Apprise is a verb that means to inform or tell someone.

Coming from the French word for ‘to teach,’ our word of the day has been around since the late 17th century. Here’s an example:

When I found myself in legal trouble, I was hoping someone would apprise me of my rights. But unfortunately, by the time anyone passed that information along to me, I was already sitting in a jail cell.

Chafe is a verb that means to make someone annoyed or impatient.

The Latin word calere (kuh LARE ay) means ’to make hot.’ Initially, our word of the day’s meaning was ‘to rub.’ But in time, it came to define the act of annoying someone.

I have to admit that the sound of our next door neighbor’s drum set tends to chafe me. After a few hours of rehearsal, I’m really impatient for all that racket to stop.

Beatific is an adjective that means happy or angelic.

Our word of the day is derived from the Latin word beatus (BEE ah toos) which means ‘blessed.’ In strictly religious terms, beatific refers to spiritual creatures such as angels, but when used casually, it simply means ‘similar to an angel.’

Michelle’s Beatific smile has always inspired me. It looks like something you’d see on the face of an otherworldly being floating down from the heavens above.

Adulterate is a verb that means ‘to corrupt or make impure.’

The Latin verb aldulterare (all do Ter RAWR ay) means ’to corrupt.’ Our word of the day has been around since the 16th century. Here’s an example:

At first, I was afraid that adding a violin player to our punk rock band would adulterate our sound. But it turned out the only thing that corrupted out sound was the fact that we weren’t very good.

Accord is a verb that means ‘to bring into agreement. It can also be a noun that refers to ‘an agreement.’

Our word of the day combines the prefix A-D with the word cord (chord) which means ‘heart.’ Here’s an example of accord used properly:

After a month of tense negotiation, the factions reached an accord. The pro jelly donut coalition would get their jelly donuts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while team apple fritter would get their way on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Expatriate is a verb that means to leave one’s home country and resettle in another.

The Latin word ‘patria’ (POT ree uh) refers to ‘a native country.’ Words like patriot and patriotism derive from this. As a noun, expatriate refers to someone who has left their native land, but our word of the day is a verb that means the act of leaving a native land.

After all the awful weather we've had in the last few months, I was tempted to expatriate and perhaps settle in a place with warmer climates. But I’ve since realized that all I really had to do was repair our fireplace.

Creditable is an adjective that means worthy of belief.

Although the word ‘credit’ is used in a wide variety of ways, its basis is in the Latin word ‘credere’ (cruh DARE ay) means ‘trust’ or ‘believe.’ When something has been deemed creditable, that means we can believe and trust what has been said about it. Example:

The first lawyer I approached for my case, didn’t exactly seem like a creditable fellow. Sure, there were plenty of glowing words said of him on his website, but I later discovered that all those glowing reviews came from his mother.

Equidistant is an adjective that means ‘at equal distances.’

Our word of the day combines the prefix E-Q-U-I with the word ‘distant.’ Not surprisingly, the result is a word that means ‘equally distant.’

When faced with the option of going to college in sunny southern California or North Dakota, the choice wasn’t difficult. They were both equidistant from home, but let’s face it, distance isn’t always the most important factor when making such a decision.

Abrade is a verb that means ‘to rub or wear away.’

Coming from the Latin word ‘abradere’ (ab rah DARE ay) which means ‘to scrape away,’ our word of the day has been with us since the late 17th century. Here’s an example of abrade in use:

I was always afraid that if I left my bike outside, the rain and wind would abrade its frame over time, and let’s face it, metal that’s been all scraped away is not nearly as strong and stable.

Germinant is an adjective that means able to grow or develop.

The Latin word germinare (jer ee NAR may) means ’to sprout.’ It’s given us such words as ‘germ,’ ‘germinate,’ and our word of the day. Germinant can be used literally or metaphorically. Here’s an example of the later:

While working as an ad executive, some of my ideas worked out better than others. The most germinant of them developed with the help of hard-working staff.