of words like nightly and overnight, but it's best to dust this word off for formal occasions, such as, the good lady's presence was requested for vespertine activities that summer. She accepted the invitations, but never for anything past eight.

Once again, the spelling of verspertine is V-E-S-P-E-R-T-I-N-E.

Today’s word of the day is adscititious. It’s spelled A-D-S-C-I-T-I-T-I-O-U-S. Adscititious means coming from the outside.

Adscititious is derived from the Latin word adscsicere (ad she SHERE ray) which means ‘to admit’ or ‘to adopt.’ Adscititious is a good word to use when describing the process of adopting something from the outside, for example: the maintenance man needed adscititious equipment to handle the problem. He simply didn’t have the necessary tools with him.

Adscititious is spelled A-D-S-C-I-T-I-T-I-O-U-S. 

Today’s word of the day is dulcet, D-U-L-C-E-T. Dulcet is an adjective that means pleasing to taste or hear.

Our word of the day is a versatile one that may be used in a wide range of contexts. Dulcet comes from the Latin Dulcis (DOOL chees) that simply means sweet, pleasant or agreeable. Although it may refer to any of the five senses, the two most commonly cited are taste and sound. 

After a hard day of work at the factory, Andy had an unusual way to unwind. He’d lay in his backyard and savor the dulcet tones of crickets chirping.

Once again, the spelling of dulcet is D-U-L-C-E-T. 

Today’s word of the day is perquisite. It’s spelled P-E-R-Q-U-I-S-I-T-E. Perquisite is a noun that means a privilege or profit made in addition to regular pay.

The Latin verb quarere (KWA were ay)which means ‘to ask’ has given birth to many commonly used words. Among them, are inquire, inquiry, query and quest. The best way to understand perquisite’s use is  to recall that the word perk is a shortened variation of it.

Being a flight attendant can be hard work with long hours. Jan, however had no complaints about it because she simply adored the job’s perquisites.

The spelling of perquisite is P-E-R-Q-U-I-S-I-T-E.