Today's word is "amandation", which is "the act of dismissing or sending away"... So, one might look upon a contest, say, an election, as a chance to perform an "amandation". Afterwards, however, there may be, depending on personal alliances, a feeling of "amarulence" ( bitterness; spite).

Today's word is "graith", which is an old Scottish word pronounced "greth". The "graith" of a job is the equipment, tools or the gear needed to accomplish the task at hand. It comes from Old Norse and it originally meant "to be ready; prepared". Who has the "graith" to run the Country is up to you.

Today the word is “mammothrept”, meaning: “a spoiled child” or “a person of immature judgement”. In Patrick O'Brian's book “Master and Commander”, the author writes: “...and having seen the parents I am impatient to see this youth...will he be a wretched mammothrept?”

Today's word is "Heath Robinson" (or "Robinsonian"). This phrase is commonly applied to complicated, ingenious, and fantastic contraptions of machinery, etc. The reference comes from the work of W. Heath Robinson, 1872-1944). His distinctive designs and drawing, though absurd, are worth looking up.

Today's word is "custos morum", defined as a "guardian of morals" or a "censor". Typified by uninformed unstudied prudishness, self-righteousness, and judgemental decisions, the "custos morum" is quick to burn books, diminish arts, and silence authors, all in an attempt to protect us from ourselves.

Today’s word is “prosopography”: “the description of the form or personal appearance of an individual/an instance of this.” The historian Ronald Syme focused on the study of societal groups (like knights or bishops) about whom one knows little individually but much is gleaned when taken together.

Today's word is "moon-struck" which dates from the "Sailor's Word-book" written in 1867 by Admiral William Smyth. Today the word means "stunned" or "surprised" (in a wondrous or magical way), but at the time of Admiral Smyth it meant "an influence imputed by the moon, by which fish spoiled".

Today's word is "gregarian", which means: “of the common sort” or “ordinary”. It is related to "gregarius" (“belonging to the herd”). The practice of “collecting in flocks or companies” is referred to as "gregarianism". A soldier with the rank of Private is referred to as a "gregarian".

Today's word is "cothish". To be "cothish", one would be “sickly or ailing” in some way. An animal is said to be "cothy" if it is “meek and/or delicate”. “Cothe" (to faint), in the 1800s, meant “morose”. It was said the springs in New Forest would "cothe" sheep (meaning "disease their livers").

Today's word is "marmoreal". Meaning: "resembling marble or a marble statue” (in smoothness, whiteness, hardness, coldness). One might say: "During the Question Period, the Minister's only reaction to any contrary information was to sit frozen and staring in 'marmoreal' stillness."

Today's word is "pluvious". Etymology: Anglo-Norman "pluvious" and Middle French/French "pluvieux". Definition: "of, relating to, or characterized by rain” or “full of, or bearing rain or moisture” or “rainy."

Today's word is "sublunary". In Thomas Dyche's New General English Dictionary (1740), he define's this word as "Anything under the orb of the Moon." In Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary (1914), he defines this word as "Belonging to this world; mundane; temporal; ephemeral."

Today's word is "kleptocracy": “governance by the corrupt in which rulers use their positions for personal gain”. One might say: "This "kleptocracy", broke faith with the community they serve, ignoring their own governance policies to seek a solution whereby they, not their charge, are protected."

The word for today is "chubb". To "chubb" is to "lock". To "unchubb", obviously, is to "unlock". This word comes from the very well known English locksmith Charles Chubb (1772-1846). For any among us who have had access to a "chubb" card this name/word now makes some sense.

Today's word is "nabble" which is to "gnaw". This word is slightly stronger than "nibble" in reference. As in "mice nibble and rats "nabble". Likewise, we might, betimes, prefer a "nabble" to a nibble, given the situation at hand.

Today's word is "poppling". Generally this word means "rippling” or “rolling” or “boiling”or “roiling". “The 'poppling' brook" means "the choppy brook". However, it has come to mean a sort of confusion... or cacophony... of a mind, a group, a situation. So, an out of control “town hall” meeting?

Today's word is "orrery": “a mechanical model, usually clockwork, devised to represent the motions of the earth and moon (and sometimes also the planets) around the sun”. From the name of Charles Boyle, fourth Earl of Orrery (1676–1731), for whom the machine, invented by George Graham, was made.

Today, the phrase "according to Cocker". This phrase means "sure to be right" or "if everything is right". During the reign of James I of England, Edward Cocker was renowned for his work in Arithmetic. During his lifetime, and for years after, Mr Cocker was regarded as the standard of accuracy.

Percontation: “a question/inquiry requiring more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer”. S. R. Maitland, in Dark Ages, writes: "Between a percontation and interrogation, the ancients made this distinction—that the former admitted a variety of answers, while the latter must be replied to by ‘yes’ or ‘no’."

Today's word is "refulgent": “Shining brilliantly”. From Latin "refulgere" (to radiate light, to reflect). Ultimately from the Indo-European root "bhel" (to shine or burn). There are those who stand "refulgent" in our lives, and give us a sense of purpose, strength and pride.

Today's word is "superchery" (or supercherie). French: “supercherie” and Italian: “soperchieria”... it means in English, as in French and Italian since the early 1700s: “foul play”, “deceit”, “an injury or wrong, an affront”, “fraud”(or instance of fraud) or “the act of cheating”.

Today's word is "autopathy". It is originally from Hellenistic Greek word "αὐτοπάθεια" (meaning “one's own experience”). “Autopathy" is defined as "excessive feeling for oneself; or an instance of this”. In 1647, H. More wrote "Base fear proceeds from weak 'Autopathy' ".

Today's word is "proditorious". “Proditorious” is defined as: "treasonable” or “traitorous” or “perfidious" or “to disclose or make known” or "to reveal something hidden or secret” or “apt to make unexpected revelations”.

Today's word is "randirooze", which is a great noise or uproar, an exclaimation of a crowd or mob, a riotous outburst - as in a courtroom reaction to a statement or evidence which in some way might be found to be incendiary. A "randirooze" occures with every goal, touchdown, or knockout.

The word today is "tmesis", which is “the separation, by inserting an additional word or words, of a phrase or word to give strong emphasis”. For example: "Fan-friggin'-tastic" or "Adolph-bloody-Hitler" or ...well, you get the idea...

Today's word is "feaze”: “to vex”, “to worry”, “to agitate”. “In a feaze" is “in a state of excitement”. In The Taming of the Shrew, Sly says: "I'll pheeze you...". It derives from the Anglo-Saxon "fyson", which is “the rapid and noisey movement of water” (from which we get the word "fizz").

Today's word is "usufructry": Anglo-Norman term meaning "fruit usage" granting the right to gather "windfall" fruit or firewood blown down during storms. Peasants used shepherd's crooks to pull down fruit which "may fall soon". This practice caused "crook" to also mean "to steal by deception".

Today the word is “jheel”. Hindi: “ झील ”. A “jheel” is “a shallow lake” or “morass”. Hence “damage” or “trouble”. Orwell, in “Burmese Days”, writes: “There were snipe in countless myriads, and wild geese in flocks that rose from the jeel with a roar like a goods train crossing an iron bridge.”

Today's word "cui bono" ( that's "KWEE BOH-noh") and means "to whose benefit?" First recorded in a speech by Cicero. Carol Hunt writes in her article "Debt Would Be a Release Next to This Travesty" for Irish Independent on Jan 29, 2012: "Cui bono? Surprise, surprise, it's the banks."

The word today is "feague". (c. 1790) “to intrude a horse's fundament with ginger, or more formerly a live eel, in order that he look lively and carry his tail well". In the early 1800s a forfeit was incurred by any horse-dealer's servant who presented their horses without first "feaguing" him.

Today's word is "misguggle", which means “to handle roughly”, “maul”, “to spoil” or “to disfigure”. J. Bridie, in the Anatomist (1931): "I'll misguggle your thrapple. I'll mashackerel ye to rights."

Today's word is "callithumpian": “a band of discordant instruments or pertaining to such a band”. Used derogatorily to describe Jazz, Rock and Roll, etc. It may used to describe the moaning in Parliament/Senate/Congress, with their dis-harmonious caterwauling and intermittent droning.

Today's word is "opiniatrety". The 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary defines “opiniatrety” as “the quality or state of being opinionated”... in the 1800s the word meant "an unreasonable, and ofttimes obstinate, attachment to one's own notions."

Today's word is "alabandical" (c.1650s), meaning “barbarous behaviour as a result of being stupefied from drink”.

Today the word is “calescence”. Defined as: “growing warmth” or “increasing heat” or “getting hotter”. To be “calescent” is “to grow in warmth or heat”. Fred H. Colvin, in “The Working of Steel”, writes: “It should be brought up slowly to just above its calescent or hardening temperature.”

Today's word is "somnolence", which is "a state of sleepiness or drowsiness". Often used to describe the public's disconection (or disinterest) in it's own governance. One might say: "A great 'somnolence' has blanketed the Country, and when those asleep awaken, it will quake with rebellion.”

Today's word is "quien sabe", which means "who knows?" or "how should I know?". It's pronounced "key-en saw-bee" and is thought by some to be the origin of "Kemo Sabe" (what Tonto called the Lone Ranger), despite claims that phrase means some form of "friend".

Today's word is "psychopomp", from the Greek: psychopompos (conductor of souls), which is derived from "psyche" (breath, spirit, soul) and "pompos" (conductor, guide). A "psychopomp" is one who guides or escorts the soul of a newly deceased to the afterlife.

Today's word is “yeasayer”: “a person with a confident and positive outlook” “a person who agrees uncritically” “a yes-man”. Gun Brooke (yes, that's a name) writes in his book “Sheridan's Fate”: “Do you really think you could ever work with a yeasayer, who never dares to challenge you?”

Today's word is "meed", a noun, meaning "reward"; "recompense"; or "wage"...a payment for service, or a favour, or it could mean “a bribe”. It comes from the Old English word “mēd” (or “meord”, “meard”, “meorþ”) which meant “reward”, “pay”, “price”, “compensation”, or “bribe"...

Today's word is "rorid". This word means "dewy", that is: "covered or filled with dew". A thing may be “rorigenous" (produced of or from dew), or "rorifluous" (flowing with dew) or have the aspect and appearance of "roridinessness" if it is glazed or sprinkled... like a doughnut.

Today's word is "aumbrye". An "aumbrye" is “a container for storing books” or “a room where books or other documents are stored” or “a repository or compendium of knowledge”. In Churches it often refers to a recess in the wall to hold books, communion vessels, vestments, etc.

Today's word is "purl". Meaning: "to flow with a rippling motion" or "the sound or curling motion made by rippling water" or “to knit with a reverse stitch or “to edge or finish with a lace or embroidery” or “a decorative border” or “gold or silver wire thread used in embroidery”.

The word today is “nugatory” meaning “of little value” or “trifling” or “having no force or power” or “ineffective or impotent”. Example: “Candidates were humiliated, their campaigns ending with a returning officer reading out their nugatory results to an audience of jeering citizens.”

Today's word is "lachanaphobia"; meaning, I kid you not, "fear of vegetables". Now, consider the bone-crushing terror of being in your home, whilst around every corner... in every neighbour’s home, every supermarket and corner store, lie leeks! Cabbages! Carrots! Tomatoes!and the dreaded parsnip!

Today the word is “havers” which means “expressing disbelief” or “rejecting or dismissal (of a statement or idea)”. In Templeton's “Cradle to Grave” (2011), the author writes: “ ‘You saved my life, Tam. I don't know how you begin to thank someone for that.’ ‘Och, havers,’ MacNee said gruffly. ”

Today's word is "Pope Joan". Stephen de Bourbon first recorded this mythical "Pope" in the 13c. Calvinist David Blondel debunked this lie in 1647 and Dollinger finally put it to rest completely in 1863. So, a "Pope Joan" is “an argument made whereby the facts are inconsequential to the point”.

Today the word is “bayanihan”meaning: “a system of mutual assistance whereby members of a community work together to accomplish a difficult task” In June/1958, the Washington Post: “Bayanihan is an ancient island custom, symbolic of cooperative group work.”

Today the word is “epistemic”. definition: “of or relating to knowledge, or to its extent, linguistic expression, or degree of validation.”

Today the word is “canard”: “an unfounded rumor” or “a false story” or “a baseless report, often of a derogatory nature” or “a piece of information that is intended to deceive”. The Old French word “caner” means “to quack”. Social media, the internet and politics are full of “canards”.