Silviculture is a noun that refers to the growing and cultivation of trees.

Our word of the day comes directly from the Latin word for ‘a wood.’ It is similar to agriculture or horticulture. The difference is that while silviculture is a more specific term, referring only the cultivation of trees.

Mike’s passion for silviculture is the reason he became a forrest ranger. It’s hard to imagine being interested in that job if you don’t care greatly about caring for trees.

Olivaceous is an adjective that refers to a dusky, yellowish green color.

The root word of olivaceous is ‘olive,’ word Greek word for ‘oil.’ Our word of the day simply refers to the color of an olive. Example:

Those olivaceous shoes you’re wearing are making me hungry. Every time I look down, I want to order a pizza smothered in olives.

Lacustrine is an adjective that means related to lakes.

The latin word lacus (LAH coos) means lake. Our word of the day is a variation on this which is often used in writing about nature. Here’s an example:

The lacustrine environment was serene enough to make me forget about the big city. I’d rather spend an hour at a lake than at a midtown cafe any day.

Dentifrice is a noun that refers to a paste or powder for cleaning the teeth.

Our word of the day combines the Latin prefix D-E-N-T, meaning ‘tooth,’ as in ‘dentist’ or ‘dentures,’ with the Latin word fricare (fri CAR ay) which means ‘to rub.’ Here’s an example of dentifrice in use:

The dentist recommended I use this dentifrice on my teeth instead of brushing them. But it felt strange to do it. The act of rubbing something on my teeth makes me feel silly.

Parturient is an adjective that means about to give birth.

The Latin verb parere (pa RARE ay) means ‘to bring forth.’ Our word of the day can be used in a medical sense or in everyday conversation.

My wife was parturient when we went on our trip, so we weren’t sure what state Evan would be born in. It turned out, Susan gave birth in New Mexico, a place with great hospital wards for pregnant women.

Heliacal is a word that means related to or near the sun.

The Greek word helios (He lee ose) means ‘sun,’ is a catch-all term that can mean regarding or related to the sun, or it can mean near the sun. Here’s an example of the former:

When hanging around people who do a lot of tanning, you’ll have to get used to a lot of helical conversation. At times it seems those people can’t talk about anything except the sun.

Plenipotent is an adjective that means invested with or possessing full power.

The Latin word plenus (PLAY noose) means ‘full,’ while pontentia (poe TENT ee uh) — also Latin — means ‘power.’ Here’s an example of plenipotent in use:

When Mr. Kemp was plenipotent, he struck fear into the hearts of all his employees. But these days, he’s so powerless that nobody pays his threats any attention.

Hoyle is a noun that refers to the rules.

Our word of the day is an eponym, which means it’s a word named after a person. The person who inspired Hoyle was an 20th century English astrophysicist named Fred Hoyle noted for establishing a theory of cosmology. When something is done according to Hoyle, it is done according to the rules.

Hank didn’t care for the way we carelessly handed out checks on Friday. He preferred we do things according to Hoyle, which meant handing out the checks in alphabetical order. I suppose it’s just a coincidence that his last name was Anderson.

Astir is an adjective that means in a state of excited movement.

Derived from the Germanic word stir, meaning ‘to disturb,’ our word of the day entered English in the late 18th century. Astir is generally used in a very literary context.

Everyone was all astir when they’d learned Aurora had a big announcement. But the excitement died down when her announcement was just that she’d bought a really cute pair of shoes.

Moonshot is a noun that refers to an extremely ambitious and innovative project.

Coming from two well-known English words, our word of the day is often used to describe a literal spacecraft trip to the moon, but it’s more commonly used in a metaphorical sense. Here’s an example of it:

Hector had great respect for my ambition to become a professional boxer. I’d always admired prizefighters. Of course, the fact that I’d never been in a fight in my life made the endeavor something of a moonshot.