Anaphora is a noun that refers to the repetition of a word or phrase.

Coming from Greek, anaphora is a form of repetition used as a rhetorical device. Here’s an example of anaphora in use:

Our old football coach used a lot of anaphora in his speeches. He’d say things like: We will win because we are strong. We will win because we are smart. And we will win because we are resourceful. As much as we all loved hearing the word ‘win’ all those times, we knew he was wrong because we hardly ever won.

Junketeer is a noun that refers to a person who regularly goes on trips at another’s expense.

The root word of junketeer is junket, a word of Middle English origin. A junket is a trip at the expense of others. A junketer is someone who routinely takes these trips. Example:

After all those years as a traveling journalist, Carl had gotten used the life of a junketeer. So much so that these days he resents having to pay his own air fare.

Foofaraw is a noun that refers to a great deal of fuss given to a minor matter.

The precise origin of our word of the day is a mystery, but we know the word came out of the American west and is mostly used in an informal manner. Here’s an example:

The foofaraw over Elaine’s new dress seemed excessive to me. I mean, I don’t recall any big fuss when I showed up one day wearing a brand new pair of socks.

Irrupt is a verb that means to enter forcibly or suddenly.

Our word of the day comes directly from the Latin word for ‘broken into.’ When we irrupt into something, we break into it — usually with force.

We were lucky that security didn’t irrupt into the office while we were playing cards. Having somebody break into the room as we were engaging in illegal gambling would have been a problem.

Facultative is an adjective that means related to the granting of permission.

The French word faculte (fa COOLT) refers to a physical or mental power. When the word facultative is used, it is to describe a situation of granting someone power to do something.

Here’s an example:

James gave the film crew permission to shoot their film in the office, but I didn’t know he had that kind of facultative authority. Next time I need permission to do something crazy, I’ll know who to seek permission from.

Bafflegab is a noun that refers to incomprehensible language.

Our word of the day is a fairly recent addition to the English language and its origin is uncertain. It is used in a context that is almost never complimentary. Here’s an example of bafflegab in use:

All the bafflegab coming out of the office workers was meant to confuse me. When it comes to using incomprehensible language, nobody does it better than the guys in the payroll department.

Today’s word of the day is rubiginous. It’s spelled R-U-B-I-G-I-N-O-U-S. Rubiginous is an adjective that means rust-colored.

The Latin word rubigo (ROO bee go) means ‘rust.’ Our word of the day can refer to actual rust or something that simply has the same color. Example:

The rubiginous color of those berries we picked was lovely. Unfortunately, it turned out the berries didn’t just look like rust — they tasted like it.

Submontane is an adjective that means at or near the base of a mountain.

Our word of the day combines the Latin prefix S-U-B, meaning ‘under’ or ‘beneath’ with the Latin word mons, meaning ‘mountain.’

The submontane view at the seat of mount Felix isn’t as gorgeous as the view from the top of the mountain, but it sure is a lot safer.

Prorogue is a verb that means to delay or postpone.

The latin word prorogare (pro ro GARE ay) means ‘to prolong or extend.’ When a deadline or date gets extended, it has been prorogued. Here’s an example:

The studio musicians are trying to prorogue the recording once again. This is bad news, because if the recording gets delayed anymore, we’ll have to pay them overtime. I’m beginning to get the feeling they’re doing it on purpose.

Rubicund is an adjective that means having a red complexion.

The Latin word rubere (roo BEAR ay) means ‘be red.’ Our word of the day is often used to describe someone’s complexion, as in: Shelly began to blush when we looked at all those high school pictures of her. Seeing all those awful hairstyles is worth it just to watch her face go all rubicund.