Supervene is a verb that means to occur later as an additional event.

The basis of our word of the day is provided by the Latin prefix ‘super,’ (SOO per) which means ‘in addition,’ and ‘venire (ven EAR ay) which means ‘come.’ Simply put, when something supervenes, it comes later in a particular event, and in a way that changes the situation. Here’s an example:

The first half of the game was a fast-paced, high-scoring affair. But when the rain supervened in the second half all that scoring came to a halt.

Amendatory is an adjective that means used to fix or amend.

The root word of amendatory, amend, comes from the Latin word amender (AH men dare) which means ‘to fix.’ If something is amendatory it is designed to correct or repair something.

The new parking policy may seem like a pain, but its intention is amendatory. It was designed to correct the problem of having too many cars in the lot at one time.

Pernancy is a noun that refers to the taking or receiving of profit or rent.

The Latin word Prehendere (pren DARE ay) provides the basis for our word of the day. It means ‘to seize or take.’ Its distant offspring, pernancy has a more specific meaning, referring to the seizing or taking of profit or rent.

When my landlord visited last night, I had no idea his visit was motivated by pernancy. It turned out he was there to collect this month’s rent a little early.

Extramural is an adjective that means outside the walls or boundaries of a town, college or institution.

Our word of the day combines the Latin word muros (MOO ros) which means ‘walls,’ with the prefix ‘extra’ (EKS trah) which means ‘outside.’ Anything outside a given location or region is considered extramural. Here’s an example:

The office manager has often encouraged extramural hobbies as long as they don’t put us at risk. The limits of these policies were tested when I became an avid bullfighter and spent several weeks in the hospital. It was at the moment when it was decided that interests outside of the office should be restricted to things that don’t involve getting gored in the ribcage.

Retinue is a noun that refers to a group of advisers or assistants accompanying in important person.

Coming from an Anglo-French word retinir (ret uh NEAR) our word of the day’s relationship with the English language goes all the way back to the 14th century. Retinue could be thought of as a synonym of entourage. Here’s an example:

The governor’s retinue recommended he stop into the local tavern — but only briefly. After all, a smart advisor knows after a few too many drinks, his client might not looks so gubernatorial.

Fulgor is an adjective that means dazzling brightness.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word fulgare (full GAR ay) which means ‘to shine.’ Maintaining the same basic meaning after centuries, fulgor today can be used as an adjective that describes brightness. Here’s an example:

Driving down I-94 this morning, the fulgor that greeted me was nearly blinding. If I’d been prepared for such extreme brightness, I would have brought my sunglasses.

Froward is an adjective that means contrary or difficult to deal with.

Derived from an Old English word that means ‘leading away from,’ froward is the kind of word that is never used as a compliment. Here’s an example:

As a kid, I had a tendency to be froward. While the other kids could be herded to the lunchroom, I was contrary enough to demand a trip to a four star restaurant for lunch.

Horripilation is a noun that refers to the erection of hairs on the skin due to cold, fear or excitement.

As you might guess, our word of the day is related to the word horror. Both words emanate from the Latin word horrere (hor AIR ay) which means ‘to tremble or shudder.’ When a person’s hair or skin rises up slightly as a result of being horrified, they’re experiencing horripilation.

Larp is a noun that refers to a game played in real life in which players portray characters.

Larp is an acronym that stands for live action role-playing. It reached the English language in the 1990s. Here’s an example of larp in use:

I was in a state of panic when I left my home this morning to see a bunch of aliens attacking my son and daughter. My kids had a big laugh when they revealed to me that they were actually playing a live action role playing game. After I calmed down a little, I asked if I could be involved in the next larp. It looks like fun!

Retcon is a verb that means ‘to revise an aspect of a fictional work.’

A recent addition to the English language, retcon emerged in the 1980s as an abbreviation for the words ‘retroactive community.’ Mostly used as a verb, it may also be used as a noun to refer to the act of making a revision to a fictional work. Here’s an example of the word used both a noun and a verb:

I noticed a retcon in the first few minutes of that movie when they tried to bring back a character who had previously died in the last installment. But if anything needed changing, it was the horrible acting. Too bad they couldn’t retcon that.