Monopsony is a noun that refers to a market situation in which there is only one buyer.

The Greek word mono (MA no) means ‘one,’ as in monopoly, a word that refers to a market situation with one seller. With monopsony, the word ends with P-S-O-N-Y which comes from the Greek word for ‘buying.’ Here’s an example:

Our baseball factory had no choice but to accept the terms of the local baseball team because they were the only buyer in town. It wasn’t a great situation, but with a monopsony, there’s no other option.

Vicissitude is a noun that refers to a change of circumstances or fortune. 

The Latin word vicissim (vee CHEESE eem) means ‘by turns or changes.’ Our word of the day has been English since the early 17th century. Here’s an example of it in use:

The daily vicissitudes of owning a business were simply too stressful for me to take. Whether it was ordering mustard or ketchup or buns or wieners, operating a hot dog stand had so many changes, I just couldn’t keep up. 

Startlish is an adjective that means ‘easily startled.’

The Old English word ‘start’ provides the basis of our word of the day as well as the word startle. Startlish refers to someone inclined to be startled. It is a synonym of the word skittish. Here’s an example of it in use:

My sister’s startlish behavior made her a perfect victim for my scary pranks. When she’d object to my shenanigans, I’d tell there that if she wasn’t so easily terrified, I wouldn’t have spent so much time terrifying her. 

Orthography is a noun that refers to the conventional spelling system of a language. 

The Greek word orthos (OR those) means ‘correct,’ while the suffix G-R-A-P-H-Y comes from the Greek word for ‘writing.’ So our word of the day may be used to refer to the way of spelling a word. Here’s an example:

My daughter is such a word nerd that when I asked her how cat was spelled, she gave me a ten-minute dissertation on the orthography of the word. I didn’t want to know why the word was spelled that way — just how it was spelled. 

Gravamen is a noun that refers to the most significant part of a complaint. 

The Latin word gravis (GRAH vees) means ‘heavy.’ shifting into English in the early 17th century, our word of the day is used to describe the weightiest or most important part of a person’s complaint. Here’s an example:

I have to admit I didn’t care for the lame music playing in Dr. Simon’s office, but I wouldn’t say it was the gravamen of my complaint regarding my experience there. My biggest problem with the visit is that he spent two hours drilling into my gums.

Hippocampus is a noun that refers to the part of the brain responsible for emotion and memory. 

Our word of the day has its origin in Greek mythology. The word ‘hippo’ is derived from the Greek word for a sea creature. In time, this word was used to describe the section of the brain that governed emotion and memory because this section was curved like a seahorse. Here’s an example of hippocampus in use:

There’s something about that song that stimulates my hippocampus and nearly brings me to tears. After a few seconds, I’m launched back into memories of listening to it in seventh grade at the roller skating rink, experiencing the soul-crushing heartbreak of a 13-year old. 

Psychographics is a noun that refers to the classification of people according to psychological criteria. 

The prefix P-S-Y-C-H-O comes from the Greek word for ‘soul’ or ‘mind.’ In words like psychology and psychiatry, it refers to the art of exploring deep into people’s souls. The word graphic, from the Greek word for ‘writing’ or ‘drawing’ is used to indicate data. Our word of the day is used to describe the practice of using data to understand how people think and act. Here’s an example:

According to our psychographics, most people don’t care to wake up in the morning to loud music. In fact, the psychographics indicate that softer, more dulcet tones are ideal for selling our early morning commercials. 

Scenography is a noun that refers to the representation of objects in perspective. 

Our word of the day’s root word is ‘scene’, which comes from the Greek word for ‘stage.’ So it’s appropriate that it’s commonly used in theatre to describe the art of arranging scenery. Example:

Last night’s play was something of a disappointment. The acting was fine, but they had arranged the scenery in such a way that we could barely get a sense that the action was set in post-war France. Sometimes bad scenography can ruin an otherwise exceptional play. 

Rort is a noun that refers to a fraudulent or dishonest act or practice. 

The origin of our word of the day is unclear, but it’s often thought to be a mix of the words ‘report’ and ‘retort.’ Rort is a slang word that’s almost always used in an informal context. Here’s an example:

Jeff was a good boss who generally did the right things, but he’s been known to have the occasional rort from time to time. The way he figured it, if you slave over the grill all day long, it’s no big deal if you take home a few burgers from time to time. 

Hackle is a noun that refers to the hair along the back of the neck that rises when a person is angry. 

Coming from Late Middle English, our word of the day is frequently used in reference to dogs that are not in a great mood. Here’s an example:

Like many Dobermans, Roscoe’s hackles get raised when he hears weird noises at the front door. After all these years of being around him, I find the hairs on my back standing up too when someone is a little too loud at the door.