Countermand is a verb that means to revoke an order. 

Our word of the day combines the Latin prefix C-O-N-T-R-A which means ‘against,’ and the Latin word mandare (man DARE ay) which means ‘to order.’ Countermand dates back to the late Middle English period. Here’s an example:

I had previously ordered all employees to be fired if they showed up late, but when it became clear that such an edict would result in the complete eradication of our workplace, I decided to countermand my decree. I guess you could say I had a history of reversing previous orders once I realized they didn’t make sense. 

Febrile is an adjective that means having or showing a great deal of nervous excitement or energy. 

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word febris (FAY brees) means ‘fever.’ Our word of the day has been around since the mid 17th century and may be used as a literal reference to a fever or may be used figuratively to mean ‘showing great excitement.’ Example:

Tommy’s Febrile demeanor tends to make some people uneasy. But others find themselves falling into a sense of excitement themselves. 

Contravention is a noun that refers to an action that violates a law or treaty. 

The Latin prefix C-O-N-T-R-A means ‘against and the Latin word venire (vay NEAR ay) means ‘come.’ A contravention is any violation of rules. Example:

After a few contraventions, Harry found himself in so much trouble, he straightened up right away. Getting caught breaking the law has a way of changing people’s behavior. 

Benighted is an adjective that means in a state of intellectual or moral ignorance. 

The Old English word benight was a verb that meant ‘to obscure’ or ‘to cover in the darkness of night.’ When something is benighted it is ‘in the dark,’ if you will. Our word of the day is used to describe someone who is ‘in the dark’ in the sense of being ignorant or unaware. Here’s an example:

While the rest of us immediately got the joke Rachel told, William remained benighted for hours. Some guys are just destined to be in the dark when it comes to understanding sophisticated humor. 

Judicature is a noun that refers to the authority or jurisdiction of a court of law. 

The Latin word judicare (joo duh CAR ay) means ‘to judge.’ It’s given birth to a number of English words like ‘adjudicate, ‘judicious’ and, of course, ‘judge.’ Our word of the day can be used to refer very specifically to a particular court, or to judges in general. Example:

The judicature of the state is among the finest in our nation. There simply is no other collection of judges that have the wisdom, the insight and the sense of restraint that ours do. 

Aggiornamento is a noun that refers to the process of modernization or bringing something up to date. 

Our word of the day comes from the Italian word aggionare (ah gee oh NARE ay) a verb that means ‘to update.’ Here’s an example of aggiornamento in use:

I understand the aggiornamento of those old stadiums from a standpoint of public safety. But it seems to me that there's beauty in an old structure that simply doesn’t survive the modernization process. 

Tousle is a verb that means to make hair messy or untidy. 

Derived from German and related to the word ‘tussle,’ our word of the day has been with us since the late Middle English period. Here’s an example:

Just before entering the bar, I tousled my hair to make sure I looked appropriately rugged. But the problem is I have so little hair left, I’m not sure anybody would notice a change. 

Unilateral is an adjective that means performed by only one person, group or country. 

The Latin word latus (LA toose) means ‘side.’ By adding the prefix U-N-I meaning ‘one, ‘ we get a word that means ‘taking place on only one side.’ Our word of the day is often used in the context of conflict between nations. Here’s an example:

Ending the agreement between the countries in a unilateral fashion wasn’t such a good move. When things happen in such a one-sided way, there are often unpleasant repercussions. 

Amerce is a verb that means to punish with a fine. 

Coming from Middle English, our word of the day isn’t as commonly used as it had been centuries ago, but it does pop up in some legal contexts. Here’s an example:

After pleading guilty, the defendant was amerced. It was hoped that fining him with a crime would deter him from doing the same in the future. 

Amanuensis is a noun that refers to an assistant who takes dictation. 

Our word of the day comes from a Latin phrase that refers to ‘a servant at handwriting.’ More recently, an amanuensis is likely to be thought of as a secretary or assistant. Here’s an example of the word in use:

After years of being an amanuensis, I was eager to make a career change. All that dictation can get tedious after a while.