Recriminate is a verb that means to accuse someone who has made an accusation against you.

The Latin word criminare (crim in ARE ay) means ‘accuse.’ Our word of the day gets its origin with the addition of the prefix R-E, meaning ‘opposition.’ So to recriminate someone is to make a counteraccusation against your accuser.

When the mayor was alleged to have embezzled funds from his office, he made the odd decision to recriminate those who accused him. But in the end, he was simply confirming that others were involved in the embezzlement with him.

Watershed is a noun that refers to a turning point.

In a literal sense, a watershed refers to a an area of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins or seas. When used figuratively, it means a turning point that sent different ideas to different areas.

There are times when a classic movie can become a watershed. It can introduce the film world to many talented people who later go on to create great works of their own.

Tropism is a noun that refers to a tendency to respond to a stimuli.

The Greek word tropos (TRO pose) means ‘to turn.’ Our word of the day is frequently used to describe plants and other organisms, but may also refer to tendency of people to lean toward the familiar. For example:

Great movies about deep, intellectual topics are hard to come by. The tropism among moviegoers is toward mindless action movies. This could change in the future, but I suspect it won’t.

Vaporous is an adjective that means vague or lacking substance.

The root word of the vaporous is vapor, which comes from the Latin word ‘vaporum’ (va POOR um) meaning ‘warm steam’ or ‘heat.’ Vapor can also refer to something ‘unsubstantial or vague.’

Here’s an example of vaporous:

As a college professor, it’s always easy to tell when an essay is written by a student who doesn’t understand their subject. These essays tend to be vaporous and imprecise, while

Yahoo is a noun that refers to a noisy or violent person.

The word yahoo was invented by novelist Jonathan Swift in 1726 satirical work Gulliver’s Travels. A ‘yahoo’ was a term that described a made-up race of unintelligent, violent brutes. The word later came to refer to a crass or stupid person.

It pains me to say this, but when I first met Earl, he struck me as something as a yahoo. He didn’t seem very smart or sophisticated in his overalls and Nascar t-shirt, but when I got to know him, I realized that looks could be deceiving.

Perfervid is an adjective that means intense and impassioned.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word fervidus (FAIR vay doose) which means ‘fiery’ and ‘hot.’ The prefix P-E-R simply means ‘utterly’ or ‘completely.’ Here’s an example of our word of the day in action:

Randy’s perfervid sense of team spirit was helpful on some occasions because it energized us into playing harder. But at other times, it was harmful because it caused us to get into way too many brawls.

Zonk is a verb that means to stun or stupefy.

Our word of the day seems to have no origin except that its basis is imitative, meaning the sound of the word imitates what comes to mind when people imagine it in action. To zonk means to take forceful, sudden action. A person can be zonked by another person or by a thought, for example:

After weeks for trying to figure out clues to the murder, I didn’t expect the answer to zonk me when I looked at the Bishop’s testimony. But after reading it through, it knocked me out right away.

Remiss is an adjective that means neglectful of duty.

The Latin word remissus (ray MEESE ooose) means ‘slack’ or ‘careless.’ Our word of the day has retained this meaning. A remiss worker is one who is careless.

Here’s an example: The suspect, Mr. Weiss was able to slip inside because the security guard was remiss in his duties. Had the guard been wide awake, it would have been impossible for Mr. Weiss and his eight friends to walk right past him.

Encumber is a verb that means to burden or weigh down.

The French word Combre (comb) refers to ‘a river barrage formed by felled trees.’ This word came to refer to things that hold something back or weigh it down. It is also the basis for the word ‘cumbersome.’

Andy hoped the barbecue pit wouldn’t encumber the group on their camping trip. Sure it was heavy, but how can you have a camping trip without barbecued buffalo wings?

Recompense is a verb that means to compensate or make amends. It can also be used as a noun that refers to the compensation or reward given for past harm.

The Latin word recompensare (ray com pen SAR ay) means ‘compensation.’ As the word migrated into the English language, its basic meaning has remained the same.

Here’s an example of recompense as a verb: I was so deeply upset about the time I wasted waiting in line for the movie that I demanded they recompense me. But after seeing the wonderful movie itself, I changed my mind. All was forgiven as soon as the credits rolled.