Megillah is a noun that refers to an elaborate, complicated production.

Coming directly from the Hebrew word for ‘scroll,’ our word of the day began to refer to a long-winded story. In English it is generally used to mean a complicated set of arrangements.

We all thought bringing the family to the ballgame would be simple, but it wound up being a complex Megillah. I’m just glad nobody got lost.

Lexis is a noun that refers to all the words of a language.

Related to the Greek word lexicon, our word of the day simply means every word of a particular language.

It would take years to learn the complete lexis of the Spanish language, but for now, I’d settle for knowing the words for ‘how do I find my hotel room?’

Toponym is a noun that refers to a geographical name used as a word.

Our word of the day is derived from the Greek word topo (TOPO) which means ‘place’ and onym (OH nim) meaning ‘name.’ It can be used to to simply mean the name of a place like ‘India’ or ‘Cleveland.’ Or it can be used to refer to a geographical name that was later used as a word, like the term ‘A Queensborough mayor.’ Here’s an example of the later:

I was hoping our city would someday become a toponym for ‘utopia,’ but instead we became nationally known for our high crime rate. Well, at least we’re on the map for something.

Borstal is a noun that refers to an institution for youthful offenders.

Our word of the day comes from the name of a village in southern England, where the first institution for youthful offenders was built. Today it is used in reference to any such institution.

Tommy’s behavior got so out-of-control he had to be sent to the borstal. He didn’t enjoy spending years in the institution, but his behavior did calm down.

Darg is a noun that refers to a day's work.

Our word of the day comes from Middle English and it refers to something done for a living. Here’s an example.

Tuesday at the convenience store started as just another session at the daily darg. But it soon became one of the days that meant so much more. For a few hours, it felt like more than just a daily grind.

Defrayal is a noun that refers to the providing of payment for.

The Latin word fredum (FRAY doom) refers to ‘a fine that was often paid for a breach of the peace.’ This later evolved into a reference to ‘a cost.’ More recently, our word of the day has come to mean ‘the payment of a cost.’

When Andy promised to take care of the defrayal of my court case, he had no idea what he was getting into. My friend had no idea how expensive court costs usually add up to.

Prolusion is a noun that refers to a preliminary action or event.

The Latin prefix P-R-O means ‘before.’ And ludere (loo DARE ay) means ‘to play.’ When combined, we get what forms the basis of our word of the day. Prolusion generally means something before an event or a written work. Here’s an example:

While I didn’t enjoy the concert’s prolusion, I found myself deeply enthralled by the music itself. Perhaps next time they should skip the introduction and get straight to the performance.

Cognoscente is a noun that refers to a person with specialized knowledge or expertise.

Coming directly from Italian, our word of the day entered the English language in the late 18th century. While it may be used to describe any kind of expert, it is most often used in reference to those whose expertise is in matters related to art or culture. Here’s an example:

Being a cognoscente on wine has made my cousin famous. But somehow I’m still struggling to reach any kind of fame as an expert on 80s sitcoms.

Pharaonic is an adjective that means impressively large and spacious.

The word pharaoh, witch refers to a powerful ruler who resided in a large temple, specifically in ancient Egypt, came from Egyptian and has since been imported into Hebrew, Greek, Latin and English. Pharaonic is the adjective version of this well-travelled word. It is often used to describe accommodations fit for a pharaoh.

After living for nearly a decade in a tiny studio apartment, my new one bedroom apartment feels pharaonic by comparison. I now even have enough room to put a couch.

Perdure is a verb that means to continue to exist.

Our word of the day shares its Latin ancestry with such words as ‘durable’ and ‘endure.’ They all come from the word durare (doer ARE ay) meaning ‘to last.’ Here’s an example of perdure in use:

After three weeks of failure, we weren’t sure if our company would perdure. But here we are eight years later, still in existence and still going strong.