Eviternity is a noun that means eternal duration.

The Latin word aeviternus (EYE vee ter nal) means ‘everlasting.’ By the late 16th century, our word of the day underwent a few changes and joined the English language. Here’s an example of it in use:

The wait for my uber car seemed to last an eviternity. In reality, the duration was eternal. It just felt that way because it was so cold outside.

Maudlin is an adjective that means self-pitying or tearfully sentimental.

Our word of the day has a biblical origin. Mary Magdalen of the New Testament was often referred to as ‘the weeping sinner.’ By the Middle English period, a derivation of her last name became maudlin. Here’s an example of it in use:

That last scene in the movie may have been a little maudlin, but I have to admit it moved me to tears — just like everybody else in the theater.

Navigable is an adjective that means able to be sailed on by ships or boats.

The Latin word navigare (nav uh GAR ay) means ‘to sail.’ From this word, we get the English word ‘navigate’ as well as our word of the day which basically means ‘able to be navigated by boats or ships.’ Here’s an example:

Before the tsunami, nearly all of the port was navigable. But since the storm hit, there’s barely a place that can be sailed on.

Slough is a noun that refers to a swamp.

The origin of our word of the day is unknown, but it appears to be from Old English. In addition to being a synonym of swamp, slough is often used to refer to a situation characterized by lack of progress or activity. Here’s an example:

The city council seems to always be in one kind of slough or other. In the twelve years I’ve been covering them, I don’t remember ever seeing any kind of progress.

Eustress is a noun that refers to stress that is beneficial.

Stress is a well known English word that refers to mental or emotional pressure, but when we add the Greek prefix E-U, which means ‘well’ or ‘good,’ we get something close to ‘good stress,’ or stress that is, in some sense, helpful. Here’s an example:

I found looking after eight dobermans to be a surprising source of eustress. After a week of keeping those hounds out of trouble, watching my two daughters was a piece of cake.

Dissimilitude is a noun that refers to dissimilarity or diversity.

The Latin word similis (suh MILL us) means ‘like’ or ‘similar.’ By adding the prefix D-I-S, we get the opposite, meaning ‘unlike’ or ‘different.’

The dissimilitude of vacation options made the choice very difficult. It’s one thing to compare two similar locations like Pasadena or San Diego, but when the alternatives are as diverse as Iceland and Australia, you can go nuts trying to make up your mind.

Taigle is a verb that means to entrap.

Coming directly from Middle English our word of the day has gotten trapped in the English language for a few centuries now. Here’s an example of it in use:

One of these days I’ll find a running path by the river that doesn’t taigle me in the bushes. Getting trapped in those thorns is not only annoying, it can be downright painful.

Fiduciary is an adjective that means ‘involving trust.’

The Latin word fidere (fie DARE ay) means ‘to trust.’ In the late 16th century, our word of the day joined the English language. Often used to describe the relationship between a trustee and a beneficiary of a firm, fiduciary may be used in more ordinary day-to-day contexts. Here’s an example:

After promising to watch her cats, I felt I had a fiduciary duty to miss the concert I’d been waiting weeks to see. Maintaining trust can often mean making sacrifices.

Zetetic is an adjective that means proceeding by inquiry.

Coming from the Greek word Zetein (ze TANE) meaning ‘seek,’ our word of the day is best used to describe a method of investigation, for example:

In my experience the best way to figure out who is responsible for a mistake made in the workplace is through zetetic means. Once you start asking around, someone is bound to spill the beans.

Smatchet is a noun that refers to a contemptible or unmannerly person.

Our word of the day has a mysterious origin, but it appears to be from Scottish. Smachet is never a flattering thing to call someone, but if you must use it, here’s an example of how it’s done:

At first I thought the guy who took the last donut from the box at the office was a real smatchet. But after retracing my steps I realized that contemptible person who swiped the final apple fritter was me.