Prosopopeia is a noun that refers to a figure of speech in which an abstract thing is personified.

Our word of the the day comes directly from the Greek words for ‘person’ and ‘make.’ It may refer to the personification of an abstract idea or a figure of speech in which an imagined or absent person or thing is represented as speaking. Here’s an example of the former.

My new novel features a character, Iris, that represents innocence. You could say I was engaging in a bit of prosopopeia.

Snollygoster is a noun that refers to a clever, shrewd person.

Coming from German, our word of the day was imported into English in the mid 19th century. It refers to a screwed, clever person, but almost always as an insult. Here’s an example:

The senator may have been a pleasant man, but he could be quite a snollygoster when he needed to be. The world of politics is difficult to navigate without some compromise of principles.

Expurgate is a verb that means to remove for being objectionable or unsuitable.

Coming from Latin, our word of the day is related to the word purge, which means ‘to cleanse.’ When something is removed or expurgated from a book or movie, it is usually done for the purpose of ‘cleansing’ that thing.

Many great movies of years past had scenes expurgated because they offended people’s sensibilities. This was an effort to keep the world of film clean and pure.

Anomie is a noun that refers to a breakdown in standards and values.

Our word of the day comes from the Greek word anomos (ANN oh mose) which means ‘lawless.’ It entered the English language in the 1930s to refer to a lack of the usual social or ethical standards. Here’s an example of its use:

Movies about zombie apocalypses have always fascinated me. I’m intrigued by what kind of anomie sets in when a person has been without basic necessities for several days.

Euhemerism is a noun that refers to the interpretation of myths as traditional accounts of historical persons and events.

Today’s word of the day comes from an ancient Greek mythographer Euhemerus. The process of taking mythological events and weaving them into history is named after him. Here’s an example of it.

I get the feeling that stories of my dad walking twenty miles to school every day in the snow are the product of euhemerism. Let’s face it, memories often have a way of merging with legend.

Rueful is an adjective that means expressing sorrow or regret.

The word rue, which means to bitterly regret, comes from Middle English. Rueful is the adjective version of it. Here’s an example of it in use:

Chuck’s poor performance on the test put him in a rueful mood. He deeply regretted not studying more math in school.

Mythopoeia is a noun that refers to a creation of myth.

Our word of the day combines two Greek words ‘myth,’ which translates into our contemporary English word myth, and poiein (PEEN) meaning ‘make.’ From the 1950s on, the word mythopoeia has referred to the process of making a myth.

There’s always been a great deal of mythopoeia in the sports world. Turning sports stars into legends has always been as popular as reporting the facts.

Indissoluble is an adjective that means incapable of being undone.

The Latin word dissolubilis (dee so loo BEE leese) means ‘fades.’ When the prefix I-N is added, we get a word that means ‘not faded.’ By the Late 15th century, indissoluble had entered the English language meaning ‘unable to be destroyed.’ Here’s an example:

My friendship with Leslie is indissoluble. We figure if our relationship can endure her being a Cubs fan, nothing can tear us apart

Exordial is an adjective that means taking place at the beginning.

The Latin word exoridi (EX or deer ee) means ‘begin.’ By the Late 16th century, the word exordium, meaning ‘beginning’ had entered English. Exordial refers to the something taking place in the introductory part.

Audrey’s exordial moments at college were strange. It took a while to adjust to such a different life, and those opening few weeks threw her off-guard.

Prothalamion is a noun that refers to a song celebrating an upcoming marriage.

Our word of the day comes from the title of a 16th century poem and is typically used in a literary or historical context. But as songs are still performed at weddings, prothalamion may be used in a modern, ordinary context. Here’s an example:

As a songwriter, I’ve mostly written jingles for TV ads and sitcoms. So it was quite a challenge to compose a prothalamion. I hope all who attend Alex and Amy’s wedding are happy with the result.