Importune is a verb that means to annoy or harass someone. 
The Latin word importunus (im poor TWO noose) means ‘inconvenient.’ In the early 16th century, this word gave birth to our word of the day. Here’s an example:

I didn’t mean to importune the mayor by bombarding him with silly questions. But I felt it was vital that we get his opinion on Sunday’s game. And if that meant harassing him repeatedly with queries, so be it.

Mauka is an adverb and an adjective that means toward the mountains. 

Coming from the Hawaiian language and still very popular in the fiftieth state, our word of the day has commonalities with words like ‘close’ and ‘fast’ as it may be used as an adjective and an adverb. Here’s an example of it as an adverb:

We walked mauka for a few hours before realizing we were heading in the wrong direction. We should have known the place we were seeking was closer to the shore than the mountains. 

Mellisonant is an adjective that means pleasing to the ear. 

Coming from the Latin words for ‘honey,’ “(mel EESE) and ‘sound’ (SO noose) our word of the day has been used to describe sweet sounds since the early 17th century. Here’s an example:

That band’s mellisonant first album has been used in our home for over a decade. After all, what better way to put kids to sleep than to have sweet sounds echoed throughout the home.

Curio is a noun that refers to a rare, unusual or intriguing object. 

Our word of the day began as an abbreviated variation on the word ‘curiosity,’ Which is derived from the Latin word cuiosus (koo ree OH soos) meaning, ‘curious.’ By the mid 19th century, curio had established an identity of its own. Here’s an example:

The bookshelf I attempted to make has become a curio. This odd-looking item hasn’t been used to store books, but it sure has gotten its share of confused gawks over the years. People describe it as the most unusual thing in our home. 

Reboant is an adjective that means resonating or reverberating loudly. 

Sharing a common ancestor with words like reverb or reverberation, our word of the day comes from the Greek word for roar or cry. When the prefix RE is added, it implies an echo. 

Reboant has been a part of the English language since the early 17th century. Here’s an example:

Those reboant screams at the end of the movie have been haunting my dreams for the last five years. Hearing those echoes all these years reminds me of the most horrifying movie I’ve ever seen. 

Overdetermined is an adjective that means having many causes.

The Latin-derived English word ‘determine’ means ‘to identify something as a cause.’  When the prefix O-V-E-R is added, it means ‘an excess or exaggeration’ of causes. Something that has many causes is overdetermined. Example:

According to social scientists, reading ability is overdetermined. There is not one cause for it, but many. 

Cespitose is an adjective that means growing in clumps. 

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word caespes (KIE ay space) meaning ‘turf’ or ‘sod.’ Its recently emerging offspring is used to refer to grass or other kinds of plants that grow in clumps. Example:

That cespitose grass around the cactus isn’t very plentiful here in the desert. As it gets warmer and warmer, those small clumps of grass will become even less common.

Ocellus is a noun that refers to the eye of a small creature. 

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word oculus (OH koo loose) which means ‘eye.’ Ocullus has been around since the early 19th century and is always used in reference to the smaller eyes of animals. Here’s an example:

When I saw those tiny worms, I was stunned to learn they had the ability to see. But when Mr. Hammel showed me the creature’s small eyes, I realized that sight was possible for them. True, an ocellus doesn’t always grant an animal a very vivid sense of sight, but for some beings, all they need to survive is the ability to detect differences in light. a

Littoral is an adjective that means relating to or situated on the shore of the sea or a lake. 

The Latin word litus (LEE toos) means ‘beach.’ Our word of the day has been around since the mid-17th century as an adjective that references the beach and, less commonly, as a noun that, like its ancestor, means ‘beach.’ Here’s an example of littoral in use:

My favorite thing about the movie was its depiction of the littoral scenes. Nothing is more stunning than the image of miles and miles of gorgeous shoreline.

Ethology is a noun that refers to the study of animal behavior. 

The Greek word ethos (EE thoss) refers to ‘nature’ or ‘disposition’ and the common suffix O-L-O-G-Y means ‘study of.’ When combined, we get a word that refers to the study of the nature of animals. Examples:

I have to whistle and scream my brains out to get our bulldog Sparky to come in from the yard at the end of the day. But somehow, my daughter only needs to lift a finger to get him in. One of these days that girl’s knowledge of animals is going to make her a fortune in ethology.